Dubai, Oct 24 (AP) Israel imposed widespread closures and displaced residents in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron a day after attacks by Palestinian gunmen that killed two soldiers.
Meanwhile, the death toll rose from Friday’s attack on a church in Jordan. An Iranian military commander said his country will not allow US warships to enter the Persian Gulf as concerns grow of a return to all-out war.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Read our full coverage here.
Israel imposes closures across Hebron
———————————————-
All gates leading in and out of Hebron in the West Bank were closed to vehicles, according to Basma Radio, a Telegram channel Palestinians use to monitor checkpoints and road closures.
Palestinian news outlet WAFA said Israeli troops forced dozens of residents to evacuate their homes. Up to 300 families left Deir Baha and two adjacent neighbourhoods, according to a tally from Hebron’s municipality. Associated Press reporters saw Israeli flags draped over a home seized for military use in Deir Baha.
Israel’s army didn’t respond to questions about the operation. On Friday, it said its forces had begun “conducting precise, targeted and thorough searches” in the area from where the gunmen had operated.
Airstrikes kill 14 people in Yemen, including a child
————————————————————
Two strikes killed 14 people, including a woman and child, in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, according to the Health Ministry run by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. An airstrike hit homes in Hodeida province, killing at least four people, health authorities said.
The Houthis blamed neighbouring Saudi Arabia as fighting has escalated. Saudi Arabia did not respond to a request for comment. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the claims.
At least two explosions were later heard near the international airport in Yemen’s southern city of Aden, the seat of the internationally recognised government. The Houthi military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility, saying a military camp and a naval base were targeted.
The internationally recognised government’s interior ministry said the Houthis attacked the coast guard headquarters at its complex with two ballistic missiles.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis earlier said it intercepted three ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis toward the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and Taif and Yanbu cities. It also said it destroyed a drone over the country’s eastern region.
The UAE closes beaches after oil spill from tanker
———————————————————-
The United Arab Emirates closed beaches and warned fishermen to avoid parts of its Gulf shores after an oil spill from a tanker. Authorities in Ras al-Khaimah announced that all beaches across the emirate would remain closed until further notice.
The spill impacted the beaches of Umm Al Quwain, one of the seven emirates making up the federation, and cleanup efforts were underway, the Climate Change and Environment Ministry said. Images obtained by the AP showed oil washing up along the beach.
The ministry said the spill poses no health risks but did not provide details about its scale. It came two weeks after Iran’s state-run broadcaster reported an oil tanker had struck a naval mine and caught fire while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with Tehran.
Iran says it will not allow US warships to enter the Persian Gulf
————————————————————————
An Iranian military commander said Iran will not allow US warships to enter the Persian Gulf or approach Iran’s territorial waters, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
Gen. Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces and commander of its joint military command, also warned US President Donald Trump that US forces would never return to the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s president accuses the US of disrupting negotiations
——————————————————————
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of disrupting negotiations to end the war but said he still believes “we have to go and finish it.”
His comments aired on state television. He said Iran’s supreme leader had instructed Iranian officials to “go and finish it (the deal),” but “these scoundrels broke the rules of the game. We were holding talks, and they disrupted them.”
Pezeshkian did not give details. Anxiety has been growing in Iran and elsewhere that the US or Israel will resume attacks before or just after Tuesday’s elections in Israel or the US midterm elections on Nov. 3.
(PTI News)
