Middle East

Missile Debris Kills One in Abu Dhabi as Iran Presses Gulf Attacks

Falling debris from missile interceptions killed one person on Tuesday in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi and injured two medical staff in Kuwait, authorities said, as Iran pressed its attacks against Gulf countries. The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran's reprisals for US-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran ...

Drone, Rocket Attack Targets U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisors, security officials said, pulling Iraq deeper into the Middle East war. An AFP journalist reported seeing black smoke rising after an explosion in the embassy complex, as well as air defences ...

War in the Middle East: Casualty Figures from Across the Region

Since the United States and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on February 28, war has spread across the Middle East, with casualties reported in countries across the region. AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls. The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, health authorities and rescue ...

Hormuz Alternative Oil Routes Inadequate to Cope with Demand

Iran's threats against oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz -- a chokepoint through which some 20 percent of global exports pass in peacetime -- has forced countries in the region to seek alternative routes. But analysts warn those routes are not yet sufficient to deal fully with global oil demand. "Saudi Arabia and the UAE can reroute ...

Lebanon Launches Legal Action Against 4 Hezbollah Members Over Arms

A Lebanese judge has begun legal proceedings against four Hezbollah members for weapons offences, a judicial official told AFP on Monday, after authorities recently banned the Iran-backed group's military and security activities. Lebanese authorities have been seeking to pressure Hezbollah after Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on ...

Dubai Airport Flights Disrupted After Nearby Drone Fire, One Killed in Abu Dhabi

Missiles and drone attacks hit across the UAE on Monday, with a drone-related incident sparking a fuel tank fire near Dubai airport that disrupted travel, while a missile killed a civilian in Abu Dhabi. In the eastern emirate of Fujairah, a drone attack on oil infrastructure sparked a fire, just one day after an AFP journalist saw smoke rising ...

U.S. Embassy Attacked in Baghdad, Strikes Hit Iran-Backed Fighters

The US embassy in Baghdad was hit by an attack on Saturday following strikes that killed three members of a powerful Iran-backed group in the capital, security sources said. Iraq, long a proxy battleground between the United States and Iran, was quickly dragged into the Middle East war triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February ...

Oil Dips Under $100, Stocks Back in Green Tracking Mideast War

Oil dipped under $100 Friday, but remained far above pre-Mideast war levels with no end in sight to the disruption in supplies of crude. With the conflict heading towards its third week, equity markets were back in the green, having earlier lost ground amid investor worries about an extended crisis that could fan inflation and hammer the global ...

Israel Cuts Bridge Over Litani River

Israel expanded its strikes in Lebanon on Friday, targeting multiple areas including a bridge over the Litani river that it said Hezbollah had been using as a passageway for its fighters. The raids came after Israel threatened to also carry out a ground operation to disarm Hezbollah if the Lebanese government does not do so. The Lebanon-based ...

Turkey Confirms Third Ballistic Missile From Iran Shot Down

Turkey's defence ministry on Friday said a ballistic missile from Iran had been shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces in the third such incident of the Middle East war. "A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the eastern ...

Strikes Kill 11 Iran-Backed Fighters Near Iraq-Syria Border, Capital: Officials

Air strikes killed at least 11 Iran-backed fighters in Iraq on Thursday near the Iraqi-Syrian border and in the capital Baghdad, senior security and armed faction officials told AFP. Iraqi authorities denounced the "blatant attacks" on bases that belong to the Hashed al-Shaabi, a former paramilitary group now integrated into the regular ...

War in the Middle East: Casualty Figures from Across the Region

Since the United States and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on February 28, war has spread across the region and casualties have been reported in countries around the Middle East. AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls. The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, health authorities and ...