For Wednesday’s updates, click here

8:11 P.M. Two killed in factional clash at Palestinian camp in Lebanon

Two people were killed in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon on Thursday in a clash between hardline Islamists and members of the mainstream Palestinian faction Fatah, security sources said.

The shootout in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon spiraled from a dispute between individuals affiliated to the two sides, the sources said.

Numerous hardline Islamist groups have a presence in Ain al-Hilweh. These include Jund al-Sham and Fatah al-Islam, the factions involved in Thursday’s violence.

Ain al-Hilweh is Lebanon’s biggest Palestinian camp.

Lebanon’s Palestinian camps for the most part fall outside the jurisdiction of the Lebanese security services. (Reuters)

6:07 P.M. U.S.: ISIS didn’t shoot down an Iraqi aircraft

The U.S. military dismissed ISIS claims on Thursday it had shot down an Iraqi aircraft, saying all U.S.-led coalition aircraft as well Iraqi aircraft had been accounted for.

Reuters had previously reported the claim, made on one of the Islamic State’s Twitter accounts, saying a Russian-made Su-25 was seen crashing in flames after being shot down north of Ramadi.

Major Curtis Kellogg, a spokesman at the U.S. military’s Central Command, said the claim was inaccurate. (Reuters)

4:52 P.M. American and allies conduct airstrikes on 22 ISIS targets, U.S. military says

The United States and coalition allies staged 22 air strikes on ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria in the latest daily attacks on the militant group, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement on Thursday.

Sixteen of the strikes were near the Iraqi cities of Baghdadi, Al Huwayjah, Bayji, Fallujah, Ramadi, Sinjar and Tal Afar and hit tactical units, vehicles, fighting positions, buildings and other assets.

In Syria, a tunnel system, tactical units, vehicles and fighting positions were struck near Al Hasakah, Dayr Az Zawr and Tal Abyad. (Reuters)

2:30 P.M. U.S. conducts ‘counterterrorism strike’ against Al-Qaida-linked target in Libya

The U.S. military conducted a “counterterrorism strike” on Saturday night against an Al-Qaida-associated militant in Libya, the Pentagon said on Sunday. 

“We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate,” Defense Department spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said in a statement. (Reuters) 

1:14 P.M. Bahrain says it seized explosives intended for use in Saudi Arabia

Bahrain said on Thursday it had seized explosives and bomb-making materials planned for use in Bahrain and neighboring Saudi Arabia in what it said was an attempt to use its borders as a base for attacking targets in the region.

In a statement, police chief Major-General Tariq al-Hasan said the techniques used in the manufacture of the explosives bore “clear similarities” to methods used by what it called proxy groups of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC). 

Bahrain often accuses Shi’ite Muslim theocracy Iran of seeking to subvert the Gulf Arab island monarchy. 

Iran denies interfering in Bahrain, although it acknowledges it does support opposition groups seeking greater political and economic rights for Bahrain’s Shi’ite Muslim community. 

Hasan said the seized items, including powerful explosive C4, commercial detonators, advanced circuitry, chemicals and mobile phones, “represent a significant escalation in attempts to smuggle explosives material into Bahrain.” (Reuters) 

11:08 A.M. France says cannot confirm Algerian fighter killed in U.S. strike in Libya

Algerian Islamist Mokhtar Belmokhtar was very likely killed by a U.S. strike in Libya but his death has not been confirmed, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday. 

Libya has said that Belmokhtar, who masterminded a 2013 attack on Algeria’s In Amenas gas field, was killed in eastern Libya. U.S. defense officials confirmed an air strike on Belmokhtar which they said appeared to have been successful, but they have not confirmed that he was killed. 

Speaking to BMF radio, Le Drian echoed Washington’s assessment of Balmokhtar’s fate. 

“There was a raid by the U.S. army, which targeted a place where he was supposed to be, but I can’t confirm it at this stage, it’s very likely but not certain,” he said. 

But a statement on the Twitter account of the Ansar al Sharia militant group appeared to deny that Belmokhtar had been killed. It listed seven people it said had died in the attack – none of whose names resembled Belmokhtar’s. (Reuters)

4:55 A.M. Marine found guilty of murder in retrial for 2006 civilian killing

A U.S. Marine sergeant was convicted Wednesday of murdering an Iraqi civilian in 2006, the second time a military jury has returned a guilty verdict in what has become one of the most complicated and long-running criminal cases from the Iraq War.

The jury of three enlisted men and three military officers found Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III guilty of unpremeditated murder. The jury also found him guilty of conspiracy and larceny because prosecutors say he stole the AK-47 and the shovel that were planted near the body during the April 26, 2006, incident. But he was found not guilty of falsifying an official statement. (AP)

2:35 A.M. ISIS claims to have shot down Iraqi fighter plane 

Islamic State said on Thursday it had shot down an Iraqi fighter plane north of the city of Ramadi in Anbar Province. It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the claim made on one of ISIS’s Twitter accounts.

A member of an anti-ISIS Sunni force called Sahwa (Awakening) said an Iraqi fighter jet, a Russian-made Su-25, was seen in flames as it crashed after being shot down north of Ramadi. 

The ISIS Twitter site said the fighter jet had been shot down as it conducted a raid on areas north of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Sunni heartland Anbar. (Reuters)

2:21 A.M. UNSC urges Libyan rivals to accept power-sharing peace deal

The UN Security Council urged all Libyan parties to accept a peace deal that requires the internationally recognized government to share power with rival Islamists who control the capital.

Bernardino Leon, the UN envoy leading talks aimed at stemming Libya’s collapse, had hoped to win consensus over the deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which starts Thursday. But Libya’s internationally recognized parliament dropped out of the talks last week in protest at the plan which would mean sharing power with its rivals.

The Security Council stressed that “there can be no military solution to the crisis in Libya and that reaching a political agreement leading to the formation of a government of national accord is critical to ending Libya’s political, security and institutional crises, and to confront the rising threat of terrorism.” (AP)