Oil refineries, depots and tankers have all been key targets of US-Israeli and Iranian drone and missile strikes in the first weeks of the war in the Middle East. The attacks have driven oil prices higher internationally, prompting the International Energy Agency (IEA) to announce the release of 400 million barrels of oil from its 32-member countries. In Oman, Saudi …

US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran’s Kharg Island hub unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a warning that could further shake markets coping with a historic supply disruption. Mr Trump paired his Friday ultimatum with a social media post saying the US had “totally obliterated” military targets on the …

Thousands of Palestinians sheltering in southern Gaza have rushed to the north in the hours since the ceasefire began, hopeful it will hold long enough for them to return home. “We are very happy. We are celebrating our loved ones. We’re going to see our loved ones and our neighbours,” Wissam Al-Durra, 23, told the ABC. He said he was …

This is not a peace plan — it’s a temporary ceasefire. The bombing will hopefully stop and, three days later, Israeli hostages will be handed to the Red Cross and taken out of Gaza, ending 738 days in captivity. Aid is supposed to surge into the strip, finally allowing Palestinians more food, clean water, medicine and shelter. The Israeli military …

All United Nations Security Council members, except the United States, say the famine in Gaza is a “man-made crisis” and warn the use of starvation as a weapon of war is banned under international humanitarian law. In a joint statement on Wednesday, local time, the 14 council members called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages …

For weeks, the government has been saying it’s a question of when, not if, Australia will recognise a Palestinian state. And now we know the when. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese…. “At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, Australia will recognise the state of Palestine.” Australia will join France and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state …

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of having “abandoned Australia’s Jews” by his Israeli counterpart as relations deteriorate between the two nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media to personally attack Albanese in an escalation of the diplomatic stoush. “History will remember Albanese for what he is: a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s …

Australia and 23 other countries have urgently called on Israel to allow aid into Gaza as the humanitarian crisis reaches “unimaginable levels”. A joint statement, signed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, condemns the politicisation of aid, saying “urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation” in the Palestinian enclave.  “We call on the government of Israel to provide …

Syria says it is withdrawing troops from a flashpoint southern city after days of deadly clashes with an Arab minority group that triggered military action from Israel. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the country was “not afraid of war” but had chosen to put its people “above chaos and destruction,” after his government announced a new ceasefire with the Druze, an offshoot …

Worshippers had gathered for a packed Sunday service at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood when the attack took place. The suicide bomber entered and opened fire, before detonating his explosive vest, Syria’s interior ministry said in a statement. Debris lies after a blast rocked the Mar Elias Church. It said the suicide bomber was a member of …