Category: 2. Middle East

TEL AVIV: Israel approved plans on Monday to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials said, in a move that if implemented would vastly expand Israel’s operations in the Palestinian territory and likely bring fierce international opposition.

Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan in an early morning vote, hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of…

Malta offered on Sunday to repair an aid ship and send it on its way to Gaza after pro-Palestinian activists said the vessel had been hit by a drone strike.

But Prime Minister Robert Abela said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition must first allow a maritime surveyor on board to inspect the “Conscience” and determine what repairs are needed.

The pro-Palestinian activists had pointed the finger at Israel, which has blockaded the Gaza Strip throughout its military campaign against Hamas, for the…

Sudanese paramilitaries on Sunday struck Port Sudan, the army said, in the first attack on the seat of the army-aligned government during the country’s two-year war.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), battling the regular army since April 2023, have increasingly used drones since losing territory including much of Khartoum in March.

Army spokesman Nabil Abdallah said in a statement the RSF “targeted Osman Digna Air Base, a goods warehouse and some civilian facilities in the city of Port Sudan…

British police said Sunday that they had arrested eight people, including seven Iranian nationals, on suspicion of “terrorism offences.”

Britain’s interior minister Yvette Cooper described the arrests, which come amid heightened concerns about Iranian activities on UK soil, as two major operations.

In one operation, five men — four of them Iranian — were arrested on suspicion of “preparation of a terrorist act”, London’s Metropolitan police said in a statement.

The arrests were carried out…

Sudanese paramilitaries on Sunday struck Port Sudan, the army said, in the first attack on the seat of the army-aligned government in the country’s two-year war.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the regular army since April 2023, have increased their use of drones since losing territory including much of the capital Khartoum in March.

Army spokesman Nabil Abdullah said in a statement that the RSF “targeted Osman Digna Air Base, a goods warehouse and some civilian…

British police on Sunday said eight people, including seven Iranian nationals, were arrested in two separate counterterrorism probes.

In one operation, five men — four of them Iranian — were arrested on suspicion of “preparation of a terrorist act”, London’s Metropolitan police said in a statdment.

The arrests were carried out in London, Swindon and the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of “terrorism offences”.

The men, aged between 29 and 46, were detained by Counter Terrorism Police on…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed a response to Yemen’s Huthis and their Iranian backers after the rebels struck the area of Israel’s main airport, wounding six people and prompting several major airlines to suspend flights.

The strike came hours before Israel’s army confirmed the call-up of “tens of thousands” of reservists to expand the 19-month war in Gaza against Palestinian militants Hamas.

The military confirmed that the attack, which gouged a large crater in the…

A missile launched from Yemen struck near Israel’s main international airport on Sunday, authorities said, an attack that briefly halted air traffic and triggered threats of retaliation.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the missile fire, which follows a series of attacks by Yemen’s Huthi rebels.

Police reported a “missile impact” near Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv after the military said that “several attempts were made to intercept” it.

It was not…

Yemen’s Huthi rebels on Monday blamed Washington for around 10 strikes in and around the capital Sanaa after a missile fired by the Iran-backed group struck the area of Israel’s main airport.

The Huthi-run Saba news agency said the strikes included two targeting Arbaeen street in the capital as well as one on the airport road, blaming them on “American aggression”.

The rebels’ health ministry said 14 people were wounded in the Sawan neighbourhood, according to Saba.

The Huthis, who control…

LONDON: Under the Abbasid Caliphate, some 1,200 years ago, Baghdad sat at a crossroads between continents, a global confluence of commerce, culture and learning, becoming one of the most important cities on the Silk Road — the vast trade network that linked Asia to Europe.

It is that same strategic positioning that the modern-day government of Iraq hopes to recreate through a mega-project that could transform the nation’s fortunes after decades of war, sanctions and underdevelopment,…