Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 27th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has formally condemned the operation in a letter to the United Nations, describing the assassination as an "unjustified act of aggression" and a blatant violation of international law. As Tehran declares a 40-day mourning period and vows that it will not negotiate with Washington, Iranian armed forces have launched a wave of retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. and Israeli interests across the Middle East, escalating fears of a widespread regional conflict.
The Israeli military launched heavy airstrikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, ordering residents of dozens of Lebanese villages to evacuate from the area amid the most intensive bombardment of the capital since 2024. The escalation follows a barrage of missiles and drones fired by the Iran-backed militant group into Israel, with Hezbollah stating the assault was a direct retaliation for the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed that the UK has granted the United States permission to use British military bases in southern Cyprus for "specific and limited" defensive operations to intercept Iranian missiles aimed at allied targets. Starmer stressed that Britain was not involved in the offensive strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader. He said the decision follows a suspected drone attack on the RAF Akrotiri base in southern Cyprus, which caused limited damage and prompted the temporary dispersal of non-essential personnel.
Türkiye has raised the security level for its flagged vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3, following explicit radio warnings from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that "no ship is allowed to pass" the critical waterway. The heightened maritime alert, issued in the wake of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes and the confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death, has prompted major carriers to suspend transits and insurers to cancel war risk cover, threatening to severely disrupt global oil and LNG shipments through a chokepoint that handles approximately 20% of the world's crude flows.
Tens of thousands of passengers remain stranded as major Gulf aviation hubs, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, stayed closed or heavily restricted for a third consecutive day following the escalation of the Iran-U.S. conflict. The unprecedented disruption to one of the world's most vital transit corridors has forced major carriers such as Emirates, British Airways, and Lufthansa to cancel or drastically reroute flights, with experts warning that the logistical fallout and subsequent strain on international travel networks could take weeks to fully resolve.
Bolivia showed signs of returning to normality on Sunday after President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency to end a 50-day social crisis that ...
Ukraine's improved position on the battlefield has done little to ease the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people displaced by the conflict,...
U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for peace talks with Iran, as Tehran’s renewed claim that it had blocked the Strait of...
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Mazen Torki Saud Al-Qadi, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Jordan, on 21 J...
Fuel stations in Russian-controlled Crimea stopped selling fuel to individuals and businesses from 9:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, the Russian-install...
Bolivia showed signs of returning to normality on Sunday after President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency to end a 50-day social crisis that had paralysed transport networks across the country.
Ukraine's improved position on the battlefield has done little to ease the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people displaced by the conflict, according to the head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
Fuel stations in Russian-controlled Crimea stopped selling fuel to individuals and businesses from 9:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, the Russian-installed governor said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the violent attacks in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Friday, which left five men injured, were motivated by "anti-Muslim hatred".
A train driver has been killed and nine people remain in a critical condition in hospital, after two trains collided near Beford in the east of England on Friday. The passenger trains heading to London collided at around 17:15 local time (1615 GMT).
Morocco captain and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi will face trial in France after an appeals court ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck southwest of Greece’s island of Crete on Saturday, with no immediate reports of damage.
Paraguay kept their World Cup hopes alive with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Türkiye, but the celebrations were tempered by a costly red card for veteran forward Miguel Almirón.
Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire, a senior U.S. official has said. Hezbollah has released a statement saying Israel must leave southern Lebanon. Israel has said it agrees to the ceasefire, but has said its armed forces won't leave Lebanon and will resume hostilities if attacked.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has instructed officials to resume discussions on reopening the historic Halki Seminary near Istanbul, a long-standing issue that was raised by U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of an expected NATO summit visit to Ankara next month.
Bolivia showed signs of returning to normality on Sunday after President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency to end a 50-day social crisis that had paralysed transport networks across the country.
Ukraine's improved position on the battlefield has done little to ease the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people displaced by the conflict, according to the head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for peace talks with Iran, as Tehran’s renewed claim that it had blocked the Strait of Hormuz threatened to overshadow efforts to advance a tentative deal to end the war.
Fuel stations in Russian-controlled Crimea stopped selling fuel to individuals and businesses from 9:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, the Russian-installed governor said.
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