Israel's tensions with Iran took another dangerous turn after the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which has triggered calls for retaliation. The incident fuelled fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East, already grappling with the Israel-Hamas war.
The nearly seven-month-long war between Israel and Hamas has dramatically increased tensions in the Middle East, bringing the former and its arch-enemy Iran to open warfare. Israel had long threatened to invade the Rafah city despite international pressure against it.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations said the vessel was seized by "regional authorities" in the Gulf of Oman. Tehran's seizure of the vessel comes at a time of high tensions as the Middle East is bracing for a possible Iranian attack on Israel in response to a strike on Iran's embassy in Syria.
A US destroyer shot down drones and a missile launched by the Houthi rebels towards it on Tuesday, as the group vowed to not stop unless the Israel-Hamas war ends. Houthis' Red Sea attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys.
A Barbados-flagged British-owned vessel in the Red Sea sustained minor damage during the attack in the Red Sea, but no one was injured. This came after joint airstrikes by the US and the UK, along with other countries, in Yemen as tensions reach boiling point over the war in Gaza.
This comes after Houthis said their forces fired missiles at the US Navy destroyer Gravely and targeted a Liberian-flagged merchant ship on Wednesday. The Iran-aligned group in Yemen has attacked vessels in the Red Sea in response to Israel's military operations in Gaza.
Earlier on Sunday, Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces, the first deadly strike against American troops since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7 and sent shock waves throughout the Middle East.
The drone strike by suspected Iran-backed forces at Tower 22 killed three US troops and wounded more than 40 others. This marked a dangerous escalation in the fragile situation of the Middle East as the Biden administration faces pressure to retaliate without further spurring the conflict.
American forces in the Middle East have been attacked more than 150 times by Iran-backed forces in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and off the coast of Yemen since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
American forces in the Middle East have been attacked more than 150 times by Iran-backed forces in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and off the coast of Yemen since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
State TV named the launched satellites Mahda, Kayhan-2 and Hatef-1. It described the Mahda as a research satellite, while the Kayhan and the Hatef were nanosatellites focused on global positioning and communication respectively.
China, which has been Iran's biggest trading partner for the past decade, warned Tehran against any attack on any Chinese-related vessels or undermining Beijing's interests. It is not clear how Tehran would react to China's ultimatum as Beijing's influence on Tehran was not absolute.
The development came amid rising tensions following a joint attack by the US and UK military on Houthi targets in Yemen. Houthis have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea to express solidarity with Palestinians, risking global inflation and the possible expansion of the Israel-Hamas war.
R Ravindra, India's deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, said only a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine can deliver enduring peace. Israel's devastating military campaign has killed over 25,000 Palestinians in Gaza and sparked international alarm.
Israeli airstrikes in December killed two members of Iranian guards and a high-ranking Iranian general Sayyed Razi Mousavi, for which Tehran vowed revenge. Earlier this week, Iran launched missiles and drones towards "Israeli spy headquarters" in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Iranian forces based in Syria reportedly fired 20 rockets at Israeli front-line military positions in the Golan Heights, triggering an Israeli reprisal and escalating already heightened tensions in what appeared to be the most serious violence in years.
Cairo, Jul 3: Egypt's military moved to tighten its control on key institutions Wednesday, even putting officers in the newsroom of state TV, in preparation for an almost certain push to remove the country's Islamist
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