Page 29 - Middle East

With every strike, Israel, US, and Iran's allies inch closer to all-out war

In the last week alone, Israel has killed a senior Hamas militant in an airstrike in Beirut, Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets into Israel, the US has killed a militia commander in Baghdad and Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have traded fire with the American Navy. Each strike and counterstrike increases the risk of the already catastrophic war in Gaza spilling across the region. And in the decades-old standoff pitting the US and Israel against Iran and allied militant groups, any one party could choose all-out war over a loss of face. The divisions within each camp add another layer of volatility: Hamas might have hoped its October 7 attack would drag its allies into a wider war with Israel. Israelis increasingly talk about the need to change the equation in Lebanon, even as the US aims to contain the conflict. As the intertwined chess games grow ever more complicated, the potential for miscalculation rises. GAZA IS GROUND ZERO Hamas says the October 7 attack that triggered the

Oil prices rise as Blinken begins week-long sweep through the Middle East

Shipping giant Maersk said it will divert all vessels away from the Red Sea for the foreseeable future, warning customers of disruptions

Oil prices rise ahead of US Secretary of State Blinken's visit to West Asia

At its intra-day peak, the US West Texas Intermediate crude futures contract traded more than $1 above previous close

Blinken heads to Mideast again as fears of regional conflict surge

As the Biden administration grapples with an increasingly tense and unstable situation in the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the region this weekend for the fourth time in three months on a tour expected to focus largely on easing resurgent fears that the Israel-Hamas war could erupt into a broader conflict. With international criticism of Israel's operations in Gaza mounting, growing US concerns about the end game, and more immediate worries about a recent explosion in attacks in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, Blinken will have a packed and difficult agenda. He leaves just days after a suspected Israeli attack killed a senior Hamas leader in Beirut and, while a White House spokesman said "nobody should be shedding a tear" over his death, it could further complicate Blinken's mission. "We do not expect every conversation on this trip to be easy," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. "There are obviously tough issues facing the region and

103 killed, 188 wounded in bombing near grave of slain Iran general

Iranian state TV and state-run IRNA news agency quoted emergency officials for the casualty figures, which rose rapidly in the hours after the explosions

Saudi fund outpaces Singapore's GIC with $31.6 billion splurge: Global SWF

That was higher than the $20.7 bn it invested the previous year, an increase that contrasts with a wider trend - globally state-owned investors deployed $124.7 bn, about a fifth less than prior year

Exports to Iran fall amid decline in rupee reserves of middle east

A growth in the near future is unlikely owing to global geopolitical tensions

Houthis show no sign of ending Red Sea attacks as trade traffic up: US Navy

Yemen's Houthi rebels show no signs of ending their reckless attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, the top commander of US naval forces in the Middle East said on Saturday, even as more nations join the international maritime mission to protect vessels in the vital waterway and trade traffic begins to pick up. Since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have travelled through the Red Sea region, and none has been hit by drone or missile strikes, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview. He said additional countries are expected to sign on. Denmark was the latest, announcing on Friday it plans to send a frigate to the mission that Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during a visit to Bahrain, where the Navy's 5th Fleet is based, saying that this is an international challenge that demands collective action. The narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and then the Suez Canal. Th

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Oil prices slip as investors monitor Red Sea tensions triggered by Gaza war

Israeli forces pummelled central Gaza by land, sea and air on Wednesday after Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told reporters on Tuesday that the Gaza war would go on "for many months"

Explosions in Red Sea off Yemen's coast, unmanned aircraft sighted: UK

Two unmanned aircraft were observed before two explosions occurred 5 nautical miles from a vessel located 50 nautical miles west of Hodeidah on Yemen's west coast, the United Kingdom said

Iran increasing production of highly enriched uranium: Atomic watchdog

Iran has increased the rate at which it is producing near weapons grade uranium in recent weeks, reversing a previous slowdown that started in the middle of this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to member states. Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the report that Iran in recent weeks had increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023," according to an IAEA spokesperson Sunday. Iran had previously slowed down the rate at which it was enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity. Uranium enriched at 60 per cent purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. The UN nuclear watchdog said its inspectors had verified the increased rate of production since the end of November at facilities in Natanz and Fordow to about 9 kilograms per month, up from 3 kilograms per month since June and representing a return to earlier levels of production. Enriching uranium

Oil extended gains as investors eye Middle East tensions, US rate cut

While hopes of rate cuts and conflict in the Red Sea have led to a rebound in crude prices, Maersk's announcement of a restart of shipping routes through the waterway has alleviated supply concerns

Navy deploys 3 warships in Arabian Sea amid attacks on merchant vessels

The Indian Navy's explosive ordnance disposal team on Monday carried out a detailed inspection of merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on its arrival at Mumbai harbour, two days after the ship was hit by a drone off India's west coast in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port. In view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Navy deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance, and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the region to maintain "deterrent presence", officials said. Saturday's drone attack on Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Liberian-flagged vessel with 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew, anchored at outer anchorage off Mumbai at 3:30 pm. "On her arrival, the Indian Navy explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel

Merchant ship attacked two days ago by 'drone' arrives outside Mumbai port

The cargo of the ship is planned to be transferred to another ship and a joint investigation is being carried out by the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, Intelligence agencies and other officials

Oil extends weekly gains, up 1% as tensions over Red Sea attacks persist

More maritime carriers are avoiding the Red Sea due to attacks on vessels carried out by the Houthi militant group, who say they are responding to Israel's war in Gaza

Brent hovers near $80 amid geopolitical tensions over Red Sea attacks

On Wednesday, Greece advised commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea avoid Yemeni waters. Greek ship owners control about 20% of the world's commercial vessels in terms of carrying capacity

Israeli airstrikes kill dozens more Palestinians across the Gaza Strip

The Israeli army has raided and detained staff at two of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza's north, where the defense minister said on Tuesday that troops were working to completely clear out Hamas militants. Israel bombarded towns across southern Gaza on Tuesday with airstrikes, killing at least 45 Palestinians and pressing ahead with its offensive with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm. The Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, warned the campaign in Gaza's south will persist for months. In a hospital in the southern town of Rafah, Mahmoud Zoarab bid farewell to his two children a 2-year-old boy, and a girl born two weeks ago killed in a predawn strike on their home. Wounded in the strike, he winced as he peeled back the shrouds to look at their faces as his wife and mother stood by his bed. Just two weeks old. Her name hadn't even been registered, said the children's grandmother, Suzan Zoarab. Addressing Israeli Prime Minister .

Sheikh Nawaf: Impact of his short but tumultuous reign as Kuwait's emir

Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, passed away on 16th December.

Suspected cyberattack paralyses the majority of gas stations across Iran

Nearly 70% of Iran's gas stations went out of service on Monday following possible sabotage a reference to cyberattacks, Iranian state TV reported. The report said a software problem caused the irregularity in the gas stations. It urged people not to rush to the stations that were still operational. Israeli media, including the Times of Israel, blamed the problem on an attack by a hacker group dubbed Gonjeshke Darande or predatory sparrow. State TV quoted a statement by the Oil Ministry as saying more than 30% of gas stations remain in service. The country has some 33,000 gas stations. In recent years, Iran has seen a series of cyberattacks on its filling stations, railway system and industries. Surveillance cameras in government buildings, including prisons, have also been hacked in the past. In 2022, the Gonjeshke Darande group hacked a major steel company in the southwest of the country. A cyberattack on Iran's fuel distribution system in 2021 paralyzed gas stations across the