9 h. ago Rubio in Israel for talks to limit diplomatic damage over Qatar strikes

US secretary of state says Trump ‘not happy’ about Israeli attack that targeted Hamas officials in Doha for Gaza talksThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has held talks in Israel with Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at limiting the diplomatic damage to both countries by Israel’s attempt to assassinate Hamas leaders in Qatar, its continued demolition of Gaza, and the accelerated expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.The Israeli prime minister took Rubio on a tour of the Western Wall, where both men placed written prayers between the stones, before taking his American visitor underground to view archeological excavations. Continue reading...

Politics

15 h. ago Rubio arrives in Israel amid tensions over strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar

US secretary of state says Trump ‘not happy’ about Israeli attack that targeted Hamas officials in Doha for Gaza talksThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has arrived in Israel seeking to mend a rift with Washington’s other allies in the region over Israel’s attempted assassination of Hamas leaders in Qatar and the accelerated expansion of settlements on the occupied West Bank.In talks with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio will try to balance criticism of the Israeli airstrike on a Doha building, which killed aides to a Hamas leader and a Qatari security officer, with a message of overall support for Israel before the expected formal recognition of Palestine by a number of other US allies, including the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Israel has replaced Iran as the biggest security threat to the Gulf states | Sanam Vakil

As the US waits on the sidelines, Israel’s actions – as evidenced by the attack on Doha – are becoming increasingly audaciousSanam Vakil is director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programmeIsrael’s assassination of Hamas negotiators in Doha this week has crossed a line that even its closest Arab partners cannot ignore. Israel has long justified pre-emptive and extraterritorial strikes as necessary for its security. Over the course of two years, in response to the 7 October attacks by Hamas, it has struck at six countries in the region (including Palestine), seeking to eradicate all threats to its security. But hitting the capital of Qatar, a wealthy Gulf monarchy, a security partner and non-Nato ally of the US, and the site of painstaking negotiations between Israel and Hamas at the behest of Washington, is not simply another targeted killing. It represents a fundamental shift where Arab states no longer see Iran as the only principal destabiliser of the region. Tod...

Events

3 d. ago Is it safe to travel to Poland amid WW3 fears following Russian drone attack?

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said the country was "the closest to conflict since WWII" following the attacks

Events

3 d. ago Strike on Qatar shows limits of Israel's elusive quest to vanquish Hamas

Israel’s attack on Hamas’ top leaders as they weighed a new ceasefire proposal in Qatar was the latest in a series of unprecedented measures it has taken to vanquish the militant group — all of which have so far failed

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3 d. ago Trump has ‘heated phone call’ with Netanyahu over Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas in Qatar: Latest

Israel’s ambassador to the US vows to strike Hamas again after Trump calls out Doha airstrike

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4 d. ago Keir Starmer condemns strike on Qatar as 'flagrant violation' in meeting with Israel's President

Speaking after the talks, a Downing Street spokesperson described the Doha bombing by Israel as a 'flagrant violation', and also called out the 'manmade famine' in Gaza

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4 d. ago Israel carries out air strikes targeting Houthi military camps in Yemen

Israel's military said it struck Huthi rebel targets in Yemen on Wednesday, including in the capital Sanaa. 

Events

4 d. ago Starmer vows to be ‘clear’ with Herzog that UK condemns Israel’s strike on Qatar

The Prime Minister will meet the Israeli president in Downing Street later on Wednesday.

Politics

4 d. ago Is it safe to travel to Qatar? Your rights following Israel strikes

Doha’s Hamad International Airport is operating as scheduled following 9 September strikes

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4 d. ago Qatar says it has a right to respond to Israeli attack that killed six in Doha: latest

The Qatari prime minister accused Israel of ‘dragging the region to a place where it unfortunately cannot be repaired’

Events

4 d. ago Keir Starmer will meet Israeli president Isaac Herzog as MPs express ‘grave concern’ at the visit – UK politics live

The visit is seen as highly contentious amid the war in Gaza and Israel’s bombing of Qatar in a targeted strike aimed at Hamas officialsPeter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the US, has spoken at length about how he regrets “very, very deeply indeed” his past friendship with the billionaire paedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.After new evidence about the extent of that friendship came to light yesterday, Mandelson gave an interview to the Sun’s editor-at-large in the US, Harry Cole, accepting that the disclosures were “very embarrassing to see and to read”.I just feel two things now – one, I feel a tremendous sense, a profound sense of sympathy for those people, those women, who suffered as a result of his behaviour and his illegal criminal activities.Secondly, I regret very, very deeply indeed carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have done I just would say this during all the time I was an associate of his, I never saw the wrongdoing. I neve...

Politics

4 d. ago Qatar accuses Israel of 'state terrorism' for strike on its capital which killed five Hamas members at peace talks

US President Donald Trump said he was ‘not thrilled’ by the attack which has been widely condemned by the international community

Events

4 d. ago Putin mouthpiece calls for missile strikes on London 'like Israel did in Qatar'

Vladimir Solovyov, a leading TV propagandist in Russia, has called for missile strikes on London as he said Western defence ministers meeting in the capital should be viewed as legitimate targets

Events

5 d. ago ‘Not thrilled’: Trump gently rebukes Israel for striking US ally in zeal to get Hamas

Qatar, U.N. and U.K.’s Keir Starmer all condemn strike Trump says he ‘feels very badly’ about through a spokesperson

Politics

5 d. ago Hamas say its leadership survived Israel airstrike but six people killed

Worrying escalation in Middle East conflict as Doha condemns 'cowardly’ strike

Events

5 d. ago Trump's fury at airstrikes on Qatar: White House is blindsided by deadly IDF attack on its Gulf ally as Hamas leaders gathered for Gaza talks

Donald Trump hit out tonight at Israel's air strike on Qatar that killed five members of Hamas as its delegation prepared for talks to try to end the conflict in Gaza.

Events

5 d. ago Houthis fire missile into Israel after Netanyahu's forces unilaterally bombed Hamas leadership in Qatar: Terror group say none of their top team were killed

Footage filmed in Doha today showed a large explosion and thick black smoke billowing from a building as Israel carried out airstrikes in the Qatari capital.

Events

5 d. ago Mapped: All the countries Israel has attacked in the Middle East since 7 October Hamas massacre

Airstrike on Doha in Qatar representing expansion of its operations condemned worldwide

Events

5 d. ago Foreign Office updates travel advice after Israel launches strike in Qatar

Israel claimed it was striking at Hamas leaders in the Gulf country, which has been hosting negotiations to end the almost two-year conflict in Gaza

Politics