World
Risk of violent spillover unless Gaza war solved, says EU top diplomat
The Middle East could see a violent spillover of conflict unless a peaceful solution to the war in Gaza is found, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell warned on Wednesday.
Speaking at a diplomatic seminar in Lisbon organised by Portugal’s foreign ministry, Borrell said that “the seeds of hate are being sown.”
“If this tragedy doesn’t end soon, I fear that all of the Middle East will see itself engulfed in flames,” he added.
His stark warning comes a day after Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official and the organisation’s second-in-command, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination, but an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that whoever was responsible had executed a “surgical strike against the Hamas leadership.”
The assassination of al-Arouri, one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing, on Lebanese soil presents a significant threat of regional escalation that could pull in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, who are Tehran-backed allies of Hamas.
Brewing tensions in the Red Sea are also stoking fears of a regional escalation. A raft of attacks on commercial vessels by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, which controls a part of Yemen, has prompted the US to deploy a naval mission to the region.
The US Navy killed 10 Houthi militants as they attempted to sabotage a Danish-operated ship on Monday. Iran has responded by moving a warship into the Red Sea, heightening fears of a further escalation.
‘No unanimous position weakens EU’
During Wednesday’s keynote speech, Borrell also lamented that the European Union had not been able to unanimously agree on calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. More than 20,000 people are expected to have lost their lives in the conflict that erupted following Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on 7 October.
“We have not been able within the European Council to come to a unanimous position calling for a ceasefire,” Borrell explained. “On the contrary, we have limited ourselves to a bare-bones agreement, calling for humanitarian pauses and an increase in aid for victims.”
“There is no unanimous solution or position, and that weakens us (the EU),” he added.
A UN General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza voted on in December secured the backing of a majority of the EU’s 27 member states. Austria and the Czech Republic, both staunch allies of Israel, were the only countries to vote against the resolution and have consistently expressed fears that a joint EU call for a ceasefire would undermine Israeli efforts to eradicate Hamas.
The persistence of the war has seen countries gravitating towards calls for further restraint, with a major shift in rhetoric seen by EU nations such as France. Other nations including Belgium, Spain, and Ireland have been vocal advocates of a ceasefire in Gaza from the early stages of the conflict.
Borrell has previously suggested that a series of permanent pauses in hostilities should “evolve” into a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Comparing the European bloc’s firm stance and solid support to Kyiv following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Borrell warned that the accusation of Europe’s double standards was “taking on form.”
“The clear and firm European position on the war in Ukraine is not shared by many countries in the world, who immediately accuse us of having principles that are geometrically unaligned – what they call double standards,” he said.
“And I think that unless we close our eyes and our ears, it’s difficult not to face up to this contradiction,” he added.
Borrell also stated that the fact that EU countries are having to consistently call on Israel to respect international humanitarian law in its assault on the Gaza Strip suggests that it is not acting within the boundaries of the law.
World
Pakistan calls troops, orders 3-day curfew as 24 killed in pro-Iran rallies
Army deployed and some areas in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region put under curfew after deadly violence over Khamenei’s killing.
Published On 2 Mar 2026
Pakistan has called in the military and imposed a three-day curfew in some areas following deadly protests over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint United States-Israeli attack on Saturday.
At least 24 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between protesters and security forces across the country on Sunday, prompting authorities to tighten security around the US embassy and consulates.
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The curfew was imposed before dawn Monday in the districts of Gilgit, Skurdu, and Shigar in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, where at least 12 protesters and one security officer were killed and dozens of others wounded during confrontations, according to an official statement.
Of those, seven were killed in Gilgit, a rescue official said, while six others died in Skardu, a doctor told AFP news agency on Monday.
Thousands of demonstrators on Sunday attacked the offices of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the ceasefire along the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, and the UN Development Programme in Skardu city.
Protesters also burned a police station and damaged a school and the offices of a local charity in Gilgit, according to officials.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday said protesters became violent near the UNMOGIP Field Station, which was vandalised.
“The safety and security of UN personnel and premises throughout the region remain our top priority, and we continue to closely monitor the situation,” Dujarric said.
Shabir Mir, a Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesman, said the situation was under control and that the curfew would remain in place until Wednesday. Police chief Akbar Nasir Khan urged residents to stay indoors, citing “deteriorating law and order conditions”.
In the southern port city of Karachi, the country’s commercial hub, 10 people were killed and more than 60 injured during a protest outside the US consulate.
Two additional protesters were killed in the capital, Islamabad, while heading towards the US embassy.
Pakistani authorities have beefed up security at US diplomatic missions across the country, including around the US consulate building in Peshawar, to avoid any further violence.
The US embassy and its consulates in Karachi and Lahore cancelled visa appointments and American Citizen Services on Monday, citing security concerns.
The federal government warned that the situation could further deteriorate amid large-scale demonstrations condemning Khamenei’s killing on Saturday.
Tehran has responded with a series of drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and US assets in several Gulf countries.
World
Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war
World
Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’
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The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.
“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.
Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”
“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”
Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.
As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.
According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.
The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.
TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ
People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.
“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.
“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.
EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME
Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)
Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.
Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.
“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.
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“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.
“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.
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