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Bahrain has announced the opening of volunteer registration to support national efforts in addressing the hostile Iranian attacks on the Kingdom.In a statement disseminated by Bahrain News Agency, the National Volunteering Platform said that individuals wishing to volunteer are invited to register through its platform.It added that volunteering fields have been identified in line with national needs and include healthcare, engineering, logistical, administrative, and regulatory fields as well as other areas as required.According to the National Volunteering Platform, this initiative stems from a sense of national responsibility to strengthen community solidarity and collective response. Source link
Iran launched an attack on neighboring countries despite not being attacked by those countries, said US President Donald Trump, noting that achieving peace in the Middle East would not have been possible if Tehran had been allowed to develop its nuclear and missile program.In remarks to the press Tuesday, Trump added that the war on Iran should have been launched at any time during the past 47 years, stressing that Tehran would have initiated an attack on the United States.”I think they were going to attack first, and I didn’t want that to happen,” Trump said, predicting that Iranian forces would continue launching missiles for some time.Trump further pointed out that Iran’s military capabilities are steadily deteriorating, indicating that it has started to suffer from shortages of ammunition, rocket launchers, and launch platforms due to their destruction.Trump continued: “We have unlimited amounts of ammunition and other things from the middle and upper layers; we are saving them and building them”, adding the war could last 4 or 5 weeks or end within a few more days. Source link
The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 72,117 martyrs, in addition to 171,801 wounded.In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the Strip’s hospitals received one body and three others wounded by occupation fire during the past 24 hours, noting that the total number of victims since the ceasefire in October has risen to 633 martyrs and 1,703 wounded.The ministry also said that 753 bodies of bodies were recovered from under the rubble of buildings destroyed by the war, while other numbers of victims remain under the rubble as rescue teams are unable to reach them.The latest toll of victims of the aggression announced by the ministry on Tuesday indicated that 72,116 martyrs, in addition to 171,798 wounded have been recorded. Source link
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that the economic impact of the war in the Middle East will depend on its duration and the extent of the damage it inflicts on the region’s infrastructure and industries.During a conference organized by the Milken Institute in Washington Tuesday, Dan Katz, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, said that these effects will depend largely on the duration of the energy price increases, whether they are short-term or long-term.He explained that the conflict has the potential to significantly impact the global economy across a range of indicators, such as inflation and growth.He added that it is too early to form a firm conviction about the potential impact, noting that the economic effect will be determined by geopolitical developments and the duration of the conflict.Earlier Tuesday, oil prices continued their rise for the third consecutive day, influenced by increasing concerns about supply disruptions in the Middle East, with Brent crude futures rising by $1.10 per barrel, or 1.4 percent, to reach $78.83 per barrel. Source link
The Saudi Ministry of Defence confirmed on Wednesday that an attempted drone attack targeted the Ras Tanura refinery in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province.Official spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence Maj. Gen. Turki Al Maliki said in a statement that preliminary assessments indicate the attack was carried out using a drone and caused no damage.The Ras Tanura refinery, owned by Saudi Aramco, is the largest in the Middle East, with a refining capacity of about 550,000 barrels per day, and is located within a major energy complex.On Tuesday, the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced the interception and destruction of eight drones near the cities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj. Source link
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that he has ordered the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, along with its air assets and escorting frigates, to sail to the Mediterranean, in response to the current situation in the Middle East.In a televised address tonight, he said urgent measures must be taken in the wake of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the threat to the Suez Canal and shipping lanes in the Red Sea, as the conflict expands.”We have economic interests that must be protected, as oil, gas, and international trade are heavily affected by this war,” he added.Macron pointed out that France has sent a frigate to Cyprus and has intercepted drones over the skies of its Gulf allies, with Rafale aircraft among the assets used, adding “We have defense agreements linking us with Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates”.He explained that France is assisting its citizens wishing to leave the region, and that two flights are scheduled to arrive in Paris this evening, stating that security measures have been reinforced at certain locations in France.Macron said Iran itself bears primary responsibility for the US-Israeli action, but he recalled that the United States and Israel decided to carry out military operations, and they executed them outside the scope of international law, which is something France cannot endorse. Source link
Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani affirmed that the Iranian attacks targeting Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and Jordan, which resulted in damage to civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, private property, and economic and oil facilities, constitute a serious violation of the UN Charter, the rules of international law and international humanitarian law, and the principles of good neighborliness, and a direct threat to regional and international peace and security.The Foreign Minister said, in a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) today, that these Iranian attacks, which terrorize innocent civilians and peaceful residents, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, are completely unjustified, given his country’s, the GCC countries’, and the Arab countries’ commitment to peace, dialogue, diplomacy, and mediation as strategic options for resolving conflicts.He stressed that this aggressive behavior undermines regional stability and constitutes a flagrant violation of international laws, human values and ethical standards.The Minister reiterated that Bahrain, as the current chair of the GCC, promotes Gulf solidarity, both officially and popularly, and unity in the face of external aggression, based on the principle of collective security, stressing that the security of the GCC states is indivisible, in accordance with the Basic Law and the Joint Defense Agreement.The Foreign Minister stressed the legitimate right of Bahrain and the sisterly countries to self-defense, which allows them to take all necessary measures to protect their sovereignty, security, stability, and territorial integrity, in coordination with their allies and partners, in accordance with Article (51) of the UN Charter.He also affirmed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy, and adherence to the principles of good neighborliness to overcome the current crisis, spare the region further escalation, and preserve the security and safety of its people.Al Zayani urged the international community, particularly the UN Security Council (UNSC), to assume its legal responsibilities by taking immediate and decisive action to stop Iranian violations, and to work together to ensure the security of airspace, maritime and waterways, the safety of supply chains, and the stability of global energy markets, stressing that the stability of the Arabian Gulf region is a fundamental pillar of global economic stability and peace. Source link
The US Department of State announced Wednesday that it has ordered non-emergency embassy and consulate staff and their families to leave Pakistan and Cyprus, amid growing security concerns resulting from regional developments.The US Embassy in Pakistan explained that the State Department had asked non-essential government employees and family members of its staff at its consulates in Lahore and Karachi to leave the country for their safety, stressing that this measure did not affect the embassy’s status in the capital, Islamabad.In Cyprus, the US allowed its non-emergency embassy staff and their families to leave the island, following the attack on a British military base on Sunday night, amid the fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, affirming that the decision was made for security reasons.On Tuesday, the US Department of State urged all American citizens to leave more than 12 countries in the Middle East using any available commercial means of transportation, due to the security risks resulting from the ongoing escalation of the US-Israeli war against Iran. Source link
Israeli occupation aircraft targeted a residential building in the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon early this morning, resulting in the deaths of four people and the injury of six others, according to a preliminary toll.The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the targeted building consists of four floors and is part of a complex in Al Matraba neighborhood of Baalbek. Rescue teams were still working to extract families trapped beneath the rubble.Earlier, the Israeli army had issued warnings to residents of several Lebanese villages and towns.Lebanon’s Ministry of Health had previously announced that six people were killed and eight others injured in two Israeli airstrikes that targeted the areas of Aramoun and Saadiyat in the Mount Lebanon Governorate. Source link
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney called today for de-escalation in the Middle East, on the back of US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Carney called on all parties involved to adhere to international law and the rules of engagement.In a speech he gave in Sydney, Carney said that Canada calls for containing the acts of aggression and that the country was willing to help support this goal. Source link