Kazakhstan vows to fast-track AZAL crash investigation amid rising diplomatic tensions
Kazakhstan has vowed to speed up its investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crash near Aktau, as mounti...
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has confirmed that Moscow will persist in targeting Ukrainian military sites, despite international condemnation following recent attacks on civilian areas.
In an interview aired on Sunday, Lavrov emphasized that the Russian strikes are directed at military targets, including foreign mercenaries and military instructors operating in Ukraine.
"The situation at the front and the real activity of the Russian army prove that there is currently insufficient pressure on Russia from the world to end this war,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated in a Telegram post, after reporting that Russia had launched nearly 70 attacks on Sunday alone. The conflict in Ukraine remains dire, as Moscow’s missile strikes continue to wreak havoc, including a deadly attack on a residential building in Kyiv last week that killed at least 12 people.
Lavrov, in his remarks, insisted that the missile strike on the Kyiv residential building was not aimed at an "absolutely civilian" target. "We will continue to target the sites used by the military of Ukraine, by some mercenaries from foreign countries, and by instructors whom the Europeans officially sent to help target Russian civilian sites," he said in the taped CBS interview.
The missile strike, which marked an escalation in Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian cities, drew rare criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who publicly called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "STOP" the attacks.
Lavrov also addressed the issue of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, stating that Russia had never received an offer to assist in its operation. Furthermore, he suggested that Russia could be open to storing Iran's enriched nuclear material, should both the United States and Iran agree that such an arrangement would be beneficial.
As the conflict continues, global pressure on Russia remains a key point of contention, with many calling for stronger international measures to curtail Moscow's military aggression and protect civilian lives in Ukraine.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors as tensions continue to rise.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 3rd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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