Politics

Hamas said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration that his country would expand its area of control in Gaza was a dangerous escalation, as European states and residents of the Palestinian territory also voiced alarm at the plan.

A Russian drone has hit a block of flats in Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people, Romanian officials say.

Iran said on Friday it was looking for actions, not words from the United States after sources said President Donald Trump was weighing an initial U.S.-Iranian agreement to extend a ceasefire and open the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he directed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to increase control of Gaza to 70%.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned what it described as US threats to impose sanctions on Oman over its cooperation with Tehran regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

Senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) have condemned the killing of Hussam Zaidan, a former correspondent for Iran’s al-Alam TV channel in Syria, in a recent Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.

The US and Iran still need to work out several sticking points before an agreement on the war can be reached, Vice-President JD Vance has said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has sharply condemned what he described as Israel’s “brutal attacks” on Beirut and Lebanon’s historic southern cities, warning that international silence is giving Israel a green light to continue the violence.

An Israeli airstrike has reportedly killed a former correspondent for Iran’s Arabic-language al-Alam television channel along with three other civilians in southern Lebanon.