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.
Israel behind gas pipeline sabotage: Iran
Iran said yesterday that Israel was behind twin sabotage attacks against gas pipelines that disrupted supplies in at least three provinces last week.
Palestinians accuse Israel of ‘apartheid’ at ICJ hearing
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki yesterday told the UN’s top court his people were suffering “colonialism and apartheid” under the Israelis, urging judges to order an immediate and unconditional end to the occupation.
Raids, fuel shortage knock out key Gaza hospital
Fighting, fuel shortages and Israeli raids put the Gaza Strip’s second-largest hospital completely out of service yesterday, local and UN health officials said, as Israel battled Hamas fighters in the devastated Palestinian enclave.
Egypt preparing safe areas for Gaza refugees
Egypt is preparing safe areas for Palestinian refugees, Cairo said, as the key Qatar negotiator in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas admitted they have made no progress in recent days.
Man guns down 12 relatives in Iran
A 30-year-old man killed 12 relatives in Iran, official media reported yesterday, in a rare mass shooting in the country.
Israel arrests 100 people from raided hospital
Israel said it had taken 100 people into custody at one of Gaza’s main hospitals yesterday after troops raided the facility, with fears mounting for patients and staff trapped inside.
Alarm over fate of Gaza hospital after Israeli raid
There was growing concern yesterday over a key Gaza hospital a day after a raid by the Israeli army, with the Hamas-run health ministry saying several patients had died there due to a lack of oxygen.
Avoid ‘catastrophic’ Rafah operation
Israel’s vow to push ahead with a “powerful” operation in Gaza’s Rafah was met with a growing chorus of international condemnation yesterday, with leaders warning against catastrophic consequences for the 1.5 million Palestinians trapped there.
Explosion reported near east of Aden
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said yesterday it had received a report of an explosion near a vessel 85 nautical miles east of Yemen’s port city of Aden.
Gaza ceasefire talks end inconclusively
Palestinians jammed into their last refuge in Gaza voiced growing fear yesterday that Israel will soon launch a planned assault on the southern city of Rafah after truce talks in Cairo ended inconclusively.