Middle East
Who is Nasrallah?
Slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, whose death was confirmed yesterday by his Iran-backed movement, wielded great power in Lebanon but led a life in hiding to avoid assassination by his group’s arch-enemy, Israel.
Khamenei moved to a secure location
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been transferred to a secure location inside the country with heightened security measures in place, two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters.
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.
Biden threatens to withhold arms supply to Israel
Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded areas of Rafah yesterday, Palestinian residents said, after US President Joe Biden vowed to withhold weapons from Israel if its forces launch a major invasion of the southern Gaza city.
Iran frees seven crew from Portuguese ship seized in Gulf
Iran yesterday freed seven of the 25 crew on a Portuguese-flagged ship seized in the Gulf on April 13, Portugal’s foreign ministry said.
‘Our lives have completely stopped’
Displaced Palestinian Marwan al-Masri, sheltering in Rafah, said “Our lives have completely stopped” since Israeli tanks and troops entered the city’s east, sending desperate people fleeing north in the besieged territory.
Biden threatens to withhold arms supply to Israel
Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded areas of Rafah yesterday, Palestinian residents said, after US President Joe Biden vowed to withhold weapons from Israel if its forces launch a major invasion of the southern Gaza city.
Battles rage around Rafah
Israel bombarded the overcrowded Gaza city of Rafah, as talks resumed yesterday in Cairo aimed at agreeing the terms of a truce in the seven-month offensive.
Afghan blast kills 3 Taliban security personnel
Three Taliban security personnel were killed when a motorcycle carrying an explosive device blew up near a military vehicle in northern Afghanistan being used in opium poppy eradication operations, an interior ministry spokesman said yesterday.
Patients, medics flee major Rafah hospital
Fearful medics and patients are fleeing a hospital in Rafah and transfers of the sick and injured via a border crossing with Egypt are at a standstill due to Israel’s military operation, doctors and residents said.
Gaza ‘choked off’ from aid
The two main crossings into the southern Gaza Strip remain shut, virtually cutting off the enclave from outside aid with very few stores stationed inside, said UN agencies yesterday.
‘Where can we go?’
Palestinian civilians in the southern Gazan city of Rafah voiced despair yesterday as Israel dropped fliers urging them to evacuate for their own “safety” ahead of a “limited” military operation.
Israel plays down Hamas nod to ceasefire, hits Rafah
Israel played down the likelihood of a ceasefire in Gaza yesterday after Hamas said it had accepted a proposal from mediators, even as residents fled the city of Rafah in fear of an Israeli assault.