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Added on the 26/06/2025 18:01:19 - Copyright : Numerama
Foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meet in Jeddah at the request of "Palestine and Iran", as regional tensions soar following the killing of Hamas chief and Hezbollah top commander. IMAGES
Both Iran and Israel should avoid escalating conflict in the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, in his most direct wording toward US ally Israel. "No one should escalate this conflict. We've been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran. We communicated that message directly to Israel," Blinken tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urges Middle East rivals to agree to a Gaza ceasefire to "break this cycle" of violence, urging de-escalation as Iran prepares a potential strike on Israel. "Escalation is not in anyone's interests. It will only lead to more conflict, more violence, more insecurity. It's also critical that we break this cycle by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza," Blinken tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in calls Monday urged all sides in the Middle East to avoid "escalation," his spokesman says, as fears grew of an imminent Iranian counterattack on Israel. "It's important that all parties take steps over the coming days to refrain from escalation and calm tensions," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller tells reporters, describing Blinken's telephone calls in the region. SOUNDBITE
Images show the Mohammad Ibn Abd al Wahhab Mosque in Doha, Qatar, where the funeral prayer for Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh will be held. Haniyeh was killed on Wednesday July 31 in a strike on Tehran that Hamas and Iran have blamed on Israel. IMAGES
Israel, the United States and the Arab world are under threat from Iran's "axis of terror," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells lawmakers in a landmark speech before the US Congress. "Our world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, Iran's axis of terror confronts America, Israel and our Arab friends. This is not a clash of civilizations. It's a clash between barbarism and civilization," Netanyahu says. SOUNDBITE