Children among over a dozen killed across Gaza as Khamenei vows not to back down amid Iran protests

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The Syrian army is reportedly in control of over half of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood of Aleppo, according to Al Jazeera, citing Syrian army sources.

The head of the SDF's media centre, Farhad Shami, has said: "Our forces succeeded in completely destroying an enemy tank and killing its crew, in addition to shooting down a suicide drone" belonging to the Syrian army.

The Syrian army has announced that three of its soldiers have been killed in fighting with the SDF in Aleppo, with a further 12 wounded in the clashes.

The announcement comes as the army launches a renewed assault on the SDF-held neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud.

The United States is to blame for "the transformation of peaceful protests into violent, subversive acts and widespread vandalism" in Iran, the country's United Nations ambassador told the Security Council on Friday.

Iran condemns "the ongoing, unlawful, and irresponsible conduct of the United States of America, in coordination with the Israeli regime, in interfering in Iran’s internal affairs through threats, incitement, and the deliberate encouragement of instability and violence," Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani wrote in a letter, seen by Reuters.

He accused Washington of "destabilising practices" that undermine the founding UN Charter, violate fundamental principles of international law, and threaten the foundations of international peace and security.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran, faced with major protests, was in "big trouble" and again warned he could order military strikes.

"Iran's in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago," Trump said.

The Syrian army said on Friday it is launching a security operation to clear Kurdish forces from Aleppo's Sheikh Maksoud, as the Kurdish groups had rejected a Syrian government demand for their fighters to withdraw from the area.

Two Syrian security officials said that the army will clear Sheikh Maksoud, a pocket of Aleppo that Kurdish forces have held, by force, as Aleppo ceasefire has failed.

New protests erupted in Iran late Friday with people rallying in a northwestern district of capital Tehran despite an internet shutdown and deadly crackdown by authorities, according to a video verified by AFP.

In Tehran's Sadatabad district people banged pots and chanted anti-governments slogans including "death to Khamenei", in reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as cars hooted in support, the verified video showed.

Other images posted on social media showed similar protests were taking place elsewhere in Tehran, while videos published by Persian language television channels based outside Iran showed large numbers taking part in new protests in the eastern city of Mashhad, Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Qom.

The UN has called for the protection of Iranian protesters and for those perpetrating violence to be held account, according a statement released by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

"I am deeply disturbed by reports of violence during nationwide protests in Iran over the past 13 days, including reported deaths and destruction of property. The right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in international law, must be protected," Turk said.

"All deaths should be promptly, independently, and transparently investigated. Those responsible for any violations must be held to account in line with international norms and standards," he added.

French, British and German leaders on Friday condemned the killing of protesters in Iran and urged the Iranian authorities to restrain from violence, in a joint statement released by French President Emmanuel Macron's office.

"The Iranian authorities have the responsibility to protect its own population and must allow for the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal," the joint statement said.

Iranian Nobel peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi on Friday warned security forces in the Islamic republic could be preparing to commit a "massacre under the cover of a sweeping communications blackout" after imposing a nationwide internet shutdown.

The internet shutdown is "not a technical failure... it is a tactic", the veteran campaigner, who now lives in exile, said on her official Telegram account.

She said she had received information that hundreds of people had been taken to a Tehran hospital on Thursday with "severe eye injuries" caused by pellet gun fire.

Iran's government has confirmed that it has cut off internet across the country, according to the BBC, with the Ministry of Authority saying that "security authorities" had done so due to "prevailing conditions in the country".

Internet monitor NetBlocks registered that internet services in Iran were shut off on Thursday.

Israeli settlers carried out overnight raids in two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to a classroom at a school in Jalud and torching vehicles in the northern village of Bazariyah, according to Palestinian reports.

The attackers also sprayed graffiti reading “revenge” and wrote the names of two settlers wounded in police shootings in 2025, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

In a statement, the Israeli military said its troops received reports of vandalism by Israeli civilians and that no suspects were present when forces arrived at the scenes. The incidents are under investigation, it added.

Yemen's recently dismissed defence minister, who travelled to Riyadh with a top-level separatist delegation allegedly detained in the kingdom, is reportedly being held at the Saudi defence ministry on Friday.

The family of Mohsen al-Daeri has been unable to contact him since he left Aden for Riyadh early on Wednesday, AFP news agency reported- citing a source who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

He had boarded the same plane as a delegation of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council delegation of more than 50 people including top members.

The STC says they have been "arbitrarily detained" and that they have not been able to contact them.

The minister is not an official member of the STC, but he hails from Dhale, the home province of the group's leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi.

STC forces seized control of much of the south last month, ousting Saudi-backed rivals and angering Riyadh.

On Thursday, Yemen's presidential body dismissed Daeri from his position.

Daeri stayed in Aden during the STC land grab, which was later reversed by Saudi military power aided by their Yemeni allies on the ground.

A Hamas official said Friday that Israeli strikes on Gaza "cannot happen without American cover", the day after Israeli attacks killed at least 13 people according to the Palestinian territory's civil defence agency.

Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations.

Gaza's civil defence agency -- which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority -- said Israeli attacks across the territory on Thursday killed at least 13 people, including five children.

In a statement on Friday morning, the Israeli military said it "precisely struck Hamas terrorists and terror infrastructure" in response to a "failed projectile" launch.

"Just yesterday, 13 people were killed in different areas of the Strip on fabricated pretexts, in addition to the hundreds of killed and wounded who preceded them after the ceasefire," Hamas political bureau member, Bassem Naim, wrote on Telegram.

"This cannot happen without American cover or a green light."

The exiled son of Iran's late shah on Friday appealed to US President Donald Trump to intervene urgently as protesters gathered in the Islamic republic.

"Mr. President, this is an urgent and immediate call for your attention, support and action," Reza Pahlavi wrote on social media. "Please be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran."

Iran's foreign minister accused the United States and Israel on Friday of fuelling a growing protest movement in the country, while dismissing the possibility of direct foreign military intervention after US warnings over crackdowns on demonstrators.

"This is what the Americans and Israelis have stated, that they are directly intervening in the protests in Iran," said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a visit to Lebanon.

"They are trying to transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones," he said, adding that "regarding the possibility of seeing military intervention against Iran, we believe there is a low possibility of this because their previous attempts were total failures".

Qatar said on Friday that its embassy in the Ukrainian capital was damaged during Russian strikes the night before but that its staff were unharmed.

"The State of Qatar expresses its deep regret over the damage sustained by its embassy building in Ukraine as a result of the strikes on the capital, Kyiv, last night.

It also confirms that none of its diplomats or embassy staff were harmed," the foreign ministry said in a statement shared on X.

Germany calls on Israel to halt its controversial E1 settlement project, said a foreign ministry spokesperson in Berlin on Friday, warning that construction carries the risk of creating more instability in the West Bank and the region.

"The plans for the E1 settlement project, it must be said, are part of a comprehensive intensification of settlement policy in the West Bank, which we have recently observed," said the spokesperson at a regular government press conference.

"It carries the risk of creating even more instability, as it would further restrict the mobility of the Palestinian population in the West Bank," as well as jeopardise the prospects of a two-state solution, the spokesperson added. 

Turkey's defence minister on Friday welcomed the Syrian army's operation against Kurdish fighters in Aleppo.

"We welcome this operation, which targets all terrorist groups. I would like to reiterate that we view Syria's security as our own security and that we support Syria's fight against terrorist organisations," Yasar Guler said.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi on Friday urged his visiting Iranian counterpart to find a "new approach" to the thorny issue of disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Lebanon is under heavy US pressure to disarm Hezbollah, which was heavily weakened in more than a year of hostilities with Israel that largely ended with a November 2024 ceasefire, but Iran and the group have expressed opposition to the move.

Iran has long wielded substantial influence in Lebanon by funding and arming Hezbollah, but as the balance of power shifted since the recent conflict, officials have been more critical towards Tehran.

"The defence of Lebanon is the sole responsibility of the Lebanese state", which must have a monopoly on weapons, Raggi told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a Lebanese foreign ministry statement said.

Raggi called on Iran to engage in talks with Lebanon to find "a new approach to the issue of Hezbollah's weapons, drawing on Iran's relationship with the party, so that these weapons do not become a pretext for weakening Lebanon".

He asked Araghchi "whether Tehran would accept the presence of an illegal armed organisation on its own territory".

Last month, Raggi declined an invitation to visit Iran and proposed meeting in a neutral third country.

Lebanon's army said Thursday that it had completed the first phase of disarming Hezbollah, doing so in the south Lebanon area near the border with Israel, which called the efforts "far from sufficient".

Araghchi also met President Joseph Aoun on Friday and was set to hold talks with several other senior officials.

Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets in several areas of Lebanon on Friday, a day after the Lebanese army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group.

Under US pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed militant group, which was weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel including two months of all-out war that ended with a November 2024 ceasefire.

Despite the truce, Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic, accusing the group of rearming.

In a statement on Friday, the Israeli military said it struck "several areas in Lebanon", targeting "weapons storage facilities and a weapons production site that were used for the rehabilitation and military build-up of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation".

"Additionally, several launch sites and rocket launchers, along with military structures, were struck," it added.

Lebanese official news agency NNA reported strikes on southern Lebanon in areas far from the border, as well as in the eastern Bekaa area where Hezbollah has a strong presence.

No casualties were immediately reported.

Lebanon ’s government on Friday signed a deal with an international consortium to explore gas in an offshore area bordering Israel.

The deal for exploration at the so-called Block 8 off the coast of southern Lebanon is the latest to be granted by Beirut to international companies to search for gas in its territorial waters.

The deal was signed at the government’s headquarters by Energy Minister Joe Saddi from the Lebanese side and officials from the international consortium consisting of France’s TotalEnergies, Italy’s ENI, and state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy.

TotalEnergies said in a statement that the consortium plans to start with a 1,200-square kilometer (463 square mile) 3D seismic survey to assess the area’s exploration potential.

The European Union on Friday called on Iran to restore internet access in the country, and condemned any violence against protesters.

"The people of Iran are expressing their legitimate aspiration for a better life. Any violence against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.

"We urge the Iranian authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and to restore access to the internet for all," he added.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Europe would do everything possible to assist Syria's recovery and reconstruction, after meeting President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday in Damascus.

Von der Leyen, the highest ranking EU official to visit since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024, is on a regional tour alongside Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council.

"Europe will do everything it can to support Syria's recovery and reconstruction," von der Leyen said on X.

A Syrian presidency statement said the two sides discussed cooperation, including on reconstruction, as well as "humanitarian matters and the refugee issue in Europe".

On Thursday, a joint EU-Jordan statement issued on the eve of the EU leaders' arrival in Damascus said that "we will continue working together in support of a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition".

Germany calls on Israel to halt its controversial E1 settlement project, said a foreign ministry spokesperson in Berlin on Friday, warning that construction carries the risk of creating more instability in the occupied West Bank and the region.

"The plans for the E1 settlement project, it must be said, are part of a comprehensive intensification of settlement policy in the West Bank, which we have recently observed," said the spokesperson at a regular government press conference.

"It carries the risk of creating even more instability, as it would further restrict the mobility of the Palestinian population in the West Bank," as well as jeopardise the prospects of a two-state solution, the spokesperson added.

Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets in south and east Lebanon on Friday, a day after the Lebanese army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group in the south.

In a statement on Friday, the Israeli military said it struck "several areas in Lebanon", targeting "weapons storage facilities and a weapons production site that were used for the rehabilitation and military build-up of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation".

"Additionally, several launch sites and rocket launchers, along with military structures, were struck," it added.

Lebanese official news agency NNA reported strikes on southern Lebanon in areas far from the border, as well as in the eastern Beqaa, two areas where Hezbollah has long had a strong presence. No casualties were immediately reported.

"The targets that were struck, and Hezbollah's reestablishment activity in these sites, constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, and pose a threat to the State of Israel," the military statement said.

Pope Leo XIV on Friday lamented rising violence in the occupied West Bank and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying Palestinians had the right to live peacefully in their "own land".

"Sadly, there has been an increase in violence in the West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population, which has the right to live in peace in its own land," said the US pope, adding that civilians in Gaza also should be assured "a future of lasting peace and justice in their own land".

Turkish Airlines on Friday cancelled its seven flights from Istanbul to Iran -- five of them to the capital Tehran which has been rocked by protests against the rising cost of living, a spokesperson told AFP news agency.

The other flights were bound for Tabriz and for Mashad, the spokesperson said.

Turkish Airlines had already cancelled two flights to Tehran on Thursday and one to Tabriz, the spokesperson said.

According to the Istanbul airport app, five other flights operated by Iranian airlines have also been cancelled, while seven others were still scheduled at midday.

Turkish authorities have not commented so far on the situation in Iran, where the protests have challenged the authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Iranian government was already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel.

The former U.N. envoy expected to help lead Donald Trump's so-called Board of Peace for Gaza met a top Palestinian Authority official on Friday as the U.S. president pushes ahead with his plan for the enclave's future.

Nickolay Mladenov, the former U.N. Middle East envoy who is expected to represent the board on the ground, met senior Palestinian Authority (PA) official Hussein al-Sheikh in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday, the Palestinian leader said on X.

The two men discussed "the situation in the Gaza Strip, ways to move to the second phase, and mechanisms for implementing (Trump's) plan," Sheikh said.

A Chinese envoy visited Israel and Ramallah this week and met senior officials from both sides, China's foreign ministry said in statements on Friday.

Zhai Jun, special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, was in Israel from Tuesday to Thursday and held talks with Israeli officials including Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and "exchanged views on regional hot issues".

In a separate statement, the ministry said Zhai also visited Ramallah in the West Bank on Wednesday and held a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which they discussed China-Palestinian relations and the Palestinian issue.

Kurdish councils in Syria's Aleppo said on Friday they would not evacuate neighbourhoods under their control as part of a ceasefire deal to end days of fighting between Kurdish forces and Syrian government fighters.

In a statement published by Syrian Kurdish outlets, the local councils of the Ashrafiyah and Sheikh Maksoud districts said calls to leave Aleppo were "a call to surrender" and that Kurdish forces would instead "defend their neighbourhoods". 

Palestinians were killed and injured after an Israeli air strike hit a residential apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian media reports.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will give a speech in a few minutes on "the terrorist actions" in the country, Iranian state TV reported on Friday, as protests over economic hardships continued around the country.

Iranians staged their biggest protests yet of an almost two week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, chanting slogans including "death to the dictator" and setting fire to official buildings, videos showed Friday.

Internet monitor Netblocks said authorities had imposed a total connectivity blackout late Thursday and added early Friday that the country has "now been offline for 12 hours... in an attempt to suppress sweeping protests".

The son of the shah of Iran ousted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, US-based Reza Pahlavi, who had called for major protests Thursday, meanwhile urged a new show of force in the streets on Friday.

Videos depicted crowds of people, as well as vehicles honking in support, filling a part of the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard late on Friday.

The crowd could be heard chanting "death to the dictator" in reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has ruled the Islamic republic since 1989.

Other videos showed significant protests in other cities, including Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Mashhad in the east as well as the Kurdish-populated west of the country, including the regional hub Kermanshah.

Several videos said protesters had set fire to the entrance to the the regional branch of state television in the central city of Isfahan. It was not immediately possible to verify the images.

Four Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a barracks and a residential house in the Asqoula area of the Al-Zeitoun neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, according to The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Nickolay Mladenov, the man chosen to serve as director-general for US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace in Gaza, is a Bulgarian politician and former UN envoy to the Middle East who frequently worked to ease tensions between Israel and Hamas.

His appointment — announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and confirmed by a U.S. official — makes him the top official in an unproven international body tasked with governing the Gaza Strip under the next phase of a fragile US-brokered ceasefire after two years of war.

According to the ceasefire agreement, the authority — to be chaired by Trump — is supposed to supervise a new technocratic Palestinian government, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, additional pullbacks of Israeli troops and reconstruction.

The 53-year-old Mladenov has long been involved in Middle Eastern politics with solid expertise in the region’s dynamic developments.

He is a former Bulgarian defense and foreign minister who served as the UN envoy to Iraq before being appointed as the UN Mideast peace envoy from 2015-2020.