World News Update...

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Iran International show thick orange smoke and a massive fire in Zanjan, northern Iran, where an army base was reportedly targeted by Israeli airstrikes. The fire is still burning hours after the attack.

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Hamas official hails Iranian strikes, says Israel’s ‘hyped’ defences failed
Senior Hamas leader Izzat al-Risheq has praised Iran’s successful targeting of sites in Israel “despite all the hype about the Iron Dome, and David’s Sling missile defence systems”.

In the statement, shared by local Palestinian news sites, al-Risheq said Israel’s sophisticated defences had failed and the country would “suffer from a fire it has long ignited among the peoples of the region”.

“Iran’s strong response proves that: no arrogance without a response, and no aggression without punishment,” he said.

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Iran says nuclear talks with US ‘meaningless’ after Israel attack
Speaking to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei accused the US of supporting Israel’s assault on Iran, saying the attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission.

“The other side [the US] acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless,” Baqaei said of talks the US has held with Tehran in recent months to curb its nuclear programme.

“You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime [Israel] to target Iran’s territory,” he added.

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Oman’s foreign minister working to contain ‘dangerous escalation’
The Omani Foreign Ministry says Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi has held a series of phone calls with his counterparts around the world “as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to contain the dangerous military escalation and tensions” in the Middle East.

Those tensions were “triggered by Israel’s direct attacks on Iranian territory”, the ministry said in a statement shared on social media.

It added that Albusaidi stressed during the calls “the importance of halting the aggression … in order to prevent further bloodshed, destruction, and loss of life, and to safeguard the security, stability, and the supreme interests of the region and its peoples”.

On Friday, the minister condemned Israel’s attack on Iran as “illegal, unjustifiable and a grave threat to regional stability”.

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One person survived and 241 were killed when an Air India flight crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in western India, authorities say.

The Boeing 787-8 aircraft bound for London Gatwick airport was carrying 242 passengers and crew when it came down on Thursday in a residential area, crashing into a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch hour.

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Air India said in a statement that 241 people on board the plane were confirmed to have died.

“Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones,” the airline wrote on social media.

At least one person survived the crash, India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said. A senior police officer, Vidhi Chaudhary, told the Reuters news agency that the survivor, named as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, had escaped from an emergency exit.

Police Commissioner GS Malik was quoted as saying that Ramesh was being treated in hospital.

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LISTEN: Israel continues to launch attacks at Iranian military and nuclear sites
Iran said it has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles towards Israel in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on its nuclear facilities and military leaders.

Several Iranian missiles evaded Israel’s Iron Dome defence systems overnight and hit central Tel Aviv and other parts of the country.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tehran had crossed a red line by targeting civilian areas

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Jordan reopens airspace after Iran-Israel tensions prompted closure
The country’s civil aviation commission says Jordanian airspace reopened at 7:30am local time (04:30 GMT).

The move comes a day after the commission suspended flights amid Israel-Iran tensions.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani had said the country would not allow its airspace to be violated, nor would it “be a battlefield for any conflict”.

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Iran downs Israeli reconnaissance drones
The Iranian forces have shot down drones on a reconnaissance mission over northwestern Iran, according to state media.

“Islamic fighters [Iranian forces] in the Salmas border region successfully shot down Israeli drones that had violated the country’s airspace,” state television said, adding the “drones had entered Iranian airspace on espionage and reconnaissance missions”.

Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on Israel into Saturday morning, killing at least two people and wounding dozens after a series of Israeli attacks.

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Israel’s military said it has intercepted a number of aerial drones over the country’s central region.

The drones were detected and air raid alerts were activated in several areas of the country, the military said.

No details were given on possible damage, casualties or where the drones originated.