~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (399)

The US secretary of state was speaking in Turkey, on trip that will take him to Jordan, Egypt and IsraelUS secretary of state Antony Blinken has urged Middle East countries to use their influence over regional actors to ensure the Gaza conflict is contained and prevent “an endless cycle of violence,” as he continued his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions.Blinken was speaking on...

Escalation of violence comes as US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and Europe’s Josep Borrell begin tours of the region• Middle East crisis – live updatesThe most senior diplomats from the US and the EU launched a dual diplomatic offensive in the Middle East on Saturday aimed at calming tensions that threaten chaos and wider conflict across the region.Antony Blinken, the US secretary of...

Israeli military says about 40 rockets fired into the Meron areaSee all our Israel-Gaza war coverage hereAttacks by Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea may impact the British economy, the chancellor has said.Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Jeremy Hunt was asked whether the attacks could push inflation back towards the high levels seen in recent years. Continue reading...

Humanitarian chief fears ‘famine is around the corner’ with 85% of population displaced and more than 20,000 deadThe UN humanitarian chief has described Gaza as “uninhabitable” three months into Israel’s war with Hamas, warning that famine was looming and a public health disaster unfolding.In a grim assessment of the devastating impact of Israel’s military response to the horrific Hamas attacks on 7 October, Martin...

Washington wants concessions from the Netanyahu administration, as critics say plans lack detail or commitmentSee all our coverage of the Middle East crisisIsraeli officials are scrambling to head off mounting frustration in Washington in the run-up to a potentially difficult meeting between the top US diplomat and Benjamin Netanyahu by offering a series of policy proposals on Gaza that critics say lack detail or...

Hassan Nasrallah says assassination in Beirut has changed nature of his group’s conflict with Israel, raising fears of escalationMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe assassination of one of Hamas’s most senior officials in Beirut has changed the nature of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Hezbollah’s head, Hassan Nasrallah, has said, adding that a response is “inevitable”.In a second nationally televised address within three...

Yoav Gallant’s proposal suggests Palestinians would run day to day administration of territoryMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli defence minister has suggested that Israel would keep security control of Gaza after Hamas has been defeated with an undefined, Israeli-guided Palestinian body running day to day administration and the US, European Union and regional partners taking responsibility for the reconstruction of the territory.Yoav Gallant...

US secretary of state will attempt to calm regional tensions as well as pushing Israel to shift approach to war in Gaza and allow more aid inThe Iraqi government is forming a bilateral committee to prepare for ending the mission of the US-led international coalition in Iraq, a statement from the prime minister, Mohammed Shia, Al-Sudani’s office citing him on Friday.He said one day...

Beyond the conflict in Gaza it has been a violent few weeks in the wider Middle East, from attacks on shipping in the Red Sea to bomb blasts in Iran and a killing by drone in Beirut. Julian Borger explains what may happen nextIran suffered the worst terrorist attack in the history of the Islamic Republic this week when dozens of people were killed...

Two killed and five wounded, militia officials say, before US secretary of state’s tour of Middle EastMiddle East crisis – live updatesA US airstrike in Baghdad on Thursday killed the commander of an Iranian-backed Shia militia that Washington blames for attacks on American forces in the region, according to US officials.One official said that a leader of Harakat al-Nujaba, later named by the Pentagon...

An unnamed US official has confirmed the trip but provided no other details. The US secretary of state heads to the region after the suspected Israeli attack on Saleh al-ArouriSee all our Israel-Gaza war coverageThe Times of Israel is carrying some quotes from a relative of one of the hostages seized from Israel by Hamas who later died during a failed resuce attempt by...

Israel’s decision to defend itself at the international court of justice will make it harder for it to brush aside any adverse findingSouth Africa’s request for an interim measure by the international court of justice to prevent Israel from committing acts of potential genocide – primarily by calling for a halt to combat operations – has suddenly taken on an urgency and relevance that...

The mother and uncle of Ragi A Sckak were taken from Gaza in an operation coordinated by the US, Israel and Egypt, according to a US officialThe mother and uncle of a US service member were rescued from the fighting in Gaza in a secret operation coordinated by the US, Israel, Egypt and others, according to a US official speaking to the Associated Press.It...

US points towards Islamic State or Sunni extremists but Iran has accused IsraelIt is still unclear who is responsible for the double bombing of a crowd in the south-eastern Iranian city of Kerman, but whoever is behind the outrage is clearly willing to risk igniting a regional war.In Washington, officials have been pointing towards the possible role of Islamic State or some affiliated Sunni...

Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari was speaking after Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an explosion in Beirut, LebanonSee all our Israel-Gaza war coverageIn its latest operational update, Israel’s military has said that “intensive battles” continue in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, and it claims to have located what it described as a “tunnel shaft” in a school.On the Telegram messaging...