GAZA -- Hamas said Friday it has given mediators its agreement to release Israeli-U.S. hostage Edan Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages.

In a statement, Hamas said its leadership delegation, which received a proposal from mediators on Thursday to resume negotiations, submitted its response on Friday morning. The response included its agreement to release Alexander, who holds U.S. citizenship, and the bodies of four other dual nationals. (Hamas-American Hostage-Release)

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TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Friday condemned fresh U.S. sanctions targeting several individuals, vessels, and companies linked to Iran's oil exports.

The ministry said the move comes a day after the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad as well as several companies and vessels tied to the "shadow fleet" used to circumvent sanctions. (Iran-U.S. Sanctions-Condemnation)

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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Friday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will maintain its presence at five strategic locations in southern Lebanon "indefinitely," regardless of ongoing negotiations over 13 disputed border points.

During a security assessment on Thursday with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior military officials, Katz emphasized that the IDF will continue to hold these five positions, which control the buffer zone in Lebanon, as a measure to safeguard northern Israeli communities. (Israel-Lebanon-Military Presence)

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BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said on Friday that security forces had killed a senior Islamic State (IS) leader.

Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufay'i, also known as Abu Khadija, was killed in an operation by the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, with support from the Iraqi Joint Operations Command and international coalition forces, al-Sudani's office said in a statement. (Iraq-IS Leader-Killing) Enditem

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