Huge numbers of Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat on Tuesday at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage, defying searing temperatures under the desert sun as they fulfilled a lifelong dream.

From daybreak, thousands of white-robed worshippers recited Quranic verses on the 70-metre (230 feet) rocky hill near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his last sermon.

Volunteers handed out bottles of water, parasols and food packages to the tens of thousands of pilgrims as they made their way toward Mount Arafat, as helicopters buzzed overhead regularly.

With temperatures hitting 45C in Mecca this week, Saudi health workers have increasingly relied on drones to supply a vast array of medical clinics treating heat-stressed pilgrims during the hajj.

The rituals at the hajj have been a constant for centuries.

But technology is rapidly changing the experience for pilgrims and officials alike -- with AI, UAVs and mobile apps providing crucial services, logistical support and helping manage the mammoth crowds.

By David Jeans

NEW YORK, May 26 (Reuters) - As U.S. kamikaze drones guided by Elon Musk’s Starlink network began to make visible gains in the war against Iran, senior SpaceX officials reached a conclusion: The Pentagon should be paying more for access to their satellite Wi-Fi network.

DUBLIN, May 26 (Reuters) - Ireland aims to pass a law curbing goods trade with settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by mid-July with Israel, some U.S. lawmakers and business groups opposing the move, Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said on Tuesday.

By Mussa Qawasma

MASAFER YATTA, West Bank, May 26 (Reuters) - Palestinian shepherd Sameeha Rasheed was planning for the sacred ritual of sacrificing her family's sheep for the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the holiest occasions in Islam, but West Bank Jewish settlers stole them in a pre-dawn raid, she said.

Instead of celebrating, Rasheed has been left with nothing and has also been deprived of the income she would have received from selling the sheep not used by her family.

May 26 (Reuters) - Iranian hackers were responsible for a disruptive computer breach in March that forced Los Angeles' transit system to shut down parts of its network, Israeli researchers say.

The saboteurs stole at least 700 gigabytes of emails, backups, and other files from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), according to Gambit Security, a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm that said it discovered the misappropriated data afterit was inadvertently exposed online.

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed 31 people on Tuesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel said it was intensifying attacks despite a truce in its war with Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed group meanwhile said it faced Israeli troops entering the southern town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, as the Israeli military said it was expanding its ground operations.

In a statement, the health ministry said 31 people, including at least four children and three women, were killed in attacks and 40 wounded.

May 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday negotiating a deal with Iran could "take a few days," quashing hopes for an imminent end to the conflict a day after U.S. forces conducted what Washington called defensive strikes in southern Iran.

Describing the strikes against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz has to be open "one way or the other."

Wall Street stocks mostly rose Tuesday, lifting the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to fresh records on hopes for a Middle East peace deal.

The gains came despite a jump in Brent oil prices after US military strikes on Iran prompted worries about a military rebuttal from Tehran.

"Risk-on winds are dominating Wall Street today as progress on the US-Iran negotiations raises optimism concerning a sustained retreat in crude oil and yields," said Jose Torres of Interactive Brokers.

May 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the Straitof Hormuz has to be open, "one way or the other", whenreferring to U.S strikes on Iran on Monday.

"The straits have to be open, they're going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open," Rubio told reporters on his plane in India's Jaipur.

He said the negotiating language of the deal with Iran could "take a few days".

(Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)