Page 8 - Us-iran Tensions

One Indian killed, two injured in anti-tank missile attack in Israel

An Indian national was killed and another two were injured on Monday when an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon struck an orchard near Israel's northern border community of Margaliot, officials said. All three victims hail from the southern state of Kerala. The missile hit a plantation in Margaliot, a moshav (collective agricultural community), in the Galilee region in the north of Israel around 11 am on Monday, Zaki Heller, spokesperson for rescue services Magen David Adom (MDA), told PTI. Patnibin Maxwell from Kollam in Kerala was killed in the attack. His mortal remains were identified in Ziv hospital, official sources said. Bush Joseph George and Paul Melvin were injured and taken to hospitals for treatment, they said. "George was taken to the Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva after suffering injuries on face and body. He underwent an operation, is recovering well, and has been kept under observation. He could speak with his family in India," an official source told PTI. M

Amid tensions, Iran to elect parliamentary, religious leaders today

Iranians are bracing for a pivotal moment as they prepare to cast their votes on Friday in parliamentary elections that will elect religious leaders, Al Jazeera reported.

Houthi rebels allegedly fire rocket off ship travelling through Red Sea

A rocket exploded late Tuesday night off the side of a ship travelling through the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, authorities said, the latest suspected attack to be carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The attack comes as the Houthis continue a series of assaults at sea over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and as the US and its allies launch airstrikes trying to stop them. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, which oversees shipping in the Mideast, reported the attack happened about 110 kilometres off the coast of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida. The rocket exploded several miles off the bow of the vessel, it said. The crew and vessel are reported to be safe and are proceeding to next port of call, the UKMTO said. The private security firm Ambrey reported that the vessel targeted appeared to be a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier in the area at the time. Another ship, a Panama-flagged, Emirati-owned chemical tanker

Israeli airstrikes killed 10 Lebanese civilians, Hezbollah to retaliate

The civilian death toll from two Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon has risen to 10, Lebanese state media reported on Thursday, making the previous day the deadliest in more than four months of cross-border exchanges. Israel's military said it killed a senior commander with the militant Hezbollah group's elite Radwan Force, Ali Dibs, who it says played a role in an attack inside Israel last year that unnerved Israelis, as well as other attacks directed at Israel over the past four months. It said Dibs was killed on Wednesday along with his deputy Hassan Ibrahim Issa, as well as another Hezbollah operative, in a strike in the southern city of Nabatiyeh. Hezbollah confirmed three of its fighters were killed and released photos of Dibs and Issa without giving information about their roles in the group. A Lebanese security official said Dibs escaped a drone strike in Nabatiyeh last week. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate

Sanctions imposed on Iran Central Bank subsidiary for US tech procurement

The US has imposed sanctions on three people and four firms across Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey for allegedly helping to export goods and technology purchased from US companies to Iran and the nation's central bank. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said the procurement network transferred US technology for use by Iran's Central Bank in violation of US export restrictions and sanctions. Some of the materials acquired by the Central Bank of Iran were items classified as information security items subject to national security and anti-terrorism controls by the Commerce Department, Treasury says. Included in the sanctions package is Informatics Services Corp., an Iranian subsidiary of Iran's Central Bank that most recently developed the Central Bank Digital Currency platform for the bank; a UAE-based front company, which acquired US tech for the Central Bank of Iran and the front company's CEO, as well as a Turkey-based affiliate firm that also made purchases tha

Blasts hit gas pipeline in Iran, official calls it an act of sabotage

Explosions struck a natural gas pipeline in Iran early Wednesday, with an official blaming the blasts on a sabotage and terrorist action in the country as tensions remain high in the Middle East amid Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Details were scarce, though the blasts hit a natural gas pipeline running from Iran's western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province up north to cities on the Caspian Sea. The roughly 1,270-kilometer (790-mile) pipeline begins in Asaluyeh, a hub for Iran's offshore South Pars gas field. Saeed Aghli, the manager of Iran's gas network control center, told Iranian state television that a sabotage and terrorist action caused explosions along several areas of the line. There are no known insurgent groups operating in that province, home to the Bakhtiari, a branch of Iran's Lur ethnic group. Aghli did not name any suspects in the blasts. In the past, Arab separatists in southwestern Iran have claimed attacks against oil pipelines. However, attacks against

US troop drawdown talks will go on as long as nothing disturbs talks: Iraq

The Iraqi government met again with the US government on Sunday on how to draw down American troops who have been deployed there for years combating the Islamic State. The two governments had held their first, long-awaited meeting January 27, but those meetings had been put on pause after Iran-backed militants struck a base in Jordan the very next day with a drone that killed three US service members. In the weeks since, the US has launched multiple retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria including a strike last week that killed a high-ranking commander of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia who the US said is responsible for "directly planning and participating in attacks" on American troops in the region. Both Iraq and the US had agreed last August to enter into talks to transition US forces from their long-standing role in assisting Iraq in combating IS. There are approximately 2,500 troops in the country, and their departure will take into account the security situation on the .

Suspected Yemen Houthi rebel drone strikes ship as Red Sea tensions rise

A ship travelling through the southern Red Sea was attacked by a suspected Yemen Houthi rebel drone early Tuesday, authorities said, the latest assault in their campaign targeting vessels over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack happened west of Hodeida, Yemen, and the projectile caused slight damage to the vessel's windows on the bridge, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. A small vessel had been nearby the ship before the attack, it added. The private security firm Ambrey identified the vessel as a Barbados-flagged, United Kingdom-owned cargo ship. No one was hurt onboard the vessel, which suffered minor damage, the firm said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, suspicions immediately fell on the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with

Highlights: PM to launch BJP's campaign for LS from MP's Jhabua on Feb 11

News updates: From CM Champai Soren's floor test in Jharkhand assembly to Iran leveraging UK bank account to covertly move money, catch all the latest updates from around the world here

Iran evaded sanctions, moved money using Santander, Lloyd accounts: Report

The banks provided accounts to front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company

Iran evaded sanctions, moved money using Santander, Lloyd accounts: Report

The banks provided accounts to front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company

US warns of further retaliation if Iran-backed militias continue attacks

After a weekend of retaliatory strikes, the United States on Sunday warned Iran and the militias it arms and funds that it will conduct more attacks if American forces in the Mideast continue to be targeted, but that it does not want an open-ended military campaign across the region. We are prepared to deal with anything that any group or any country tries to come at us with, said Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser. Sullivan said Iran should expect a swift and forceful response if it and not one of its proxies chose to respond directly against the US. Sullivan delivered the warnings during a series of interviews with TV news shows after the US and Britain on Saturday struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen. The Iran-backed militants have fired on American and international interests repeatedly in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. An air assault Friday in Iraq and Syria targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in retaliation f

Highlights of the day: Ladakh shuts down as thousands march for statehood

Updates: Catch all the latest updates from around the world

US President Biden delivers reprisal to Iran with room for de-escalation

The biggest question from Friday night's airstrikes was what the next step would be. On a call with reporters, a spokesman said there would be more in coming days

US President Biden delivers reprisal to Iran with room for de-escalation

The biggest question from Friday night's airstrikes was what the next step would be. On a call with reporters, a spokesman said there would be more in coming days

US retaliates for fatal drone attack, hits Iranian militias in Iraq, Syria

"Our response began today," Biden said in a statement. "It will continue at times and places of our choosing."

Prez Biden issues order targeting violent Israeli settlers in West Bank

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order addressing the issue of violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank, a move aimed at restoring stability in the region, CNN reported

Iran-backed Houthis fire anti-ship ballistic missile towards Gulf of Aden

Iranian-backed Houthis on Wednesday fired an anti-ship ballistic missile towards the Gulf of Aden. The missile was successfully shot down by US Navy missile destroyer USS Carney

Houthis fire anti-ship missile towards Red Sea, shot down by US destroyer

Iranian-backed Houthis have fired one anti-ship cruise missile towards the Red Sea, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said

US doesn't seek another war: WH on drone strike by Iran-backed group

A day after three US troops were killed in a drone strike in Jordan, the White House on Monday said it does not want to seek another war or escalate the tension, but would absolutely do what is required to protect itself in the region. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference here that the attack also sent more than 30 US soldiers to hospital, some with serious injuries. "These troops were conducting a vital mission in the region, aimed at helping US work with partners to counter ISIS. And even as the Defense Department gathers more information about the attack, that mission must and will continue," he said. "The counter-ISIS mission is separate and distinct ..indeed it has been longstanding and unrelated to our efforts to support Israel and to prevent a wider conflict in the region," Kirby said. "We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate. But we will absolutely do what