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 Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon late Monday and early Tuesday, including an attack in Sidon, the country’s third-largest city. At around 1 a.m. Tuesday, an Israeli strike destroyed a three-storey commercial building in Sidon, just days before Lebanon’s army chief is due to brief the government on efforts to disarm Hezbollah along the border with Israel. An Associated Press photographer reported that the building was located in a commercial area filled with workshops and auto repair shops and appeared to be empty at the time of the strike. At least one person was taken away by ambulance, while rescue teams searched the rubble for possible victims. No fatalities were immediately confirmed. Earlier on Monday, Israel’s military struck several locations in southern and eastern Lebanon, saying the sites contained infrastructure used by Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas. Those attacks came nearly two hours after the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, issued warnings on social media platform X, saying strikes would target Hezbollah and Hamas positions in two villages in the eastern Bekaa Valley and two villages in southern Lebanon. The later strike in Sidon was not preceded by any warning, and the Israeli military did not immediately comment on it. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that a house hit in the Bekaa Valley village of Manara belonged to Sharhabil al-Sayed, a Hamas military commander who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in May 2024. Following the warnings, residents evacuated the targeted areas, and no casualties were reported from those strikes. However, earlier on Monday, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said a drone attack on a vehicle in the southern village of Braikeh injured two people. Israel said that strike targeted two Hezbollah members. Lebanon’s army began dismantling weapons held by Palestinian factions last year, while the government has pledged that by the end of 2025, areas south of the Litani River near the Israeli border will be cleared of Hezbollah’s armed presence. The government is set to take up the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament at a meeting on Thursday, which will be attended by army commander Gen. Rudolph Haikal. Monday’s strikes occurred in areas north of the Litani River and well away from the Israeli border. Moves to disarm Hezbollah and Palestinian groups followed a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that resulted in the killing of much of the Iran-backed group’s political and military leadership. That conflict erupted on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in support of Hamas. Israel escalated its campaign in September 2024 with heavy bombardments and a subsequent ground operation, severely weakening Hezbollah. The fighting ended in November 2024 with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Despite the truce, Israel has continued near-daily airstrikes, mainly targeting Hezbollah fighters. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 127 civilians have been killed in these post-ceasefire attacks.

Expanding protests driven by Iran’s deepening economic crisis are piling fresh pressure on the country’s clerical leadership, already weakened by war, sanctions and strained regional alliances. Tehran is still grappling with the fallout from a 12-day war launched by Israel in June, during which the United States struck Iranian nuclear sites. Since September, renewed United Nations sanctions over Iran’s atomic programme have intensified economic stress, sending the rial into a sharp decline. The currency is now trading at about 1.4 million to the US dollar. At the same time, Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance”, a network of allied states and militant groups backed by Tehran, has suffered major setbacks since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023. US President Donald Trump’s warning that Washington would intervene if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters” has taken on added weight following the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a close ally of Tehran. “We’re watching it very closely,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday. He said Iran would face a strong response if security forces again resorted to lethal crackdowns. Protests have spread to more than 220 locations across 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. At least 19 people have been killed and more than 990 arrested, the group said. Iranian state media has offered little coverage, while restrictions on journalists and limited online footage have made it difficult to independently assess the scale of the unrest. The demonstrations began with merchants in Tehran before spreading nationwide. While initially focused on economic grievances, protesters have increasingly voiced anti-government slogans. Public anger has been building for years, particularly since the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked mass protests. Iran’s economy has been battered by soaring prices for basic goods, with annual inflation hovering around 40 percent. In December, authorities raised prices under a new tiered system for subsidised gasoline, further squeezing households and fuelling fears of steeper hikes ahead as prices are now reviewed quarterly. Regionally, Iran’s influence has weakened. Israel has severely degraded Hamas in Gaza and dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah in Lebanon. In Syria, President Bashar Assad, a longtime Iranian ally, was overthrown in a rapid offensive in December 2024. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have also faced sustained US and Israeli airstrikes. While China continues to buy Iranian oil, it has offered no direct military backing, nor has Russia. Western powers remain alarmed over Iran’s nuclear activities. Although Tehran insists its programme is peaceful, it had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels before the June attacks. Iran has also reduced cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose chief has warned Tehran could build up to 10 nuclear bombs if it chose to weaponise its programme. US intelligence agencies say Iran has not yet decided to build a nuclear weapon but has taken steps that could enable it to do so. Tehran recently claimed it had halted uranium enrichment nationwide, signalling possible openness to negotiations, though no substantive talks have followed the June conflict. Relations between Iran and the United States remain deeply strained, shaped by decades of hostility since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the US embassy hostage crisis, years of proxy conflicts and Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal under Trump in 2018. Those tensions have only intensified amid the latest unrest and regional turmoil.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday issued a stern warning amid nationwide protests, saying “rioters must be put in their place,” a remark widely seen as endorsing a tougher security crackdown. His first public comments come as demonstrations driven by economic hardship enter their second week, with human rights groups reporting at least 15 deaths and more than 580 arrests across the country. Protests have spread to over 170 locations in 25 provinces, making them the largest unrest since 2022, though still less intense than the demonstrations sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death. Khamenei sought to distinguish between citizens protesting economic conditions and what he described as “rioters,” blaming foreign enemies, including the United States and Israel, for stirring unrest. He also blamed outside forces for the sharp fall of Iran’s currency. The protests follow warnings from US President Donald Trump, who said Washington would respond if peaceful demonstrators were violently suppressed, prompting Iranian officials to threaten retaliation against US forces in the region. Overnight violence included a grenade explosion in Qom and the killing of a Basij member in western Iran. Rights groups accused security forces of using live fire in some areas. Despite President Masoud Pezeshkian’s calls for dialogue, analysts say Iran’s powerful security apparatus is likely to contain the unrest as economic pressures continue.

Saudi Arabia has welcomed a request from Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) to convene talks in Riyadh aimed at easing a violent power struggle in southern Yemen that has intensified fighting and heightened tensions among Gulf states. In a statement issued Saturday, the Saudi foreign ministry urged southern Yemeni factions to attend the proposed forum in the capital, saying the goal is to develop a unified and fair approach to addressing southern grievances. Earlier the same day, PLC Chairman Rashad al-Alimi called on political leaders and armed groups in southern Yemen to take part in the Riyadh meeting, according to Yemen’s SABA news agency. Al-Alimi stressed the importance of the southern issue and rejected any one-sided or exclusionary solutions to the conflict. Violence has escalated in recent days after the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group, launched a major offensive in Hadramout and Al-Mahra provinces, which together account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory. Oil-rich Hadramout, which borders Saudi Arabia and has deep historical ties to the kingdom, was viewed by Riyadh as strategically sensitive. The STC’s seizure of parts of the province last month raised alarm in Saudi Arabia. Although the STC is part of the anti-Houthi coalition, it is widely believed to seek an independent southern state, putting it at odds with the internationally recognised Yemeni government led by the PLC. Saudi Arabia has accused its coalition partner, the United Arab Emirates, of supplying arms to the STC—claims Abu Dhabi has denied, saying it supports Saudi security. The UAE, meanwhile, voiced serious concern over the escalating violence and urged restraint to preserve Yemen’s stability. It also announced the withdrawal of its remaining troops from Yemen, citing the completion of counterterrorism missions, a move that may signal easing tensions with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen over shipment of weapons for separatists that arrived from UAE The Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 to push back Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, but after years of war, the Houthis still control the north while rival Saudi- and Emirati-backed groups are now clashing in the south. Analysts warn that unless the conflict is contained, the latest violence could usher in a dangerous new phase of the war, with competing forces fighting to redraw territorial control—an outcome that could have repercussions beyond Yemen itself.

Violence linked to ongoing protests in Iran over the country’s worsening economy has claimed at least two more lives, raising the overall death toll to 10, authorities said Saturday, as demonstrations show no signs of easing. The new deaths occurred overnight. In Qom, a man was killed when a grenade exploded in the city, home to major Shiite seminaries. Iranian state media reported security officials claimed the man had intended to use the grenade to attack civilians. In Harsin, Kermanshah province, a member of the Basij, the paramilitary arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was killed in a gun and knife attack, according to the IRAN newspaper. Online footage showed fires in the streets of Qom during the night. The protests, now entering their second week, have spread to over 100 locations across 22 of Iran’s 31 provinces, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The unrest is primarily driven by the rapid depreciation of the Iranian rial, now costing about 1.4 million rials per U.S. dollar, though demonstrators are also voicing broader anti-government grievances. U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Friday against violently targeting peaceful protesters, prompting threats from Iranian officials to target American forces in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran’s civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed willingness to negotiate but acknowledges limited capacity to address the economic crisis.

Speaking on Tuesday, President Pezeshkian said the Islamic Republic would deliver a “severe and deterrent” response to any hostile action. He made the remarks in a post on the social media platform X, without providing further details. His comments followed a warning issued by President Trump a day earlier, during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Trump suggested that the United States could launch military strikes if Iran attempts to revive its nuclear program. Trump told reporters that Washington would not tolerate Iran rebuilding its nuclear capabilities and said any such move would be met with overwhelming force. He added that he hoped such action would not be necessary. The discussion between Trump and Netanyahu came only months after a 12-day air conflict in June, which reportedly left nearly 1,100 people dead in Iran, including senior military officials and nuclear scientists. Iran responded at the time with missile attacks on Israel that killed 28 people. Trump later indicated that another U.S. strike against Iran remains a possibility, warning that any confirmed nuclear activity would trigger consequences even stronger than previous actions. Pezeshkian said over the weekend that tensions have already escalated sharply, accusing the United States, Israel and European countries of trying to destabilize Iran. At the same time, Tehran has maintained that it is no longer enriching uranium and has expressed willingness to engage in negotiations over its nuclear program. At least 7 killed as economic protests spread across Iran According to U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran last operated an organized nuclear weapons program in 2003, though it has enriched uranium to levels close to weapons-grade in recent years. Meanwhile, Iran is facing its largest protests in three years as the national currency fell to a historic low against the U.S. dollar. Demonstrations continued for a third day in Tehran and other cities, with police using tear gas in some areas. University students also staged protests on major campuses. President Pezeshkian met with business leaders and promised efforts to address economic challenges. The government announced policy changes to support businesses, along with temporary closures of offices and banks to manage winter energy consumption. Source: AP

 Protests driven by Iran’s worsening economic conditions expanded into rural provinces on Thursday, leaving at least seven people dead in the first reported fatalities involving both demonstrators and security personnel, according to authorities. The deaths — two on Wednesday and five on Thursday — were reported in four cities, many located in areas predominantly inhabited by Iran’s Lur ethnic community. The casualties suggest a possible shift toward a tougher response by the country’s ruling clerics as unrest slows in Tehran but intensifies elsewhere. The demonstrations mark Iran’s most significant unrest since 2022, when nationwide protests erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. While the current protests have not reached the same scale or intensity, they have spread steadily beyond the capital. The worst violence was reported in Azna, in Lorestan province, about 300 kilometers southwest of Tehran. Videos circulating online appeared to show fires in the streets and the sound of gunfire, as crowds shouted slogans condemning authorities. The semi-official Fars news agency reported three deaths there. Additional fatalities were reported in Lordegan, Fuladshahr and Kouhdasht. Activist groups accused security forces of opening fire in some cases, while state-linked media blamed protesters for the death of a Basij paramilitary volunteer. Officials acknowledged that rising inflation, currency depreciation and economic hardship were driving the protests. Iran’s rial has sharply fallen, with the dollar trading at around 1.4 million rials. Authorities reported arrests and claimed calm had since returned, even as tensions persist nationwide. Source: AP 

A 21-year-old volunteer in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed Wednesday night in Lorestan province during protests driven by economic hardship, authorities said Thursday, marking the first reported security force fatality in the demonstrations. State-run media said the Basij volunteer was “martyred … at the hands of rioters” while defending public order in the city of Kouhdasht, about 400 kilometers southwest of Tehran. Another 13 Basij members and police officers were injured. Local officials linked the protests to inflation, currency depreciation, and rising economic pressures, urging citizens to voice concerns without letting “profit-seeking individuals” exploit the unrest. The demonstrations, the largest in Iran since 2022, have slowed in Tehran but spread to other provinces. Iran’s reformist civilian government has indicated willingness to negotiate with protesters, but officials say options are limited amid a collapsing rial. Authorities also reported arrests of seven people, including alleged monarchists and individuals linked to European-based groups, and confiscation of smuggled firearms.

Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank watched as Israeli military bulldozers tore down their homes Wednesday in Nur Shams refugee camp, part of an almost year-long campaign in northern West Bank camps. Since early 2025, Operation "Iron Wall" has damaged or destroyed at least 850 structures across Nur Shams, Jenin, and Tulkarem, according to satellite analysis by Human Rights Watch. The demolitions have forced tens of thousands from their homes, resulting in the largest displacement in the West Bank since Israel captured the territory in 1967. Many now live with relatives, in rented apartments, or in public buildings. Israel says the operation targets armed groups, claiming the demolitions remove militant infrastructure and clear routes for troops. Residents said they were given time to remove belongings, but the loss is devastating. Motaz Mohor, whose home was destroyed, said, “Our home is dear to us…this is the second time our family has been displaced,” recalling his grandparents’ flight during the 1948 Nakba. Ahmed al Sayyes, another resident, called the destruction “a tragedy after tragedy,” unsure where he and his family will go next.

Yemen’s anti-Houthi coalition is facing renewed instability following a sharp political rift involving Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and rival Yemeni factions, raising concerns over further fragmentation of the war-torn country. The latest crisis erupted after Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Rashad al-Alimi ordered UAE forces to withdraw from Yemen, canceled a joint defense arrangement and declared emergency measures, including a temporary embargo and plans for Saudi-backed forces to take control of military camps in eastern provinces. The move was presented as a step to protect national security. However, the decision was swiftly rejected by other PLC members, notably the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). The STC and several council members said the PLC is a collective authority and accused al-Alimi of making unilateral and illegal decisions. They reaffirmed the UAE’s role as a key partner in fighting the Houthis, counterterrorism and securing maritime routes. The political fallout coincided with Saudi-led airstrikes on the port of Mukalla and unusually public accusations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia alleged the UAE supplied weapons to separatist forces without authorization, a claim denied by the UAE, which said the equipment was meant for its own forces and coordinated with coalition partners. At the heart of the dispute are Yemen’s oil-rich eastern provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahrah, which hold strategic ports and border areas critical to Saudi security. STC forces recently expanded their presence in these regions, heightening tensions with Saudi-backed units. Analysts say the crisis exposes deeper structural divisions within the anti-Houthi camp, where competing regional agendas and local ambitions have long coexisted uneasily. While Saudi Arabia prioritizes border security and stability, the STC continues to push for greater autonomy or independence for southern Yemen. With troop movements reported and political unity eroding, the standoff risks escalating into open confrontation, further weakening the anti-Houthi coalition and complicating efforts to stabilize Yemen after more than a decade of conflict.