Israeli drone strikes on Tehran stoke fears of a surge in Middle East crisis as Iran says it won’t hit back

Israeli drone strikes on Tehran stoke fears of a surge in Middle East crisis as Iran says it won’t hit back

Israel said nothing about the incident. It had said for days it was planning to retaliate against Iran for Saturday’s strikes, the first ever direct attack on Israel by Iran in decades of shadow war waged by proxies which has escalated throughout the Middle East through six months of battle in Gaza.

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Leaked New York Times memo on Gaza bans use of terms such as genocide, ethnic cleansing and occupied territory

Leaked New York Times memo on Gaza bans use of terms such as genocide, ethnic cleansing and occupied territory

The leak gave rise to a highly unusual internal probe. The company faced harsh criticism for allegedly targeting Times workers of Middle East and North African descent, which Times brass denied. On Monday, executive editor Joe Kahn told staff that the leak investigation had been concluded unsuccessfully.

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5,000 lives in a shell: Gaza’s IVF embryos destroyed by Israeli in an explosion that blasted lids off liquid nitrogen tanks

5,000 lives in a shell: Gaza’s IVF embryos destroyed by Israeli in an explosion that blasted lids off liquid nitrogen tanks

Large families are common in the enclave, where nearly half the population is under 18 and the fertility rate is high at 3.38 births per woman, according to the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics. Britain’s fertility rate is 1.63 births per woman.

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Iranians’ fear of imminent Israeli retaliation after weekend attack touches off rial tumbles to 705,000 to US dollar

Iranians’ fear of imminent Israeli retaliation after weekend attack touches off rial tumbles to 705,000 to US dollar

Iran launched the attack in retaliation for what it says was an April 1 Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus and signalled that it does not seek further escalation. While the attack caused no deaths and limited damage, it has increased fears of open warfare between the long-time foes and fuelled concerns that violence rooted in the Gaza war is spreading.

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Biden faces Herculean hurdle in retaining Muslim vote in US poll and ending Gaza bloodbath

Biden faces Herculean hurdle in retaining Muslim vote in US poll and ending Gaza bloodbath

The highest-profile example of the stonewalling came last week when a Palestinian American doctor walked out of a meeting with Biden. But interviews with Muslim and Arab American leaders reveal how that face-to-face protest was only the most conspicuous case of a fracture that has damaged crucial relationships and closed avenues needed to repair them.

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Iran’s response to Israeli attack on embassy in Syria guided by ‘saving face without losing its head’

Iran’s response to Israeli attack on embassy in Syria guided by ‘saving face without losing its head’

A source familiar with US intelligence was not aware of the message conveyed via Oman but said Iran has “been very clear” that its response to the attack on its Damascus embassy compound would be “controlled” and “non-escalatory” and planned “to use regional proxies to launch a number of attacks on Israel.”

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Sudan civil war: Freight evidence in hands of media proves Iran is supplying military hardware

Sudan civil war: Freight evidence in hands of media proves Iran is supplying military hardware

Six Iranian sources, regional officials and diplomats – who like the army source, asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information – also said the military had acquired Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the past few months.

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Thousands rally against Netanyahu in Jerusalem as the PM prepared for hernia surgery

Thousands rally against Netanyahu in Jerusalem as the PM prepared for hernia surgery

The protesters also want a more equal share in the burden of army service that binds most Israelis. Around 600 soldiers have been killed so far since the Hamas attack of October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, the military’s highest casualty toll in years.

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Bank of Israel governor calls for more clarity on future defence spending

Bank of Israel governor calls for more clarity on future defence spending

Israel intends to add some 20 billion shekels ($5.4 billion) of spending towards defence a year going forward. The amended budget also allows for compensation payments to households and businesses hurt by the war, which was sparked by Hamas’ shock attack on Israel on October 7.

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Israeli court halts subsidies for ultra-Orthodox, raises uproar over compulsory military service

Israeli court halts subsidies for ultra-Orthodox, raises uproar over compulsory military service

Military service exemptions – coupled with government stipends many seminary students receive through age 26 – have infuriated much of the general public. These longstanding tensions have grown during nearly six months of war in which over 500 Israeli soldiers have been killed.

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