Middle East
Potential new Hezbollah leader out of contact, Lebanese source says
The potential successor to slain Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been out of contact since Friday, a Lebanese security source said on Saturday, after an Israeli airstrike reported to have targeted him
Carnage in Gaza / Mothers struggle to care for newborns
Gazan mother Rana Salah cradles her one-month-old daughter Milana in her arms in a sweltering tent for the displaced, and speaks of the guilt she feels for bringing her child into a world of war and suffering.
Israel readying response to Iran’s attack
Israel was preparing a military response to Iran’s missile attack this week that heightened fears of a wider regional war, an Israeli official said yesterday, as fighting raged in Lebanon and Gaza.
Lebanon conflict pushes Gaza truce out of focus
Palestinians fear the crisis in Lebanon is diverting the world’s attention from Gaza, where Israeli strikes killed dozens more people this week, and diminishing already dim prospects for a ceasefire a year into an offensive that has shattered the enclave.
Lebanon invasion / How might Israel strike back against Iran?
Israel has sworn it will retaliate for Iran’s missile barrage on Tuesday, which involved more than 180 ballistic missiles and was largely thwarted by Israel’s air defense systems. Below are some ways Israel, backed by the United States, could strike back.
Iran’s allies will keep fighting Israel
Iran’s supreme leader yesterday vowed in a rare address that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel, as he defended his country’s missile strike on its arch-foe.
US President Biden does not believe there will be 'all-out-war' in Middle East
U.S. President Joe Biden said he did not believe there is going to be an "all-out war" in the Middle East, as Israel weighs options for retaliation after Tehran's largest ever assault on its arch-enemy.
Israel strikes Beirut, south Lebanon
Israel’s military urged residents of more than 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately yesterday as it pressed on with incursions after suffering its worst losses in a year of fighting the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Iran army gets 200 ‘strategic’ drones: report
Iran’s defence ministry has delivered the army with more than 200 new drones equipped with missile capabilities and electronic warfare systems, state media reported yesterday.
At least 85 killed in stampede for donations in Yemen
The latest tragedy to strike the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country came days ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday celebrated around the world by feasting to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan
Israeli forces shoot seven in West Bank raid
Israeli forces shot and wounded seven people in a raid yesterday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said as the Israeli army confirmed an operation was underway.
Saudi FM meets Syria’s Assad in Damascus
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat in Damascus yesterday, state media reported, ending more than a decade of diplomatic deep-freeze between the two countries.
Iran invites Saudi king to visit Tehran
Iran said yesterday it has formally invited Saudi King Salman to visit Tehran, following a agreement reached last month between the two sides.
Iran invites Saudi king to visit amid thaw in ties
Iran said Monday it has formally invited Saudi King Salman to visit Tehran, following a reconciliation agreement reached last month between the two sides
Eid-ul-Fitr likely on Saturday in Middle East
Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, could fall on Saturday, April 22, 2023, according to the International Astronomy Centre
Iran seals 150 businesses
Iranian police said yesterday authorities had closed more than 150 businesses in 24 hours for not respecting the obligation for women to wear headscarves under Iran’s strict Islamic dress code.
Dubai apartment block fire kills 16
The fire broke out at midday Saturday on the fourth floor of the building in the Al-Ras neighbourhood in the old part of the city
Hundreds of POWs freed
Hundreds of prisoners of war, including Saudis, were freed yesterday as part of a cross-border exchange between a Saudi-led military coalition and Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.