Middle East
A year of Israel's invasion / Gaza still bleeding
Death toll nears 42,000; rallies worldwide calls for ceasefire
A year of israeli offensive in gaza / Palestinians wonder how to deal with tonnes of rubble
In the ruins of his two-storey home, 11-year-old Mohammed gathers chunks of the fallen roof into a broken pail and pounds them into gravel which his father will use to make gravestones for victims of the Gaza offensive.
Iran prepares plan to respond to any Israeli attack
Iran has prepared a plan to respond to a possible Israeli attack following the Islamic republic’s retaliatory missile strike against it last week, local media reported yesterday.
Israeli air attacks batter south Beirut
Israeli air attacks battered Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight and early yesterday in the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capital since Israel sharply escalated its campaign against Iran-backed group Hezbollah last month.
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.
Israel bombards Gaza, Lebanon
Israel’s military hit sites in Lebanon and Gaza early yesterday, in retaliation for rocket attacks it blamed on the Islamist group Hamas, as tensions following police raids this week on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem threatened to spiral out of control.
Death sentence for Iranian accused of killing 7 at protests
An Iranian court has ordered the execution of a man accused of killing seven people during nationwide protests last year, the judiciary said yesterday.
Iran, KSA vow to bring Mideast ‘security, stability’
Top diplomats from Middle East rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing yesterday, pledging to work together to bring “security and stability” to their turbulent region following a surprise China-brokered deal.
Israel intercepts rocket fired from Lebanon
The Israeli army said it intercepted rocket fire from Lebanon yesterday, a day after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians inside Islam’s third-holiest site drew warnings of retaliation from around the region.
Iran names envoy to UAE after nearly eight-year absence
Iran has named an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates nearly eight years after his predecessor left, as a thaw in relations with the Gulf Arab states picks up pace.
Iran welcomes US call to back peace process
Iran yesterday welcomed a US call to help end the long-running conflict in Yemen by backing a peace process, one year after a United Nations-brokered truce dramatically reduced fighting.
Israeli police attack worshippers
Israeli police entered Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque in force before dawn yesterday and clashed with worshippers, drawing condemnation from Arab countries and a furious reaction in the occupied West Bank and crossborder strikes in Gaza.
Israel police clash with worshippers at al-Aqsa mosque
The incident sparked protests across the occupied West Bank and the Israeli military said nine rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel after sirens blared in southern towns
20 Iranian schoolgirls hospitalised
Twenty Iranian schoolgirls were hospitalised yesterday after the latest in a mysterious wave of poisoning attacks that have sickened thousands of pupils, state media reported.
Israeli forces kill two Palestinians
Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians yesterday in a morning raid in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, in what the army described as “counterterrorism activity”.