Israel launches strikes on Tehran and Beirut as U.S. deploys Marines to the Middle East
Israel launched strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Saturday (21 March) as the United States deployed ...
Hostage remains handed over by Hamas on Tuesday were found not to belong to the last two Israeli captives in Gaza, according to the office of Israel’s prime minister, after forensic teams completed their examination.
Hamas handed over remains on Tuesday that the Red Cross described as belonging to one of the last two deceased hostages still in Gaza, in line with commitments made under a U.S.-backed October ceasefire agreement.
Israeli forces said they transferred the remains, which they referred to as “findings”, for forensic examination.
“The findings brought yesterday for examination from the Gaza Strip are not linked to any of the deceased hostages,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday, adding that the identification was carried out at the National Center for Forensic Medicine.
The two deceased hostages whose bodies have yet to be recovered are Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, both abducted during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered two years of conflict in Gaza.
Later on Wednesday, the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas-allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said it was searching in northern Gaza for the body of a hostage together with a Red Cross team, without specifying which of the two it was seeking.
The Geneva-based Red Cross has served as an intermediary between Gaza’s militant factions and Israel throughout the conflict, facilitating the release of living hostages and the handover of remains.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field without U.S. or Qatari involvement, and warned that any Iranian attack on Qatar would prompt massive retaliation. The comments come as regional tensions soar after Tehran fired missiles at Gulf energy sites.
Israel reportedly launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran on Friday (20 March), a day after U.S. President Donald Trump told it not to repeat its strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure, which sharply escalated the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris, the martial artist, actor and cultural icon best known for his roles in action films and the long-running CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger, has died at the age of 86.
Transport groups across the Philippines launched a nationwide strike on Thursday in protest against rising oil prices. The action affected 15 to 20 protest centres in Metro Manila, with similar demonstrations taking place across several major provinces.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has refused to lift his opposition to a €90 billion ($104 billion) European Union loan to help Ukraine keep up its fight against Russia’s invasion, following a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday (19 March).
A U.S. federal arts body has approved the design of a 24-karat gold commemorative coin featuring President Donald Trump, on Thursday (19 March) paving the way for its release as part of celebrations marking the country’s 250th anniversary on 4 July.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter has been shown driving a battle tank in newly released state media images - an unusually prominent display that has intensified speculation about her future role within the regime.
Tehran’s envoy in Mexico Abolfazi Pasandideh has called on the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to change its World Cup 2026 matches from the United States to Mexico.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Danish troops flown to Greenland in January were ready to blow up airport runways in the event of a potential U.S. attack, Denmark’s public broadcaster DR reported on Thursday (19 March), citing soruces within the country and among European allies.
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