Middle East
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT / Hezbollah losses strengthen Turkey against Iran: analysts
Israel’s onslaught against Hezbollah in Lebanon is reassuring for Turkey, which could seize the opportunity to strengthen its regional influence in the face of its rival Iran, analysts told AFP.
Iranian strike shows capability for greater scale
The Iranian ballistic missile attack against Israel on Tuesday was larger, more complex and involved more advanced weapons than the strikes in April, experts say, putting greater stress on missile defences and allowing more warheads to get through.
Iran says attack on Israel is over as fears grow of wider conflict
"Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation," Iranian foreign minister said in a post on X early on Wednesday.
Iran confirms firing 200 missiles at Israel: state TV
Iran fired 200 missiles at Israel, state TV reported Wednesday, a barrage that Israel vowed to make Tehran "pay" for
Israeli airstrikes kill 37 in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 37 people in Gaza yesterday, Palestinian medics said and fighting ramped up, as the Israeli military said it had been targeting command centres used by Hamas members.
Israeli troops invade southern Lebanon
Israel’s elite units launched limited ground raids into southern Lebanon yesterday, as arch-foe Hezbollah fired missiles at Tel Aviv, with the US warning it had indications Iran may be preparing to enter the fray with a ballistic missile attack on Israel.
Iran fires 180 missiles at Israel
Iran launched around 180 missiles at Israel last night in response to the killings of Tehran-backed militant leaders, prompting alarm across the region and vows of retaliation.
ISRAEL’S INCURSION INTO LEBANON / US out of step as world reacts to offensive
The United States appeared out of step with the rest of the globe as it pledged its support for Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon.
WFP suspends Yemen food aid in rebel-held areas
The World Food Programme said yesterday it was suspending its food distribution in Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen because of funding cuts and disagreements with the rebel group.
Situation in Gaza ‘getting worse by the hour’: WHO
A World Health Organization official in Gaza said yesterday the situation was deteriorating by the hour as Israeli bombing has intensified in the south of the Palestinian enclave around the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.
Israel breaking every rule of war in Gaza
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors without Borders, has called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza to stop killing of civilians and allow for the delivery of desperately-needed humanitarian aid.
Israel bombs areas where it tells Gazans to flee
Israel ordered people out of swathes of the main southern city in the Gaza Strip yesterday as it pressed its ground campaign deep into the south, sending desperate residents fleeing even as it dropped bombs on areas where it told them to go.
Climate finance takes centre stage at talks
Money pledges stacked up at COP28 in Dubai yesterday as delegates sought to address the huge gap between what is needed in climate finance and the amounts so far on offer.
Netanyahu ‘will be tried as war criminal’
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, while slamming Western countries supporting Israel.
400,000 Palestinians lost jobs due to war
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank have lost their jobs or had their salaries frozen after the Israeli authorities cancelled their work permits and imposed severe restrictions on crossings after the October 7 offensive.
COP28 focus on health draws $777m
The United Arab Emirates and several charities at the UN climate summit yesterday offered $777 million in financing for eradicating neglected tropical diseases that are expected to worsen as temperatures climb.
‘Unimaginable’
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has issued a stark warning about the health sector in Gaza, describing the situation as “unimaginable.”
Gaza ‘seems like a death zone’
At least 700 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in 24 hours as Israel yesterday stepped up its bombing campaign from air, sea and land across the enclave, which the UN said now resembles a “death zone”.