Middle East

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has expressed concerns over the current state of international mediation efforts led by Doha to help reach an agreement on the release of hostages and a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for an attack on a military facility in northern Israel that wounded at least 14 soldiers. The group has stated the raid was carried out in retaliation for Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah members.

The death toll from severe flooding that hit the United Arab Emirates, Oman and other Persian Gulf countries rose to almost 20, with homes and businesses across the Persian Gulf damaged by the heavy rains, and flights delayed or cancelled.

A report from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on the treatment of Palestinian detainees found that in “most” reported incidents, the Israeli army forced males, both men and boys, to “strip down” to their underwear.

More than 10,000 women have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel's war on the besieged enclave began in October, according to estimates by UN Women in a report published Tuesday.

The United Nations human rights office has urged Israel to halt its support of attacks by settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have killed three people including a Hezbollah field commander, Lebanese security sources said, an uptick in violence after at least a week of relative calm in more than half a year of hostilities.

A human rights group says Israeli soldiers have kidnapped 3,000 Palestinians from Gaza since the start of the aggression on the besieged strip last October, including women and children

In a recent telephone exchange between Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, both leaders condemned the aggressive actions of the Zionist regime against the Iranian consulate in Syria.

Israel has launched an anti-Iran “diplomatic offensive”, calling for sanctions against Tehran. The move follows Iran's retaliatory attacks against Israel involving drones and missiles.

The Palestinian group Hamas has insisted that it will not agree to the release of any hostages without the Israeli army's complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes across the besieged enclave.

Italy has warned that any retaliation by Israel for Iran’s missile and drone attacks over the weekend could lead to a spiral of violence, local media has reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the collective West to become involved in the conflict with Russia and protect Kiev similar to how it aided Israel during the Iranian missile and drone attacks over the weekend.

Two mass graves have been discovered by Gaza’s Health Ministry and the Civil Defence Forces in north of the Gaza Strip.

The Republican-led US House has voted in favor of a series of bills aimed at squeezing Tehran financially in response to an unprecedented drone and missile attack launched by Iran against Israel over the weekend.

The head of Israel’s military has stated Tel Aviv would respond to Iran’s weekend drone and missile attack as several Western countries urged Israel to avoid an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has labeled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government as an “existential threat” to Israel.

The Iranian foreign minister, in a phone conversation with his British counterpart, voiced surprise at Britain’s support for the Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip, where around 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel over the past few months.

The Iranian foreign minister, in a phone call with his German counterpart, called on Berlin to focus its efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel has every right to retaliate after the Iranian drone and missile attacks over the weekend but would be better served by refraining from an escalation, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has stated.

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged international sanctions on Tehran to be strengthened following its missile and drone attacks on Israel over the weekend. France was among the few countries that blocked a UN Security Council statement to condemn the recent Israeli raid on Iran’s consulate that killed seven Iranian military advisors.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Iran against further strikes against Israel, and reaffirmed his country’s strong support for Tel Aviv amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

The Israeli military has presented a range of options to the government on how to respond to the recent Iranian missile and drone attacks, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Peter Lerner told journalists on Monday. Tehran has warned Tel Aviv against taking any retaliatory actions, urging Washington to try not to get involved in the conflict.

A growing number of Americans want US President Joe Biden to encourage Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cease its military action in the Gaza Strip, according to a new survey.

Israel is not seeking war after Iran's missile and drone attack and "balance is needed in this situation", Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CNN.