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UAE calls for united Gulf stance after attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain

A top Emirati official called on Wednesday for a united stance from the Gulf after renewed attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain that were blamed on Iran.

"In light of Iran's repeated aggression against the brotherly states of Kuwait and Bahrain, a firm, unified and cohesive Gulf stance is imperative. No Gulf state should be left to face these attacks alone, because the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states is interconnected, their interests are shared, and their destiny is one and the same," said UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash in a post on X.

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Iranian attack on Kuwait kills one, forces airport to close

Kuwait on Wednesday said Iranian attacks on its territory killed one person and wounded several others, as well as forcing its airport to close and damaging unnamed diplomatic missions.

Kuwait's foreign ministry condemned the attacks "that once again targeted vital and civilian infrastructure, including Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and injuring others, in addition to causing damage to vital infrastructure including diplomatic missions".

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Facing uproar, Netanyahu announces 'mega-plan' for Israel's battered north

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday allocations of 13 billion shekels (more than $4.5 billion) to secure and develop northern communities along the Lebanon border, battered by weeks of fire from Iran-backed Hezbollah.

"The government made dramatic decisions today to strengthen the north. We are investing more than 13 billion shekels today, in addition to the seven billion we have already provided -- a total of 20 billion shekels going to the communities of the north," Netanyahu said following the government's approval of the measure.

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Rubio hopeful for Iran deal, insists on nuclear curbs

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday expressed hope that a deal to end the war in Iran was in the cards, stressing that Tehran must severely curtail its nuclear program before any sanctions are lifted.

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Trump says Iran talks happening 'continuously'

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States and Iran were speaking "continuously," denying reports that Tehran had broken off contact over Israel's attacks on Lebanon.

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Netanyahu says Israel will help make Iran 'terror regime' disappear

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Israel would help to make Iran's "terror regime" disappear, as talks to reach a peace agreement between the U.S. and the Islamic republic appeared to stutter.

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Ship off Iraq hit by projectiles

Two projectiles hit a container vessel in the Gulf as it was leaving port in Iraq, a Swiss-based company said Tuesday, after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted the ship.

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Israel's weapons exports reach a record high with sales doubling in the past 5 years

Israeli weapons exports reached a record high of more than $19 billion last year, a 30% increase from 2024, Israel's Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

More than half of 2025's sales were "mega-deals" valued at $100 million or more, the ministry said, adding that sales have more than doubled in the last five years, despite widespread criticism of Israel's conduct in its wars in Gaza, with Hezbollah and with Iran.

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Ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran are stretching the term's meaning

Ceasefires have been announced, often to great fanfare, in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. So why is there still so much fighting?

In just the last few weeks, Israeli forces have captured more territory in Gaza and killed two top Hamas militants there, as well as more than a dozen other people. In Lebanon, Israeli troops captured a Crusader fortress over the weekend in their deepest incursion in 26 years, as Hezbollah kept up rocket fire into northern Israel.

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Senior Iranian officer says renewed war with US 'inevitable'

A senior Iranian military officer said Tuesday that a resumption of hostilities with the United States was inevitable, as negotiations between Tehran and Washington appeared to stall.

"The United States demands our total surrender, and the Iranian nation will never surrender," said Mohammad Jafar Assadi, deputy head of Iran's central military command, Khatam al-Anbiya. "Without surrender, war is inevitable."

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