An Israeli release, a shipping slowdown and other Mideast news

Israel has released four more Lebanese civilians who had been detained by its forces in southern Lebanon. Ship traffic remains low on the Strait of Hormuz days after the U.S. and Iran exchanged attacks for the first time in a month.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Israel released four Lebanese civilians to Lebanese authorities on Friday as part of a deal between the countries, a day after the first was freed. All had been detained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, where troops now occupy a large swath in the wake of new fighting with Hezbollah began two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

Israel on Thursday said it had agreed to release them after Lebanon provided assistance in searching for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders who went missing in the 1980s during Lebanon’s civil war.

Officials said the release comes as a result of U.S. mediation and negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. Another round of talks is expected in Rome later this month.

Ship traffic on the Strait of Hormuz remained low after the renewed U.S. attacks on targets in Iran earlier this week and Iran's retaliatory attacks in the region, including firing at U.S. Gulf ally Kuwait on Thursday.

Fuel prices are again affected. Diesel hit a new record price in the U.S. on Friday, soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time ever.

This piece will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

A woman relaxes along the rocky shoreline as commercial vessels lie anchored off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man, woman and boy ride a motorcycle along the waterfront as commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A Red Cross convoy passes a Lebanese checkpoint near the border with Israel in the southern village of Mansouri, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) CORRECTION: A Red Cross convoy, instead of U.N. peacekeeper convoy

A man rests at a waterfront shelter as commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia declared an emergency Friday in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo Island after air pollution breached the country's emergency-level threshold linked to fires in neighboring Indonesia.

The Air Pollutant Index in Serian, a small agricultural town of just under 90,000 near the border of Indonesia's Kalimantan province, surged to 521 on Friday, according to Malaysia's environment department. Sarawak's much-larger capital, Kuching, also showed a hazardous reading of 311.

Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar has consented to the declaration of an emergency in Serian, which would allow more effective measures to be taken, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office said in a statement. It didn't provide details but officials have said a reading above 500 could provide for nonessential work and outdoor activities to be halted. Schools are already shut if the index is above 200.

Haze is a recurring seasonal problem in Southeast Asia, where smoke from forest and peat fires in Indonesia can travel across national borders and affect neighboring Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.

Sarawak has been the worst-hit Malaysian state by the haze, with several areas having hazardous air levels in the past few days.

The haze this year has been particularly severe, with elevated fire activity in several provinces in Indonesia, including Kalimantan, and prolonged dry conditions contributing to worsening pollution across parts of Borneo.

Satellite data from Indonesia's Forestry Ministry on Friday detected 717 hot spots nationwide likely caused by forest fires since Aug. 1. The data showed 103 active hot spots in the past 24 hours alone.

Indonesian authorities have deployed firefighting resources and attempted to induce rain.

Indonesian police announced Friday that they have arrested 112 people suspected of starting the recent forest and peatland fires in 10 provinces on Sumatra and Borneo islands. The suspects were local farmers accused of deliberately burning land to clear areas at lower cost.

Indonesia has also suspended the business licenses of five companies over alleged forest and land fires within their concessions in the Kalimantan province.

Pipit Subiyanto, a senior police official at Indonesia’s National Police criminal investigation agency, said authorities are investigating 167 cases involving the deliberate burning of some 4,700 hectares (11,700 acres) of land across nine provinces.

Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Xpin Voon)

Sarawak Astana government building is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Xpin Voon)

The Sarawak Government Administrative Centre in Serian is shrouded in thick haze on Friday, Sept 4, 2026. (AP Photo)

Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Xpin Voon)

Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Xpin Voon)