US commander visits carrier in Arabian Sea as Mideast tensions persist

Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea during a 10-day tour that concluded on Saturday, according to U.S. Central Command. The Lincoln arrived in the region in January and has been supporting U.S. operations against Iran, including a blockade on Iranian ports. Its deployment has included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days. Cooper also traveled to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to meet with civilian and military leaders.

In a separate development, Israel's military said it targeted two Hezbollah commanders in strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least 11 people. The strikes were the deadliest since a truce between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in June. Israel said the latter strike killed Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior Hezbollah commander who had participated in attacks against Israeli soldiers and led militants who targeted Israeli soldiers and civilians over several years. The military said Haj Hassan's family was with him but was not targeted. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized the airstrikes. The United States has been mediating talks between Israel and the Lebanese government.

Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation, chaired by the group's leader Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo on Sunday for Gaza ceasefire-related talks with Egyptian officials. The talks come as mediators push for the implementation of a roadmap to advance U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and handing over power to Palestinian technocrats. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected Trump's latest plan, saying Israel will not withdraw from the roughly 60% of the territory it controls until Hamas is completely disarmed, a condition the militant group has long resisted.

Additionally, Iran's Missing Persons Committee of the Armed Forces General Staff said Qatar's armed forces captured and are holding three Iranian pilots who went missing in March when their jets were downed. Iran's state TV reported that the committee's commander urged Qatar to allow Iranian Air Force experts to conduct a field investigation. The statement alleged that Qatar had not allowed the pilots to meet or communicate with families or Iranian officials. A spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, Majed Al Ansari, denied the claims and indicated on X that the pilots had been shot down and that Qatar's search and rescue teams found the remains of one.