The water levels in the River Niger, one of Nigeria's two major rivers, are being put under control as part of measures to prevent imminent flooding in the most populous African nation.

Umar Mohammed, head of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), on Tuesday, said in a statement that water levels in the River Niger Basin have been gradually receding since early this month, noting that the Jebba Dam is currently spilling excess water in coordination with operators of the Kainji Dam.

"The Kainji Dam has maintained a 53-centimetre buffer to manage any changes in water inflow," Mohammed said, explaining these are necessary in keeping with flood preparedness protocols, news agency reported.

The lower house of Japan's parliament was officially dissolved on Wednesday, setting the stage for the general election as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba seeks to secure a majority for his party in the house.

The general election is slated to be held on October 27, with campaigning set to begin on October 15, news agency reported.

Ishiba won the election for the President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on September 27 and was elected Prime Minister on October 1 in the parliament controlled by the LDP-led coalition.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a Shiite militia group, claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a site in Israel.

The group on Tuesday said in a statement that the attack was conducted "in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon" and pledged to continue targeting "the enemy's strongholds."

The statement did not provide further details about the targeted site or report any casualties, news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, the group claimed responsibility for launching five attacks with drones and the "al-Arqab upgraded cruise missiles" on five sites in Israel.

The Israeli army continued its intensive attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israeli warplanes launched violent airstrikes on the Bourj Barajneh, Haret Hreik, and Lailaky areas of Dahieh, Beirut's southern suburbs, causing massive fires, as shown in TV footage.

According to NNA, the airstrike on Bourj Barajneh destroyed four buildings, news agency reported quoting Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Israel's military said that it launched extensive airstrikes targeting underground Hezbollah command centres in Lebanon, in which more than 50 militants were killed.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari on Tuesday said during a televised Press briefing that the airstrikes hit and destroyed dozens of underground command centres of Hezbollah's Southern Front, where the commanders leading the fight against Israel were located.

According to Hagari, six senior commanders from Hezbollah's Southern Front and the Radwan Forces were killed, including Ali Ahmad Ismail, identified as the artillery commander in the Bint Jbeil area, and Ahmad Hassan Nazal, identified as head of the attack sector in Bint Jbeil for the Radwan Forces, Hezbollah's elite commando unit, news agency reported.

South Korea will be included in a key global government bond index run by FTSE Russell, starting in November next year, the London-based organisation has said, a decision expected to help it attract significant foreign investment.

The country will be added to the FTSE Russell's World Government Bond Index (WGBI) effective with November 2025 index profiles and phased in over a one-year period on a quarterly basis as its market accessibility level will be reclassified from 1 to 2, reports news agency.

The inclusion decision was made two years after the country was placed on its watch list. "Several initiatives intended to improve the accessibility of South Korean government bonds for international investors have been implemented by South Korean market authorities, which have facilitated the fulfillment of the criteria for a Market Accessibility Level of 2," FTSE said.

Egypt and Jordan called for an immediate halt of "the Israeli aggression" against Gaza and Lebanon, urging for a political settlement to the conflicts.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi made the remarks during a joint press conference in Cairo on Tuesday, news agency reported.

According to Abdelatty, the two ministers discussed solutions to the escalating regional political and security crises, reviewing Egypt and Jordan's contacts with the parties concerned and other countries to prevent the region from sliding into a comprehensive regional war.

At least 20 people were killed and three others injured in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a village in North Kordofan State in western Sudan, the non-governmental Sudanese Doctors Network announced.

"20 people were killed and 3 others injured in an attack by the RSF on the Al-Dammokia village, some 30 km east of El-Obeid, the capital city of North Kordofan State," the network said in a statement on Tuesday, noting that elderly people and children were among the victims.

The network didn't release additional information, and the RSF has yet to comment on the attack, according to news agency.

Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF Since April 15, 2023.

A total of 11 injured victims were rescued and 21 others were declared missing after two wooden boats collided in Nigeria's southwestern state of Lagos, the police said.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesman in Lagos, told the media on Tuesday that the two ferries, each carrying 16 passengers and crew, capsized in the middle of the lagoon after colliding at Imore, a town in the Amuwo-Odofin local government area, on Monday night, news agency reported.

The victims were mostly traders, noted Hundeyin. He said emergency responders, including conventional and marine police and local divers, were swiftly mobilised to the scene and rescued 11 passengers who sustained injuries. They were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Four Islamic State (IS) militants, including a senior group member, were killed in an airstrike on their hideout in Salahudin province, north of Baghdad, the Iraqi military reported on Tuesday.

The airstrike, conducted by Iraqi F-16 jet fighters on Monday, targeted an IS hideout based on intelligence reports in a rugged area near the town of al-Eith, according to a statement from the Security Media Cell, which is affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

On Tuesday morning, an army and intelligence unit was dispatched to the site of the airstrike, where they discovered four bodies, one of which is believed to be Abu Omer al-Quraishi, the leader of IS in Salahudin.

The unit also recovered three explosive belts, firearms, hand grenades, night vision goggles, phones used by the militants, and other equipment,news agency reported.