Diplomats on Tuesday said at least 550 pilgrims died during the hajj, underscoring the gruelling nature of the pilgrimage which again unfolded in scorching temperatures this year.

At least 323 of those who died were Egyptians, most of them succumbing to heat-related illnesses, two Arab diplomats coordinating their countries' responses told AFP.

The six candidates vying to succeed ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, focused on revitalising Iran's sanctions-hit economy in their first debate ahead of next week's election.

The contenders -- five conservatives and a sole reformer -- faced off in a four-hour live debate, vowing to address the financial challenges affecting the country's 85 million people.

Originally slated for 2025, the election was moved forward after Raisi's death on May 19 in a helicopter crash in northern Iran.

US envoy Amos Hochstein on Tuesday called for the "urgent" de-escalation of cross-border exchanges of fire between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israeli forces raging since the start of the Gaza war.

"The conflict... between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on for long enough," the presidential envoy said on a visit to Beirut.

"It's in everyone's interest to resolve it quickly and diplomatically -- that is both achievable and it is urgent."

The Israeli army on Tuesday said plans for an offensive in Lebanon were "approved and validated" amid escalating cross-border clashes with Hezbollah and a relative lull in Gaza fighting.

The war in Gaza has heightened tensions across the region, with Israeli forces and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, exchanging fire on a near-daily basis.

"Operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated" as commanders met for a situational assessment, the army said in a statement.

In the old medina of Tunis, a wall installation titled "1001 Bricks" showcases the talents of "invisible" creators, including art students, people with disabilities and school dropouts.

Led by Swiss artist Anne Francey, the project took shape over a year through workshops that culminated in a large bas-relief made of carved and painted clay bricks, reimagining the cityscape.

The massive artwork now graces a square in the UNESCO-listed old town of the Tunisian capital.

Thousands of Israelis protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government on Monday over the Gaza war and failure to negotiate the release of scores of hostages still held in the Palestinian territory.

Protests against Netanyahu's handling of the war against Hamas militants have gathered pace, with tens of thousands taking to the streets of Israel's biggest city, Tel Aviv, every weekend.

A US envoy held talks with top Israeli leaders to press for de-escalation on the Lebanese border, as an Israeli official said Hezbollah had fired thousands of projectiles towards Israel since the start of the Gaza war.

Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel which triggered war in the Gaza Strip.

But exchanges have escalated and last week saw Hezbollah's largest simultaneous attack, after an Israeli strike killed a senior commander from the group.

Some displaced residents of southern Lebanon returned Monday to their towns for a key Muslim holiday to pray and mourn loved ones killed in months of cross-border violence between Israel and Hezbollah.

"Today is Eid al-Adha, but it's completely different this year," said teacher Rabab Yazbek, 44, at a cemetery in the coastal town of Naqura, from which many residents have fled.

Every family has lost someone, "whether a relative, friend or neighbour," Yazbek said, adding that two people she had taught had been killed.

Saudi Arabia on Monday warned of a temperature spike in Mecca as Muslim pilgrims wrapped up the hajj in searing conditions, with more than a dozen heat-related deaths confirmed.

One of the world's largest religious gatherings unfolded during the oven-like Saudi summer again this year, and authorities recorded more than 2,700 cases of "heat exhaustion" on Sunday alone, the Saudi health ministry said.

Israel struck Gaza on Monday and witnesses reported blasts in the besieged territory's south, but fighting had largely subsided amid an army-declared "pause" to facilitate aid flows.

The relative calm came as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved his war cabinet, reflecting the country's political fractures.

David Mencer, spokesman for the prime minister's office, said the body had been disbanded following the resignation of centrist leader Benny Gantz, who had required a war cabinet's formation in order to join a unity government.