Middle East

The threats came after an exchange of strikes between the US and Iran earlier this week, sparked by attacks on three commercial tankers, purportedly by Iran. The exchanges have raised tensions between the two sides, prompting Trump to declare the ceasefire over, though he said talks aimed at ending the …

“Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way,” the IDF said. Khanna was visiting the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, on a fact-finding visit to look at the impact of Israeli occupation of the area. The politician, a father-of-two, is mulling …

The initiative aimed to offer families, particularly children, a brief escape from the realities of war. Egypt’s matches attracted large crowds, reflecting the long-standing popularity of the team among many Palestinians in Gaza who have long shared cultural, emotional and political ties with their neighbours. Videos of children and families …

Khamenei was born in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city located in the northeast of the country, and studied at seminaries in the city before moving to Qom, the centre of Iran’s Shia clerical establishment. He was appointed supreme leader in 1989 after the death of the Islamic Republic’s founding father, Ayatollah …

Donald Trump’s latest pronouncements on Iran and the chances of a negotiated agreement have to be taken seriously, as he is after all the president of the United States. This is what he said at the Nato summit in Turkey. “I don’t want to deal with them anymore, they’re scum. …

Hundreds of football fans in Gaza watched Tuesday’s Argentina v Egypt World Cup game amongst the ruins of shattered buildings in Nuseirat. Many waved flags for Egypt, which shares a border with the war-torn enclave and has been one of the mediators in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel. The …

The US has launched strikes on Iranian IRGC small boats and targets in the country in response to attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz A fire was filmed burning in Bandar Abbas, Iran, after the US Central Command (CentCom) reported that it had launched “powerful” strikes. …

Abu Safiya was director of Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, treating patients and leading the hospital as the area was under “near total siege” by Israeli forces, according to the UN. He was detained in December 2024, when the Israeli military forced patients and medical staff to leave the …

An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon has killed four people, including a headteacher, Lebanese state media say. Israel’s military said the car had approached a security zone and had been deemed a threat. It is the deadliest Israeli attack since the announcement of a ceasefire in …

Israeli police have opened an investigation after CCTV emerged of a Border Police officer throwing a stun grenade into a car in the occupied West Bank. The footage, external shows the officer approaching the car in the Palestinian refugee camp Qalandia and shouting at those inside. After a brief exchange, …

A former Syrian intelligence chief in the ​city of Raqqa has been found guilty of torture and sexual abuse of opponents of the former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, at a court in Vienna, Austria. A second Syrian official, the former police chief in Raqqa, was also found guilty of abusing …

The BBC is the first international broadcaster to report from the Strait of Hormuz, revealing how Iranians at the heart of the crisis are living through a fragile ceasefire. An agreement made last month to end the war between the US and Iran has been under threat because of renewed …

Several sites around the coastal city of Bushehr have been damaged or completely destroyed since 9 March, images show. Military buildings and government facilities including aircraft hangars, ammunition storage, dockyards, piers, and missile launch sites have been visibly damaged, according to Janes, with the affected sites belonging to both the …

The funeral ceremonies are taking place less than three weeks after Iran and the US signed a preliminary agreement to end the war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, through which 20% of global oil and gas shipments pass. The two countries also gave themselves two months to …

Trump is fond of saying that he’s achieved regime change in Iran. Vali Nasr doesn’t disagree, but says this has actually worked to Tehran’s advantage. “A whole new generation has taken over,” he says. “They have a very clear agenda. They managed the war and now they’re going to manage …

Iran has begun several days of public mourning and funeral processions for its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in strikes launched by the US and Israel. The former Ayatollah’s body will lie in state in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla from Friday, ahead …

A bomb blast at a crowded cafe in central Damascus has killed at least six people and injured 22 others, Syrian state media say. The interior ministry said an explosive device was planted inside the cafe, which is located only 100m (330ft) from the Palace of Justice, a major government …

The desperation of patients haunts Gaza’s hospitals – their exterior walls eaten away by gunfire and Israeli strikes, the health-care system inside them still unrepaired. Eight months after the ceasefire deal instructed that “full aid” be sent into the Gaza Strip, aid workers say the continued lack of essential medicines …

On Sunday night, a US official said both sides would “stand down for now”, and that vessels could “move freely” in and around the strait. Technical talks would also “continue on all areas of the MoU”, the official added. The next day, Iran’s deputy foreign minister and lead technical negotiator, …

The US and Iran have agreed to “stand down” following an exchange of strikes over the past few days, media reports say citing a US official. It comes after several attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz, culminating in both nations accusing each other of violating their ceasefire. The …