State Department tells Americans worldwide to 'exercise increased caution'

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it struck a river crossing in southern Lebanon on Thursday, after video widely circulated on social media purportedly shows the Israeli strike hitting just meters away from British journalist Steve Sweeney, a Beirut-based correspondent for state-run Russia Today, while he was was speaking on camera.

RT's editor-in-chef, Margarita Simonyan, who shared the video online, said in social media posts that Sweeney and his cameraman were wounded in the Israeli strike and are both conscious in a hospital.

Simonyan said an IDF aircraft fired on the car carrying the two journalists as they were crossing a bridge in southern Lebanon.

"War journalists are not legitimate targets," Simonyan wrote in a post on X on Thursday.

The IDF said it has targeted Litani River crossings in recent days "that Hezbollah used for both terrorist movement and to transfer thousands of weapons."

"In footage released in the past few hours, a journalist is seen at the 'Qasmiya' crossing," the IDF added in its statement. "An explicit warning had been issued regarding this area. The crossing was struck after sufficient time had passed since warnings."

"The IDF calls on the residents of Lebanon to heed the warnings published on various platforms," the IDF said. "The IDF does not target civilians or journalists and operates in accordance with international law."

More than 1,000 people have now been killed and 2,584 others injured in Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli strikes, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Of those killed were 118 children, 79 women and 40 health care workers, the ministry said.

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to Congress that the U.S. has a less clear picture on the intentions and positions of Iranian leadership now in power, telling members of Congress that the intelligence community believes Iran’s new supreme leader is more hardline than his father, who was assassinated by Israel.

Gabbard testified that the intelligence community assesses that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is so hardline, some of Iran's leaders thought he was too aggressive. He was also involved in ordering the killing of Iranian protesters in recent waves of protest across the country, Gabbard said.

Asked if the U.S. is "less certain" of the positions of Iranian leadership now than it was 60 days ago, Gabbard said "yes."

Gabbard also said it was “unknown at this time” whether Mojtaba would uphold or lift a fatwa issued by his father in 2003 which barred Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons.

Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have issued a joint statement condemning Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz as the war continues.

"We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping," the countries said.

Adding, "We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning."