LEBANON: The UN interim force in Lebanon said Israeli forces dropped an unknown chemical substance on agricultural land near the Blue Line, disrupting peacekeeper operations for more than nine hours. 

Unifil warned that the action could endanger civilians and troops and said it violated a 2006 UN resolution. 

Israel said the substance was non-toxic, as near-daily strikes continue despite a November ceasefire with Hezbollah.
 

CEASEFIRE: Syrian interior ministry forces entered the city of al-Hassakeh under a deal between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to stabilise a fragile ceasefire. 

The agreement allows limited security deployments to protect state institutions while barring full military entry into Kurdish-majority areas. 

The move comes as Iraq begins investigating more than 1,300 suspected Islamic State members transferred from US-run prisons in Syria.
 

CUBA: Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government will send humanitarian aid to Cuba, despite US pressure to halt oil shipments to the island. 

She said Mexico aims to resolve the issue diplomatically and for humanitarian reasons, denying that the matter was discussed with President Donald Trump. 

Mexico has become Cuba’s main oil supplier since Venezuela suspended shipments earlier this year.
 

PAKISTAN: Security forces killed about two dozen militants overnight in south-west Pakistan, raising the death toll from raids to 177 in 48 hours after co-ordinated insurgent attacks killed at least 33 people.

Authorities said the raids targeted the banned Baloch Liberation Army following suicide bombings and assaults across the province. 

Analysts say the scale of militant deaths is among the highest seen in decades.