Here are the latest developments related to the war in the Middle East on Saturday
. Israeli soldier dead in southern Lebanon
An Israeli soldier was killed in southern Lebanon, the army announced on Saturday, bringing to 21 the number of deaths in its ranks since the start of the war with pro-Iranian Hezbollah in early March.
Captain Maoz Israel Recanati, 24, “fell in combat in southern Lebanon”, the army said, without providing further details.
On the Israeli side, 20 soldiers and a civilian contractor have been killed in the neighboring country since the start of the conflict.
. Pakistani minister in Tehran ‘to facilitate’ Iran-US talks
The Pakistani Interior Minister arrived in Tehran on Saturday “to facilitate” the currently stalled peace talks between Iran and the United States, Iranian media reported.
“Mohsin Naqvi arrived in the Islamic Republic of Iran today on a two-day official visit as part of Pakistan’s continued efforts to facilitate talks and promote regional peace,” Tasnim news agency reported. The minister was received by his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni.
This trip comes just a few days after the visit to Tehran by the head of the Pakistani army, the powerful Marshal Asim Munir.
. A Palestinian flag displayed on the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Six people were arrested and placed in police custody on Friday in Paris after unfurling a Palestinian flag on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, AFP learned on Saturday from a police source.
This action, claimed by the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion, aimed to commemorate the Nakba, “catastrophe” in Arabic, a period during which around 760,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were chased from their homes during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
. Iran claims to discuss Hormuz with European countries
Iran said on Saturday that European countries were in discussions with Tehran to obtain authorization to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
“After the passage of ships from East Asian countries, including China, Japan and Pakistan, we received today information that Europeans have started negotiations with the Navy of the Revolutionary Guards” to cross the passage, Iranian state television announced without specify the names of these countries.
. Iraqi oil exports via Hormuz divided by ten in April
Iraq’s oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, a major issue in the conflict in the Middle East, were almost divided by ten in April compared to the pre-war months, the country’s new oil minister announced on Saturday.
“Iraq previously exported 93 million barrels per month through the Strait of Hormuz, but in April we only exported 10 million, because of the war,” Bassem Mohammed Khudair declared when he took office, following the formation of a new government on Thursday.
. Lebanon: new Israeli strikes despite the extension of the truce
Israel is carrying out new strikes on southern Lebanon after ordering the inhabitants of nine villages to evacuate, despite the truce being extended by a month and a half during negotiations between the two countries the day before in Washington.
“Israeli Defense Forces began striking Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon,” the Israeli army said in a statement. The Lebanese National Information Agency (Ani, official) reported strikes on at least five villages in the South, preceded by an exodus of residents towards Saida, the large city in the South, and Beirut.
. Modi calls for an “open and secure” Strait of Hormuz
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is continuing a six-day tour that will take him to Sweden, Norway and Italy. This tour illustrates India’s desire to diversify its economic and strategic partnerships, while asserting itself as a major industrial and technological center.
On Friday, during a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates, Narendra Modi called for maintaining an “open and secure” Strait of Hormuz, as his country faces the economic consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.
. The cost of debt soars with inflationary fears, oil continues to rise
Inflationary pressures returned to the center of concerns on global markets on Friday, causing a surge in interest rates and a fall in stock markets, after a meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping which did not reassure.
Oil prices also continued to rise, with a barrel of Brent from the North Sea gaining 3.35% to $109.26, and that of its American equivalent, WTI, rising 4.20% to $105.42.
. Dubai opens its contemporary art fair, despite the war
The main contemporary art fair in the Middle East opened Friday in Dubai despite the war.
An annual meeting for the region’s art dealers and collectors, the twentieth edition of Art Dubai welcomes the public a month late, the conflict having forced the organizers to review their plans.
. Israeli army says it carried out strike in Gaza against head of Hamas’s military wing
The Israeli Defense Ministry announced Friday that it had carried out a strike in Gaza targeting the head of the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, the armed forces carried out a strike in Gaza targeting top terrorist Ezzedine al-Haddad, commander of Hamas’ military wing and one of the main architects of the October 7 massacre,” according to a ministry statement.
burx-cn/jco
