World Echo

Lebanon is facing a food security crisis as the Iran war disrupts supplies of goods inside the country, the United Nations World Food Programme said on Friday. A fragile two-day-old ceasefire has halted the campaign of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, but it has not so far calmed a parallel war waged by Israel against Iran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon. "What we're witnessing is not just a displacement crisis; it is rapidly becoming a food security crisis," said World Food Programme country director Allison Oman, speaking via video link from Beirut. She warned that food was becoming increasingly unaffordable due to rising prices and demand among displaced families. Price of vegetables has soared The price of vegetables has soared by more than 20% and bread prices have increased by 17% since March 2, the WFP said. "What we're now seeing is a very worrying combination: prices are rising, incomes are disrupted, and demand is increasing as displacement continue...

Multiple people on social media platform X have been sharing a clip of military aircraft since Wednesday, claiming that it shows the deployment of United States troops in the Middle East amid the current tensions. However, the clip is old from June 2023 and shows a deployment homecoming ceremony in California. Backchannel diplomatic efforts by Pakistan paid off, as the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, after weeks of escalating hostilities triggered by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, which quickly spiralled into a wider regional conflict. Pakistan emerged as a central diplomatic actor in securing the ceasefire between the US and Iran, actively facilitating communication between the two sides at a critical stage of the conflict. The effort resulted in a two-week ceasefire. Pakistan will now host talks between the two sides on Friday, with delegations from Iran and the US arriving in Islamabad. How it started On Wednesday, an account on X shared a vid...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial ‌will resume on Sunday, the courts' spokesperson said on Thursday, hours after Israel lifted a state of emergency imposed over its war with Iran. Iran began targeting Israel with ballistic missiles and drones ​after Israel and United States President Donald Trump launched air strikes on Iran on ​February 28, citing the aims of preventing it from projecting force abroad, ⁠ending its nuclear programme and encouraging the overthrow of its rulers. The emergency, which had ​closed schools and workplaces, was lifted on Wednesday evening as no incoming Iranian missiles had ​been reported since 3am (midnight GMT) after a ceasefire was agreed. Extensive Israeli attacks on Lebanon over the presence there of Hezbollah have since jeopardised the truce. "With the lifting of the state of ​emergency and the return of the judicial system to work, hearings will resume as ​usual," a statement from the Israeli cou...

Multiple people, including journalists and pro-military accounts, shared a video on social media platform X on Wednesday, that allegedly showed Indian politician Shashi Tharoor criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Pakistan’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire. However, the video is dubbed over through AI. Backchannel diplomatic efforts by Pakistan paid off, as the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, 2026, after weeks of escalating hostilities triggered by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, which quickly spiralled into a wider regional conflict. Pakistan emerged as a central diplomatic actor in securing the ceasefire between the US and Iran, actively facilitating communication between the two sides at a critical stage of the conflict. The effort resulted in a two-week ceasefire, with Pakistan positioning itself as a host for further negotiations. Amid the development, many Indian social media users and citizens were seen criticising the government for i...

The Israeli army claimed on Thursday that it had killed a senior aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem in an overnight Wednesday strike on the capital Beirut. A military statement said that the army had “eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.” The military described Harshi as “a close associate and adviser” to Qassem, saying he played “a central role in managing and securing his office.” There was no confirmation from Hezbollah regarding the claim. Read More: Lebanon must be covered by ceasefire agreement, French foreign minister says Late on Wednesday, Israeli warplanes struck the Lailaki-Kafaat area in southern Beirut, with blasts heard across the capital, Lebanon’s state news agency said. At least 254 people were killed and 1,165 others injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon, including Beirut, according to Lebanese Civil Defence. Longer term, the Lebanese Health Ministry said the overall death toll from Israeli at...

Nearly six weeks of war in Iran have ended, for now, with US President Donald Trump claiming victory, but the US-Iran ceasefire locks in a harsh reality: an entrenched, radical government with control over the Strait of Hormuz and a powerful lever over global energy markets and Gulf rivals, analysts say. The shockwaves have rippled outward, contributing to global economic strains and bringing conflict to Gulf neighbours whose economies depend on stability. "This war will be remembered as Trump's grave strategic miscalculation. One whose consequences reshaped the region in unintended ways," Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges told Reuters. Before the war, the Strait - a narrow passage carrying around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas - was formally treated as an international waterway. Iran monitored it, harassed shipping and intermittently intercepted vessels, but it stopped short of asserting outright control. In the new reality, Tehran has moved from shadowing tankers to ...