Lebanon's foreign minister said Tuesday his country fears its infrastructure could be hit by Israeli strikes if the situation with Iran escalates, after Israel intensified its attacks on Tehran-backed Hezbollah.

With tensions high, Lebanon's army accused the Israeli military of firing near a position it was setting up in the country's south, saying it had instructed troops to return fire.

By Saud Meushud and Mushtaq Ali

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Gunmen ambushed a police vehicle and killed five officials and two civilians in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, police said, as the South Asian nation struggles to quell a wave of militant attacks and faces renewed border tensions with Afghanistan.

The ambush in Kohat city, situated along the border with Afghanistan, comes a day after a drone and gun attack killed three paramilitary troops in the nearby city of Karak.

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's first option with Tehran is always diplomacy but he is willing to use lethal force if necessary, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday as his top diplomat prepares to brief top congressional leaders on Iran later in the day.

"President Trump's first option is always diplomacy. But as he has shown ... he is willing to use the lethal force of the United States military if necessary," Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House. "The president is always the final decision maker around here."

More than a dozen international humanitarian organisations have petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to block an imminent order that would force 37 NGOs to cease operations in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, warning of catastrophic consequences for Palestinians.

Organisations including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE were notified on December 30, 2025 that their Israeli registrations had expired and that they had 60 days to renew them by providing lists of their Palestinian staff.

NICOSIA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Cyprus imposed strict livestock controls on Tuesday after authorities confirmed multiple cases of foot and mouth disease, triggering nationwide restrictions on the movement of animals and heightened biosecurity measures across farming areas.

Veterinary officials said an outbreak had been detected at 11 farms in the southern district of Larnaca after an initial diagnosis at one on February 20. The region borders a dividing line splitting the island, and cases of foot and mouth had also been reported in the Turkish Cypriot-controlled north in December.

Paris Saint-Germain footballer Achraf Hakimi, a key player in their Champions League-winning side last season, is to stand trial charged with raping a young woman, his lawyer and a French prosecutor told AFP Tuesday.

In February 2023, a woman then aged 24 told police in the Val-De-Marne region southeast of Paris that Hakimi had raped her.

The 27-year-old Moroccan international, who played a pivotal role in Morocco becoming the first African and Arab side to reach the World Cup semi-finals when they made the last four in 2022, denies any wrongdoing.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Tensions have heated up again between Islamabad and Kabul this week after Pakistan launched airstrikes on militant targets in Afghanistan.

Pakistani security sources said the strike killed at least 70 terrorists, while the United Nations said at least 13 civilians were killed.

The attack threatens a fragile ceasefire following border clashes in October that killed dozens of soldiers, the worst fighting between the two countries since the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021.

WHY ARE THE NEIGHBOURS AT ODDS?

Europe has wide "shortfalls" in its military capabilities which leave it "ill-prepared" as the war in Ukraine grinds on, a new report said Tuesday.

With the new security strategy of US President Donald Trump's administration forcing European countries to rethink defence policies, four years of war in Ukraine has spurred efforts to boost military capabilities, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in its annual report.

GENEVA/BEIRUT, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Israel has sent an indirect message to Lebanon that it would strike Lebanon hard, targeting civilian infrastructure including the airport, in the event that Hezbollah gets involved in any U.S.-Iran war, two senior Lebanese officials said on Tuesday.

The office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Lebanese presidency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

NEW DELHI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel from February 25 to 26, India's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The visit will be Modi's second to Israel.

Modi's first visit took place in 2017, which was also the first ever by an Indian prime minister to Israel.

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee; Editing by YP Rajesh)