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The Arab League condemned in the strongest rems the Iranian attacks on Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.In a statement issued Saturday, the Arab League General Secretariat considered the missile attacks a blatant violation of the sovereignty of peace-loving nations that have worked to achieve stability and have not participated in war. The statement expressed full solidarity with the Arab states in confronting these attacks and support for any measures they take to defend themselves and protect their people.The statement emphasised that Arab states have taken clear positions on the Iranian crisis by rejecting military action against Tehran, and Arab states have exerted tremendous efforts to mediate and avert the escalation being witnessed today. It also warned of the immense danger inherent in the current situation in the region, urging all active parties in the international community to work towards de-escalation as quickly as possible, to spare the region the devastating consequences of widening instability and violence, and to return to dialogue.

Qatar’s retail industry “continues to operate smoothly” despite regional tensions following Iran’s coordinated missile attacks on Gulf countries, stated a top executive of LuLu, who ensured that food supplies and essential goods here “remain fully available.”Dr Mohamed Althaf, LuLu Group Global director, underscored Qatar’s resilience, describing it as a “very resourceful country.” However, he cautioned that “the only real threats are panic and misinformation, which can undermine any national strategy.”Dr Althaf acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, but at the same time, lauded Qatar’s preparedness: “I would not say that everything is normal.“However, historically, Qatar has demonstrated strong preparedness and effective defence capabilities. Over the last couple of days, we have witnessed this without any major casualties.”He also emphasised that this resilience has prevented disruptions in daily life and commercial activity. “Normally, in such situations, the movement of goods and personnel becomes difficult. But if you visit any commercial establishment now, you will see that operations remain normal and undisturbed.“At present, I believe retail operations are continuing smoothly. Our supply chains are functioning, and anyone visiting a shop will find full access to essentials. Supplies have been fully maintained so far,” reassured Dr Althaf during an interview with Gulf Times Sunday.Highlighting logistics as the primary risk in times of geopolitical tension, Dr Althaf explained: “In any geopolitical tension, especially of this nature, the primary risk lies in logistics — shipping routes, freight, and transit timelines. These are areas we are closely monitoring, and we are preparing contingency plans wherever possible.“It is well known that some of the countries involved are critical sources for Qatar. But our strategy and infrastructure are already in place. By infrastructure, I mean robust storage capacity and related facilities, which help mitigate risks.”While disruptions cannot be ruled out, Dr Althaf underscored the resilience of food supply chains, citing the Covid-19 pandemic, the Suez Canal crisis, or past tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.“These situations have shown that food supply chains are resilient. They recalibrate quickly. Unlike major shipments where security concerns can halt movement, food continues to flow. So, I am confident that, at least for now, we do not foresee any uncontrollable circumstances,” Dr Althaf pointed out.Dr Althaf shared with this paper excerpts from a letter that he communicated to his office Sunday, where he called for calmness and vigilance, and reassured the group’s preparedness in addressing food supply and essential needs.“At LuLu, we would like to reassure the community that our stores remain fully stocked, supply chains are operating normally, and we continue to operate 24 hours to ensure uninterrupted access to food and essential goods.“We encourage everyone to remain calm and rely only on official sources of information. Qatar may be a small nation, but it has a big heart — and will take every measure to ensure that all residents and citizens are protected and cared for,” it stated.Reflecting on past experience, Dr Althaf explained to Gulf Times that the challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic in Qatar was “last-mile delivery and staffing — a problem that does not exist now.”He added: “Stores are full. Everyone here — residents and citizens alike — will be treated well without discrimination. We have historical examples to draw from. In Covid-19, everyone was cared for, and I am confident Qatar is capable of protecting all its people again.” 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed its rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the blatant and cowardly Iranian attacks that targeted the Riyadh region and the eastern province, confirming that they were repelled.In a statement issued by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, Saudi Arabia stressed that these attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way, and that they came despite the Iranian authorities' knowledge that the Kingdom had affirmed it would not allow its airspace or territory to be used to target Iran.In light of this unjustified aggression, the statement added, the Kingdom affirms that it will take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect its territory, citizens, and residents, including the option of responding to the aggression. 

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his brother Piers Corbyn attend a protest against the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, in Parliament Square in central London, Saturday. 

Pakistani security forces killed 145 militants in a ‌40-hour battle launched as a series ‍of co-ordinated gun and bomb attacks across Balochistan left nearly 50 people dead, the province's chief minister said Sunday.Authorities in the ⁠southwestern province are battling one of the deadliest ⁠flare-ups in years, as insurgents in the resource-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan step up assaults on security ‍forces, civilians and infrastructure.Attackers dressed as ordinary civilians entered hospitals, schools, banks and markets on Saturday before opening fire, Pakistan's junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry said."In each case, the attackers came in dressed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted ordinary people working in shops," he said, adding militants had used civilians as human shields.The banned separatist group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it had launched a coordinated operation dubbed Herof, or "black storm", targeting security forces across the province.In Quetta, ‌the provincial capital, the aftermath was visible in burnt-out vehicles at a police station, bullet-riddled doors and streets sealed off with yellow tape, as security forces tightened patrols and restricted movement following the attacks.Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfraz ‍Bugti said 17 law enforcement personnel and ⁠31 civilians were killed ‌in the militant attacks. Pakistan's military said 92 militants were killed on Saturday, while 41 were killed on Friday."We had intelligence reports that this kind of operation was being planned, and as a result of those, we started pre-operations a day before," Bugti said.The latest total is the highest number of militants killed in such a short span since the insurgency intensified, Bugti said, without providing comparative figures.Officials said the militant assaults were launched almost simultaneously across Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Noshki districts, with armed men opening fire at security installations including a Frontier Corps headquarters, attempting suicide bombings and briefly blocking roads in urban areas, prompting large-scale counter-operations by the army, police and counterterrorism units.Outside a damaged shop, private security guard Jamil Ahmed Mashwani said attackers struck shortly after ​midday. "They hit me on my face and ‌head."Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, has faced a decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a larger share ⁠of its natural resources.The group claimed it ‍had killed 84 members of Pakistan's security forces and captured 18 others. Reuters could not independently verify the claim. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that two of the attacks involved female perpetrators and militants were increasingly targeting civilians, labourers and low-income communities.The military said security forces had repelled attempts by militants to seize control of any city or strategic installation.Pakistan's military ​said on Saturday the attacks were carried out by "Indian-sponsored militants". India denied that assertion Sunday."We categorically reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan," Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement".The United States condemned the attacks, with US Charge d'Affaires Natalie Baker calling them acts of terrorist violence and saying Washington stood in solidarity with Pakistan. The Balochistan Liberation Army is designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organisation.Pakistan has faced periodic attacks by Islamist ⁠militants elsewhere in the country, including factions linked to the Pakistani Taliban. 

Tens of thousands of people were left without power and heating in southern Ukraine after Russian attacks on the frontline city of Kherson and Ukraine’s largest seaport, Odesa, authorities and a top energy provider said Thursday. Russia has sharply increased its attacks on Ukraine’s energy and utilities sector as winter approaches, plunging swathes of cities and regions into darkness. State oil and gas firm Naftogaz said a heat and power plant in the southern city of Kherson had been “almost completely destroyed.” Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the attack left 40,500 customers without heat. “This is a purely civilian facility providing heat to residents,” Naftogaz CEO Sergii Korteskyi wrote on X. “Such targeted bombing is terrorism.” Kherson, a frontline city that was for several months occupied by Russian forces after Moscow’s invasion in February 2022, comes under Russian missile, drone and artillery attack on an almost daily basis. Separately, Ukrainian energy company DTEK said Thursday that Russia attacked its energy facility in the southern Odesa region overnight, leaving 51,800 households without power. In Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces are grinding forward in the battlefield, attacks left about 60,000 residents without power, Kyiv’s energy ministry said. 

Al Raya newspaper highlighted the extent of regional and international concern over the latest Israeli attack on Syria, affirming that the escalation threatens efforts to restore stability to the country.In its editorial on Saturday, the paper referred to the massacre carried out by Israel at dawn on Friday in the Beit Jinn area in the Damascus countryside, which resulted in the killing of 13 people and the injury of others. It said that the attack falls within a series of systematic assaults targeting Syrian territory without justification, and that they come as part of Israel’s expansionist schemes.The paper added that this aggressive behavior comes at a time when international efforts are moving toward helping the new Syria recover and rebuild, making any military escalation a direct factor in disrupting the country. It stressed that the repeated Israeli attacks constitute a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and aim to create new pretexts for occupying Arab lands by exploiting the weakness of Syria’s security infrastructure during the recovery phase.Al Rayah noted that the State of Qatar strongly condemned the Israeli attack as a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law, warning that continued assaults will increase regional tensions and undermine efforts aimed at restoring security and stability.In this context, it highlighted the State of Qatar’s call on the international community to act immediately and stop the violations and hold those responsible accountable in accordance with international conventions.Al Raya also noted that Israel encourages certain factions within Syria to secede or rebel, considering that these policies are aimed at preventing Syria from regaining stability, as Israel is the sole beneficiary of any state of chaos in the region. It warned that continued Israeli attacks could push the region toward a wide-scale regional war from which no party would emerge unscathed, stressing that this path carries catastrophic risks for all amid the interlinked security and military files in the Middle East.The paper called on the international community to adopt a firmer stance toward Israeli violations and work to prevent sliding into an open confrontation that could destabilize the entire region.Al Raya concluded its editorial by saying that the latest Israeli attack is a dangerous indicator of the continuation of the escalation policy, and that any international disregard for these assaults will weaken pathways to a solution in Syria and keep the region trapped in a circle of tension.

The United Nations Tuesday condemned a surge in mass kidnappings in north-central Nigeria, calling on the authorities to take urgent steps to halt the attacks and bring perpetrators to justice."We are shocked at the recent surge in mass abductions in north-central Nigeria," UN rights office spokesman Thameen al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva."We urge the Nigerian authorities -- at all levels -- to take all lawful measures to ensure such vile attacks are halted and to hold those responsible to account."His comments came as the recent abduction of hundreds of Nigerians, including almost 350 schoolchildren in just a matter of days, has reignited a pressing debate about the persistent security crisis gripping the country."At least 402 people, most of them schoolchildren, have been abducted in the states of Niger, Kebbi, Kwara and Borno since 17 November," Kheetan said, adding that "only 88 of them have reportedly been freed or have escaped from their captors".He called on "Nigerian authorities to ensure the safe return of all those still in captivity to their families, and to prevent further abductions"."They must also hold prompt, impartial and effective investigations into abductions and bring those responsible to justice."Mounting security fears in Africa's most populous nation have sparked a wave of school closures across some parts of the country.Since militants kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok town in northeast Borno State more than a decade ago, Nigeria has struggled with a spate of mass kidnappings, mostly carried out by criminal gangs looking for ransom payments.Borno State is also the centre of a long-running insurgency that has killed more than 40,000 people since 2009.

Ukraine struck a heat and power station in the Moscow region Sunday with drones, triggering a major fire and cutting off heating for thousands in one of Kyiv's biggest attacks to date on a power station deep inside Russia.In the fourth year of the deadliest European conflict since World War Two, Russia has been pummelling Ukraine's electricity and heat infrastructure while Kyiv has up until now mostly focused on trying to knock out Russia's oil refineries, crude terminals and pipelines. But early Sunday, Ukrainian drones struck the Shatura Power Station, about 120km east of the Kremlin, Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said.Video footage on Telegram showed balls of flames and black smoke rising into the night sky from the power station. Reuters was able to confirm the location, though not the date of the video. "Some of the drones were destroyed by air-defence forces. Several fell on the territory of the station.A fire broke out at the facility," Vorobyov said. Vorobyov said that backup power had been switched on and that mobile heating systems were being deployed to the area where the temperature was around freezing point. "All efforts are being taken to promptly restore heat supply," Vorobyov said. The town of Shatura has a population of about 33,000.One local resident said that there was no heating. Three transformers at the power station caught fire, the *Kommersant newspaper cited the emergencies ministry as saying. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.In recent weeks and months, there have been repeated power and heat outages in parts of Ukraine due to Russian attacks. Ukraine has tried to undermine Russia's war economy by targeting its oil revenues.Ukraine has also hit some power and heating installations in Ukrainian regions controlled by Russian forces and in Russian regions neighbouring Ukraine, but has thus far not inflicted major damage on electricity and heat stations serving Moscow and the surrounding region, which has a population of more than 22mn.Russia's defence ministry said Sunday it had downed 75 Ukrainian drones, including 36 over the Black Sea and several over the Moscow region. Russia's Vnukovo airport halted flights Sunday for about an hour before restoring them. The Shatura power station, one of Russia's oldest, was founded under Vladimir Lenin after the Bolshevik revolution, and used to run on peat. It now uses mostly natural gas.

Qatar strongly condemned the brutal Israeli occupation attacks in the Gaza Strip, which led to deaths and injuries, considering it a dangerous escalation that threatens to undermine the ceasefire agreement in the Strip. In a statement Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the need for concerted regional and international efforts to maintain and adhere to the ceasefire agreement, paving the way for ending the war on Gaza and achieving a just and sustainable peace in the region.**media[384138]**The Ministry reiterated Qatar's firm and unwavering stance in supporting the Palestinian cause and the steadfastness of the fraternal Palestinian people, based on international legitimacy resolutions and the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.**media[384137]**Qatar condemns Israeli violation of Syrian territories Qatar strongly condemned the entry of the Israeli prime minister and a number of ministers and officials in the occupation government into the occupied Syrian territories, considering it a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the fraternal Syrian Arab Republic, a flagrant violation of international law, and a serious threat to regional security.**media[384139]**In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the international community to take urgent action to compel the Israeli occupation to comply with international law resolutions, particularly the 1974 ceasefire agreement, and to stop its repeated attacks on Syrian territory to prevent further escalation and tension in the region.**media[384135]**The ministry reiterated Qatar's full support for Syria's sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the aspirations of its fraternal people for security and stability. Qatar slams Israeli airstrike on Ain al-Hilweh refugee campQatar strongly condemned the Israeli raid that targeted Ain Al Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, which resulted in martyrs and wounded.**media[384136]**The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement Thursday that this raid represents a brutal attack on the defenceless Palestinian people and the sovereignty of the sisterly Lebanese Republic, as well as a flagrant violation of international laws and conventions, stressing, in this context, the need for the international community to act urgently to stop the dangerous Israeli attacks that threaten to spread chaos and violence in the region.**media[384140]**The Ministry reiterated Qatar's position supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, in addition to the just Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people.

The perilous escalation of settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, which intensified during the olive harvest season, is occurring without any deterrence or accountability, and often under the direct protection of the Israeli army, Euro‑Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor) said in a statement Sunday.The statement further indicated that this forms part of a deliberate and systematic policy that uses settler violence to reinforce Israeli control, alongside rapid settlement expansion and land expropriation to impose de facto annexation and displace Palestinian residents.The systematic escalation forms part of a broader effort to consolidate Israeli control over the West Bank by depopulating it and expanding the territorial and operational influence of settlements, the statement continued.It added that this includes turning settlers into practical extensions of the army in attacks and land seizure operations, while imposing new patterns of field control that entrench separation and isolation between Palestinian communities, undermining any possibility of establishing a contiguous or independent Palestinian entity.Euro-Med Monitor's field team has documented a marked increase in settler attacks against Palestinians in recent weeks, particularly farmers. These attacks have included physical assault, theft of olive harvests, burning of trees, destruction of property, and preventing access to agricultural land, the statement read.The statement further stressed that dozens of incidents took place under the direct protection of Israeli forces, with soldiers participating in some of them, clearly indicating an integrated system aimed at persecuting and displacing Palestinians.In addition, Euro-Med Monitor documented 324 settler attacks over 39 days, from the beginning of October until the evening of November 8, averaging eight attacks per day. Settler violence during the current olive harvest season is the highest in years, with approximately 163 incidents resulting in injuries to more than 143 Palestinians and the destruction of over 4,200 trees and saplings across 77 West Bank villages, the statement added.It further noted that the attacks carried out by organised, militia-like armed settlers who launch from settlements and illegal outposts throughout the West Bank have become a systematic practice of armed violence against Palestinian civilians.

Ceasefire allows Palestinians to return home, but violence persistsHamas and Israel exchange hostages and bodiesIsraeli fire killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, north of the southern city of Rafah, which remains under Israeli control, according to local health authorities, further testing the fragile US-backed ceasefire.In a statement issued earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said forces identified "terrorists" who crossed the yellow line, which marks areas the army still occupies. It said they were advancing towards troops in southern Gaza, posing an immediate threat, before it struck them.Medics said one of those killed was a woman. The identities of the two others weren't immediately clear. The incident follows days of Israeli strikes on the enclave, provoking mutual accusations between Hamas and Israel over violations of the tenuous ceasefire that halted two years of war.Residents said Israeli forces continued to demolish houses in the eastern areas of Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, where forces continue to operate.The ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10, has calmed most fighting, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of their homes in Gaza. Israel has withdrawn troops from positions in cities, and more aid has been allowed to enter.Hamas turned over all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees held by Israel. Hamas has also agreed to turn over the bodies of hostages, a process which is still incomplete and which it says is difficult, while Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.But violence has not completely halted. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 239 people in strikes on Gaza since the truce, nearly half of them in a single day last week when Israel retaliated for an attack on its troops.Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed and it has targeted scores of fighters.Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday it received 45 bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel whose bodies were in Israeli custody. Monday's handover raised the number of Palestinian bodies Israel has returned to Gaza to 270.Hamas has so far returned 20 of the 28 bodies of hostages that had been buried in Gaza.