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The United States and Israel on Friday accused Iran of trying to kill Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, with Tehran rejecting the claim as a “big lie” and the Mexican government saying it was unaware of the plot.The purported assassination attempt came as tensions soared to new highs between Israel and Iran, which have each attacked the other’s territory.Israel said Mexican authorities had intervened to stop the attempt to kill its ambassador, Einat Kranz-Neiger, but Mexico’s foreign ministry later said it had “received no information” on the alleged incident.Without naming the United States or Israel, Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, which oversees intelligence, said it was open to “respectful and coordinated cooperation, always within the framework of national sovereignty, with all security agencies that request it.”Kranz-Neiger, when asked by Mexican media about the conflicting statements, said she was “unaware of the reasons” of Mexico’s denial.”Those who acted to neutralize this threat were the Mexican security and intelligence authorities,” she told Radio Formula.Iran’s embassy in Mexico meanwhile called the alleged plot “a great big lie.”The objective “is to damage the friendly and historic relations between both countries (Mexico and Iran), which we categorically reject,” the embassy in Mexico posted on X.Mexico historically seeks non-intervention in international affairs and has taken a more cautious stance on the Gaza war than other leftist-led Latin American countries.Mexico has backed an investigation into allegations of Israeli war crimes but has also maintained diplomatic relations with Israel, which were established decades ago and have been largely cordial.- Alleged Venezuela connection -A US official said the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force initiated the plot in late 2024 and that it was disrupted this year.The plot allegedly included recruiting operatives out of Iran’s embassy in Venezuela, whose leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, has a tactical alliance with Tehran.”This is just the latest in a long history of Iran’s global lethal targeting of diplomats, journalists, dissidents and anyone who disagrees with them, something that should deeply worry every country where there is an Iranian presence,” the US official said on condition of anonymity.The official did not provide detailed evidence or say how the plot was contained.The alleged plot would have taken place after Israel’s April 1, 2024 attack on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, then a close ally of Tehran. The attack killed several top Revolutionary Guards officers and prompted vows of revenge by Tehran, which fired missiles and drones against Israel.A year later Israel carried out a much more extensive bombing campaign in Iran, which killed more than 1,000 people. The United States, Israel’s main ally, joined by bombing key sites of Iran’s contested nuclear program.Iran’s cleric-run state has been a critical supporter of Hamas, the armed Palestinian militant group in Gaza that carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.Israel responded with a relentless campaign that has left most of Gaza in rubble and expanded its military offensive across the region, hitting Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar and Yemen.Israeli intelligence has accused the Quds Force of plotting against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas.Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador over what it said was Iranian involvement in two arson attacks — against a synagogue in Melbourne and a kosher restaurant in Sydney.Latin America is not a stranger to violence linked to the Middle East. A bombing at a Jewish center in 1994 in Buenos Aires killed 85 people, with Argentina and Israel saying it was carried out by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at the request of Iran.Iran remains home to a historic Jewish community despite the hostility to Israel by the cleric-run government that took power with the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Turkey announced Friday that it had issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials in his government over the war in Gaza.The announcement was met with a firm rebuttal from Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel “firmly rejects, with contempt” the charges, calling them “the latest PR stunt by the tyrant (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan”.The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said in a statement that a total of 37 suspects were targeted by the arrest warrants, without providing a full list.They include Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.Turkey has accused the officials of “genocide and crimes against humanity” that Israel has “perpetrated systematically” in Gaza.The statement also refers to the “Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital”, built by Turkey in the Gaza Strip and bombed by Israel in March.Turkey, which has been one of the most vocal critics of the war in Gaza, last year joined South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).A fragile ceasefire has been in force in the devastated Palestinian territory since October 10 as part of US President Donald Trump’s regional peace plan.The Islamist militant group Hamas welcomed Turkey’s announcement, calling it a “commendable measure (confirming) the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people”.- Stabilisation force -Saar said in his post in English on the social media platform X that “in Erdogan’s Turkey, the judiciary has long since become a tool for silencing political rivals and detaining journalists, judges and mayors”.He added that the Istanbul prosecutor’s office “recently orchestrated the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul merely for daring to run against Erdogan”, referring to Ekrem Imamoglu, who was detained in March.Israel’s former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman wrote on X that the arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials “clearly explain why Turkey should not be present in the Gaza Strip — directly or indirectly”.Turkey wants to take part in the international stabilisation force intended to play a role in post-war Gaza, according to Trump’s plan.But Ankara’s efforts, which include increasing diplomatic contacts in the region and seeking to influence the pro-Israel stance of the United States, are viewed unfavourably in Israel, which considers Turkey too close to Hamas.Israeli leaders have repeatedly expressed their opposition to any Turkish participation in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.Israel has rejected as “false” and “antisemitic” accusations of genocide from a UN-mandated commission, several NGOs and some countries.

Prominent Tunisian opposition figures including Rached Ghannouchi said Friday they would go on hunger strike in solidarity with a jailed politician whose health they say has severely deteriorated after nine days without food.Jawhar Ben Mbarek, co-founder of the National Salvation Front, Tunisia’s main opposition alliance, launched a hunger strike last week to protest his detention since February 2023.In April, he was sentenced to 18 years behind bars on charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group” in a mass trial criticised by rights groups.Members of Ben Mbarek’s family and leaders from opposition Ennahdha and Al Joumhouri parties said they would join the strike.”Jawhar is in a worrisome condition, and his health is deteriorating,” said Ezzeddine Hazgui, his father and a veteran activist, during a press conference in Tunis.Hazgui said “the family would also launch a hunger strike beginning tomorrow”, without specifying which relatives would take part.”We will not forgive (President) Kais Saied,” he said.Rights groups have warned of a sharp decline in civil liberties in the North African country since a sweeping power grab by Saied in July 2021. Many of his critics are currently behind bars.Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old leader of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party who is also serving hefty prison sentences, said he joined the protest on Friday, according to a post on his official Facebook page.Ghannouchi said his hunger strike sought to support Ben Mbarek, but also to “defend freedoms in the country”.Centrist Al Joumhouri party leader Issam Chebbi, who is also behind bars, announced he launched a hunger strike on Friday as well.Wissam Sghaier, another leader in Al Joumhouri, said some members of the party would follow suit.Sghaier said the party’s headquarters in the capital would serve as a gathering point for anyone willing to join.Relatives and a delegation from the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) visited Ben Mbarek at the Belli Civil Prison where he is held southeast of Tunis and reported a “serious deterioration of his state”.Many gathered near the prison to demand Ben Mbarek’s release.The LTDH said there have been “numerous attempts” to persuade Ben Mbarek to suspend the hunger strike, but “he refused and said he was committed to maintain it until the injustice inflicted upon him is lifted”.On Wednesday, prison authorities denied in a statement that the health of any prisoners had deteriorated because of a hunger strike, without naming Ben Mbarek.

Crowds packed central Tehran on Friday for the unveiling of a statue celebrating an ancient Persian victory over foreign enemies — a show of defiance toward Iran’s modern-day foes in the wake of its recent 12-day war with Israel.Thousands filled Enghelab Square to see the monument depicting the triumphant Sasanian king Shapur I looming on horseback over the kneeling Roman emperor Valerian, whom the Persian ruler captured in the third century AD.Over Shapur’s shoulder, multiple storeys high, stood a depiction of an ancient Persian warrior and a modern Iranian soldier, both grasping the same spear. Inscribed on their shields, the slogan: “You will kneel before Iran again.””Such stories have repeatedly occurred through history, and the aggressors to Iran will suffer the same fate,” Fatemeh Roshanbakhsh, 40, told AFP at the event. The new statue was modelled on a stone engraving in southern Iran carved around the time of the original victory.Student Moein, 21, said he had “studied about it in history books”, adding that gatherings like Friday’s “positively affect people’s morale”.”Our nation has always been and will always be victorious,” Moein added. Alongside the sculpture of Shapur, organisers hung banners portraying slain Iranian military figures, including revered Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a 2020 US strike in Baghdad, and Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Guards’ Aerospace force, who was killed in the Israeli attacks.In June Israel launched an unprecedented military campaign against Iran, killing more than a thousand people, according to official figures.Tehran reciprocated with missile and drone attacks on Israel, killing dozens.”Iran throughout history had generals that defeated the system of blasphemy and arrogance,” psychologist Roshanbakhsh, clad in a black chador said in reference to Israel and its ally the United States, which also launched strikes on nuclear facilities in June. – ‘Good vibes’ -Massive banners at the square showed mythical heroes from Persian literature — including Rostam, the legendary warrior from the epic “Shahnameh”, Book of Kings — vanquishing foes.Others reproduced moments of contemporary confrontation, including the 2016 seizure of a US Navy vessel by the IRGC over what Tehran said was a territorial infringement.The event follows a similar one in June, when Iran unveiled a 16-metre bronze statue of Arash the Archer, a legendary hero, in Vanak Square in northern Tehran.Davood Goodarzi of the Tehran Municipality, which organised the event, said the project was designed and implemented “following the guidance” of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.He said the statue would be installed temporarily in Enghelab Square, then moved to one of the main entrances of Tehran, visible to foreign diplomats and tourists.To accompany Friday’s unveiling ceremony, five Iranian pop singers also held free public concerts, with attendee Sajad Pezeshkian saying he had come for “the good vibes… and to listen to the songs”. 

The United Nations warned on Friday of “intensified hostilities” ahead in Sudan, despite paramilitary forces endorsing a truce proposal from mediators after more than two years of war with the regular army.”There is no sign of de-escalation,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.”Developments on the ground indicate clear preparations for intensified hostilities, with everything that implies for its long-suffering people.”On Thursday, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said they had accepted a truce plan put forward by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.However, the government, backed by the army, has yet to respond to the US-led mediators’ proposal, and explosions rocked the army-controlled capital Khartoum on Friday.The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million and triggered a hunger crisis.Less than two weeks ago, the RSF captured the city of El-Fasher, the army’s last major stronghold in Darfur, giving it control of all five state capitals in the vast western region, in addition to parts of the south. The army controls most of Sudan’s north, east and centre. El-Fasher’s fall was accompanied by reports of mass killings, sexual violence and looting, drawing international condemnation. Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab said on Thursday that satellite imagery collected earlier this week showed the RSF had blocked a key civilian escape route from the city.Doctors Without Borders warned Friday that the fate of hundreds of thousands who are still trapped in El-Fasher was unknown after satellite images from Yale’s HRL showed suspected mass graves.According to the United Nations, about 70,000 people have fled El-Fasher to nearby towns, including Tawila, while the city had previously housed some 260,000.”Our main concern is that though we have seen approximately 5,000 people coming out of El-Fasher towards Tawila, we don’t know where the other hundreds of thousands have gone,” newly elected MSF president Javid Abdelmoneim said. There are also fears of further atrocities taking place as the conflict shifts into the oil-rich Kordofan region.- ‘Living in fear’ -In South Kordofan, a medical source told AFP on Friday that the RSF shelled a hospital in besieged Dilling the day before, killing five and injuring five more. The Sudan Doctors’ Union said the attack also destroyed the facility’s radiology department. Dilling, under RSF siege since June 2023, lies about 150 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of army-controlled El-Obeid, a key crossroads linking Darfur to Khartoum. The army broke a two-year siege of El-Obeid in February, but the RSF has regrouped and is mounting a fresh push to seize Sudan’s central corridor. A resident of the city, the capital of North Kordofan state, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that people “are living in fear” and “ready to leave at any moment”. Much of the wider Kordofan region, meanwhile, faces a worsening humanitarian crisis. The Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said Dilling is now at risk of famine, while South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, is already facing one. – Khartoum blasts -On Friday, explosions were heard in Khartoum and in Atbara, an army-held city around 300 kilometres to the north, witnesses told AFP. Khartoum has experienced relative calm since the army regained control earlier this year, but the RSF have continued launching long-range drone attacks on military positions and infrastructure.A resident in Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum, told AFP they were woken “around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) by the sound of … explosions” near a military base, while another reported hearing a drone overheard before a blast struck near a power station, causing an outage.In Atbara, witnesses said anti-aircraft defences shot down several drones before dawn, sparking fires and explosions in the east of the city.There were no immediate reports of casualties and neither the army nor the RSF commented on the blasts.Despite the RSF’s announcement on Thursday that it accepted mediators’ plan for a ceasefire, analysts remain sceptical about the prospects for de-escalation. Cameron Hudson of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies told AFP the RSF’s announcement “aims to distract from the atrocities… in El-Fasher and portray itself as more responsible than the army”. No details of the ceasefire proposal have been made public, but a senior Saudi official told AFP that it calls for a “three-month truce”, during which both sides would be encouraged to hold talks in Jeddah on a permanent peace deal.The UAE, one of the mediators, has been accused by the UN of supplying arms to the RSF, allegations it has repeatedly denied.The Sudanese army, meanwhile, has received support from fellow mediators Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as from Turkey and Iran, according to observers.

French police have arrested four people after a Paris concert by Israel’s national orchestra was disrupted, a prosecutor said Friday, with organisers saying protesters lit smoke flares at the event.The visit drew criticism from several groups ahead of the concert at the Paris Philharmonic hall, over Israel’s conduct during its two-year military offensive in Gaza.Several individuals repeatedly interrupted Thursday’s concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the venue said.Videos posted on social media show a protester holding a red flare inside the concert hall with smoke billowing. Other people present were then seen to rush to strike the individual.The Paris Philharmonic said it had filed a complaint, adding it “deplores and strongly condemns the serious incidents that occurred”.On three occasions, individuals with tickets attempted to disrupt the concert and fellow spectators intervened, the concert venue said.The protesters were removed and the concert resumed peacefully, it added.A French prosecutor said that three men and one woman were in custody over the incident.Before the concert, several activist groups had written an open letter calling for the event to be cancelled.Allowing the orchestra to perform was an attempt to “restore” Israel’s image on the world stage, said the French branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, along with several other organisations.Israel’s ambassador to France Joshua Zarka — who was at the concert — told AFP that audience members attacking the protestors was “proof that France has had enough”.- ‘Freedom of programming’ -French Culture Minister Rachida Dati condemned the protest, saying “violence has no place in a concert hall”.”Freedom of programming and creation is a fundamental right of our republic,” she added.The protest was the latest example of a push for a cultural boycott of Israel.In September, a Belgian festival cancelled a performance by a German orchestra to be led by Israeli Lahav Shani, the same 36-year-old conductor who headed Thursday’s concert in Paris.Announcing the cancellation of the Belgian concert, organisers said Shani had not “unequivocally” distanced himself from the Israeli government, whose tactics in the war against Palestinian militant group Hamas since October 2023 have triggered international uproar.The cancellation was also condemned amid accusations of antisemitism, including from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who warned that “antisemitic rhetoric” was becoming normalised.Israel launched its military offensive on Gaza in retaliation for the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.