Iran's state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan Friday, as US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival. Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country's official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan. Israel had previously warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend. Most of them were intercepted ..read more

Qatar's warning that it was reassessing its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas has raised concerns about the prospects for a ceasefire and the return of hostages. Since Hamas's deadly October 7 attack on Israel sparked devastating retaliation against Gaza, Qatar has been an important conduit to the Palestinian militant group, whose political office is in Doha. The gas-rich emirate, which also hosts the region's largest US military base, successfully brokered a week-long break in fighting in late November when scores of Israeli and foreign hostages were released ..read more

Explosions were heard in Qahjaverestan, northeast of Isfahan, early Friday morning as US officials confirmed that Israel carried out strikes against Iran ..read more

Economies in the Middle East and North Africa face a "shadow of uncertainty" from ongoing tensions in the region, a senior IMF official told AFP on Thursday. "We are in a context where the overall outlook is cast into shadows," the International Monetary Fund's director for the Middle East and Central Asia department, Jihad Azour, said in an interview in Washington. "The shadow of uncertainty on the geopolitical side is an important one," added Azour, a recent candidate to be the next Lebanese president ..read more

The resolution to grant the Palestinians full UN membership received support from a majority of the council but failed to pass after a US veto ..read more

The suspension from the university’s sister institution was in relation to an on-campus encampment in solidarity with Gaza, Isra Hirsi said on X, and follows a House panel on antisemitism at the school ..read more

The United States on Thursday spoiled a long-shot Palestinian bid for full United Nations membership, vetoing a Security Council measure despite growing international distress over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The move by Israel's key ally had been expected ahead of the vote, taking place more than six months into Israel's military offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory, in retaliation for the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel ..read more

Statements by Israeli tops indicate that while the country has decided to retaliate against Iran for last weekend's attack, it might not do so immediately and, in all likelihood, not before the end of Passover on April 30 ..read more

Turkish strikes have left hundreds of thousands without water and electricity, as well as undermining security at prisons and detention centers where tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters and their families are being held ..read more

Dubai airport, one of the world's busiest, witnessed major disruption for a third straight day Thursday after the heaviest rains on record drenched the desert United Arab Emirates. Emirates, Dubai's state-owned flagship airline, and sister carrier flydubai resumed check-ins after telling passengers to stay away on Wednesday, when thousands of delayed passengers clogged the airport. The airport, which handles more international passengers than any other, hopes to resume "something approaching normality" within 24 hours, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths told AFP ..read more