Middle East
Lebanon conflict pushes Gaza truce out of focus
Palestinians fear the crisis in Lebanon is diverting the world’s attention from Gaza, where Israeli strikes killed dozens more people this week, and diminishing already dim prospects for a ceasefire a year into an offensive that has shattered the enclave.
Lebanon invasion / How might Israel strike back against Iran?
Israel has sworn it will retaliate for Iran’s missile barrage on Tuesday, which involved more than 180 ballistic missiles and was largely thwarted by Israel’s air defense systems. Below are some ways Israel, backed by the United States, could strike back.
Iran’s allies will keep fighting Israel
Iran’s supreme leader yesterday vowed in a rare address that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel, as he defended his country’s missile strike on its arch-foe.
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.
9 soldiers killed in northwest Syria rebel attack
Nine Syrian soldiers and three jihadist fighters were killed yesterday, a war monitor said, in the second significant rebel attack on government positions in northwest Syria in a week.
Israeli PM thanks Saudi after emergency landing
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday thanked authorities in Saudi Arabia -- with which his country has no formal ties -- for their “warm attitude” following an emergency aircraft landing in Jeddah.
Social Media Posts: Saudi critic sentenced to death
Saudi Arabia has sentenced to death a government critic who denounced alleged corruption and human rights abuses on social media, his brother and others familiar with the case told AFP yesterday.
Iran files legal case against singer urging veil removal
Authorities in Iran have begun legal proceedings against a prominent pop singer over his latest song urging women to take off their mandatory headscarves, the judiciary said yesterday.
UAE fines 225 firms 77m dirhams for violating anti-money laundering laws
The UAE's Ministry of Economy hasimposed administrative penalties on 225 companies with value of about 76.9 million dirhams (Tk 229.57 crore) this year to combat money laundering and terror financing, reports the UAE-based Khaleej Times
Iran unveils its latest attack drone
Iran yesterday unveiled its latest domestically built drone that can fly at a higher altitude and for a longer duration with enhanced weapons capabilities, state media reported.
Palestinian teen killed in West Bank
Israeli troops killed a Palestinian teenager near the West Bank city of Jenin yesterday, the Palestinian health ministry said, as violence surged in the occupied territory.
Ethiopian Migrants: Saudi border guards killed hundreds since last year
Saudi border guards fired “like rain” on Ethiopian migrants trying to cross through Yemen into the Gulf kingdom, killing hundreds since last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report yesterday.
UN forced to cut Yemen rations
More than four million Yemenis will receive less food assistance as a result of funding shortages, compounding one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the UN’s food agency warned yesterday.
Restoration of Ties: Iran FM touts unity on first Saudi visit
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian preached unity and dialogue during a visit to Saudi Arabia yesterday, his first since the two Middle East rivals announced a surprise rapprochement in March.