Latest news with #AirStrikes
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Israel mobilises reservists along borders with Lebanon and Syria
The Israeli army said on Saturday it had called up reservists to bolster its forces along the borders with Lebanon and Syria, amid fears of a regional escalation as tensions with Iran reach unprecedented levels. The military said the move was to prepare for 'various scenarios'. It comes after Israel carried out its largest military strike against Iran on Friday, prompting retaliatory air strikes. Israeli officials say the deadly attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities was necessary to prevent its long-standing enemy from building a nuclear bomb, which it sees as an existential threat. The exchange of air strikes has raised fears of a regional spillover, even as Iran's regional allies, including Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese political party and Tehran's most significant proxy, have given no indication that they would join any retaliatory attacks. Hezbollah has been significantly weakened by 14 months of conflict with Israel, including two months of intense Israeli aerial bombardment that crippled much of its command structure and arsenal. The fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime in Syria, a key member of the so-called Axis of Resistance, an Iran-led alliance opposing US and Israeli influence, has further undermined Hezbollah, severing its only land weapons supply route. Lebanese officials have urged Hezbollah not to join Iran's response to Israeli attacks, and the group has assured them it will not take part, security sources told The National on Saturday. The Israeli army said it has called up the headquarters of the 146th Reserve Division, along with the Iron Fist and Etzioni reserve brigades, to reinforce positions along the northern border with Lebanon. Several other reserve battalions have also been mobilised and deployed to the Syrian border, the army said. Analysts, military experts and western diplomats have told The National that Hezbollah is in no position to support Iran in any confrontation with Israel. Still, fears linger as Lebanon's relative stability hangs by a thread. On Saturday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chaired a meeting about the Iran-Israel developments with leading officials.
South China Morning Post
09-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
India-Pakistan conflict: Iran, Saudi officials urge restraint as tensions surge
Two high-profile visits by Middle East leaders, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi Arabia's junior Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, to New Delhi this week have highlighted global concerns about escalating India-Pakistan tensions. Advertisement The tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours came in the wake of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. India launched air strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, while Islamabad claimed to have shot down five Indian jets in response. The fighting has shown no signs of abating, with Indian and Pakistani soldiers overnight exchanging heavy gunfire and shelling along their frontier in Kashmir. Kashmir – a Muslim-majority region claimed in full but controlled in part by both India and Pakistan – has been the site of a bloody conflict since an anti-Indian insurgency erupted in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have died, though violence has tapered off in recent years. 04:36 Pakistan says India will 'bear the repercussions' as death toll from strikes climbs Pakistan says India will 'bear the repercussions' as death toll from strikes climbs India's army said Pakistan's armed forces carried out 'multiple attacks' using drones and other munitions across the entire western border on Thursday night and early on Friday, a claim Islamabad denied.
