Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Aug. 13

JERUSALEM -- Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Wednesday he has approved the construction of 3,401 housing units for settlers in a particularly controversial area of the occupied West Bank.

The homes would be built in the E1 area, a stretch of land east of Jerusalem between the city and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. Construction there is seen as especially contentious because it would effectively cut off East Jerusalem from the northern West Bank. Building plans in E1 have been frozen for years, largely due to international opposition. (Israel-Housing Units-West Bank)

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KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait's Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that 13 people have died from poisoning caused by locally produced alcohol.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, the ministry said that since Saturday it had handled 63 cases of alcohol poisoning resulting from drinks contaminated with methanol. (Kuwait-Alcohol Poisoning-Deaths)

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BEIRUT -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told Secretary-General of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, on Wednesday that Lebanon is willing to cooperate with Iran within the bounds of sovereignty and mutual respect, while rejecting any interference in its internal affairs.

"We reject any intervention in our internal affairs from any party," Aoun said during his meeting with Larijani. "Lebanon, which never interferes in the affairs of other states and respects their particularities, will not accept anyone interfering in its own," Aoun added, according to a statement by Lebanon's Presidency. (Lebanon-Iran-Ties)

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JERUSALEM/GAZA -- Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir on Wednesday approved the main framework of a government plan to expand the offensive in Gaza to areas not yet under Israeli control.

The offensive will later target refugee camps in central Gaza and the southern area of Al Mawasi, where most of Gaza's 2.2 million residents have taken shelter, according to a statement by the Israeli military. (Israel-Gaza-Attack Plan) Enditem