Middle East
A year of Israel's invasion / Gaza still bleeds
Intensified Israeli airstrikes on Gaza yesterday killed dozens on the eve of the first anniversary of its offensive in the besieged territory that has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins.
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.
Egypt’s Sisi makes snap KSA visit
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler on a brief visit late on Sunday, state media said, as the North African country grapples with severe economic difficulties.
‘Duty to deter Israeli escalation’ in Jerusalem: Jordan King
Jordan’s King Abdullah II expressed on Sunday a commitment to “safeguard” Jerusalem’s holy sites, in a meeting in Amman with Muslim and Christian religious leaders from the city.
Car ramming: Israeli police kill Palestinian man
A suspected assailant was killed by Israeli soldiers after a West Bank car ramming on Saturday night, the army said, in an escalation that threatens to end a relative lull during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan so far.
KSA to invite Syria’s Assad: sources
Saudi Arabia is planning to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to an Arab League summit that Riyadh is hosting in May, three sources familiar with the plans said, a move that would formally end Syria’s regional isolation.
Israeli strikes hurt 5 Syrian soldiers
Five Syrian soldiers were wounded in the latest Israeli air strike on Syria, state news agency SANA reported yesterday, with Iran saying two Revolutionary Guards officers died in earlier attacks.
Syria top diplomat visits Egypt
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Cairo yesterday, a first since Syria’s civil war broke out over a decade ago, Shoukry’s office said.
Saudi agrees to join China-led SCO
Saudi Arabia has agreed to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a “dialogue partner”, state media reported yesterday, the latest indication of closer political ties with China.
8 Bangladeshis dead, 18 hurt in Saudi bus crash
At least eight Bangladeshi umrah pilgrims died while 18 others were injured in a bus crash in Saudi Arabia, according to a press release issued by the foreign ministry
22 umrah pilgrims killed in Saudi bus crash
A bus ferrying pilgrims to the holy city of Makkah burst into flames after a collision on a bridge on Monday, killing 22 people and injuring more than two dozen others
Reconciliation Deal: Saudi, Iranian FMs to meet during Ramadan
The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers have vowed to meet before the end of the holy month of Ramadan to implement a landmark reconciliation deal, the two countries said yesterday.