By Maayan Lubell

ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER, July 15 (Reuters) - Israeli leaders describe the territory now occupied in Lebanon as a war gain, but some military veterans see the so-called "buffer zone" as a deadly replay of a doomed strategy they experienced first-hand.

Gil Shely recalls being told daily by his commanders in the late 1980s, in what was known then as the southern Lebanon "security strip", that he was protecting Israel's north.

"Looking back, it was all fairy tales," he said.

BEIRUT, July 15 (Reuters) - Lebanon and Israel concluded U.S.-brokered talks in Romeon Wednesday, with a U.S. official saying they had made progress on implementing a plan that could see Israeli forces begin to withdraw from some parts of southern Lebanon within days.

The two longtime foes held ambassador-level talks at the U.S. embassy in Rome on Tuesday and Wednesday — their sixth round of face-to-face negotiations since a new war erupted on March 2 between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, triggered by the wider regional conflict.

By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, July 15 (Reuters) - Whoever wins the election in Israel later this year must rein in defence-led state spending that has grown in recent years and invest more in education, infrastructure and other growth engines, Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron said on Wednesday.

Israel is slated to hold a general election on October 27. Polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current ruling coalition losing.

ISTANBUL, July 15 (Reuters) - Turkey's ousted main opposition CHP leader said on Wednesday that preparations are under way for the possible establishment of a new political party, but any formal step would wait until after ongoing legal proceedings.

In May, a Turkish court annulled the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2023 congress that elected Ozgur Ozel as chairman, citing irregularities. It reinstated as chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the CHP's former leader who lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in the 2023 presidential election.

LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - The family of British couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who are serving a 10-year prison sentence in Iran on espionage charges that they deny, said on Wednesday that a judge had extended Craig Foreman's sentence by two years for speaking to the media.

The couple were arrested in 2025 while travelling through Iran by motorcycle as part of a round-the-world journey. Britain has described their original sentences as "totally unjustifiable".

BERLIN, July 15 (Reuters) - G7 foreign ministers and the European Union's foreign policy chief on Wednesday urged Sudan's Rapid Support Forces and allied armed groups to stop all actions that could lead to further atrocities or endanger civilians in El-Obeid.

They also called on all parties, including the Sudanese army, to cease hostilities, allow aid access and engage in good-faith talks.

By Rozanna Latiff

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Reuters) - Malaysia's Immigration Department said on Wednesday that members of a "digital nomad" community run by U.S. investor Balaji Srinivasan had valid travel documents, a day after authorities announced a probe into claims that Israelis were among them in violation of local laws.

The investigation came after some social media users alleged that The Network School, founded by the former Coinbase chief technology officer in 2024, included participants from Israel who had entered Malaysia with passports of other countries.

By Florence Tan

SINGAPORE, July 15 (Reuters) - The number of vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz ticked up on Tuesday, with most of them linked to Iranian trade, before a U.S. blockade took effect on Wednesday, shipping data showed.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday reimposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports and threatened to hit power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations, in the latest escalation of the U.S. conflict with Iran.