News

European Council President António Costa urged Tehran, during a call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, to resume co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and halt its strikes against neighbouring countries. Pezeshkian meanwhile told the United Nations General Assembly that his country remained ready for diplomacy, provided it was not conducted under the threat of force.

The Israeli military has acknowledged that restrictions imposed by European countries are affecting the development of its equipment, particularly naval systems, amid difficulties securing components for submarines and warships. The restrictions have delayed a new submarine and forced it to take an alternative route, as concerns grow over the potential consequences of a naval blockade.

North Korea announced the testing of upgraded 240-millimetre guided missiles as part of a plan to modernise its artillery and missile forces. It said the system uses a precise autonomous guidance system and can hit targets up to 115 kilometres away, while a senior military official called for the offensive capability on the southern border to be strengthened.

Russian strikes on several parts of Ukraine have killed seven people and injured more than 40, as attacks intensify on Kyiv and other areas. At the United Nations, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to target Russian heating and energy facilities during the winter, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would not suspend its military operations.

An attack on the bulk carrier MV Cape Dao, which was bound for India, killed an Indian seafarer and sparked a fire in the engine room. The Royal Oman Navy evacuated 27 crew members off Musandam Governorate and provided them with the necessary medical care.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said his country was ready to receive an international force to replace UNIFIL if its mandate could not be extended, provided it continued implementing Resolution 1701 and supported the army in the south. He warned of a security vacuum, accusing Israel of failing to comply with the ceasefire and the terms of the framework agreement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would not halt its military operations during any potential negotiations, accusing Europe of seeking to use a truce to rearm Kyiv. His comments came as Washington pressed for an end to reciprocal Russian and Ukrainian attacks on energy facilities, amid continued long-range escalation.

Israeli police announced that a Palestinian was killed and a soldier seriously injured in a car-ramming attack near the Beit Horon settlement, west of Ramallah. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the victim was 29-year-old Mahmoud Mohammed Mahmoud Suleiman, and that Israeli forces were holding his body.

Through Qatari mediation in New York, Tehran presented Washington with a package of demands including an end to the war, the lifting of the maritime blockade and the release of frozen assets, while proposing the experimental opening of the Strait of Hormuz for 7 days. Discussions are focused on an interim understanding to reduce tensions and restore shipping, amid disagreement over whether to include the nuclear issue and the scale of mutual concessions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv was ready for a truce in the Black Sea based on proposals from Egypt, India and Türkiye, aimed at securing shipping and food supplies. The proposal came as efforts were under way to halt attacks on energy facilities, while the Kremlin said the conditions for moving to broader peace talks were not currently in place.

Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş announced his departure from the Republican People’s Party, ruling out joining another party and confirming that he would remain in office as an independent. Three mayors from municipalities affiliated with the capital followed by leaving the party, amid growing disputes and defections within Turkey’s largest opposition party ahead of elections scheduled for 2028.

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş has announced his resignation from the Republican People's Party amid a political and legal crisis involving the leadership of Turkey's largest opposition party. Yavaş said his decision followed careful consideration, while he has not yet decided whether to join the new party led by Özgür Özel.

Clashes have resumed between federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, with the front’s forces taking control of strategic airports and tensions spreading to neighbouring areas. The escalation coincides with an alliance bringing together seven armed groups and signs of rapprochement between Tigray and Eritrea, potentially giving the conflict a regional dimension.

In September, Marib received 412 families comprising 2,954 people who fled the military escalation on the western coast and elsewhere, amid shortages of shelter and declining aid. Women and children make up 78% of new arrivals in the governorate, which has cumulatively hosted more than 2,217,000 displaced people since 2014.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations authority said all crew members had been evacuated from a vessel, with two injured, after it was hit by a projectile of unknown origin in the Strait of Hormuz and caught fire. The incident coincided with an initial decline in the number of commodity-carrying vessels transiting the strait compared with the previous day and the average over the past 10 days.

Analysts said North Korea may have tested an upgraded version of a short-range missile equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle on 20 September, after launching two projectiles towards the East Sea. Experts estimate that the weapon’s ability to manoeuvre during the terminal phase could make it harder to detect and intercept, although its actual capabilities remain uncertain after a single test.

The Council of Peace, led by US President Donald Trump, plans to announce a six-month plan to revive the Gaza Strip, comprising 66 projects costing $2.45 billion. The plan covers temporary housing, infrastructure, services and security, while its implementation depends on cooperation from Israel and Hamas and the mobilisation of international funding.

Sudan’s displaced persons coordination has warned of worsening humanitarian conditions, saying the number of displaced people is at least 19 million. Data from the International Organization for Migration showed that 5.15 million people had returned, while 8.58 million remained internally displaced, amid fears of renewed displacement due to insecurity and weak services.

The Israeli army and Shin Bet announced the killing of Mohammed Abu Alwan, whom they described as head of Hamas’s finance department, in a strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. An Israeli statement said targeting the movement’s leaders and funding sources aims to prevent it from rebuilding its capabilities, while Hamas has not commented.

The captain of an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship was killed in a Russian attack in the Black Sea, while drone attacks struck Kyiv, Odesa and Zhytomyr, injuring seven people. Moscow said it had targeted military-industrial, energy and logistics facilities, as well as naval vessels, overnight.

Tigray forces seized Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, leading to the cancellation of a scheduled flight to Addis Ababa. The move comes amid rising tensions between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the federal government, and growing fears that the de-escalation following the Pretoria Agreement could collapse.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in New York that Damascus remains committed to ending the presence of foreign military bases and is continuing diplomatic efforts with Israel towards a security agreement that would return it to the 1974 borders. He also disclosed understandings with Russia, legal discussions over the Turkish presence and a project to transport Iraqi oil through Syrian ports.

Massad Boulos, the US president’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, said Sudan’s army and Rapid Support Forces do not represent a legitimate or constitutional government, calling for a humanitarian truce and intra-Sudanese dialogue, an expansion of the UN arms embargo and a higher cost for all parties to continuing the fighting.