Middle East
Israel strikes Beirut, south Lebanon
Israel’s military urged residents of more than 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately yesterday as it pressed on with incursions after suffering its worst losses in a year of fighting the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Food aid to Gaza falls as Israel sets new rule
Food supplies to Gaza have fallen sharply in recent weeks because Israeli authorities have introduced a new customs rule on some humanitarian aid and are separately scaling down deliveries organized by businesses, people involved in getting goods to the territory told Reuters.
Iran warned Nasrallah of Israeli plot to kill him
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader Syyed Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon days before he was killed in an Israeli strike and is now deeply worried about Israeli infiltration of senior government ranks in Tehran, three Iranian sources said.
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.
‘Gaza becoming a graveyard for children’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday said the protection of civilians “must be paramount” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, warning that the Gaza Strip was becoming “a graveyard for children.”
Gaza evacuations remain suspended
Efforts were underway yesterday to resume evacuations of injured Gazans and foreign nationals through the Rafah crossing to Egypt, suspended since Saturday after a deadly attack on an ambulance, Egyptian, US and Qatari officials said.
Aid entering Gaza ‘nowhere near’ enough
World Food Programme (WFP) head Cindy McCain said yesterday that the aid currently entering Gaza is “nowhere near” enough to meet the needs of people there, which she added were growing exponentially.
15 killed in strike on UN-run school in Gaza
Palestinians reported a deadly Israeli air strike on a UN-run school in northern Gaza serving as a shelter yesterday as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met regional Arab leaders to discuss how to contain the conflict.
‘Disgusted by sharp rise in hatred globally’
The UN human rights chief yesterday denounced the “sharp rise in hatred globally” since the war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7.
Regional war a possibility if Gaza carnage goes on
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah yesterday warned the United States that if Israel did not stop its assault on Gaza then fighting on the Lebanese front could turn into a wider war.
UN will ‘stay with Palestinians in Gaza’
The United Nations will remain steadfast in supporting Palestinians in Gaza, a top aid official said during the first such trip to the territory since the war with Israel erupted.
Gaza City surrounded
Israel’s military said yesterday its forces have surrounded the Hamas stronghold of Gaza City after a day that saw the Palestinian territory pounded by deadly fire.
Israel again hits Gaza refugee camp
Israel yesterday gain hit Gaza’s biggest refugee camp for a second consecutive day killing dozens as the first batch of injured Palestinians and foreigners escaped the besieged territory to Egypt.
Anti-Migration Deadline: Thousands of Afghans leave Pakistan
Pakistani authorities began rounding up undocumented foreigners, most of them Afghans yesterday, ahead of a midnight deadline for them to leave or face expulsion.