79 minutes ago Middle East crisis live: 20 killed in Gaza overnight with strike on ‘humanitarian zone’ among deadly attacks

Palestinian medics say strikes included one which hit a tent camp in al-MawasiLebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, has begun a tour of military positions in the country’s south, almost a month after a ceasefire deal that ended Israel’s assault on the country.The truce came into effect on 27 November and prohibits Israel from conducting offensive military operations in Lebanon, while requiring Lebanon to prevent armed groups including Hezbollah from launching attacks on Israel. It gives Israeli troops 60 days to withdraw from south Lebanon. Mikati’s tour comes after the Lebanese government expressed its frustration over ongoing Israeli strikes and overflights in the country. “We have many tasks ahead of us, the most important being the enemy’s (Israel’s) withdrawal from all the lands it encroached on during its recent aggression,” he said after meeting with army chief Joseph Aoun in a Lebanese military barracks in the southeastern town of Marjayoun. “Then the army can ca...

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1 hour ago Inside a stunning week across Syria following the overthrow of the Assad regime

Bel Trew spent days travelling across Syria – from Aleppo in the north, to the capital Damascus and Deraa in the south – charting a nation coming to terms with the ends of decades of brutal rule by the Assads. From families trying to find missing loved ones in the regime’s notorious prisons to religious minorities facing an uncertain future under the new Islamist-led administration

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3 hours ago Iran could go ahead and build nuclear weapons after losses among its Middle East allies left it 'weakened', White House warns

Iran could make moves towards becoming a nuclear power after it was severely weakened by wars in the Middle East, the White House has warned.

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4 hours ago Middle East latest: Israeli airstrikes on Gaza kill at least 20 people, Palestinian medics say

Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 20 people

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19 hours ago Gary Anderson scoffs at Barry Hearn 'brinkmanship' over World Darts Championship Saudi talk as he declares Ally Pally love

The Scot and two-time champion hit back at the idea being floated of the most prestigious tournament in the sport moving to the Middle East

Politics

21 hours ago Christians in Aleppo are celebrating Christmas – but fear for their future

As Syria marks the overthrow of the Assad regime, Bel Trew visits Aleppo, where Christian residents are are beset by uncertainty. She speaks to families worried about life under a new Islamist-led administration

Politics

21 hours ago Middle East crisis: families scavenging for food scraps in Khan Younis, says Unrwa

‘Every day we see people scavenging through trash looking for food or material to burn for warmth,’ says UN agency spokespersonTurkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, has met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al Sharaa - also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golan - in Damascus, Turkey’s foreign ministry has said. No further details were provided. Fidan said yesterday that Turkey will do “whatever it takes” to ensure its security if the new Syrian administration cannot address Ankara’s concerns about US-allied Kurdish groups it views as terrorist groups (see post at 10.32 for more details). Fidan also said that the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by al Sharaa and which swept into Damascus to topple Assad early this month, had “excellent cooperation” with Ankara in the battle against Islamic State and al-Qaeda in the past through intelligence sharing.Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the newswires from Gaza: Continue reading...

Society

27 hours ago Middle East crisis: Israeli strikes kill 28 Palestinians in Gaza – live updates

The strikes came a day after Pope Francis condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as ‘cruelty’Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli airstrikes overnight and early this morning have killed at least 28 Palestinian people. Civil agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said at least 13 people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Deir al-Balah – a town in central Gaza – belonging to the Abu Samra family.Bassal said that eight people, including four children, were killed in the attack on the Musa Bin Nusayr school, which had been repurposed as a shelter for Palestinians displaced by the war. Bassal said an overnight Israeli airstrike killed three people in the southern city of Rafah, and a drone strike this morning hit a car in Gaza City, killing four people.They (Israeli forces) have been using heavy artillery and detonating explosive devices that had been planted in the areas surrounding the hospital, preventing and impeding the movement of ambulances, as well as that of people seek...

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27 hours ago At least 17 Palestinians killed as Israeli forces attack Gaza school and hospital

Pope Francis condemns killing of children in Gaza as ‘cruelty, not war’

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