live U.S. restricts staff use of Saudi airports after deadly Houthi attacks
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It com...
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.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It comes after a deadly Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people last week.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine is set to restart attacks on Russian oil refineries following a two-day pause, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, amid growing tensions with Washington over energy strikes and U.S. military support.
A Norwegian teenager recruited by a Swedish criminal network to carry out a contract killing in Britain has been sentenced to 20 years’ detention after police uncovered the murder plot.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called it “a disgrace” that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries. Attacks are continuing from Russia and Ukraine as media reports say Ukraine has almost run out of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Romanian rescuers resumed their search for seven missing sailors on Friday (16 October) after a drone strike set a chemical tanker ablaze near the country’s Black Sea coast. The attacks have raised fresh security concerns along a vital regional trade route.
Students, lecturers and university staff marched on Argentina’s Congress in Buenos Aires on Thursday to demand President Javier Milei’s government implement a university funding law which would boost staff salaries and increase financial support to institutions to cover operating costs
A 16-year-old shooter opened fire on Thursday at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon in the United States, killing four people, including three children, before being killed by an armed member of the community who had pursued the assailant into the school, police said.
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