Global News Brief: Iran Oil Port Hit, Israel Strikes Lebanon, US Envoy Visits Moscow
The US military has escalated its actions against Iran, recently targeting the island of Kharg, which hosts the Islamic Republic's main oil port, amid ongoing military tensions. Meanwhile, on the Lebanese front, Israel continued its military operations in southern Lebanon on Friday, resulting in the deaths of four Lebanese nationals and injuries to 32 others. The Israeli military claimed these strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel in response to a drone launch towards its forces.
In the West Bank, the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, stated that the Israeli government is responsible for ensuring the safety of Palestinians, warning of severe consequences from settler violence. He also denied any plans for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, following recent discussions by Israeli ministers about expelling two million people from the devastated Strip.
Elsewhere, over 60 people, including civilians, were killed in Yemen due to clashes between government forces and the Houthis. In Iraq, Baghdad experienced long queues at gas stations as imports through the Strait of Hormuz declined following the US-Iran conflict. In South Sudan, an attack on a military base in Warrap state resulted in 20 deaths, including soldiers, police, and civilians.
In Ukraine, US envoys arrived in Moscow to present a proposal to end the four-year-old war, with plans to proceed to Kyiv. Simultaneously, the Kremlin announced a three-day ceasefire in Kyiv, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv's airports as an attempt to disrupt the visit. Fighting continues, with a Russian airstrike killing four people in southeastern Ukraine.
In Nepal, rescue teams pulled a Chinese citizen alive from a tunnel buried by debris, with search efforts ongoing for others missing after devastating floods. In the United States, a judge declared a mistrial in the case of a woman accused of murdering her three young children, as the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
