Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, March 27

TEHRAN -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Friday that passage is prohibited for any vessel through any corridor in the Strait of Hormuz to and from the ports of countries allied with and supporting the United States and Israel.

Earlier in the day, the IRGC Navy turned back three container ships with different nationalities that were approaching the corridor only for the authorized vessels' passage, according to a statement published on IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News. (Iran-U.S.-Strait of Hormuz)

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BEIRUT -- At least 11 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

An Israeli airstrike on the town of Saksakiyeh in the Sidon district killed four people and injured eight others. Earlier, an airstrike on Kfar Remmen killed two people and injured eight others, while another strike on Tahwitat al-Ghadir in Beirut's southern suburbs killed two. (Lebanon-Israel-Humanitarian crisis)

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SANAA -- Yemen's Houthi group on Friday warned of possible military intervention amid rising regional tensions, calling for an immediate halt to what it described as aggression against several countries in the Middle East.

In a statement broadcast on the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Sarea stressed the need to end hostilities affecting Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq. (Yemen-Houthis-Military intervention)

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CAIRO -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed Egypt's efforts to de-escalate regional tensions during a phone call on Friday, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Guterres expressed his appreciation for Egypt's mediation efforts, carried out in cooperation with Türkiye and Pakistan, to support direct negotiations between the United States and Iran, affirming the UN's support for these efforts aimed at regional de-escalation. (UN-Egypt-Diplomacy) Enditem