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The World Health Organization (WHO) has denounced the killing of 14 health workers in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, demanding the necessity of protecting medical personnel and health facilities at all times.In a press statement, Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that these losses of life represent a tragic development amid the escalating crisis in the Middle East, emphasizing the need for urgent measures to de-escalate the crisis and protect the health of people across the region.Ghebreyesus noted that these incidents highlight the ongoing attack on the healthcare system in Lebanon, which serves as a vital pillar for the population.The WHO confirmed the deaths of 12 doctors, paramedics, and nurses in an attack that occurred last night on the Burj Qalaouiyeh Primary Healthcare Center in southern Lebanon, while two paramedics were killed in attacks on a health facility.Since the situation in Lebanon worsened on March 2, amid continuing Israeli attacks on various areas, the WHO has documented 27 attacks on healthcare facilities, resulting in 30 deaths and 35 injuries.According to international humanitarian law, medical personnel and health facilities must never be attacked or militarized. Source link
Death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon has risen to seven, after a young man succumbed to his wounds sustained in an airstrike that targeted a house last night.According to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA), shortly after midnight, Israeli warplanes destroyed a residential and commercial building on the main road between the towns of Jebchit and Abba.A residential building in the Toul area of Nabatieh was also targeted in an airstrike. This morning, the Israeli army launched a heavy and concentrated artillery bombardment of the towns of Arnoun and Yahmar al-Shaqif.Last night, the Israeli army targeted Bint Jbeil, Ainatha, Aitaroun, and the outskirts of Maroun al-Ras.Violent clashes also erupted between Lebanese and Israeli forces along the Maroun al-Ras, Bint Jbeil, and Aita al-Shaab axis, and Wadi al-Hujeir was subjected to artillery shelling.An Israeli raid hours earlier killed 12 Lebanese health workers, including doctors, paramedics and nurses, who were working at a health care center in the town of Burj Qalawiya in southern Lebanon. Source link
The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 72,234 martyrs, in addition to 171,852 wounded, since October 7, 2023.The Ministry of Health in Gaza stated that the total number of martyrs and wounded who arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals in the past 48 hours, up to this morning, was 7, with 13 injuries. It noted that a number of victims remain under the rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense teams are unable to reach them.The Ministry of Health explained that since the ceasefire on October 11, the number of victims has reached 658 martyrs and 1,754 wounded, and 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble.The Ministry indicated that 91 martyrs have been added to the cumulative death toll, whose data has been completed and approved by the Martyrs’ Accreditation Committee since the beginning of March. Source link
An Iraqi security source revealed today that the rocket attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad resulted in the destruction of a satellite communications system.The source stated that the system was used for securing and exchanging data via satellite for diplomatic staff and employees working within the embassy compound.He explained that the US C-RAM air defense system failed to intercept the unidentified drone that carried out the attack, despite its proximity to the target, leading to a direct hit on the satellite system and its destruction.Earlier today, Iraqi security sources announced that the US Embassy in Baghdad was subjected to a rocket attack.The sources indicated that a rocket struck a helicopter landing pad within the embassy compound, located in the Green Zone, which houses diplomatic missions, international organizations, and government agencies. They also noted a plume of smoke rising above the embassy building.This attack comes after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced yesterday, Friday, that one of its refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, killing all six crew members.In a related development, the international coalition forces in the Kurdistan Region thwarted two separate drone attacks this morning in the skies over Erbil and Sulaimaniyah.A security source stated that the coalition’s air defense system intercepted a drone attempting to target Erbil International Airport and destroyed it in the air before it reached its target. Another drone was shot down over Sulaimaniyah without causing any casualties. Source link
The Saudi Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday that a drone was intercepted and destroyed in Eastern Region.Spokesperson of the Saudi Ministry of Defence Major General Turki Al-Maliki had announced that eight drones were intercepted and destroyed in Eastern Region, and that a drone was intercepted and destroyed in Al-Jouf Region and another in Empty Quarter. Source link
Smoke rises above Dubai, yesterday. (AFP) For thousands of workers in Dubai’s tourism sector, the Middle East war has brought business to a standstill — leaving their income suddenly at risk.At the famous Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), normally heaving with visitors, rows of sun loungers now face an almost empty sea. Restaurant terraces sit deserted, while souvenir, watersports and perfume vendors watch for the rare passerby.Across the water, Ain Dubai — the world’s tallest Ferris wheel — has stopped turning, and the Madame Tussauds wax museum below is drawing few visitors despite hefty discounts. “Yesterday: zero. Today: zero. Not a single customer,” said Dulash, 26, a Sri Lankan worker at a jet-ski rental company.“I’ve never seen Dubai like this.” With its artificial islands and soaring skyscrapers, the UAE’s second city has become a major Middle Eastern tourism hub, welcoming nearly 19.6mn visitors last year. But in the middle of peak season, before the summer heat sets in, the barrage of Iranian missiles and drones since February 28 has sent tourists fleeing. Starved of income, the industry is hoping for a quick end to the war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.But many workers, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said they were already struggling. Paid 4,500 dirhams ($1,225) a month, Dulash did not receive his salary on time.“I borrowed 1,000 dirhams from a friend, paid my 800-dirham rent and now I have 200 dirhams left to live on,” he said. He had no idea when his employer would catch up.“Even going back home isn’t an option,” he added. Airfares had tripled because of reduced flight traffic. “We have no choice but to wait and hope.” The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimated this week that the war is costing the Middle East $600mn a day. In the UAE, the sector made up nearly 13% of GDP in 2025 and supported about 925,000 jobs, mostly expats. Many workers come from Asian countries or elsewhere in the Middle East, drawn by hopes of safety and economic stability. “I’m from Syria, I’ve lived through war so missiles and drones don’t scare me,” said a young perfume seller. “But I’m paid only on commission, and the idea of no longer being able to afford to stay here — that, yes, that scares me.”Kalhan, also from Sri Lanka, earns a small percentage on each sale, topping up a fixed salary of barely 3,000 dirhams — an amount he will have to survive on this month. “I came to Dubai for better living conditions, but now I don’t know what comes next,” he said.As the Eid al-Fitr holiday approaches, hundreds of Dubai’s luxury hotels are slashing rates in a bid to attract at least local residents and their families.Offers are piling up on the man-made Palm Jumeirah island, where one hotel was hit by drone debris early in the conflict. Another property was damaged on Thursday in Dubai’s Creek Harbour.Industry professionals also fear lasting damage to the country’s image as a haven of peace and security in a volatile region. Nabil Haryouli, owner of a Dubai-based travel agency, said there would “certainly be an impact for a few months”, but he believed visitors would eventually return.“What matters most is the return of stability,” said the Frenchman, recalling the city’s resilience after the 2008 financial crisis and the Covid pandemic.“If there’s one city that has shown us it can bounce back,it’s Dubai.” Source link
Qatar Chamber board member Ali bin Abdullatif al-Misnad. Qatar Chamber, through its Services Committee, has announced the formation a ‘24/7 Team’, an internal working group that will operate non-stop, as well as a dedicated hotline to receive reports on challenges facing the transportation and logistics sector. In a video conference held yesterday, board member Ali bin Abdullatif al-Misnad, who is also chairman of the committee, noted that the team will study these issues and refer them to the relevant authorities to find appropriate solutions, in a way that safeguards the continued flow of goods and enhances commercial transportation in the country. The online meeting was attended by representatives from the General Authority of Customs, Mwani Qatar, Qatar Airways, and the Ministry of Transport, as well as more than 30 companies operating in the country’s transportation and logistics sector. The meeting reviewed the key challenges facing the services sector under the current circumstances, particularly those related to transportation and freight, and discussed ways to address them.During the meeting, the participants reviewed the status of land, air, and sea cargo and supply chains, and discussed private sector proposals to address challenges facing transportation, logistics, and shipping companies. They also reviewed mechanisms to streamline land and sea shipping, based on key proposals submitted by logistics companies in the country. Al-Misnad stressed that the Qatar Chamber is keen to identify all challenges facing shipping and transport companies under the current circumstances and to coordinate with the relevant authorities to address obstacles affecting the supply of goods and merchandise to the country. Yousef al-Nuaimi, director of the Air Cargo Department at the General Authority of Customs, said land cargo is relying on transit operations or the TIR System via the land port with Saudi Arabia. Yousef al-Hammadi, director of the Land Customs Department at the General Authority of Customs, said 100% of commercial operations have been transferred to the land port. He pointed out that land customs provide all facilities to suppliers and traders, noting that all customs initiatives, including the economic operator and the TIR System, aim to facilitate the movement of trade in the country. Captain Abdulaziz al-Yafei, executive vice president of Operations at Mwani Qatar, reported that the current circumstances, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, “have made it difficult for shipments to reach the country’s ports.” Ehab Matta, representative of the Qatar Airways Cargo, said movement at Hamad International Airport is “relatively limited,” noting that Qatar Airways is keen to ensure the rapid delivery of food and medical supplies to the country. Some food supplies are being imported, in cooperation with Hassad Food, he also pointed out. Hamad al-Marri, director of the Land Transport Licensing Department at the Ministry of Transport, said the ministry, in its capacity as a member of the Logistics Support Committee, recently met with shipping companies to discuss the issues they are facing. These include empty trucks entering neighbouring countries, extending the operational life of trucks, and facilitating the issuance of entry licences for drivers and vehicles. During the meeting, the participants also introduced a number of proposals, including allowing all trucks registered in GCC countries to operate freely within any Gulf state and establishing a hotline between ports and shipping companies to facilitate procedures. Source link
The death toll from the Israeli aggression on Lebanon has risen to 773, in addition to 1,933 wounded since March 2, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, in its daily report issued by the Health Emergency Operations Center.The report also noted an increase in the number of child casualties, with the number of children killed rising from 98 yesterday to 103 today, while the number of wounded children rose from 304 yesterday to 326 today. Source link
Authorities in the Sultanate of Oman announced today that two drones fell in the state of Sohar.The Oman News Agency quoted a security source as saying that one of the two drones fell in the Al Awahi industrial area, resulting in the death of two expatriates and some injuries, while the other fell in an open area without any injuries being recorded. The source added that the relevant authorities are continuing to deal with and investigate the two incidents. Source link
Thousands of people in Tehran defied ongoing bombardments Wednesday to publicly mourn commanders killed by US-Israeli strikes, in the largest gathering since the start of the war.In the otherwise mostly deserted Iranian capital, the funeral crowds gathered at the symbolic Enghelab Square, offering a stark contrast to the vacant avenues in surrounding areas.Mourners paid their respects under a ubiquitous security presence as special forces, heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, remained on high alert throughout the ceremony.One officer was clad in a black scarf bearing the image of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of the US-Israeli strikes on February 28, after 36 years in power.Armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Moussavi, Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour, defence minister Aziz Nassirzadeh and influential security adviser Ali Shamkhani were also killed in simultaneous strikes.Wednesday, trucks carrying the coffins of the top officials and their entourage formed a procession through central Tehran.An AFP journalist saw one small coffin bearing a picture of its victim, a two-month-old baby, alongside the Iranian flag.Revolutionary Guards personnel stood guard over the sombre occasion, taking place under a grey sky and unusually cold temperatures, just days before the springtime celebration.The mourners, many of them women dressed in black chadors, bore flags and flowers to a soundtrack of religious music.Teenagers, meanwhile, held up pictures of Ali Khamenei alongside images of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in the same raid that killed his father, his wife and his mother.The 56-year-old has yet to make any public appearances since being selected for the top post at the weekend.The procession progressed along avenues lined by buildings with blown-out windows and damaged facades.On the burned-out shell of a car was emblazoned the tagline “Make Iran Great Again” — a reference to the catchphrase used by US President Donald Trump, who has called on Iranians to rise up against the clerical state.Suddenly, the voice of an announcer cut through the ceremony to announce a new Iranian attack against its enemies.In response, the crowd chanted in unison, “Allahu akbar” (Allah is the greatest).The announcer then proceeded to sweep the crowd up into a frenzy of shouts of “Death to America!”, “Death to Israel!”The show of defiance comes as the Islamic republic is embroiled in a war on several fronts, fighting its traditional foes but also launching unprecedented attacks across the wider region. Related Story Source link