Latest news with #IsraeliAttacks


Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rally against Israeli attacks
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rally against Israeli attacks NewsFeed Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rally against Israeli attacks Hundreds of thousands of Iranians were seen protesting in cities across Iran on Friday over continued Israeli attacks.


Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Iran's FM Araghchi says Israel attack ‘betrayal' of diplomacy with US
Iran's foreign minister on Friday condemned the Israeli attacks against the Islamic republic as a 'betrayal' of diplomatic efforts with the US, saying Tehran and Washington had been due to craft a 'promising agreement' on the Iranian nuclear program.


The National
10 hours ago
- Health
- The National
At least 26 Palestinians reported killed in Israeli attack while waiting for aid
At least 43 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza on Friday, including 26 who had gathered to collect aid, the Palestinian territory's civil defence agency said. Al Awda Hospital in Nuseirat refugee camp, north-east of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza, said it received 23 bodies after Israeli forces fired on people gathered to collect aid near the 'Martyrs' Junction' north of the camp, in addition to dozens of wounded. Medical sources from the Palestinian Red Crescent reported the deaths of another 11 Palestinians, and many others injured, after the Israeli military bombed a house in the Al Maaskar area, west of Deir Al Balah. The wounded were transferred to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city, they said. "Forty-three martyrs have fallen as a result of the ongoing Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip since dawn today, 26 of whom were waiting for humanitarian aid," Mohammad Al-Mughayyir, director of medical supply at the civil defence agency, told AFP. Attacks on civilians collecting aid and continued strikes on populated areas are a daily occurrence in Gaza. On Thursday, at least 70 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes, Gazan civil defence said, including 12 people who had been trying to approach an aid site operated by the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The system has been widely criticised. 'Palestinian lives have been so devalued. It is now the routine to shoot and kill desperate and starving people while they try to collect little food from a company made of mercenaries,' Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said in a post on Wednesday, after more than 300 Palestinians had been killed collecting aid since the start of GHF deliveries last month. The centres are regularly overrun by Gazans desperate for food after a nearly three-month total blockade of aid deliveries imposed by Israel in March. Crowds start gathering near the distribution sites before dawn, despite a warning from the Israeli military that these areas are considered combat zones between 6pm and 6am. The recently created GHF, whose four distribution centres are guarded by private security contractors and surrounded by Israeli forces, began deliveries to replace the aid delivery system operated by the UN. Since October, 2023, the Palestinian death toll from Israel's war in Gaza has passed 55,700, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, and the number injured has risen to more than 130,100. Israel's strikes and ground offensive followed a Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and about 250 abducted.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A simple visual guide to Iran and its people
Iran has re-emerged at the centre of international attention, following Israeli attacks on the Middle East's second-largest country on June 13. Stretching from the Caspian Sea in the north to the Gulf of Oman in the south, Iran's landscape is as varied as its history, with key access to critical waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows. Iran's history spans millennia, making it one of the world's most ancient and culturally rich nations, continuously inhabited and influential throughout history. In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera provides a snapshot of Iran's geography, key cities, population makeup, and ethnic diversity. With a population of 92 million, Iran is the 17th-largest country in the world by population and land area. Iran's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) is $418bn, ranking it 36th in terms of the economy size. It has an unemployment rate of about 7.2 percent. The country's adult literacy rate is 89 percent, with youth literacy nearing 99 percent, though these rates vary between rural and urban areas. The country is rich in oil and gas, ranking as the world's ninth-largest oil producer and third-largest natural gas producer. Located in Western Asia, Iran is the second-largest country in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and the 17th-largest in the world, covering approximately 1.65 million square kilometres (636,000 square miles). Iran shares land borders with seven countries, the longest being Iraq, followed by Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Armenia. Iran covers about one-sixth the equivalent land area of the United States, nearly as large as the state of Alaska. It is about one-sixth the size of Europe, about one-fifth the size of Australia, roughly half the size of India and about 80 times larger than Israel. Most of Iran's 92 million people live in the western half of the country, where the terrain features rugged mountains alongside fertile valleys and river basins that sustain much of the population. With 9.6 million inhabitants, Tehran has been the capital since 1795 and is the country's largest city. Situated beneath the Alborz Mountains, Tehran's history dates back more than 6,000 years. Mashhad, in the northeast, is Iran's second-largest city with 3.4 million people and a history spanning more than 1,200 years. It is a major religious and cultural centre and is home to the Imam Reza Shrine, which brings in millions of pilgrims from around the world. Isfahan, the third-largest city, is home to some 2.3 million people. More than 2,500 years old, the city was once the capital of the Safavid Empire, which lasted from 1501 to 1722. Isfahan hosts major educational institutions and is a centre for textiles, steel and manufacturing, along with nuclear and aerospace industries. Other populous cities across Iran include: Shiraz (1.7 million), Tabriz (1.7 million), Karaj (1.6 million), Qom (1.4 million) and Ahvaz (1.3 million). Nearly 60 percent of Iran's population is below the age of 39, according to figures from the United Nations Statistics Division. The country's median age is 33-34 years, and about 77 percent of Iranians live in urban areas. The largest age groups in Iran are those aged 30-34 and 35-39, meaning most of the population was born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi Shah regime. However, there has been a significant emigration of Iranian professionals in recent years, largely driven by economic hardship. Iran is a highly diverse country, both ethnically and culturally. Persians make up approximately 61 percent of the population, while significant minority groups include Azerbaijanis (16 percent), Kurds (10 percent) and others, such as Lurs (6 percent), Arabs (2 percent), Baloch (2 percent) and Turkic groups (2 percent). Iran is predominantly Shia Muslim, making up about 90 percent of the population, while Sunni Muslims and other Muslim sects account for roughly 9 percent. The remaining 1 percent includes roughly 300,000 Baha'i, 300,000 Christians, 35,000 Zoroastrians, 20,000 Jews, and 10,000 Sabean Mandeans according to the Minority Rights Group. In border regions such as Kurdistan, Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan, ethnic groups play a key role in shaping the country's ethnic and religious diversity as well as its regional politics. While Persian (Farsi) is the official national language, many regions across the country speak a variety of other languages.


Al Jazeera
14 hours ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
A simple visual guide to Iran and its people
Iran has re-emerged at the centre of international attention, following Israeli attacks on the Middle East's second-largest country on June 13. Stretching from the Caspian Sea in the north to the Gulf of Oman in the south, Iran's landscape is as varied as its history, with key access to critical waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows. Iran's history spans millennia, making it one of the world's most ancient and culturally rich nations, continuously inhabited and influential throughout history. In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera provides a snapshot of Iran's geography, key cities, population makeup, and ethnic diversity. With a population of 92 million, Iran is the 17th-largest country in the world by population and land area. Iran's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) is $418bn, ranking it 36th in terms of the economy size. It has an unemployment rate of about 7.2 percent. The country's adult literacy rate is 89 percent, with youth literacy nearing 99 percent, though these rates vary between rural and urban areas. The country is rich in oil and gas, ranking as the world's ninth-largest oil producer and third-largest natural gas in Western Asia, Iran is the second-largest country in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and the 17th-largest in the world, covering approximately 1.65 million square kilometres (636,000 square miles). Iran shares land borders with seven countries, the longest being Iraq, followed by Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Armenia. Iran covers about one-sixth the equivalent land area of the United States, nearly as large as the state of Alaska. It is about one-sixth the size of Europe, about one-fifth the size of Australia, roughly half the size of India and about 80 times larger than of Iran's 92 million people live in the western half of the country, where the terrain features rugged mountains alongside fertile valleys and river basins that sustain much of the population. With 9.6 million inhabitants, Tehran has been the capital since 1795 and is the country's largest city. Situated beneath the Alborz Mountains, Tehran's history dates back more than 6,000 years. Mashhad, in the northeast, is Iran's second-largest city with 3.4 million people and a history spanning more than 1,200 years. It is a major religious and cultural centre and is home to the Imam Reza Shrine, which brings in millions of pilgrims from around the world. Isfahan, the third-largest city, is home to some 2.3 million people. More than 2,500 years old, the city was once the capital of the Safavid Empire, which lasted from 1501 to 1722. Isfahan hosts major educational institutions and is a centre for textiles, steel and manufacturing, along with nuclear and aerospace industries. Other populous cities across Iran include: Shiraz (1.7 million), Tabriz (1.7 million), Karaj (1.6 million), Qom (1.4 million) and Ahvaz (1.3 million).Nearly 60 percent of Iran's population is below the age of 39, according to figures from the United Nations Statistics Division. The country's median age is 33-34 years, and about 77 percent of Iranians live in urban areas. The largest age groups in Iran are those aged 30-34 and 35-39, meaning most of the population was born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi Shah regime. However, there has been a significant emigration of Iranian professionals in recent years, largely driven by economic is a highly diverse country, both ethnically and culturally. Persians make up approximately 61 percent of the population, while significant minority groups include Azerbaijanis (16 percent), Kurds (10 percent) and others, such as Lurs (6 percent), Arabs (2 percent), Baloch (2 percent) and Turkic groups (2 percent). Iran is predominantly Shia Muslim, making up about 90 percent of the population, while Sunni Muslims and other Muslim sects account for roughly 9 percent. The remaining 1 percent includes roughly 300,000 Baha'i, 300,000 Christians, 35,000 Zoroastrians, 20,000 Jews, and 10,000 Sabean Mandeans according to the Minority Rights Group. In border regions such as Kurdistan, Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan, ethnic groups play a key role in shaping the country's ethnic and religious diversity as well as its regional politics. While Persian (Farsi) is the official national language, many regions across the country speak a variety of other languages.