Latest War and unrest News

UN investigative team says Syria's new authorities `very receptive' to probe of Assad war crimes

Dec. 23, 2024 19:27 PM EST

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy. The...

Middle East latest: Defense minister acknowledges Israel killed Hamas leader

Dec. 23, 2024 19:19 PM EST

Israel’s defense minister has confirmed that Israel assassinated Hamas’ top leader last summer and is threatening to take similar action against the leadership of the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. The comments by Israel Katz appeared to mark the first time that Israel has...

Former Israeli spies describe attack using exploding electronic devices against Hezbollah

Dec. 23, 2024 16:48 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents shared new details about a deadly clandestine operation years in the making that targeted Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Syria using exploding pagers and walkie talkies three months ago. Hezbollah began...

China says Philippine plan to deploy midrange missiles would be 'extremely irresponsible'

Dec. 23, 2024 08:01 AM EST

BEIJING (AP) — China said a plan by the Philippines to deploy midrange missiles would be a provocative move that stokes regional tensions. The Philippines top army official told reporters in Manila earlier on Monday that the military plans to acquire a midrange system to defend the...

Tens of thousands displaced by ethnic violence in northeast India suffer squalid conditions in camps

Dec. 23, 2024 05:05 AM EST

KANGPOKPI, India (AP) — Phalneivah Khonsai ran for her life when violence struck her neighborhood in India's restive northeast, carrying just the bare essentials in the hope that she and her family could return soon. Khonsai, her husband and three children left behind their house,...

Japan's former Emperor Akihito marks his 91st birthday

Dec. 23, 2024 02:10 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's beloved former Emperor Akihito marked his 91st birthday on Monday, as he continues to pursue his lifetime research into goby fish, care for his wife and pray for peace. Akihito, who abdicated in 2019 and handed over the Chrysanthemum throne to his son, Emperor...

In the ruins of a bombed-out church in Lebanon, there's now a tiny Christmas tree

Dec. 23, 2024 02:02 AM EST

DARDGHAYA, Lebanon (AP) — A Christmas tree stands among the fallen stones of what remains of St. George Melkite Catholic Church in southern Lebanon. Once a vibrant community center, the 18th-century church is in ruins after an Israeli airstrike in October. Georges Elia, a...

Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza

Dec. 23, 2024 00:12 AM EST

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. But as Bethlehem prepares to mark its second Christmas under the shadow of the war in Gaza, there are almost...

2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident, US military says

Dec. 22, 2024 21:11 PM EST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels. Both...

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 22 as Vatican envoy visits Christians for pre-Christmas Mass

Dec. 22, 2024 14:24 PM EST

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday killed at least 22 people, including five children, Palestinian medical officials said, while Gaza's small Christian community celebrated a pre-Christmas Mass. Israeli authorities...