- Israel opposition leader attacks government -

Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of steering the country towards a "security disaster" by "sending the army into a multi-front war without a strategy, without the necessary means and with far too few soldiers".

"The (Israeli army) is stretched to the limit and beyond. The government is leaving the army wounded out on the battlefield," Lapid said in a televised statement, echoing a warning delivered a day earlier by military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir to the security cabinet, according to Israeli media reports.

- Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon -

The Israeli army announced the death in combat of a soldier in south Lebanon, just hours after reporting another death from its ranks.

Four Israeli soldiers have now been killed in fighting in south Lebanon since Hezbollah began launching rocket attacks against Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader.

- World Bank ready 'at scale' -

The World Bank said it was prepared to provide immediate financial assistance to countries in emerging markets dealing with the economic fallout of the conflict in the Middle East.

"We are ready to respond at scale -- combining immediate financial relief with policy expertise and private sector support for the recovery of jobs and growth," the World Bank Group said in its first statement on the crisis.

- Hezbollah denies Kuwait presence -

Lebanon's Hezbollah again denied it had any presence in Kuwait, a day after the Gulf country announced more arrests of people allegedly linked to the Iran-backed group.

"For the third time, Hezbollah reiterates its complete denial of the accusations" made by Kuwait's interior ministry, the group said in a statement.

- Iran recruiting teens -

Iran's security forces are recruiting children as young as 12 to man checkpoints and perform other duties during the war in the capital, a Revolutionary Guards official told state TV.

Checkpoints have sprung up all around Tehran since the start of the war, with residents reporting teenagers in plainclothes manning some of them with machine guns.

- Trump 'not desperate' -

US President Donald Trump denied being "desperate" to make a deal with Iran, as he mixed threats with diplomacy in a push to wrap up his war in the Middle East.

Holding his first cabinet meeting since the start of the joint US-Israeli operation, Trump insisted that Iran was being "beat to shit" and was "begging" for a deal, despite Tehran's denials.

- Blasts in Tehran -

Warplanes could be heard overhead in northern districts of Tehran, shortly before three loud explosions rang out, an AFP correspondent in the Iranian capital said.

The blasts were heard after dark, during rain, and it was not immediately possible to identify what had been hit.

- Iraq condemns targeting Gulf, Jordan -

Iraq condemned the targeting of the Gulf states and Jordan, a day after these countries issued a joint statement demanding Baghdad act to prevent attacks from its territory.

- Taking control of Iran oil an 'option' -

US President Donald Trump said taking control of Iran's oil was an "option", comparing it to the deal Washington made with Venezuela after toppling Nicolas Maduro.

- Trump claims tanker 'present' -

Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz as a "present" to show it was serious about negotiations to end the war, US President Donald Trump said.

Referring to cryptic comments earlier this week about a "gift" from Tehran, Trump said Iran allowed eight "big boats of oil" to transit the waterway earlier this week, followed by two others later on.

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