World Echo

Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted US intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or ​advanced drone technology, said four people familiar with US intelligence. These people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters, said US intelligence officials have ‌not yet reached firm conclusions about the possible Russian involvement in the attacks on CIA facilities. But they cited the strikes' effectiveness and apparent precision, as well as Russia's broader technical support for Iran, as possible evidence. Reuters and other media have reported — and US officials have acknowledged — that Russia has provided targeting and other support for Iran in its strikes on US targets in the Gulf region generally, but the intelligence community's investigation of ​possible Russian involvement in supporting the CIA facility attacks has ...

A deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia allowing the kingdom to build nuclear reactors using American technology and to enrich ​uranium has fuelled fears in Israel of the start of an arms race ‌in the Middle East. The agreement, which still needs Congressional approval, that was announced on Wednesday and is meant to allow the Saudis to develop a civilian nuclear programme. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ​defence and foreign ministers have so far not commented on the deal, ​which critics say compromises Israel's long-term security interests. "The nuclear agreement that ⁠is coming together with Saudi Arabia, over Israel’s head, is a serious strategic ​failure that endangers our security," said former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is seeking ​to unseat Netanyahu in an October 27 election. "Nuclear enrichment on Saudi soil could lead to a regional nuclear race and a dangerous loss of control." Former def...

Around 1,300 Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday morning as they marked the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, commemorating what they call the “destruction of the Temple,” according to the Jerusalem Governorate. The governorate said on Meta that Israeli police allowed the number of occupiers entering the compound in each group to increase to around 150. Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions at the mosque’s gates and around Jerusalem’s Old City, deploying heavily across its courtyards and preventing Palestinian worshippers from entering, it added. Only a very limited number of Palestinians managed to reach the mosque for dawn prayers before Israeli forces assaulted several worshippers and other residents, the statement said. The governorate said occupiers “performed Talmudic rituals during the incursions, including wearing tefillin, carrying out full prostrations in the eastern section o...

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has set three conditions for the possible disarmament of Hezbollah, beginning with an end to the Israeli occupation of areas in southern Lebanon, according to a Lebanese presidency statement Wednesday. Aoun made the remarks during a dinner hosted by Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, in honour of the president and his delegation. The event was attended by members of Congress and US administration officials. The dinner was held Tuesday evening on the final day of Aoun’s official visit to Washington, where he met with US President Donald Trump. “Hezbollah can be disarmed if we are honest about what it truly requires: ending the occupation, the army assuming full control, and a reconstruction program managed solely by the state,” Aoun said. “The armed group is not a foreign mercenary force, but is made up of Lebanese citizens shaped over four decades by ideological, social and military investment i...

Federal prosecutors and lawyers for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have proposed a June 2027 trial in their United States narco-terrorism and drug trafficking case, according to a court filing on Tuesday. Ahead of a Wednesday court hearing, both sides outlined a proposed timeline for pretrial motions, the exchange of classified evidence, and the trial. US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein could approve the schedule at the hearing, according to ABC News. Under the proposal, Maduro’s sovereign immunity motion would be filed by September, with arguments in November. Other defense motions would be due in January. Read: New York City mayor calls Netanyahu 'war criminal,' urges US to enforce ICC arrest warrant Prosecutors said they have already provided most non-classified evidence and expect to turn over most classified materials by November. Both sides reserved the right to seek a trial delay, while prosecutors noted the sched...

Algerian authorities evacuated residents from areas threatened by wildfires and cleared a hospital in the town of Seraidi in the eastern province of Annaba late Tuesday as firefighters continued efforts to contain the blazes. The General Directorate of Civil Protection said in a statement that wildfires spread rapidly in Seraidi due to record-high temperatures and strong winds, adding that all available personnel and equipment had been mobilised to bring the situation under control. Evacuations included residents living in threatened areas, while patients at Seraidi Hospital were transferred to safe locations as part of a precautionary plan to ensure their safety and the continuity of medical services, the organisation added. Ground firefighting teams, supported by aerial resources, are continuing to battle the fires in coordination with the Algerian army and other security agencies, the statement said. Civil Protection urged residents to follow official instructions, avoid af...