BEIRUT: Two people were killed — one a civilian and the other, according to the Israeli army, the head of Iran-backed Hezbollah’s anti-tank rocket unit — and seven others injured on Wednesday in renewed Israeli hostilities in several towns in southern Lebanon. An Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle in the town of Jouaiyya at noon, … Read more
JERUSALEM: The Gaza war is speeding up Israel’s “annexation” of the Palestinian economy, say analysts, who argue it has been hobbled for decades by agreements that followed the Oslo peace accords. While the Israel-Hamas war raging since Oct. 7 has devastated swaths of Gaza, it has also hit the public finances and wider economy of the … Read more
JERUSALEM: The first direct attack on Israel by Iran has shaken Israelis and left them fearful that a bigger war is looming.While the population has long been used to sirens warning of attacks from Hamas, the hundreds of drones and missiles sent from Iran over Saturday night marked a new element in the over-lapping Middle … Read more
Commander of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon warns of escalation danger in Israel-Hezbollah conflict BEIRUT: The commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, warned on Wednesday of the continuing danger of escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah along Lebanon’s southern border. He said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon “calls … Read more
PARIS: World leaders denounced a deadly attack by gunmen on a Moscow concert hall that killed more than 130 people and wounded dozens more.Four gunmen stormed the Crocus City venue before the start of a rock concert on Friday, opened fire on the audience and set fire to the building, in an assault claimed by … Read more
LONDON: UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has been asked by his Labour counterpart to break precedent and publish official advice given to the government on allegations of Israeli breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza.David Lammy, shadow foreign secretary, wrote in a letter to Cameron: “Given the gravity of the situation in Gaza, the degree … Read more
LONDON: Ahmed’s plans for his eagerly anticipated first child were shattered when the Israeli military bombed his home in Sabra, in western Gaza, on Oct. 26 last year. In his telling, among the possessions destroyed in the attack was a nursery that he and his wife had lovingly decorated. “All the preparations we made to … Read more
GENEVA: In the shadow of the war raging in Gaza, record numbers of Palestinian detainees are filling Israeli prisons, where they face “systemic abuse” and torture, rights advocates warn, calling for international action. Members of several Israeli NGOs traveled to Geneva this week to raise concerns before the UN about a major “crisis” inside the … Read more
GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: Efforts mounted on Thursday to get more aid into the war-devastated Gaza Strip, where the UN warns of famine and desperate residents have stormed relief convoys.After mediators failed to reach a truce between Israel and Hamas for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started Monday, fighting continued with at least … Read more
WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill on Wednesday that would force TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company or be banned in the United States. The legislation is a major setback for the video-sharing app, which has surged in popularity across the world while causing nervousness about its Chinese … Read more