Mena Today

Israeli prime minister Benajamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel would continue to pound Hezbollah targets and called on Lebanese citizens to rid themselves from the grip of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel is open to ideas for de-escalating the conflict in Lebanon, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said on Tuesday, a day after the United States said it was exploring some "concrete ideas" with allies and partners.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again employed inflammatory rhetoric during his address at the UN General Assembly, comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler and accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza. 

King Abdullah II of Jordan strongly rejected the idea that his country could serve as an “alternative homeland” for Palestinians, firmly opposing any potential forced displacement by Israel. 

Israel struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Iran-backed group attacked military facilities in northern Israel on Tuesday, increasing fears of a full-blown conflict after Lebanon suffered its deadliest day in decades.

An improvement in Greek-Turkish relations could help U.N. efforts revive talks between Cyprus' divided communities, Greece's foreign minister said on Monday ahead of a meeting between the Turkish and Greek leaders in New York on Tuesday.

Israel is not facing sufficient pressure to end the war in Gaza and the escalation in Lebanon is a minefield that the international community may not be able to deal with, Greece's foreign minister said on Monday.

An Israeli strike on Monday evening on the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital targeted senior Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, the head of the southern front, a security source told Reuters.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Greek government spokesman said on Monday.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris plans to discuss efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal in her meeting on Monday with the United Arab Emirates president, according to a White House official.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree forming a new government under Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported on Monday.

An Egyptian warship has delivered a second major cache of weaponry to Somalia including anti-aircraft guns and artillery, port and military officials said on Monday, in a move likely to stoke further friction between the two countries and Ethiopia.