Middle East
Lebanon urges DNA tests to identify missing in Israel strikes
Lebanese authorities on Monday urged the families of people who went missing in Israeli strikes to conduct DNA tests at specialised centres to identify the remains of loved ones
Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen, killing four people
Israel said it bombed Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday in response to missile fire by the Iran-aligned militants at Israel over the past two days, marking another front in fighting in the 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.
12 dead in air strikes on pro-Iranian fighters in Syria
Twelve pro-Iranian fighters have been killed in air strikes of unknown origin in eastern Syria, a war monitor said yesterday, adding that a large number of people were wounded.
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.
Blocked aid for Gaza a moral outrage
A long line of blocked relief trucks on Egypt’s side of the border with the Gaza Strip where people face starvation is a moral outrage, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during a visit to the Rafah crossing yesterday.
More land crossings into Gaza can prevent famine
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that only an expansion of land crossings into Gaza could help prevent famine in the densely populated Palestinian enclave.
Gaza Ceasefire: US moves draft resolution at UN
The United States has circulated for the first time a draft UN resolution calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, as warnings grow of famine in besieged Gaza.
35pc of Gaza’s buildings destroyed or damaged
Satellite images analysed by the United Nations Satellite Centre show that 35 percent of the Gaza Strip’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged in the Israel offensive in the Palestinian enclave.
Blinken in ME as famine looms in Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a Middle East mission yesterday as strain showed in the relationship between President Joe Biden’s administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rafah displaced shiver as rain lashes tent camp
Torrential rains lashed a tent camp for displaced people in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where frightened Palestinian children can no longer distinguish between thunder and Israeli bombardment.
Why more non-Muslims are participating in Ramadan
In the Middle East, you can't escape Ramadan, so it's not unusual for non-Muslims to take part in the Muslim holy month there. It's a different story in Christian-majority countries, but that may now be changing
Israeli limits on Gaza aid may be ‘war crime’
Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid for Gaza may amount to a starvation tactic that could be a war crime, the United Nations human rights chief said yesterday.
Hopes growing for Gaza ceasefire
Efforts to hammer out a temporary truce in Gaza intensified yesterday after months of offensive that have devastated the Palestinian territory and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.
Israel hits Hezbollah arms depots in Syria
Israeli raids hit warehouses storing weapons for the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Syria yesterday, a war monitor said, as a Syrian military source said air defences had intercepted several missiles.