World

Iran’s supreme leader has claimed its missile attack on Israel was “fully legal and legitimate” – as he warned “it will be done in the future again if it becomes necessary”. In a rare speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also described the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October as a “legitimate” act – and he

It takes a huge amount of capability, technology and firepower to defeat ballistic missiles – meaning a tit-for-tat air war would favour Israel, backed by the US, over Iran. The head of the UK armed forces told Sky News over the summer that he does not believe any of the UK’s opponents – including Tehran,

Ahead of this direct Iranian missile attack on Israel, the second in its history, the US was warning Iran in the strongest terms: don’t do it. If you do, it told Tehran, you will face severe consequences. Israel’s messaging was reportedly going further. Attack us and we will come after your alleged nuclear weapons programme.

Iran has launched missiles into Israel, the Israeli military says. Reports said warning sirens sounded in Jerusalem shortly after 5.30pm UK time. Earlier today, the US warned that Iran was getting ready to launch the attack and Israelis were subsequently told to “stay close to a protected space”. Israel-Lebanon latest: Follow live updates An unnamed

The far-right Freedom Party has won the general election in Austria. Led by Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister who was dismissed over the country’s Ibiza scandal, the party finished first ahead of the ruling conservatives, with the centre-left Social Democrats in third place. However, despite this, the party’s chances of actually governing remain unclear.

Iran has pledged a “decisive reaction” to Israel’s onslaught against Iranian allies across the region, but Tehran seems to have badly miscalculated the risk its arch foe is willing to take. In the face of such a multi-pronged assault, the regime might even be wondering whether they, or rather their nuclear sites – seen as

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed after airstrikes in Beirut, the Israeli army has said. Recent weeks have seen Israel unleash a barrage of strikes against Lebanon after it turned its attention to the conflict at its northern border. On Saturday, Israel targeted the capital Beirut with a series of attacks claiming to have

With Vladimir Putin issuing another thinly veiled nuclear threat to the West, I’ve come to one of Moscow’s Cold War bunkers to gauge the mood. The entrance is through an apparently ordinary building, not far from the Kremlin. But inside, there are 18 flights of stairs, which take you 65m (213ft) underground and into a

Israel has unleashed a series of huge strikes on Beirut, with its military saying it struck the central headquarters of the militant group Hezbollah. The attack shook windows across the Lebanese capital and sent thick clouds of smoke billowing into the air. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the intended target of the strike and a

An Israeli military chief has told his troops that airstrikes in Lebanon are preparing the way for a “possible” ground assault designed to “degrade” Hezbollah, bringing the region closer to all-out war. While the Lebanese militant group, which is backed by Iran and an ally of Hamas, has been involved in a constant tit-for-tat with

After Lebanon’s bloodiest day in almost two decades, the big question is whether this is the start of a much bigger war. Central to that is the arsenal of 150,000 missiles Hezbollah is thought to have at its disposal. Does it have the ability and the intent to use them? If the answer is yes

There is a crushed pile of rubble where a nine-storey building once stood in Beirut. It’s all that’s left after an Israeli missile ripped through it. Nearly 20 families had lived in the apartment block – almost certainly there would have been plenty of children among them too. All around there are other high-rise residential

As bombs fell near the city she called home on the edge of Europe, Hasmik Arzanyan ran back to her fourth-floor home one last time. She was used to conflict in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with her father serving in the first war 30 years ago and her husband fighting in the second during

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it struck hundreds of rocket launcher sites across southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah’s leader attacked Israel for crossing a “red line”. Israel’s military said the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out the strikes across two hours late Thursday evening, marking the first major attack since Lebanon was hit by pager

Shakhtar Donetsk have spent a decade in exile, bombed out of their home by Russian forces. A football club on one of the first Ukrainian frontlines to fall, now they are hoping to symbolise their nation’s resolve and resilience as the country continues to fight off Russian forces. Shakhtar kicked off the new Champions League

Blasts have been heard in Beirut a day after 12 people were killed by pager explosions across Lebanon. Reuters have cited a security source and a witness as saying communications devices used by Hezbollah have detonated in the country’s south and in the southern suburbs of the capital. Follow live: Blasts heard in Beirut At

Germany has started checks at borders with five more European countries in an effort to crack down on “irregular” migration and guard against Islamist threats. Police are now checking vehicles at the land frontier with France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The checks are due to last six months and follow similar inspections, in

Prosecutors have asked judges to jail Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini over his 2019 decision to stop a ship carrying more than 100 migrants from landing in the country. Prosecutors in the city of Palermo have requested a six-year sentence for alleged kidnapping over the incident, which happened when Mr Salvini was interior minister.