Mena Today

In a dramatic and unmistakable shift, Israeli leadership has drawn a new red line — not around nuclear sites or proxy militias, but around the very heart of the Iranian regime. 

Countries around the world are taking measures to evacuate their citizens from Israel and Iran as the two nations enter the seventh day of their air war and airspace in the region remains closed.

Israel's sweeping campaign of airstrikes aims to do more than destroy Iran's nuclear centrifuges and missile capabilities. It seeks to shatter the foundations of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's government and leave it near collapse, Israeli, Western and regional officials said.

Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday and Iranian missiles hit an Israeli hospital overnight, as the week-old air war escalated with no sign yet of an off-ramp.

In the annals of modern warfare, rarely has the world witnessed events of such intensity and unprecedented nature as those unfolding between Israel—a nation of merely 10 million people—and its arch-genocidal enemy, an empire encompassing 92 million inhabitants. 

On Tuesday, King Abdullah II of Jordan delivered a deeply moral and politically charged speech before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, reminding lawmakers of the urgent need to restore humanity, justice, and international responsibility — especially in Gaza.

West African nations want to strike deals with the U.S. over energy and rare earth minerals, but the Trump administration's looming expansion of travel bans risks derailing those efforts, Nigeria's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Israel on Wednesday launched a phased airlift operation to bring home its citizens, after the country's military strike on Iran closed air space across the Middle East, leaving tens of thousands of Israelis stuck overseas.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Donald Trump's demand for unconditional surrender on Wednesday, and the U.S. president said his patience had run out, though he gave no clue as to what his next step would be.

Iran said it had conveyed to Washington that it will respond firmly to the United States if it becomes directly involved in Israel's military campaign, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said on Wednesday.

The UAE's energy ministry said a collision between two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz was likely caused by a navigational misjudgement by one of the vessels.

Iran's ruling establishment is under intense pressure from Israeli strikes that continue to target senior figures, the security apparatus and the state media.