A foreign disinformation campaign has targeted two candidates in France's local elections this weekend, a government agency and a security source said Tuesday.

The campaign was aimed at lawmakers of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party who are running to be the mayors of the southern cities of Marseille and Toulouse, AFP learned, with the first round of voting Sunday.

Two men fired multiple shots at the US consulate in Toronto early Tuesday in what police described as a "national security incident," prompting beefed-up protection for US and Israeli diplomatic buildings in the city.

The individuals approached the consulate in downtown Toronto at around 4:30 am (0830 GMT), exited a white SUV and fired several rounds from a handgun at the consulate, Toronto police deputy chief Frank Barredo told reporters.

There were people inside at the time, but "this building is highly secure, highly fortified, and there were no injuries," Barredo said.

BERLIN, March 10 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz underlined growing concern in Europe at the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran on Tuesday saying a "dangerous escalation" was underway with "clearly no joint plan" for bringing it to an end.

Merz's comments, which echoed remarks he made at the end of last week, came after U.S. President Donald Trump said the war could end "soon" but also said the U.S. could escalate its attacks if Iran sought to block tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Journalists covering the war in the Middle East are facing increasing restrictions and censorship imposed by governments and armed groups, with reporters being stopped and questioned or even detained, a survey of AFP bureau chiefs from the region showed.

Some of the tightest restrictions are in Iran and Israel, although Gulf monarchies, targets of unprecedented drone and missile attacks from Iran, have also imposed tighter controls.

Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:

- Israel announces fresh strikes on Iran -

Israel's military said that it had unleashed a new "wave of strikes" on Tehran, shortly after a round of explosions was heard in the Iranian capital.

"The IDF (military) has begun an additional wave of strikes on Iranian terror regime targets," the Israeli military wrote on its official Telegram channel.

- Oil prices dive -

At a market in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat, pensioner Shemshat Kurbanova always used to pick the "juiciest" Iranian fruit -- but 10 days of war across the border have sent prices soaring and she is now worried how to get by.

The Middle East war has tumbled global markets, with the effects being felt almost immediately in some of Tehran's closest neighbours.

Iran last week banned all goods and agricultural exports, triggering economic pressure on secretive Turkmenistan and the wider Central Asian region, where Tehran had a growing economic footprint in recent years.

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Britain is working with allies on a range of options to support commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in the face of Iranian threats, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson said on Tuesday after calls with the leaders of Italy and Germany.

After speaking to Germany's Friedrich Merz and Italy's Giorgia Meloni late on Monday, Downing Street said in a readout that they agreed on the "vital importance of freedom of navigation" through the Strait and "agreed to work closely together in the coming days in the face of Iranian threats."

DOHA, March 10 (Reuters) - Qatar wants to strengthen its defence partnership with the United States in the wake of Iranian air strikes on Qatari territory, the foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, even as it sees the existing deal as an important deterrent.

Iran launched missile and drone attacks on its oil-producing Gulf neighbours after U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed its top leaders. The conflict disrupted output in the region and sent oil prices surging.

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - The top U.S. general said on Tuesday that the United States was carrying out strikes against Iranian mine-laying vessels.

The war has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil and liquefied natural gas transport, leaving tankers unable to sail for more than a week and forcing producers to halt pumping as storage fills.

"(U.S. Central Command) continues today to hunt and strike mine-laying vessels and mine storage facilities," General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the most intense day of strikes against Iran in the campaign so far.

Speaking with reporters, Hegseth said Tuesday would bring the most fighter jets and bombers against Iran.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Susan Heavey, Katharine Jackson, editing by Michelle Nichols)