- Today marks six months since the 7 October attacks by Hamas that left more than 1,100 Israelis dead and prompted Israel’s ongoing military operation in Gaza, which has killed more than 33,000 people
A senior Iranian official says none of Israel’s embassies are safe any more, after a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Twenty-eight Israeli embassies around the world temporarily closed on Friday due to fears of reprisal from Iran, the official said.
Yahya Rahim Safavi, an adviser to the Supreme Leader, said the attack was a “violation of international laws”.
Seven members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were killed in the 1 April attack, with Iran vowing retaliation.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) withdrew all ground troops from the Southern Gaza Strip overnight, after four months of fighting in the Khan Younis area.
Only one Brigade remains and is tasked with securing the ‘Netzarim corridor’ that divides the Gaza Strip, according to a report from The Times of Israel.
Israel had planned a ground invasion of the Southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are taking refuge, claiming the city is a hive of Hamas’s remaining strongholds.
It had been warned of “disastrous consequences” if it went ahead with the ground invasion – but until now did not seem to have been deterred from its plans.
It is not yet clear whether the withdrawal will delay the long-threatened incursion.