Iran says nuclear talks with US to be held in Muscat on Friday
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that nuclear talks with the U.S. are set to be held in the Omani capital Muscat at around 10 a.m. on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump told NBC News on Wednesday that Iran's supreme leader "should be very worried" as Washington and Tehran prep for nuclear talks this week.
The United States rejects Iran's demands regarding Friday's talks
"The United States told Iran on Wednesday that it will not accept Tehran's demands to change the location and format of the talks scheduled for Friday," wrote Axios reporter Barak Ravid, citing two U.S. officials.
Iran-US talks to focus only on nuclear program, says Iranian official
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the talks in Oman would focus solely on Iran's nuclear program and that its missile program was "off the table."
Red Crescent paramedic killed in Gaza
A Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic in Gaza was killed while responding to an emergency in Khan Younis, in the south of the territory, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), quoted by AFP.
In a statement, the IFRC said it was "outraged by the killing of Hussein Hassan Hussein al-Samiri, a dedicated Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) first responder."
He was killed on Wednesday "while providing assistance in Khan Younis during an attack in the al-Mawasi neighborhood," it said.
'If the Iranians want to meet with us, we are ready,' says Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the United States is ready to engage in talks with Iran, which will have to include not only nuclear issues but also its ballistic missile program.
"If the Iranians want to meet with us, we are ready," Rubio said at a press conference, suggesting that no meeting had yet been confirmed, although Iranian media reported that talks were scheduled to take place on Friday in Oman.
Israeli fire near Aitaroun and Blida in southern Lebanon
Israeli artillery fired on the area known as Chyar, connecting the towns of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) and Blida (Marjayoun), according to our correspondent.
Iranian news agency publishes images of US bases
One of Iran's leading news agencies has published images of U.S. bases in the Middle East without comment, amid tensions between Tehran and Washington, even though talks are expected this week, reports AFP.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening military action and is now pressing the Iranians to reach a nuclear deal.
Iranian media reported on Wednesday that talks between the U.S. and Iran were to be held on Friday in Oman.
But in the event of a U.S. attack, Iranian officials have warned of an immediate response, citing military bases in the Gulf as possible targets.
In this context, the Fars news agency, which is close to the security forces, has been publishing photos of some of these bases for two days in a row, with only the day and date according to the Persian calendar as captions.
Gaza: 400 tons of food aid sent by France arrive in Egypt
A container ship carrying nearly 400 tons of food aid sent by France to Gaza has arrived on the Egyptian coast, more than two weeks after leaving the port of Le Havre, announced the governor of Port Said, as reported by AFP.
International aid destined for the Gaza Strip usually arrives via the Egyptian ports of Port Said or al-Arish, the closest city to the Palestinian territory.
The governor of Port Said, Mohab Habachi, "welcomed a food aid ship from France," accompanied by the regional director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Samer Abdeljaber, and the French ambassador to Cairo, Eric Chevallier, his office said in a statement.
The ship Tokyo, which left Le Havre in mid-January, is carrying 21 containers weighing nearly 400 tons, including "25,540 boxes of supplies to support nearly 42,000 Palestinian children," according to a statement from the governorate, which did not specify when the aid was expected to arrive in Gaza.
It will support "more than 40,000 children under the age of five for five months," according to a statement from the WFP, which hailed France's "essential contribution."
Israel targets area between Aitaroun and Blida
Israeli artillery shelling targeted the 'Shiyar' area between the towns of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) and Blida (Marjayoun), our correspondent reported.
Iran, US talks to be held Friday in Oman: Iranian media
Iran will hold nuclear negotiations with the United States on Friday in Oman, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.
"Indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States are set to be held on Friday in Muscat," said the Tasnim news agency, adding that they "will be limited to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions on Iran."
ISNA news agency carried a similar report, saying Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will head the Iranian delegation, which will also include senior diplomats Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will represent Washington in the talks, ISNA added, noting that President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner may also be present.
Talks between Iran and the United States to be held on Friday in Oman, according to Iranian media
Talks between the United States and Iran are set to take place on Friday in Oman, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, according to AFP.
"Indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States are to be held on Friday in Muscat," the Tasnim news agency said, adding that the talks "will be limited to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions against Iran."
The Isna news agency reported the same information, stating that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will lead the Iranian delegation, which will also include senior diplomats Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will represent Washington in the talks, Isna added, noting that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, may also be present.
Gaza: Death toll from Israeli strikes rises to 21 Palestinians
Israeli strikes killed 21 people in Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry, in a further violation of the precarious, one-sided cease-fire, while the Rafah border crossing with Egypt remains partially open under very strict conditions.
UK: 6 Palestine solidarity activists acquitted after 17 months in pre-trial detention; ‘Huge victory’ for Filton24, campaigners say
Six British pro-Palestinian activists were acquitted of aggravated burglary on Wednesday over a 2024 raid on a facility producing Israeli weapons, with a jury unable to reach verdicts on other charges including criminal damage, reports Reuters.
Prosecutors said the six defendants were members of the now-banned group Palestine Action, which organized a direct action on the Elbit Systems UK facility in Bristol, southwest England, allegedly causing about 1 million pounds ($1.4 million) of damage.
Prosecutors had told a jury at London's Woolwich Crown Court at the start of the trial in November that the six were part of a larger group that broke into the factory in the early hours of Aug. 6, 2024.
The defendants hugged in the dock and waved to supporters in the public gallery, who cheered loudly after the judge had left the court.
A dozen Israelis charged in Gaza 'smuggling' case
A dozen Israelis have been charged in a large-scale case involving the smuggling of various goods to the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip, starting in the summer of 2025, announced the Israeli Justice Ministry and reported by AFP.
According to the indictments, the smuggled goods included "among other things, cartons of cigarettes, iPhones, batteries, communication cables, and auto parts," worth several hundred thousand euros, according to the ministry's statement.
The charges, including "aiding the enemy in wartime," involve twelve individuals and one company, the statement said.
Israeli police and the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) confirmed the arrest of "several Israeli citizens and residents of the Gaza Strip" in connection with the case.
South Lebanon: Israel fires 7 artillery shells at Dhaira, southern Lebanon
Israeli artillery fired seven shells towards Dhaira (in the Sour district), according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
South Lebanon: Israeli army stun bomb drops on Odaisseh
After a relatively calm morning and early afternoon in southern Lebanon, an Israeli army drone dropped a stun bomb on Odaisseh, in the Marjayoun district, reports our correspondent.
Israeli military: Rafah crossing 'opened this morning as usual'
The Israeli military agency COGAT, responsible for coordinating aid to Gaza, stated that the Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip "opened this morning as usual."
In a message posted on X, COGAT indicated that the World Health Organization, tasked with coordinating the arrival of Gaza Strip residents at the Rafah crossing, "has not yet submitted the required coordination information for procedural reasons."
"Once the coordination information is submitted as agreed, the transfer of patients and their companions to Egypt via the Rafah crossing will be facilitated," the agency added.
Earlier in the day, however, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent told Al Jazeera that the organization had been informed of the cancellation, for the day, of the evacuation of patients and the injured via the Rafah crossing.
Gaza: At least 17 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes
Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed 17 people, including three children, early this morning, the Palestinian territory's Civil Defense announced in a new toll.
Al Jazeera, for its part, reported at least 18 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across the Palestinian enclave, citing hospital sources.
According to the Qatari channel, eleven victims were found in the neighborhoods of al-Tuffah and al-Zeitoun, in eastern Gaza City.
The Israeli army had stated earlier that it had carried out "precise" strikes after an attack on its soldiers seriously injured an officer.
Israeli army claims one of its units killed about 60 Hezbollah members over the past year
Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, stated on his X account that the "Shahaf" (869) intelligence-gathering unit, one of five units within the Israeli Combat Intelligence Corps, killed nearly 60 Hezbollah members over the past year as part of operations aimed at preventing its regrouping.
Under the command of the 91st Division (part of the Northern Command of the Israeli military) and operating in southern Lebanon, the "Shahaf" (869) unit is involved, according to Adraee, in "operations to eliminate fighters, reconnaissance missions, and the guidance of ground and air strikes," to thwart Hezbollah's attempts to rebuild.
He states that over the past year, soldiers from the unit have killed nearly 60 Hezbollah members and destroyed dozens of infrastructure, weapons depots, and observation posts.
Furthermore, "the unit's surveillance operations rooms have contributed to guiding ground and air strikes during hundreds of targeted operations in southern Lebanon," adds Adraee.
The Israeli army also announced that an all-female combat training program is to be established next month within the 869th Unit, according to The Times of Israel.
US-Iran: Washington agrees to hold talks in Oman
Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States were originally scheduled to take place in Turkey on Friday, but the Trump administration has agreed to move them to the Sultanate of Oman at Tehran's request, Axios reports, citing a source in an Arab country.
According to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, discussions are still underway to confirm whether representatives from Arab and Muslim countries in the region will join the talks.
'Iran cannot be trusted': Netanyahu to US envoy Witkoff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff yesterday during a meeting in Jerusalem that Iran could not be “trusted,” ahead of talks scheduled for this week between Washington and Tehran, AFP reports.
“Before a meeting between envoy Witkoff and an Iranian representative, the prime minister made it clear that Iran has repeatedly proven that its promises cannot be trusted,” Netanyahu said, according to his office, after the meeting.
This statement comes as the negotiations scheduled to begin between Tehran and Washington are already in jeopardy.
PA to be excluded from Gaza governance after the war: Netanyahu
The Palestinian Authority will not participate "under any circumstances" in the governance of the Gaza Strip after the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who was visiting Jerusalem, on Tuesday evening.
"The prime minister made it clear that the Palestinian Authority would not be involved in any way," Netanyahu's office said in a statement following the meeting between the two men.
Under U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to definitively end the war in the Gaza Strip, the role of the Palestinian Authority, which governed the territory until Hamas took control in 2007, has remained unclear.
Gaza: Civil Defense announces 9 killed in Israeli strikes
Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed nine people early Wednesday morning, the Palestinian territory's Civil Defense announced.
The Israeli army stated it carried out strikes after its soldiers were shot at, seriously injuring an officer, AFP reports.
Nine people, including three children, were killed and 31 were injured in the strikes, which targeted northern and southern Gaza, according to the Civil Defense, a first aid organization under the authority of Hamas.
The Israeli army said it carried out "precise strikes" after "terrorists opened fire" on the soldiers.
Good morning. We are now launching our live coverage of news from the Middle East.
We will be following the evolving tensions between the United States and Iran, as well as the situation in southern Lebanon and Gaza, which continue to be bombarded by Israel despite cease-fires.
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