live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple UNRWA-run schools in Gaza City on 13 September, which had been used to shelter displaced Palestinians, destroying belongings but causing no reported injuries.
Several UN-run schools in Gaza City were struck by Israeli forces on Saturday in a campaign that has escalated against areas where civilians continue to seek refuge. Although the buildings had been evacuated, the airstrikes left behind widespread destruction and stripped many displaced Palestinians of their few remaining possessions.
Footage from the scene showed people running amid explosions and thick plumes of smoke rising over the ruins of the schools. One of the shelters, operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), was previously home to families who had fled earlier bombardments.
"God is sufficient for me, and he is the best disposer of affairs," said Fidaa al-Za’aneen, a woman displaced by the fighting, as she fled the attack. "They hit the school that is sheltering us… There are no blankets, no mattresses, no pillows. Where would we go, oh world?"
Witnesses described frantic efforts to retrieve any surviving belongings from the rubble, with many now left homeless again. Za’aneen said she had been preparing food for children when the evacuation call came. Minutes later, the building was bombed. “We only managed to get out with what we’re wearing,” she added.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the strikes, stating it had targeted over 500 sites in Gaza City over the past week, including sniper positions, tunnel entrances, and weapons storage. It said the aim was to eliminate Hamas and establish full control over the devastated city.
Despite Israeli warnings ahead of the attacks, Palestinians who had sheltered in the schools said they had nowhere else to go. Misbah Joudeh, another displaced man, explained: “I am not leaving, whatever happens. We don’t even have a coin to ride a car.”
The continued bombardment has devastated critical infrastructure across Gaza, with residents struggling to find shelter, food or medical care. Aid organisations warn that without an immediate halt to the strikes, the humanitarian crisis could become irreversible.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
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