Middle East
US President Biden does not believe there will be 'all-out-war' in Middle East
U.S. President Joe Biden said he did not believe there is going to be an "all-out war" in the Middle East, as Israel weighs options for retaliation after Tehran's largest ever assault on its arch-enemy.
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
Iran bans teaching kids foreign languages
Iran has banned the teaching of all foreign languages, including English and Arabic, in kindergartens and primary schools, with immediate effect, state media reported yesterday.
World’s biggest book fair hit by tensions
The world’s biggest book fair in Frankfurt lamented a “disaster” yesterday after publishing groups from several predominantly Muslim countries withdrew in protest at organisers’ support for Israel.
‘Gaza food situation getting worse by minute’
The UN’s World Food Programme said the food situation in the besieged and blockaded Gaza Strip was worsening, with only four or five days of stocks left in the shops.
Israeli air strike kills 500 in Gaza hospital
An Israeli air strike yesterday killed about 500 Palestinians at a Gaza hospital crammed with patients and displaced people.
Gaza death toll crosses 3,000
Israeli Indiscriminate and relentless air strikes on Gaza continued yesterday defying ceasefire calls, as the death toll in the Palestinian enclave rose past 3,000, about one-third of them children
‘If we bathe, we won’t drink’
In the southern Gaza Strip, scores of people line up at bathrooms, many of them not having showered for days after Israel cut off water, electricity and food following Hamas’s deadly assault.
2.4m trapped, denied aid in Gaza
Israeli forces kept up their bombardment of Gaza yesterday after diplomatic efforts to arrange a ceasefire to allow foreign citizens to leave and aid to be brought into the besieged Palestinian enclave failed.
Gaza Crisis: Making all-out effort to stop fighting top priority
The Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has said his country believes that it is a top priority to make all efforts to stop the latest fighting in the Middle East as soon as possible, prevent it from spreading and avoid further deterioration of the situation.
Ceasefire plans stall as Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza
Hopes for a brief ceasefire in southern Gaza to allow foreign passport holders to leave the besieged Palestinian enclave and aid to be brought in were dashed on Monday, with Israeli bombardments intensifying ahead of an expected ground invasion.
Gaza crisis spirals
The Israeli army yesterday said it was awaiting a “political decision” on the timing of a major ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, as fears grew that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could spiral into a regional Middle East war.