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Fresh Israeli airstrikes have struck southern Lebanon, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries, just a day after a devastating attack that claimed over 200 lives. The escalation has sparked concerns about the stability of the recently announced US-Iran ceasefire, which Tehran says includes Lebanon.Lebanon's National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the town of Abbassiyeh killed at least seven people and wounded several others, with the total expected to rise. The attacks have targeted various towns, including Kafra, Jmaijmeh, Safad al-Battikh, Majdal Selm, and Deir Antar near Qasmiyeh bridge.The Lebanese army confirmed that four of its soldiers were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday. The Israeli military claimed that it carried out overnight strikes in Beirut, killing Ali Yusuf Harshi, a close aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.The scale and intensity of the attacks suggest a broader campaign that continues despite the ceasefire agreement. Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim reported from Ramallah that the ongoing strikes reflect a deeper alignment between Israel and the US. Hezbollah has insisted that the ceasefire deal between the US and Iran should include the Lebanon front.According to the Lebanese health ministry, 203 people were killed on Wednesday, with over 1,000 wounded in Israeli attacks across Lebanon. Lebanon's prime minister declared a national day of mourning on Thursday, ordering public offices to close and flags to be lowered in tribute.International leaders have condemned the attacks, with UN human rights chief Volker Turk describing the scale of killing as 'horrific'. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said: 'We strongly condemn these massive strikes which, in ten minutes, killed more than 250 people, adding to the 1,500 victims of this conflict initiated by Hezbollah against Israel on March 2.'Lebanon's Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 1,739 people and wounded 5,873 people.

Israeli forces have carried out a devastating bombardment across Lebanon, killing at least 254 people and wounding 1,165 others in air strikes that targeted areas in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, Mount Lebanon, Sidon, and several villages in southern Lebanon.The Israeli military said that the attack was its largest coordinated assault on Lebanon since it started a new military operation in the country on March 2, “targeting more than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites”.The attacks have sparked widespread international condemnation, with leaders from around the world calling for an end to the violence. Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called the attacks a “full-fledged war crime,” while Hezbollah said it had a “right” to respond to the attacks.International Reactions:• Iran: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that it will respond to the attacks on Lebanon if Israel does not stop the assault.• US: President Donald Trump said Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire deal with Iran due to Hezbollah.• Qatar: The foreign ministry condemned the “brutal series” of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, calling them a “dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sister Lebanese Republic.”• Egypt: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Israel’s attacks on Lebanon had a “premeditated intent” to undermine regional and international efforts to reduce escalation.• UN: The United Nations strongly condemned the strikes by Israel across Lebanon that resulted in significant civilian casualties.

The conflict in Gaza has resulted in a significant number of amputations, with over 6,000 adults and children undergoing amputations since October 2023, according to the WHO and Palestinian Ministry of Health. Ola Jamal, 36, is one of the many Palestinians who have been forced to flee Gaza due to the conflict. She was breastfeeding her two-month-old son, Zain, when a missile struck al-Nasr hospital in Gaza, causing her to lose her arm. Jamal and her family were forced to separate, with her children being cared for by another family. This traumatic experience has had a lasting impact on Jamal and her children, with her son Zain still experiencing nightmares and trauma two years after the event. Shadi Sharif Ayesh al-Sous, a father of two, lost his leg in a missile strike while collecting firewood. He had his leg amputated above the knee and now waits to return home to Gaza. However, many Palestinians in Egypt face significant challenges, including restricted access to healthcare and prosthetic care due to their uncertain legal status. Yousef El Deeb, a certified prosthetist at Orthomedics in Cairo, says his clinic has treated about 300 Palestinian patients since October 2023, mostly through the support of NGOs. However, the lack of documentation and uncertain legal status of Palestinians in Egypt makes it difficult for them to access long-term prosthetic care without the support of NGOs. The situation for Palestinians in Egypt is further complicated by their lack of formal residency or refugee status. Without valid residency permits, survivors are often restricted to hostels or share a flat with other families, unable to work and living under the constant pressure of temporary status. This lack of documentation makes accessing hi-tech, long-term prosthetic care almost impossible without the support of NGOs.

The ceasefire deal between Iran and the US has been hailed as a significant achievement for China, which has been actively working to promote de-escalation and an end to hostilities in the region. Beijing's powerbrokers are being credited with pushing Iran towards agreeing to the ceasefire, bolstering its status as a regional mediator.In China's tightly censored domestic media, articles basking in the glory of China being the grown-up in the room at a time of international crisis were allowed to circulate. China's role in the negotiations was confirmed by US President Donald Trump, who told the Agence France-Presse news agency that he believed China had got Iran to agree to a ceasefire.However, some analysts are sceptical about how influential China could actually have been in the late-night discussions. The deal is advantageous to Iran, and encouraging the regime to agree to it would have been like 'pushing an open door', according to one analyst. Nicholas Lyall, a senior researcher at Trends, a research and advisory firm in Abu Dhabi, said: 'In terms of whether China had to do much pushing of Iran for it to agree to the temporary ceasefire, and whether Iran was swayed by this reported Chinese effort, it's essential to clarify what Iran has actually agreed to.'Officially, China has not confirmed or denied reports that it played an active role in the Islamabad negotiations. At a press conference on Wednesday, the foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said only that China 'had been actively working to promote de-escalation and an end to all hostilities'. China's economic interests are also at stake, as the risk of a global recession and soaring fossil fuel prices poses a threat to the Chinese economy, which is heavily dependent on exports.Analysts are even more sceptical of the idea that China might act as the guarantor of any ceasefire agreement in the Middle East. Song Bo, a fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said: 'China doesn't have a direct stake with any of the parties in the Middle East. Acting as a guarantor for a ceasefire would be an extremely high-cost diplomatic undertaking, and I don't think China would commit to that easily.'

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize, has publicly condemned Moscow’s latest effort to label the human‑rights organisation Memorial as an "extremist organisation". Chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes said the committee is "deeply alarmed" by the Russian authorities’ attempt to dismantle a co‑recipient of the 2022 Peace Prize. According to the statement released on Wednesday, Russia’s Supreme Court is set to review a petition from the Ministry of Justice that seeks to add Memorial to the nation’s list of “undesirable” entities. If approved, the designation would ban the group from operating within Russia and expose anyone associated with it to up to four years in prison and substantial fines. Memorial, already branded a “foreign agent” and ordered dissolved by the Supreme Court at the end of 2021, would see all of its activities criminalised under the new petition, Frydnes warned. He added that even sharing the organisation’s published material could lead to imprisonment. “To designate such an organisation as extremist is an affront to the fundamental values of human dignity and freedom of expression,” Frydnes asserted, urging Russian officials to withdraw the claim immediately and cease all harassment of Memorial and its members. Memorial shared the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize with Ukraine’s Centre for Civil Liberties and Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski. Founded in 1987, Memorial specialises in documenting human‑rights violations across Russia and once operated a network of roughly 50 affiliated groups both inside and outside the country. Several of these affiliates continue their work from bases in Germany, France and Italy. Key figures from Memorial have faced criminal proceedings in Russia. Notably, activist Oleg Orlov, who was sentenced for speaking out against the war in Ukraine, was released in a 2024 prisoner exchange and now works abroad to continue documenting abuses. The committee’s statement concludes with a direct appeal: Russian authorities should immediately rescind the extremist label and halt any further intimidation of the organisation and its supporters.

As the clock ticked down to President Donald Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the six‑week Middle East conflict teetered on the brink of a far more devastating escalation.Trump’s rhetoric had escalated dramatically, with his Truth Social posts warning that the United States would unleash strikes capable of “decimating every bridge and power plant in Iran” and that “a whole civilisation will die tonight.” Legal experts labeled the language as bordering on a genocidal threat.Amid the rising tension, a series of rapid developments unfolded on Tuesday:12:06 GMT – Trump announced a plan to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure, promising total destruction of bridges and power facilities.15:21 GMT – Iranian media confirmed that US strikes hit Kharg Island, the nation’s primary oil‑export hub, but reported no significant damage.15:40 GMT – In the UN Security Council, China and Russia vetoed a Bahraini resolution aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, arguing the draft was biased against Tehran.16:54 GMT – Qatar’s defence ministry reported a successful missile interception, while the United Arab Emirates warned of a barrage of missile and drone attacks.18:23 GMT – Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, signalled a “step forward” after a “critical, sensitive stage,” praising Pakistan’s “positive and productive” peace efforts.19:17 GMT – Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appealed to Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks, urging Tehran to keep the Strait open as a goodwill gesture.20:25 GMT – Iran warned it would target US and Gulf‑allied energy infrastructure, threatening to block regional oil and gas supplies for years.20:41 GMT – Joint US‑Israeli airstrikes struck the Amirkabir Petrochemical Plant in Mahshahr, Iran, prompting local assessments of damage.With less than ninety minutes remaining, diplomatic channels intensified. Pakistani officials, including the military chief Asim Munir, facilitated talks that culminated in a two‑week, double‑sided cease‑fire announced by Trump at 22:45 GMT. The United States claimed to have received a “workable” 10‑point proposal from Tehran.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi quickly confirmed the truce, stating Iran would honor it provided attacks on its territory ceased. Sharif then invited both Iranian and US delegations to Islamabad for further negotiations aimed at a permanent settlement.Early Wednesday, Trump’s tone shifted dramatically. In a Truth Social post he hailed the cease‑fire as a potential “Golden Age for the Middle East,” celebrating the pause in hostilities and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.The episode underscores how last‑minute diplomacy, spearheaded by Pakistan, averted a catastrophic escalation and opened a narrow window for a broader peace process in a region long mired in conflict.

Israeli forces launched a series of coordinated strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, killing dozens and wounding hundreds, just hours after a ceasefire was announced in the US-Israeli war on Iran. The attacks, which targeted areas in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon, were the largest coordinated strike by Israel since it began a new military operation in Lebanon on March 2. The Israeli military carried out a surprise strike on hundreds of Hezbollah terrorists at command centers across Lebanon, according to Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz. The strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, with over 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites hit. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported that dozens of people were killed and hundreds wounded in the attacks. The Lebanese Red Cross said 100 of its ambulances were responding to the attacks, with teams working to transport the injured to hospitals. Hospitals were overcrowded, and health officials warned of a dire situation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier stated that the US-Iran truce excluded Lebanon, a country Israel has invaded in a new campaign against the armed group Hezbollah. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks, saying Israel was killing 'defenceless civilians' and showing disregard for international law. The violence has resulted in over 1,530 people killed in Lebanon since March 2, including women and children, and over 1.2 million people displaced. The situation remains volatile, with Hezbollah warning of a response from Iran and its allies if Israel does not adhere to a ceasefire.

Israeli air raids have torn through densely populated commercial and residential districts in central Beirut without warning, striking the heart of the capital just hours after a ceasefire was announced in the United States-Israeli war with Iran.Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reported that dozens of people had been killed and hundreds wounded, stressing that the figures were preliminary and likely to rise as rescue workers sifted through the rubble.Israel had already claimed that the truce did not apply to its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite mediator Pakistan saying the agreement extended to that front as well.The Israeli military described the bombardment as the largest coordinated strike of the current war, with more than 100 Hezbollah-linked targets hit within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.Several of the strikes landed in busy commercial areas, sending residents fleeing in panic as sirens wailed and glass and debris carpeted the streets.Lebanon’s National News Agency said at least five neighbourhoods in Beirut’s central and coastal districts were hit.The Israeli military said it had targeted missile launchers, command centres and intelligence infrastructure, and accused Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields.Residents and local officials, however, insisted that the buildings struck were not military sites.While Israel has regularly bombed southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs, it had rarely carried out attacks in central Beirut since the latest round of fighting with the group began on March 2.Israeli air strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 1,530 people so far, and have forced at least 1.2 million people to flee their homes.

Hours after Iran and the United States announced a two-week ceasefire, several Gulf nations have reported missile and drone attacks on their territories. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said its air defences were actively engaging incoming missiles and drones from Iran.The UAE’s Defence Ministry stated that the sounds of explosions heard across the country were caused by air defence systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Kuwait also reported intercepting a wave of Iranian drones launched since 8am (05:00 GMT), with some targeting vital oil facilities, power stations, and water desalination plants, causing serious infrastructure damage.Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said it dealt with a total of 28 drones, while Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior reported alleged Iranian attacks that injured two people and damaged several houses. Explosions were heard in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, with smoke rising from an area on Sitra Island that hosts Bahrain’s principal energy facilities.Iran has not responded to the claims by the Gulf nations. Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported that an oil refinery on the country’s Lavan Island came under attack, with firefighters working to contain the blaze. The US-Iran ceasefire was agreed upon barely an hour before US President Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire.Gulf countries have faced repeated drone and missile barrages from Iran over recent weeks in response to the US and Israeli strikes that began on February 28. Iran targeted fossil fuel infrastructure in the oil-rich Gulf nations while effectively closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz to shipping, through which one-fifth of global oil usually passes.