Mena Today

Countries around the world, including leading Arab nations, those in the G7 and the European Union, want a halt to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along Israel's northern border with Lebanon, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

British police on Thursday called for any potential victims or survivors with allegations against former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed to come forward in light of recent media reports about the Egyptian billionaire.

Turkey is making preparations for the possible evacuation of its citizens and foreign nationals from Lebanon, as cross-border fire between Israel and militant group Hezbollah continues there, a Turkish defence ministry source said on Thursday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday rejected proposals for a ceasefire with Hezbollah after the United States and France called for a 21-day halt in fighting that has killed hundreds in Lebanon and raised fears of a ground invasion.

Sudan's army launched artillery and air strikes in Sudan's capital on Thursday in its biggest operation to regain ground there since early in its 17-month war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), witnesses and military sources said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has expressed hope that a ceasefire could be reached soon to end fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah that has shaken his country and raised fears of a ground invasion.

During his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France's position on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, underscoring the urgent need for a ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday dismissed efforts by China and Brazil to end Russia's war in Ukraine, questioning why the pair were proposing an alternative to his own peace formula and warning: "You will not boost your power at Ukraine's expense."

Cyprus's president said on Wednesday he was ready to immediately resume reunification talks over the ethnically divided island, urging regional rival Turkey to also engage in the effort.

Lebanon’s President of Parliament, Nabih Berry, a close ally of Hezbollah, stated on Wednesday that the next 24 hours will be decisive in the ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which has been intensifying since October 8, 2023.

The Israeli military's head of the northern command said Israel had entered a new phase of its campaign and must be prepared for "manoeuvring and action," the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's calls for talks with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad are a long shot but meant to send a message of reconciliation in a region increasingly distracted by war, the head of Syria's main opposition abroad said.