live U.S. launches navy blockade of Iranian ports as Tehran vows retaliation- Tuesday 14 April
The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threaten...
Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus as Israeli air defences intercepted Iranian missiles, Syrian state television reported on Tuesday.
The nature of the blasts are unknown but come as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Tuesday that his country will stay out of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran unless Syria is subject to aggression and has no diplomatic solutions.
"Unless Syria is targeted by any party, Syria will remain outside any conflict," the Syrian president said at an event hosted by think tank Chatham House in London.
"We do not want Syria to be an arena of war. But unfortunately, today, things are not governed by wise minds. The situation is volatile and random," the president said.
The month-long conflict has spread across the region, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies, and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin.
"We want Syria to have ideal relationships with the entire region, with Lebanon, Iraq, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and world powers such as the UK, France, Germany and the U.S. I think that Syria is qualified to start a strategic relationship network," he said, responding to a question on whether Syria would stay neutral while the conflict goes on.
Syria has been keen to stay on the sidelines of the regional conflict that has pulled in neighbouring countries, including Lebanon, where armed group Hezbollah is locked in fighting with Israeli ground troops, and Iraq, where Iran-aligned factions have launched drone and rocket attacks.
Syria sent thousands of troops to its western border with Lebanon and its eastern border with Iraq earlier this month. Syria's defence ministry said the deployment was part of efforts to "protect and control the borders amid the escalating regional conflict".
"We had enough war. We paid a large bill. We are not ready for another war experience," Syria's president said.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
Millions of Orthodox Christians across the globe celebrated Easter, known as Holy Pascha, on Sunday (12 April) with midnight liturgies, candlelight processions and deeply rooted local traditions reflecting centuries of faith.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 32-hour ceasefire introduced to mark Orthodox Easter on Saturday (11 April). Russian officials said Ukrainian drones attacked targets in the Kursk and Belgorod border regions, injuring five people.
The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports after talks in Islamabad on ending the war broke down at the weekend.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to join a U.S.-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, distancing Britain from military escalation after failed U.S.-Iran talks at the weekend, warning involvement could worsen regional tensions.
Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States will meet later in Washington to discuss a ceasefire, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attending.
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports and a U.S. official said there was continued engagement with Iran, and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement.
Tensions in the Gulf have sharpened dramatically after reports that the United States has begun a blockade of Iranian ports, a move already rippling through global markets and political circles.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment