Author: ALJAZEERA

The Israeli army has stepped up attacks across Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians in the central part of the besieged enclave, as US national security adviser Jake Sullivan travelled to Israel to hold talks with senior officials. Sullivan was expected to press Israeli leaders on Sunday to take a more targeted approach in the country’s Gaza offensive and avoid a wider-scale assault on the southern city of Rafah. He met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and was also expected to hold discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to move forward with the Rafah offensive despite warnings from…

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EXPLAINERA helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and the foreign minister crashed while travelling back from East Azerbaijan.The world is watching as Iran mobilises emergency crews to search for President Ebrahim Raisi, whose helicopter – which was travelling in a convoy – went down in a remote area near Jolfa in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. He was returning from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan, where he and the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had inaugurated a cooperative dam project, the latest sign of warming relations between the two countries. Twenty rescue teams and drones have been sent to the area where the…

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DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Iranian state media say search operations are under way after incident near Jolfa in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has suffered a “hard landing”, state television reported, saying more details will follow soon as search operations are under way for the helicopter. Iranian state media said the incident occurred on Sunday near Jolfa in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. A day earlier, Raisi was in neighbouring Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam alongside President Ilham Aliyev. State-linked media said three helicopters were in the convoy, and the two others made it back safely. Foreign…

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‘Forget his belts. I’m coming for his heart, he’s getting it tomorrow,’ Fury threatened in a brief bust-up with Usyk.Tyson Fury shoved and swore at Oleksandr Usyk at the weigh-in as the build-up to their historic undisputed heavyweight clash exploded into life. [Follow Al Jazeera’s live build-up and coverage of the fight here.] A shirtless Fury eyeballed the Ukrainian and then pushed him angrily, sparking a brief melee on stage, before hurling a series of swear words at his opponent on Friday. “We’re ready to rock and roll, so fireworks tomorrow night. I’m going knock [him] spark out,” raged the…

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Israel’s war cabinet member Benny Gantz has threatened to quit the government of Benjamin Netanyahu should the prime minister fail to present a post-war plan for Gaza by June 8. Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Gantz called on the cabinet to agree to a six-point plan laying out a vision for the besieged strip’s governance once the conflict is over. The Israeli politician, a former defence minister, said that if his demands were not met, he would withdraw his centrist party from the emergency unity government formed last year to oversee the war on Gaza. Gantz is seen…

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Nearly 800,000 Palestinians have been displaced from Rafah since Israel launched its offensive against the southern Gaza city last week, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has said. Lazzarini decried the repeated displacement of Palestinians in the statement on Saturday. “Since the war in Gaza began, Palestinians have been forced to flee multiple times in search of safety that they have never found, including in UNRWA shelters,” Lazzarini said. “When people move, they are exposed, without safe passage or protection. Every time, they are forced to leave behind the few belongings they have: …

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