Venezuela is through to its first World Baseball Classic final and will play the host nation for the title in Florida.
Published On 17 Mar 202617 Mar 2026
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Maikel Garcia hit a tie-breaking single in the seventh inning for Venezuela, which advanced to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship game by beating Italy 4-2 on Monday in Miami.
Venezuela, which pieced together four straight two-out hits in a three-run seventh, will play the United States for the title on Tuesday night in Miami. The US beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 on Sunday in the first semifinal.
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Venezuela is seeking its first championship, while the US is aiming for its second crown. Both teams went 3-1 in pool play before winning their first two games in the knockout rounds.
The loss was the first of the WBC for Italy, which made a Cinderella run to the semifinals by going 4-0 in pool B play before beating Puerto Rico 8-6 in a quarterfinal at Houston on Saturday.
Italy, which took a 2-0 lead in the second when JJ D’Orazio drew a bases-loaded walk, and Dante Nori hit into a run-scoring groundout, was eight outs away from another upset when Venezuela rallied against losing pitcher Michael Lorenzen.
Gleyber Torres worked a leadoff walk in the seventh, before Lorenzen whiffed Wilyer Abreu and William Contreras. Venezuela pulled off a hit-and-run in which Jackson Chourio singled pinch runner Andres Gimenez to third.
Ronald Acuna Jr followed with a grounder to the third base side of short, where Sam Antonacci picked the ball cleanly but bounced the throw to first, as Acuna arrived safely, and Gimenez scored.
Garcia strikes the ball against Team Italy in the semifinal [Megan Briggs/Getty Images via AFP]
Garcia delivered the go-ahead single to left, scoring Chourio, before Luis Arraez provided insurance by singling home Acuna.
Angel Zerpa earned the win by getting the final two outs of the sixth. Eduard Bazardo and Andres Machado threw a perfect inning apiece, before Daniel Palencia earned his second save by striking out two in a 1-2-3 ninth.
Venezuela starting pitcher Keider Montero gave up the two runs in 1 1/3 innings.
Garcia and Torres had two hits apiece for Venezuela.
Italy starter Aaron Nola allowed one run in four innings. Zach Dezenzo had two hits for Italy.
There was a sensation today in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, when former councilor Rajkumar Chauhan, who was out on a morning walk in Chiluatal police station area, was shot dead by four miscreants. The councilor ran 100 meters to save his life but could not escape. Heavy police force has reached the spot and started searching for the killers.
Four attackers surrounded him, first he was shot in the head, then stabbed several times in the chest. Despite being seriously injured, Rajkumar Chauhan ran for about 100 meters to save his life, but the miscreants chased him and attacked him again. Not only this, the attackers remained sitting at the spot for some time and fled after his death was confirmed. The miscreants had parked their car at some distance and came on foot to commit the crime.
Police surrounded the entire area
As soon as the information about the incident was received, the family members reached the spot and immediately took him to BRD Medical College, where the doctors declared him dead. The police reached the spot and surrounded the area and police force has been deployed in the village as a precautionary measure. Higher officials have also reached the spot and started investigation. Eyewitnesses are being interrogated and several police teams have been formed to arrest the attackers.
Police looking for mobile details-enemy angle
Police have also recovered empty bullet cartridge cases from the spot. The police have also detained some suspects. To investigate the reasons behind the murder, the police are also interrogating the family members regarding old enmity or dispute. Apart from this, the mobile details of the former councilor are also being scrutinized so that some clue can be found.
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Iran’s new supreme leader mujtaba khamenei He narrowly escaped the American-Israeli attack on February 28. According to a leaked audio, he had gone out for a walk in the garden just minutes before the missile attack on his house. Many top officials including his father and former Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were killed in this attack.
According to the leaked audio received by the British newspaper The Telegraph, from Blue Spar on February 28 at 9:32 am local time. tehran The Supreme Leader’s compound was attacked. Mujtaba Khamenei was not inside the house at the time of the attack. He was out for some work, which saved his life.
Many family members were killed
According to the audio, Mujtaba Khamenei’s wife and son died on the spot in the attack. His brother-in-law also died in the attack, while several other officers were also killed. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Mohammad Pakpur and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh were also killed in this attack.
minor leg injury
In the recording of the speech of Mazahir Husseini, the protocol chief of Ali Khamenei’s office, it is claimed that Mujtaba Khamenei had suffered a slight injury to his leg. Despite falling debris, he came out safely. According to Husseini, the purpose of the attack was to target the entire Khamenei family. Because of this, several missiles were fired simultaneously at many places inside the complex.
The house was in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
Mujtaba Khamenei lived in Tehran in the same complex where his father Ali Khamenei had his house and office. There was also a religious auditorium in the same complex, where Ali Khamenei often gave speeches.
Where is Mujtaba Khamenei now?
Mujtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since the attack. Official information regarding their location has also not been given. Some media reports claim that he is in a secret place due to security reasons, while other reports say that he is undergoing treatment in Russia. Meanwhile, Donald Trump had claimed that Mujtaba Khamenei is in coma, although this has not been officially confirmed. After America and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, a war broke out in the region, which has been going on for more than 3 weeks.
Lawyers for alleged Bondi beach gunman Naveed Akram have argued the names of his family members should be suppressed due to fears “one or more of them may be killed” after they received death threats.
But legal counsel for media organisations, who are challenging the suppression order request, argued there was no evidence before the court of an imminent risk.
A Downing Centre local court magistrate last week granted Akram’s mother, brother and sister an interim suppression banning the publication of their names and addresses to protect their mental and physical safety.
The public defender Richard Wilson SC told the court on Tuesday that a narrowed version of the order should be made permanent to mitigate risks of harm to the family.
Wilson said they couldn’t afford to move and the “police are saying the family had nothing to do with it [the mass shooting]”.
Akram, 24, appeared in court via video link from Goulburn supermax, where he has been remanded in custody.
He and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, allegedly killed 15 people after opening fire at a Hanukah festival at Bondi beach on 14 December.
Naveed Akram, who survived a shootout with police, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act that investigators allege may have been “inspired by Isis”. Sajid Akram was shot and killed by police at the scene.
Wilson told the magistrate Hugh Donnelly the family was seeking media organisations edit any existing stories to remove names and addresses.
“The defendant, who is the applicant, is charged with the most serious and the most notorious terrorist attack this country has ever seen,” the barrister said.
“The outpouring of public grief, public outrage, and public anger at what he and his father allegedly did are unprecedented, extraordinary and absolutely understandable.
“However, there is no suggestion that the defendant’s mother, bother or sister had anything to do with it. There is no suggestion of suppressing the name of the defendant or suppressing any evidence in the case.”
Rather, names and addresses which were “peripheral information” would be suppressed.
Wilson argued the order was not futile, despite the names of Akram’s mother and brother already being widely reported.
“Continued publication of the details of the family and their home address provides a focus for misguided people who may be tempted to join in and do what others have already started to do and take the law into their own hands,” he said.
Wilson acknowledged that if the court granted a permanent suppression order, it wouldn’t apply to international media publications.
He told the court that Akram’s mother had received a phone call from an unknown number in the days after the attack. The caller allegedly said: “Are you still alive?”
The court heard she had also received a text message calling her a “Pakistani cunt”.
Akram’s brother allegedly received a text three weeks after the attack from an unknown number saying: “We’re going to kill you.”
The court heard that people had driven past the house yelling “die, cunt, die”, and in another incident, people in a ute parked across the driveway and yelled: “Cunts, we’ll come and kill you.”
The court heard that one night, several men knocked on the door, and the family then saw the men move to the side of the house before they called the police.
In another incident, the court heard that Akram’s mother heard a sound outside their house and the following morning her car did not start.
The court heard their home was egged and a pork chop was thrown on to their car.
“At worse, the risk is one or more of them may be killed,” Wilson said before acknowledging the court may consider this a “low risk”, but one that would have a “catastrophic outcome”.
He said there was a high risk of continued victimisation, including acts of stalking.
Matthew Lewis SC – acting on behalf of news organisations including Nine, News Corp Australia, the ABC and Guardian Australia – argued there was no evidence there was an imminent risk, and fear did not make an order necessary.
“In the immediate aftermath of the attack, there were a number of incidents which they pointed to in their evidence, but in the past three months those incidents have become less frequent,” Lewis told the court on Tuesday.
He said the “cat is well and truly out of the bag” on the Akram family’s home address because a picture was leaked online showing Akram’s licence in the hours after the 14 December attack.
Lewis noted news organisations would generally publish the suburb and not the street name or house number.
“In this case, the defendant’s mother has conducted media interviews with at least the Sydney Morning Herald, and that interview has been reported on widely, including … internationally,” Lewis told the court.
“The defendant’s brother has equally been identified due to an incident that took place while visiting the defendant in prison.
“Needless to say, their identities, insofar as their names, have been widely reported not only in Australia but also in the US, the UK, India, Pakistan, as well as in New Zealand.”
Chris Bowen has insisted the country’s fuel supply is yet to be affected by the war in the Middle East while criticising a rush to buy jerry cans to fill up with petrol as “un-Australian”.
The energy minister made the comments after an emergency meeting with major fuel suppliers and retailers, that was convened by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to demand explanations for the recent surge in petrol prices.
Australian fuel prices have skyrocketed amid a 40% rise in global oil prices in the past fortnight, in response to the Middle East conflict and closure of the strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping channel largely controlled by Iran.
Bowen on Tuesday said while he couldn’t guarantee what would happen if the war were prolonged, fuel supplies were arriving into Australia as expected, and importers had told him they expected the deliveries to continue “well into April”.
“Every ship that we have expected to arrive has arrived – whether it is diesel, petrol or jet fuel,” he said.
“All the companies say to me that they fully expect deliveries into March and well into April, but we are in internationally uncertain times.”
He reiterated his call for people to stop panic buying, which he said was “very much causing the problem”.
“People going to Bunnings and buying out all the … jerry cans – that is unhelpful. That is un-Australian.”
Bowen would not speculate about the possibility of fuel rationing, saying only that the government was working “non-stop” to deal with any supply issues.
A fuel station with pumps out of order in Reservoir in Melbourne. Photograph: Jay Kogler/AAP
While determining the direct impact of global oil prices on the cost of fuel for consumers has been difficult, petrol prices have started to push past $2.30 per litre in most state capitals.
The ACCC’s meeting was among a handful of snap talks held by the and state governments this month to try to ensure the stability of both fuel supply and retail prices.
Representatives of companies – including Chevron, BP and Ampol – were called to the ACCC meeting to address the government’s concerns about price-gouging across the retail petrol sector.
The ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said the regulator was closely monitoring the market.
“We reiterated that the ACCC stands ready to use its authorisation powers to assist with effective fuel distribution throughout the country,” Cass-Gottlieb said.
In Victoria, the premier, Jacinta Allan, convened an emergency cabinet subcommittee to monitor the fuel supply situation, which met for the first time on Monday night.
Allan said she would chair an industry forum with fuel suppliers, business groups and agricultural representatives on Tuesday afternoon to understand the situation on the ground and outline the actions the government could take.
Since last week, Allan said 289 inspections were carried out by Consumer Affairs Victoria to ensure petrol stations complied with reporting their fuel prices, finding 23 unregistered stations and 16 that were not reporting.
Regional and independent stations have reported difficulty accessing fuel after suppliers prioritised supply to regular customers, cutting off smaller groups that buy fuel on the spot market.
Additionally, some rural service stations have reported simply not being able to replenish their stocks quickly enough to meet the surge in demand.
The New South Wales government also held crisis talks with fuel suppliers and key industries on Monday, where industry bodies agreed to share more information with the government so fuel could go where it was most needed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke on phone with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and discussed the current situation in West Asia. The Prime Minister once again condemned the attacks on UAE. These attacks resulted in loss of civilian lives and damage to civilian infrastructure.
The two leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring safe and free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and looked forward to continuing to work together to restore peace, security and stability in the region.
What did PM Modi say in the conversation?
Prime Minister Modi said in a post on social media platform He reiterated his strong condemnation of the attacks on the UAE and expressed concern over the deaths of innocent people and damage to civilian infrastructure.
The two leaders agreed to continue working together to ensure safe and free movement in the Strait of Hormuz and to restore peace, security and stability in the region.
Venezuela ended Italy’s magical WBC run on Monday night, coming from behind to defeat them, 4-2 at loanDepot park, earning a spotin the final against the United States.
Italy was the surprise team of the tournament, taking down the U.S. in pool play before defeating Mexico to finish a perfect 4-0 in Pool B.
Eugenio Suárez of Team Venezuela celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against Team Italy in the fourth inning at loanDepot park on March 16, 2026 in Miami, Florida.(Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
But that win over Mexico also kept Team USA alive in the tournament, allowing them to advance to the quarterfinals, where they defeated Canada before earning a thrilling 2-1 semifinal victory over the Dominican Republic on Sunday night to punch their ticket back to the final.
While it felt only right for the U.S. and Italy to meet once more to determine who would win it all before the start of the 2026 MLB season, Venezuela had other things in mind during the bottom of the seventh inning.
Down 2-1 in the contest, Venezuela found themselves threatening with a potential two-out rally after Jackson Chourio, the Milwaukee Brewers’ rising star, singled to center field, allowing Andres Gimenez to advance to third base.
That’s when Ronald Acuña Jr., the face of Venezuelan baseball, reached first on an infield single that allowed Gimenez to score, tying the game at two apiece. But the rally wasn’t over just yet.
The Venezuelans caught fire after Acuña’s single, as Maikel Garcia singled to left field, scoring Chourio, and Luis Arraez brought home Acuña. With two outs, Venezuela seized all the momentum with a three-run seventh inning that made it 4-2.
Italy had been clinging to the lead since the bottom of the second inning, when they made the most of a bases-loaded situation. J.J. D’Orazio walked home a run, while Dante Nori grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored another to give Italy a 2-0 lead.
Slugger Eugenio Suarez got Venezuela on the board in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run to left-center field, cutting the deficit to one. But they weren’t able to string together additional offense until that seventh inning.
From there, Italy could never get a rally started, as Daniel Palencia eventually shut the door in the ninth inning, striking out the final two Italian hitters.
As Venezuela celebrated, Italy hung their heads, but their story this month has been nothing short of incredible. Their espresso machine in the dugout — which captain Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals helped turn into a home run celebration — went viral as they continued to have success. The roster featured established MLB stars, top prospects and players with Italian heritage, earning praise from big leaguers throughout the past two weeks.
But it’s Venezuela, ripe with top MLB talent, ready to take on Team USA and starter Nolan McLean, who Italy touched up in their pool play game, on Tuesday night to determine who holds the rights to call themselves the best baseball team in the world for at least the next three years.
Team USA and Venezuela will face each other at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Equity benchmarks opened higher on Tuesday but quickly surrendered gains as selling in information technology stocks weighed on the indices, while a sharp rise in crude oil prices kept investor sentiment cautious.
The BSE Sensexwhich closed at 75,502.85 on Monday and opened at 75,826.68, was trading at 75,392.80, down 110.05 points or 0.15 per cent, at 9.26 am. The NSE Nifty50, which ended the previous session at 23,408.80 and opened at 23,493.20, was trading at 23,371.00, down 37.80 points or 0.16 per cent at the same time.
The broader market structure remains fragile. Gaurav Udani, Founder of ThinCredBlu Securities, said “…22,900 continues to act as an important support level, while 23,600 remains an immediate resistance zone where selling pressure may emerge.” He added that with Tuesday being the weekly derivatives expiry, traders should “…remain disciplined with risk management and avoid aggressive positioning during sharp intraday swings.”
IT stocks lead the decline
The technology sector was the biggest drag on the benchmarks. Wipro fell 2.62 per cent to ₹190.00, Infosys dropped 2.22 per cent to ₹1,222.00, HCL Technologies declined 1.40 per cent to ₹1,310.00, TCS shed 1.38 per cent to ₹2,376.00, and Tech Mahindra lost 1.21 per cent to ₹1,323.30.
Auto and telecom lead gains
On the other side, automobiles and telecom stocks provided support. Zomato parent CA Eternal was the top gainer on the Nifty50, rising 1.91 per cent to ₹226.28. Bharti Airtel added 1.13 per cent to ₹1,809.00. In the auto space, Mahindra & Mahindra gained 1.04 per cent to ₹3,067.80 and Maruti Suzuki rose 0.98 per cent to ₹12,882.00. Asian Paints edged up 0.82 per cent to ₹2,235.80.
Akshay Chinchalkar, Managing Partner and Head of Markets Strategy at The Wealth Company, noted that in the previous session “…Autos rising 1.7 per cent became the top performers on the day,” while realty stocks fell 1.6 per cent. He added that technically, the Nifty traced a bullish “piercing line” formation, making “…yesterday’s low of 22,955 a critical level.”
Crude oil surge a key risk
Crude oil markets remained elevated, adding to inflationary concerns for the Indian economy. May Brent oil futures were at $102.85 per barrel, up 2.63 per cent, while May WTI crude futures were at $95.02, up 2.87 per cent. On the domestic Multi Commodity Exchange, March crude oil futures were at ₹8,859, up 1.59 per cent, and April futures were at ₹8,842, up 1.95 per cent against the previous close.
Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, warned that “…this uncertainty is getting reflected in the market, too. Even seasoned experts lack conviction to advise investors on the right strategy.” He said the Nifty’s previous session bounce of 257 points “…was triggered mainly by short-covering from oversold territory” and is “…unlikely to sustain, given the massive selling by FIIs which touched ₹9,366 crore yesterday.”
Institutional flows diverge
Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers, offloading shares worth ₹9,365.5 crore in the previous session, while domestic institutional investors countered with net purchases of ₹12,593.4 crore, providing a floor to the market. Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, noted that “…robust DII inflows have helped stabilize the market by offsetting foreign selling pressure and containing downside risks.”
India VIX, the market’s fear gauge, showed early signs of easing from recent highs, though it remained elevated near 21.6, keeping option premiums expensive ahead of the weekly expiry. Aakash Shah, Technical Research Analyst at Choice Equity Broking, said that “…with the index approaching key resistance zones, a stock-specific approach with disciplined risk management remains advisable for the trading session ahead.”
Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities, placed key levels for traders: “…23,300/75,200 and 23,200/75,000 would act as key support zones,” while “…23,650/76,000 and 23,800/76,500 would serve as key resistance areas for the bulls.”
Trump seeks to delay China trip because of Iran war
Donald Trump has said his trip to China this month to meet with the country’s leader, Xi Jinping, could be delayed by “a month or so”.
But a key Trump administration official insisted the move was not to press Beijing to help unblock the strait of Hormuz.
Trump said:
We’re speaking to China. I would love to, but because of the war, I want to be here.
We have requested that we delay it a month or so, and I’m looking forward to meeting with him. We’ve got a war going on. I think it’s important that I be here. So it could be that we delay it a little bit, not much.
Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, earlier cast doubt on the trip but insisted this was not to pressure Beijing to help unblock thestrait of Hormuz, telling CNBC:
We will see whether the visit takes place as scheduled. But what I do want to parse, and there’s a false narrative out there that if the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the president’s demanded that China police the straits of Hormuz.
Key events
More now on Iraq: the reported drone and rocket attack targeting the US embassy in Baghdad early on Tuesday came as a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisors, security officials said, pulling Iraq deeper into the Middle East war.
The strikes came hours after air defences thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy and a drone caused a fire at a luxury hotel frequented by foreign diplomats in Baghdad’s fortified green zone, Agence France-Presse reported.
Iraq was drawn into the Middle East war after having long been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran, with strikes targeting Iran-backed groups that have claimed daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region.
Meanwhile, a strike on a house in Baghdad killed four people early on Tuesday, with initial reports suggesting that two of the dead were “Iranian advisors” to Tehran-backed groups, a security source told AFP.
Another source from an Iran-backed faction confirmed that four people were killed in the strike on a house hosting Iranian advisors in al-Jadiriyah neighbourhood.
The United Arab Emirates’ air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone attacks from Iran, the Gulf state’s ministry of defence has just said.
It posted on social media that sounds being heard there are from air defences intercepting ballistic missiles and fighter jets intercepting drones and loitering munitions.
Trump seeks to delay China trip because of Iran war
Donald Trump has said his trip to China this month to meet with the country’s leader, Xi Jinping, could be delayed by “a month or so”.
But a key Trump administration official insisted the move was not to press Beijing to help unblock the strait of Hormuz.
Trump said:
We’re speaking to China. I would love to, but because of the war, I want to be here.
We have requested that we delay it a month or so, and I’m looking forward to meeting with him. We’ve got a war going on. I think it’s important that I be here. So it could be that we delay it a little bit, not much.
Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, earlier cast doubt on the trip but insisted this was not to pressure Beijing to help unblock thestrait of Hormuz, telling CNBC:
We will see whether the visit takes place as scheduled. But what I do want to parse, and there’s a false narrative out there that if the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the president’s demanded that China police the straits of Hormuz.
Welcome summary
Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the repercussions for the region, the world and the global economy.
Here are the latest developments:
A wave of drone and rocket attacks targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early on Tuesday, Iraqi security sources said. They described it as the most intense assault since the attacks began, with at least five drones used, Reuters reported. It quoted a witness as saying a powerful explosion was heard in the Iraqi capital.
Smoke and fire rise during reported strikes at the US embassy, according to Iraqi security sources, in Baghdad, Iraq, in a still taken from social media video. Photograph: Reuters
Air traffic operations in the United Arab Emirates have returned to normal after the temporary closure of its airspace earlier on Tuesday, the Gulf state’s aviation authority has said, quoted by the state news agency. The UAE’s ministry of defence said earlier that the country’s defences were responding to incoming missiles and drones from Iran.
Donald Trump said he will “soon” announce countries that have agreed to help the US reopen the strait of Hormuz, as he criticised his many allies – including Nato and the UK – that have so far declined to get involved. He said South Korea, Japan and China should be helping the US, also warning that Nato faced a “very bad” future if it didn’t help and saying he was “not happy” with the UK.
Allies responded by saying “this is not Nato war”, with the EU insisting it has “no appetite” to expand its naval mission to the strait of Hormuz. German chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier said this war “is not a matter for Nato”, while Nato said “allies have already stepped up to provide additional security in the Mediterranean”. UK prime minister Keir Starmer had earlier resisted Trump’s call to send warships to the strait, saying the UK “will not be drawn into a wider war” but was working with allies on a plan to reopen the strait.
Trump also said the war would be “wrapped up” soon, and that it wouldn’t be this week but “it won’t be long”.
US vice-president JD Vance deflected and attacked the media when asked if he supported Trump’s war on Iran, given his prior criticisms of open-ended US foreign interventionism. It followed US media reports that he had privately expressed scepticism and counselled Trump against striking Iran. Vance accused the media of trying to “drive a wedge” between him and his president, and repeated Trump’s claim that Tehran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. “I trust President Trump to get the job done,” he said.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi denied recent contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and said their last contact was before the US-Israel attack on Iran. Araghchi wrote on X: “My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran. Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public.”It followed an Axios report that a direct communications channel between Witkoff and Araghchi had been reactivated in recent days, with Araghchi attempting to engage with Witkoff about ending the war.
The leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Canada and Italy expressed “grave concern” after Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon. They called for meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives to negotiate a sustainable political solution. A significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences, they warned in a joint statement, adding that it could lead to a protracted conflict with “devastating humanitarian consequences”.
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli Defence Forces said its troops had begun what it described as “limited and targeted” ground operations against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, and told hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians they could not return to their homes.
It came as the latest reports indicate that Israeli strikes have killed at least 850 people in Lebanon, including at least 107 children, and left more than a million displaced.
Operations at the UAE’s Shah gas and oil field were suspended after a fire that broke out due to a drone attack. Abu Dhabi authorities said on Monday night that the fire had been brought under control.
Qatar said it intercepted a second wave of missiles from Iran after an attack earlier on Monday.
