Middle East
Tens of thousands protest against Lebanon 'bloodbath' in Iran, Yemen
Tens of thousands protested in Iranian cities and in the rebel-held Yemeni capital on Friday to condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, AFP journalists and state media reported
Israel hits Hezbollah HQ in Beirut with heavy airstrikes
The Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah’s central headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs yesterday in an attack that shook the Lebanese capital and sent thick clouds of smoke over the city.
Over 30,000 crossed into Syria from Lebanon
Well over 30,000 people, mainly Syrians, have crossed into Syria from Lebanon in the past 72 hours, the UN refugee agency said yesterday, amid an escalating conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah that has killed hundreds of people in Lebanon.
Israeli strikes kill 92 in Lebanon in past 24 hours: ministry
Israeli strikes have killed 92 people in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the country's health ministry said late Thursday
Israel rejects truce proposal from US
Israel yesterday rejected global calls for a ceasefire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, defying its biggest ally the US and pressing ahead with strikes that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and heightened fears of an all-out regional war.
Iraqi Islamic Resistance drone hits Israel’s port
The pro-Iran Islamic Resistance in Iraq group said it attacked Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat Wednesday as another group urged more attacks amid soaring tensions over Gaza and Lebanon.
Israeli forces battle Hamas in Gaza Strip
Israeli forces battled Hamas-led fighters in the northern and southern Gaza Strip yesterday, and Palestinian health officials said Israeli military strikes across the enclave had killed at least 31 Palestinians overnight.
Lebanon says Israeli airstrikes kill at least 492, residents flee from south
"Israel's war is not with you, it's with Hezbollah. For too long Hezbollah has been using you as human shields," Netanyahu said to the Lebanese people
Israel okays largest land seizure in 3 decades
Israel has approved its biggest land seizure in the occupied West Bank in more than three decades, a move criticised by activists yesterday as detrimental to Palestinian peace hopes.
Israel pounds Gaza after evacuation order
Israeli forces bombarded several areas of the southern Gaza Strip yesterday and thousands of Palestinians fled their homes in what could be part of a final push of Israel’s intensive military operations in nine months of offensive.
Palestinian prisoners face ‘all kinds of torture’
The head of the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital said yesterday after being freed from more than seven months of detention that he had been “tortured” by Israel.
Turkey arrests 67 after mob attacks Syrian properties
Turkish police were holding 67 people yesterday after a mob went on the rampage in a central Anatolian city after a Syrian man was accused of harassing a child.
Hospital generators to run out of fuel in 48 hrs
Gaza’s few functional hospitals and health facilities could lose power in 48 hours if they don’t receive fuel, causing life-saving medical equipment to stop working.
Iran presidential polls: Jalili, Pezeshkian qualify for runoff
Iran’s sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili have qualified for a runoff presidential election after leading in the first round, an official said yesterday.
Gaza civilians living in unbearable conditions
Gazan civilians are forced to live in bombed-out buildings or camp next to giant piles of trash, a United Nations spokeswoman said Friday, denouncing the “unbearable” conditions in the besieged territory.
Iran warns Israel of ‘obliterating’ war
Iran yesterday warned that “all Resistance Fronts”, a grouping of Iran and its regional allies, would confront Israel if it attacks Lebanon.
Thousands displaced as Israel pummels north Gaza
Explosions, air strikes and gunfire rattled northern Gaza yesterday, the third day of an Israeli military operation that has uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians and compounded what the UN called “unbearable” living conditions in the territory.
Two candidates drop out of race
Two hardline candidates dropped out of Iran’s presidential election yesterday, a day ahead of the landmark vote, and called for unity among forces supporting the country’s Islamic revolution, state media reported.