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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, as the U.S. on Monday said it believes Iran or its proxies may launch a strike against Israel as soon as this week. The moves, announced by the Defense Department Sunday, come as the U.S. and other allies push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a cease-fire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. Officials have been on the lookout for retaliatory strikes by both Iran and Hezbollah for the killings, and the U.S. has been beefing up its presence in the region. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said Iran's response to the killings could be this week, but that it is difficult to ascertain at this particular time if there's an attack
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to speed up its arrival in the region
Israeli authorities are planning for the worst, such as stockpiling alternative fuels for power plants
Air India on Friday announced suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv till further notice amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. The Tata Group-owned carrier had suspended services from the national capital to Tel Aviv till August 8. "In view of the current situation in parts of the Middle East, scheduled operation of our flights to and from Tel Aviv are suspended with immediate effect until further notice. We are continuously monitoring the situation," the airline said in a post on X. The carrier is offering a full refund to its passengers with confirmed bookings for travel to and from Tel Aviv. Tensions continue to remain high in the Middle East amid conflict between Israel and various terror groups, including Hamas. Earlier this year also, Air India had briefly suspended flights to Tel Aviv at different points of time due to the Middle East tensions. After nearly five months, the carrier had recommenced the services to the Israeli city on March 3. Air India had
Leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar jointly demanded Israel and Hamas return to stalled talks on the war in Gaza next week, saying Thursday that only the details of carrying out a cease-fire and hostage release remain to be negotiated. There is no further time to waste, nor excuses from any party for further delay, they said in a joint statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Thursday that it had accepted the invitation. President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim al-Thani, mediators in indirect negotiations to end 10 months of devastating war in Gaza, set the talks for August 15, to take place in either Doha, Qatar, or Cairo. A senior US official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the push by mediators, said only four or five areas of disagreement over implementation remained to be resolved between the two opponents. The official cited the timing of a planned swap of Palestinian ..
Both oil benchmarks broke a three-session declining streak on Tuesday, and tensions in the Middle East continued to stoke supply concerns in Wednesday's trading session
Blaming Israel for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran, Iran had vowed it would respond 'severely', raising fears of a broader regional conflict
Russia has condemned the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Iran last week
Tehran, which had already vowed revenge for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, said it aimed to deter Israel from repeating similar moves
The statement by IRGS also accuses the criminal government of the United States of supporting the attack
Iran and its allies Hamas and Hezbollah have vowed 'severe revenge' in response to top Hamas leader Ismail Haniye's killing on July 31
Netanyahu said the problem is that Hamas keeps changing its demands. Others say Israel has done the same, making a deal harder
Israel is already in a "multi-front war" with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepared to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike and prevent an even more destructive regional conflict. Tensions have soared following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas' top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas says it has begun discussions on choosing a new leader. Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan's foreign minister was making a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts "We want the escalation to end," Ayman Safadi said while the Pentagon has moved significant assets to the region. "We are doing everything possible to make sure that this situation does not boil over," White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told ABC. In
Israel is already in a multi-front war with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepared to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike and prevent an even more destructive regional conflict. Tensions have soared following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas' top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas says it has begun discussions on choosing a new leader. Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan's foreign minister was making a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts, while the Pentagon has moved significant assets to the region. We are doing everything possible to make sure that this situation does not boil over, White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told ABC. In Israel, some prepared bomb shelters and recalled Iran's
Three US and Israeli officials said that they expect Iran to launch an attack on Israel as early as Monday
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and accused the United States of supporting the attack which it blamed on Israel, state TV reported. The televised statement, which reiterated a call for retaliation, said a rocket with a seven-kg warhead was used to target the residence of Hamas' political leader in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, adding it caused heavy devastation. It didn't share details of the residence's location. Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The action was designed and carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the US, said the Guard's statement. It added that the warmongering and terrorist Zionist regime will receive harsh punishment in the suitable time, place, and capacity. Israel has not confirmed or denied its role in the killing of Haniyeh, but Israel earlier pledged to kill him and other Hamas leaders ove
On Saturday, the US issued an alert, calling its citizens to book any ticket available to leave Lebanon
Air India, which operates four weekly flights from Delhi to Israel had earlier cancelled a flight to Tel Aviv as tensions grip West Asia after the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran
The NSE Nifty shed 1 per cent and tested a low of 24,751 amid the global market sell-off on Friday; MidCap and SmallCap indices declined more than 1 per cent each.
Global benchmark Brent crude futures rose 71 cents, or 0.9 per cent, to $81.55 a barrel by 0605 GMT