- 'Security zone' -

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military would take control of south Lebanon up to the Litani River as a "security zone", as it presses its fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The hundreds of thousands of south Lebanon residents who have been displaced by the war "will not return south of the Litani River until security is guaranteed for the residents of the north" of Israel, he said.

- UN rights meet -

The UN Human Rights Council said it will hold an urgent meeting on Wednesday on Iran's strikes on countries in the Gulf region.

- Iran energy sites hit -

Iranian media reported on Tuesday that Israeli-US strikes targeted two gas facilities and a pipeline, hours after US President Donald Trump stepped back from his threat to attack power infrastructure.

In an interview with state TV, Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said that Iran is less vulnerable to attacks on energy infrastructure because it was spread out, with 150 power plants across the country.

- Iraqi Kurdistan targeted -

A rocket attack in Iraq's north killed six fighters from the peshmerga armed forces of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, officials said.

The region's armed forces ministry blamed Tehran, saying "six Iranian ballistic missiles targeted" the troops in two attacks.

- Wounded in Tel Aviv -

Four people were wounded in Tel Aviv, where police reported several impact sites after the military warned of incoming missiles from Iran. The city's mayor said the hit in an upscale neighbourhood in the north was a "direct strike".

Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to conduct "heavy missile and drone strikes" in what it described as support for Palestinian and Lebanese civilians hit by Israeli fire.

- Two killed near Beirut -

An Israeli strike on Bshamoun, a town south of Beirut which lies outside of the traditional strongholds of Iran-backed Hezbollah, killed at least two people, Lebanon's health ministry said.

- Iraq deaths -

A strike in western Iraq on Tuesday killed 15 fighters, including Saad Dawai al-Baiji, provincial commander and head of operations in Anbar for the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).

The PMF is now part of Iraq's regular army, but also includes some pro-Iranian groups. It has blamed the attack on the US.

- Syrian base targeted -

Syria's army said Monday that one of its bases in the northeast was targeted by a missile strike from neighbouring Iraq, while an Iraqi official said a local armed group was behind the attack.

The Iraqi official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that "an Iraqi faction fired seven Arash-4 rockets, an improved version of the Grad rocket, towards a base in the Hassakeh region".

- Trump-Netanyahu call -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had spoken with Donald Trump and that the US president believed the countries' military gains in Iran could be converted into a negotiated agreement that protected Israel's interests.

"President Trump believes there is a chance to leverage the tremendous achievements of the (Israeli military) and the US military in order to realise the war's objectives in an agreement -- an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Earlier, Trump announced he had shelved plans to attack Iran's power plants in a stunning about-turn, sparked by what he said were "very good" talks with unidentified Iranian officials to bring an end to the war.

- Beirut suburbs hit -

Israel attacked the Lebanese capital's southern suburbs hours after the Israeli army issued a warning for residents of the area to evacuate, saying it was "striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut".

AFPTV's live broadcast showed a cloud of smoke over the southern suburbs, which are considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group.

- Pakistani, Iranian leaders speak -

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on "the grave situation in the Gulf region", and promised that Pakistan was committed to playing "a constructive role in advancing peace".

- 'David's Sling' malfunction -

A malfunction in Israel's "David's Sling" aerial interceptor system had allowed two Iranian ballistic missiles to strike the south of the country, wounding dozens of people over the weekend, the military confirmed.

The system is a key component of Israel's multi-layered air defence shield.

burs/yad/gv/st