Lebanon’s Prime Minister accused Israel on Saturday (May 30, 2026) of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy” in his country’s south, urging a halt to the fighting as Israel carried out fresh airstrikes and issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen locations.

A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces had advanced deeper into Lebanon, his counterpart Nawaf Salam warned the country was facing a “dangerous” escalation, and called for “a swift and real ceasefire”.

In a televised address, Mr. Salam accused Israel of “pursuing a scorched-earth policy and collective punishment” by “destroying towns and villages, and forcing their inhabitants into exile”.

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Israel’s military said air defences responded to two waves of Iranian missile fire early Thursday (April 2), with media reporting several light injuries in the Tel Aviv area.

Police said officers were called to “several” impact sites in central Israel, with media reports putting the number at nine.

Four people were lightly wounded, the reports said, citing medics.

Israeli media attributed the damage across a relatively wide area to the use of cluster munitions, which explode mid-air and scatter bomblets.- AFP

The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), or jet fuel, was more than doubled to a record ₹2.07 lakh per kilolitre on Wednesday (April 1, 2026), while commercial LPG rates were raised by ₹195.50 per cylinder, mirroring the surge in global oil prices linked to the widening West Asia conflict.

The ATF price in Delhi was hiked by ₹1,10,703.08 per kilolitre, or 114.5%, to ₹2,07,341.22 per kl, according to state-owned fuel retailers.

This is the first time ever that ATF prices have crossed the ₹2 lakh per kl mark. The previous peak was in 2022 when rates were hiked by ₹1.1 lakh per kl after oil prices surged after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are urging President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn’t been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign, according to US, Gulf and Israeli officials.

After private grumbling at the start of the war that they were not given adequate advance notice of the U.S.-Israeli attack and complaining the U.S. had ignored their warnings that the war would have devastating consequences for the entire region, some of the regional allies are making the case to the White House that the moment offers a historic opportunity to cripple Tehran’s clerical rule once and for all.

While regional leaders are broadly supportive now of the U.S. efforts, one Gulf diplomat described some division, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the calls for increasing military pressure on Tehran.

The UAE has emerged as perhaps the most hawkish of the Gulf countries and is pushing hard for Trump to order a ground invasion, the diplomat said. Kuwait and Bahrain also favour this option.

Reuters

The Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a private Mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries, setting off a wave of criticism from the United States and others.

Jerusalem’s major holy sites, including the church, are closed because of the ongoing Iran war, as the city has come under frequent fire from Iranian missiles.

Early Monday (March 30, 2026) morning, Israel’s police said it had approved a “limited prayer framework” for the church, in consultation with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

-AP

The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli has arrived in the West Asia, U.S. Central Command said on Saturday (March 28, 2026), as speculation soars about the possible deployment of U.S. ground troops in Iran.

The ship, which is usually based in Japan, arrived in the region on Friday, Centcom said in a post on X, noting that the vessel is the flagship for a contingent of “about 3,500” Marines and sailors.

The group also includes “transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets,” it said.

Emergency responders said a man was killed in Israel on Friday after the Israeli military reported missiles fired from Iran.

The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said a man was killed in Tel Aviv following the latest attack, which triggered air raid sirens in Jerusalem.

Two other men, aged 65 and 50, were wounded in Tel Aviv and taken to hospital, MDA said.

A 37-year-old and a 21-year-old were wounded by shrapnel in the southern Israeli town of Kuseife and taken to hospital, MDA added.

-AFP