World

There are few experts in the region who are not anticipating a response to the back-to-back assassination strikes killing high-ranking figures in Hamas and Hezbollah. It seems inevitable after twin audacious attacks in two capitals – one admitted by the Israeli authorities, the second not but widely blamed on them. The tens of thousands who

The family of a teacher not included in a landmark prisoner swap between Russia and the West have demanded “immediate action” from US President Joe Biden. Some two dozen people from countries including Russia, the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus were involved in the biggest exchange between the West and Moscow since the

Israel’s prime minister has warned aggressors face a “heavy price” – after separate strikes killed the political leader of Hamas and a senior Hezbollah commander. Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed Ismail Haniyeh had been assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday morning. Although the strike is widely assumed to have been carried out

At the start of the Gaza war Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that Israel would go after the leaders of Hamas wherever they were, both inside Gaza and out. Though Israel has not claimed responsibility, the killing of the leader of the political wing of Hamas – Ismail Haniyeh – is a

Hamas’s top political leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in Iran, the group has confirmed. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were “assassinated” in the capital Tehran, Iranian state media reported. In a statement, Hamas said he was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran”. The assassination

The Israeli military targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in retaliatory strikes in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces claimed the commander of the armed group was “responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams” – referring to the strike on a football pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights

Team GB have won their first gold of the Paris Olympics, in team eventing. Successfully defending the gold medal they won in Tokyo, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo and Laura Collett and London 52 held off the challenge of France to take top spot. A total of 15.8 penalties incurred

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has won a third term, the country’s electoral authority has said – despite several exit polls which had pointed to an opposition win. The head of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso, said Mr Maduro had secured 51% of the vote, beating his opponent Edmundo Gonzalez, who won 44%. He said

Lebanon is once again on tenterhooks. Indeed, the whole region is. And there are very few who will bet against yet more bloodshed in the coming days and weeks. But will Saturday’s deadly strike on a football pitch in the occupied Golan Heights be what tips the region into all-out war? Middle East latest: ‘All-out

The Israeli military says it has struck Hezbollah targets “deep inside” Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon. “Overnight, the IAF struck a series of Hezbollah terror targets both deep inside Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon, including weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure in the areas of Chabriha, Borj El Chmali, and Beqaa, Kfarkela, Rab El

At least 10 people, including children, have been killed in a rocket attack on a football pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, according to an Israeli rescue official. The Israeli military said all of those killed in the Druze village of Majdal Shams were aged between 10 and 20. The attack on the football pitch

Lady Gaga sang in French and played the piano as she performed at the Olympics opening ceremony on the banks of the River Seine. The US superstar – the first musical act at the event – was joined by a host of dancers shaking pink pompoms. For the first time in Olympics history, the ceremony

Celebrities and world leaders watched on as the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games got under way. A global audience of over one billion people is expected to watch the opening ceremony, which has seen the whole of central Paris turned into an open-air theatre. Earlier, arson attacks on France’s high-speed rail network early on

A far-left activist has been arrested in connection with a series of attacks on the country’s high-speed train network which caused travel chaos ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. France’s interior minister confirmed media reports of an arrest being made on Sunday in Seine-Maritime, Normandy. It comes as French reports said telecom installations belonging

The greatest team effort at these Olympics might be the one most people take for granted. The French capital is under more scrutiny than any athlete. Paris has the greatest challenge at its own games. The city has to host all these events impeccably, house the competitors, keep everyone safe, and deal with an inevitable

The UK, US and South Korea have accused a North Korea-backed cyber group of a carrying out an online espionage campaign to steal military and nuclear secrets. The “Andariel” group has been compromising organisations around the world as it attempts to get hold of sensitive and classified technical information and intellectual property data, according to

Russian authorities are investigating a suspected car bomb attack in Moscow that left two people injured, following conflicting reports a military official was targeted. Footage of the blast, posted on Telegram, appears to show a man and a woman getting into a vehicle before it suddenly explodes. Initial reports in state media outlets named the

If Russia keeps up its attacks on Ukraine, it will likely take five years for its forces to “grind their way” to a minimum goal of fully capturing just four regions at a loss of up to 1.8 million soldiers, dead and wounded, the new head of the British army has said. General Sir Roly

At least six people have died and seven are missing after a fishing vessel sank, British and Spanish maritime officials said. The boat was carrying 27 people and was nearly 200 miles off the coast of the Falkland Islands when it got into trouble. Fourteen people made it onto a life raft and were rescued

Britain’s army must be ready within three years to fight a war against an “axis of upheaval” of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, the force’s new chief has warned. General Sir Roly Walker predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin will emerge from his invasion of Ukraine “very, very dangerous” and “wanting retribution” against countries