Saudi Grand Mufti tells troops to be ready to sacrifice their lives fighting Houthis
Saudi Arabia's top religious authority called on soldiers in the kingdom to be ready to lay down their lives to fight the Iran-backed Houthis until the group is ousted from power, a statement posted on the Saudi
state news agency said.
The rare and strongly worded message by Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan was addressed to soldiers stationed at the country's borders and drew heavily on Quranic verses and recorded sayings of the Prophet Mohammad related to sacrifice and struggle in defence of God.
It comes after weeks of escalating violence between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis which has seen the Iran-backed group attack the kingdom with salvos of missiles and drones and Saudi Arabia respond with airstrikes.
Observers have been questioning whether Saudi Arabia will launch a broader military operation along with Yemeni government forces it backs.
Turkey rejects Netanyahu's 'baseless accusations' at UN
Turkey rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "baseless accusations" at the United Nations, its state-run news agency Anadolu reported on Friday.
Netanyahu had called Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "tyrant" during a fiery speech at the UN, accusing Ankara of harbouring Hamas militant leaders.
The Israeli leader's address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, in which he denounced enemies and allies alike, sparked uproar in the chamber.
Dozens of envoys from across the world walked out, some jeering and booing, while Netanyahu's own team stood and applauded, and the speaker of the session shouted for order.
"The latest country to become a super spreader of antisemitic lies (is Turkey)," he said.
"Erdogan is a tyrant. He also hosts the Hamas terror chiefs."
US 'must choose' whether to end war, Iran president tells Fox News
It is for the United States to choose whether to end its war in Iran as Tehran does not wish to continue fighting, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Fox News in an interview aired Thursday.
Pezeshkian took a defiant stand at the UN Wednesday, for which he travelled to New York, telling the world that Iran would not "bend at the knee" to Washington -- even as US President Donald Trump acknowledged ongoing US-Iran talks.
"When we can resolve issues through dialog, we shouldn't resort to killing one another. But with the instigations conducted by Israel, they have imposed this war on us," he said in remarks translated by the broadcaster.
"But we do not wish to continue. It's America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not."
Pezeshkian insisted Iran was ready to strike a deal with Trump to end the conflict.
"Why is it that within two weeks after the signing of an agreement, they chose to blow it up?" he said of the collapse of a shaky ceasefire.
"If the current American government, within international legal frameworks, wishes to reach an agreement, fine. If not, before the (US midterm) elections or after the elections, what difference does it make for us?"
Iranian and Ukrainian foreign ministers meet in New York, Mehr news agency reports
Israeli policies will ‘destroy two-state solution’, Abbas warns
People in Gaza subject to ‘genocidal war’, Abbas says
80 countries call at UN for full restoration of Gulf maritime navigation
Attacking Iran ‘one of the easiest decisions I have made as PM’: Netanyahu
France to send 'military means' to protect Saudi oil port
Yesterday's key developments:
- British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Iran 's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi in a meeting that the UK will "not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil" from groups linked to his country.
- President Emmanuel Macron said France would send " military means" to help shield the key Saudi oil terminal of Yanbu from attacks by Yemen 's Iran-backed Houthis.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House that China supports the US and Iran returning to a June deal that was meant to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, Xinhua news agency said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
