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Israel says it will strike Lebanon-Syria border crossing
The Israeli military said Saturday it would strike an area near the main crossing between Syria and Lebanon, urging residents to evacuate immediately.
Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south since March 2, when the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah entered the war.
“Due to Hezbollah’s use of the Masnaa Crossing for military purposes and smuggling of combat equipment, the (Israeli army) intends to carry out strikes on the crossing in the near future,” said the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, urging people to leave the area.
A Lebanese security source at the Masnaa border crossing told AFP they were “currently evacuating the crossing following the Israeli threat.”
In Syria, the General Authority for Borders and Customs public relations director, Mazen Aloush, said the crossing, known as Jdeidet Yabous on the Syrian side, was “exclusively for civilian use and is not used for any military purposes.”
Aloush added that “in light of the circulating warnings and out of concern for the safety of travelers, traffic through the crossing will be temporarily suspended until any potential risks subside.”
An AFP journalist on the Syrian side of the crossing said early Sunday it was empty, with only a few guards remaining.
Masnaa is the main crossing between Lebanon and Syria, making it a vital trade route for both countries and a key land gateway for Lebanon to the rest of the region.
Israel struck the crossing in October 2024, during its previous war with Hezbollah. The crossing remained closed until Lebanese and Syrian authorities began repair works after a ceasefire the following month.
7:17 PM / April 4, 2026
Argentina expels Iran’s top diplomat
Argentina’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Saturday it had expelled Iran’s top diplomat as tensions increase between Iran’s theocratic regime and Argentina’s libertarian government, which is closely aligned with the Trump administration.
In a message on X, Argentina’s Foreign Affairs Minister Pablo Quirno said Iran’s Charge D’Affaires, Mohsen Soltani Tehrani, had left the country “in compliance” with a resolution issued Thursday that gave the Iranian diplomat 48 hours to leave the South American country.
Tensions between both nations intensified earlier this week after Argentina declared Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. The measure will enable the Argentine government to issue financial sanctions against those conducting business with that branch of Iran’s armed forces and seize any assets it could own in Argentina.
Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry replied to the terrorism designation with a statement which said Argentina’s actions amounted to an “unforgivable offense” influenced by the U.S.
6:20 PM / April 4, 2026
Trump says multiple Iranian military leaders killed in strike on Tehran
President Trump said that several Iranian military officials had been killed in a U.S. strike on Tehran late Saturday night local time.