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Iranian-Born Brothers Charged In Sweden With Spying For Russia

Russia's GRU intelligence directorate (pictured) is believed by Swedish prosecutors to have received information from the two brothers over a period of 10 years. (file photo)
Russia's GRU intelligence directorate (pictured) is believed by Swedish prosecutors to have received information from the two brothers over a period of 10 years. (file photo)

Two Iranian-born brothers were charged in Sweden with aggravated espionage for allegedly spying for Russia for around a decade, prosecutors said. One of them men worked for Sweden's domestic intelligence agency. Authorities identified them as Peyman Kia, 42, and Payam Kia, 35. One of the men was also indicted for the alleged gross unauthorized handling of secret information. It wasn't immediately clear which of the brothers it was. According to the charge sheet obtained by the Associated Press, the men “jointly” passed information to the Russian military intelligence service GRU during the period from September 28, 2011 to September 20, 2021. To read the original story from AP, click here.

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2 Killed, 22 Wounded In Latest Russian Attacks In Ukraine

A woman stands next to her house destroyed by a Russian air strike in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine. October 10, 2024.
A woman stands next to her house destroyed by a Russian air strike in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine. October 10, 2024.

At least two people were killed and 22 others were wounded in Russian attacks in Ukraine over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian authorities said early on October 13.

The two fatalities were reported in the settlements of Kurakhivka and Ulakla in the eastern Donetsk region, which came under came under intense shelling.

Eleven others were injured in the attack, according to regional Governor Vadym Filashkin.

Russian forces also targeted the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya regions, injuring at least 11 people and damaging residential buildings and infrastructure, regional officials said.

In Kherson, the Russian military "targeted a critical infrastructure facility and a cellular tower," as well as "populated residential quarters," regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Telegram.

"A high-rise residential building and three private houses were damaged," Prokudin added.

Russia launched 68 drones and four missiles on Ukrainian territory overnight, according to the latest update by Ukraine's air force.

The air force said its defense units destroyed 31 of the Russian drones, while 36 were unaccounted for, most likely intercepted by Ukraine's electronic warfare. The remaining drone was still in the air, it said early on October 13.

Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles struck Poltava and Odesa regions, and two Kh-59 guided air missiles targeted the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, it added.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the latest air strikes.

Russia claimed its air-defense units downed 13 Ukrainian drones overnight over three regions bordering Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on October 13 that six drones each were shot down over the Belgorod and Kursk regions. One drone was destroyed over Bryansk, the ministry said on Telegram.

The claims cannot be independently verified.

With reporting by Reuters

Pakistan Frets Over Security Ahead Of SCO Summit

Pakistani soldiers stand guard in Islamabad, October 6, 2024.
Pakistani soldiers stand guard in Islamabad, October 6, 2024.

Pakistan authorities were on October 13 preparing to shut down the capital ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, overshadowed by recent militant violence and political unrest.

The Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be among senior regional government officials attending the two-day conference on October 15-16.

In the weeks leading up to the summit, Pakistan's authorities have cracked down hard on dissent, banning an ethnic nationalist movement and introducing new laws that restrict protest in the capital.

They have also arrested hundreds of supporters of jailed opposition leader Imran Khan who attempted to march in Islamabad earlier this month.

Updated

Israel Expected To Strike Iran Amid Escalation In Lebanon, Gaza

Hezbollah rescue workers (lower center) stand amid the rubble of buildings hit overnight by Israeli air strikes, in Nabatiyeh, south Lebanon, on October 13.
Hezbollah rescue workers (lower center) stand amid the rubble of buildings hit overnight by Israeli air strikes, in Nabatiyeh, south Lebanon, on October 13.

The Israeli military expanded air strikes on Lebanon on October 13 amid its campaign against Hezbollah, an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

Israeli warplanes hit a 100-year-old mosque in a village near the border early on October 13, a day after a marketplace was hit in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported deadly strikes in other areas of Lebanon, including one on a Shi'ite Muslim village in a mostly Christian mountainous area.

Hezbollah said it launched rockets at Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory on October 13, as ground troops conducted incursions into the country's south.

A Hezbollah statement claimed it targeted a "gathering" of Israeli forces in the village of Maroun al-Ras "with artillery shells."

Hezbollah fired hundreds of projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on October 12 as Israelis celebrated Yom Kippur, an important holiday on the Jewish religious calendar.

The escalation comes as Israel is also conducting fresh attacks in Gaza and is expected to strike Iran in retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month.

Palestinian medical officials said on October 13 that an Israeli strike killed a family of eight and wounded seven others in the central Gaza Strip.

The attack late on October 12 hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing a couple and their six children, who ranged in age from 8 to 23, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken.

Israel continues to strike what it says are militant targets in Gaza nearly every day for more than a year into the war with Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the United States and European Union.

The Israeli Army said in a statement on October 13 that forces operating throughout the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours had attacked about 40 targets and killed dozens of militants.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are allies of Iran. Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran's missile attack on October 1, which Tehran said was launched in retaliation for Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killings of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Washington believes Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential response to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on October 12, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

There is no indication that Israel will target Iran’s nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the NBC report said, adding that Israel has not made final decisions about how and when to act.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there would be "no red line" for his country in defending its citizens from the potential strikes.

"While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests," Araghchi wrote in a post on X on October 13.

Araghchi said in a recent interview that Iran does "not want war" but it was "not afraid of it." He told the Al Jazeera news network that Iran "will be ready for any scenario."

Araghchi was in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on October 13 to discuss the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, according to Iran's Foreign Ministry.

The trip to Baghdad is part a regional tour that saw Iran's top diplomat visiting Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with Oman scheduled to be his next stop.

Qatar has for months been hosting and mediating talks aimed at a Gaza cease-fire, and it has called for a truce in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 13 urged the UN chief Antonio Guterres to move UN peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon out of "harm's way."

“It should be done right now, immediately," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.

It comes a day after the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) refused to withdraw from the border area despite five of its members being wounded in Israeli fire in recent days.

Netanyahu said UNIFIL’s "repeated refusals" to evacuate provides a "human shield to Hezbollah terrorists" and endangers the lives of both the peacekeepers and Israeli soldiers.

UNIFIL, a 9,500-strong mission created in 1978, is tasked with monitoring a cease-fire that ended a 33-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.

Forty nations that contribute to UNIFIL said in a joint statement on October 12 that they "strongly condemn recent attacks" on the peacekeepers.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Iran Bans Pagers, Walkie-Talkies On Flights After Recent Blasts

Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia exploded in September.
Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia exploded in September.

Iran has banned passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, after near-simultaneous attacks last month in which the communication devices exploded across Lebanon and Syria. The new regulation applies to both cabin and hold luggage, a spokesman for the Iranian aviation authority told the ISNA news agency on October 12. Passengers are still allowed to take their mobile phones on board. Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia exploded in September. Hezbollah, an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah and Iran blamed the brazen attacks on Israel. At least 39 people were killed and around 3,000 were injured, some seriously. Most were Hezbollah members.

Iran Sends Two 'Private-Sector' Satellites To Russia For Launch

A Russian rocket carries an Iranian satellite to space in 2022.
A Russian rocket carries an Iranian satellite to space in 2022.

Tehran has delivered two Iranian-made satellites to Russia for launch into orbit, according to the Tasnim news agency, which is linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The report on October 12 said the satellites were "developed by a private-sector company," but it is a continuing sign of close cooperation on technical, scientific, and military matters by Moscow and Tehran. The report said the Kowsar satellite was designed for precision agriculture and mapping, while Hodhod is an Internet-related communications satellite. No launch date was specified. Russia sent Iranian satellites into orbit in February and in 2022, sparking concerns from Washington. A Washington Post report citing anonymous Western intelligence officials claimed Russia "plans to use the satellite for several months or longer" to assist its war efforts in Ukraine before allowing Iran to take control of it. Iran denied the allegations and said it would maintain control of the craft at all times.

At Least 15 Dead In Pakistani Shootings Linked To Sunni-Shi'a Land Feuds

Sunni and Shi'ite leaders discuss a cease-fire between their groups in Kurram, Pakistan, in August.
Sunni and Shi'ite leaders discuss a cease-fire between their groups in Kurram, Pakistan, in August.

A series of shooting incidents believed to be linked to a tribal land feud in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province have left at least 15 people dead and 12 injured, local elders and district officials told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal on October 12.

A senior district official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first incident occurred when unidentified gunmen opened fire on three people who had traveled to Kunj Alizu mountain, causing injuries.

Local elder Imran Maqbal told Radio Mashaal that 14 people were killed and nine injured in a second attack in the Kurram District. The clashes -- believed to be related -- resulted in the closure of public offices, schools, and roads, while authorities also shut down mobile Internet in the district.

The Af-Pak Monitor group, activists, and locals posted photos and videos on social media showing the victims of the shooting.

Dozens of people in recent weeks have been killed in clashes between armed Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim groups over land disputes. Sunnis and Shi’a have lived in close proximity for decades in the area, but armed clashes have occasionally broken out over land, forests, and other properties and religious differences.

The latest violence comes after a nine-day cease-fire that had been agreed to by Sunnis and Shi'ite leaders on September 28.

Health officials, police, and local leaders say 44 people have been killed and more than 130 injured in clashes in the area since September 20.

In 2008 a peace deal was reached between Shi'a and Sunnis. The agreement stipulated that both sides would keep all roads open, prevent the deterioration of security, allow the displaced to return to their villages, and resolve land disputes based on ancient documents and Pashtun tradition in the name of paper property.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, in Pakistan's northwest, has been the site of sectarian violence over the years, including attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan.

Iran's Supreme Court Overturns Activist Mohammadi's Death Sentence, Lawyer Says

Iranian activist Sharifeh Mohammadi was sentenced to death in July. (file photo)
Iranian activist Sharifeh Mohammadi was sentenced to death in July. (file photo)

The Iranian Supreme Court has lifted the death sentence against imprisoned labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi and referred her case "for reconsideration," her lawyer said on October 12. Mohammadi, 45, was sentenced to death in July, accused of membership in an independent labor union and a banned Kurdish separatist group based in neighboring Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region. Her family has said she was not affiliated with any political organization inside or outside the country. The sentence sparked widespread condemnation from civil and political activists. Lawyer Amir Raeesian told the Sharq news outlet that the Supreme Court "overturned the sentence of my client...and referred the case to the same branch for reconsideration." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

Updated

Poland To Suspend Right To Asylum After Tensions With Belarus On Migrants

Poland accuses Belarus of channeling migrants across its border. (file photo).
Poland accuses Belarus of channeling migrants across its border. (file photo).

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on October 15 will announce a temporary suspension of the right to asylum as part of a new strategy to combat illegal migration amid tensions with neighboring Belarus. "One of the elements of the migration strategy will be the temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum," Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a Civic Platform party congress on October 12. "I will demand this, I will demand recognition in Europe for this decision." Poland claims that the right to asylum is being used by Belarusian strongman ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and by people smugglers in a way that goes against the principle of the right to asylum and to punish Warsaw for its support of Ukraine following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of February 2022. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.

Updated

Tatar Activists Detained After Permission Denied To Mark Anniversary Of Kazan's Fall

The 1552 siege has been marked in Kazan since the collapse of the Soviet Union (in 2013 above), even as city authorities have been increasinglyreluctant to allow such events.
The 1552 siege has been marked in Kazan since the collapse of the Soviet Union (in 2013 above), even as city authorities have been increasinglyreluctant to allow such events.

Tatar activists Galishan Nuriakhmet and Rafik Karimullin were detained by police in Kazan, capital of Russia's Tatarstan region, for about an hour before being released on October 12, the Tatar youth group Azatlyk reported, after several other activists had been detained in order to prevent them from attending a prayer in the Kol-Sharif mosque. The prayer to commemorate Tatars fallen during the 16th-century siege of Kazan by Russian troops was organized after the Kazan mayor's office banned a public rally. Azatlyk said it had lost contact with some of the detained activists. The then-capital of the Kazan Khanate fell to Moscow on October 15, 1552, when Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered it after two weeks of resistance. The event has been marked in the city since the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, Kazan authorities in recent years have been reluctant to allow activists to hold such events. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities click here.

EU, Chisinau Reject Reports Of Plans To Open 'Deportation Hub' In Moldova

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has said there has been no proposal to establish deportation hubs. (file photo)
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has said there has been no proposal to establish deportation hubs. (file photo)

The European Commission has dismissed as "false" media reports that it is considering opening deportation camps for illegal migrants in EU candidate countries such as Moldova.

Recent reports in international media claimed that a number of European Union countries would encourage the hosting of migrants who are intercepted in international waters in candidate states outside the borders of the 27-member bloc in so-called "deportation hubs," citing the model of such a center opened by EU member Italy in Albania this week.

The reports claimed that EU home affairs ministers discussed the issue at a meeting in Luxembourg on October 10 ahead of a summit of the bloc's leaders later this month.

However, the center in Albania has come under scathing criticism from human rights watchdogs, prompting Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who inked the deal with his Italian counterpart, Georgia Meloni, to make it clear that there will be no new such centers in his country.

After the Luxembourg meeting, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told a news conference that there was currently no proposal to establish deportation hubs.

"Claims that the EU intends to create deportation camps for migrants in the Republic of Moldova and other countries that want to join the EU are false," Anita Hipper, a spokeswoman on internal affairs for the commission, said in response to a request for comment from RFE/RL.

"There is no such proposal in relation to the Republic of Moldova or any other country," Hipper added.

The Moldovan government has also strongly denied the reports, which have been picked up by the Russian press, saying it was a "fake" invented by the Kremlin.

The government has been grappling with a Russian-backed disinformation campaign before a make-or-break double election on October 20, when pro-Western President Maia Sandu is running for a second term in parallel with a referendum on EU membership.

"A new fabrication has appeared claiming that Moldova would host a hub for rejected asylum seekers subject to deportation procedures," government spokesman Daniel Voda told The Times of London. "Let it be clear: the government is not discussing such a proposal and will not accept such ideas."

Sandu steered Moldova firmly toward the West after defeating a Moscow-backed incumbent in 2020 and moved to curb Russia's influence in one of Europe's poorest countries more than three decades after it declared independence from the Soviet Union.

Under Sandu's government, Moldova secured EU candidate status in June 2022 and opened membership negotiations with the bloc earlier this year.

The moves prompted Russia to step up a disinformation campaign to undermine the credibility of Moldova's government and portray Moscow as a better alternative for Chisinau's future.

U.S. Warns Of Possible Security Threat On Romania's Synagogues, Mosques

The U.S. Embassy in Bucharest has issued a security alert for its citizens for the weekend regarding religious institutions on the territory of Romania. In a statement on its website, the embassy says that it "has been made aware of threats potentially targeting a synagogue, temple, or mosque in Romania for the October 11-13 weekend. The embassy urges U.S. citizens to exercise increased caution near religious institutions in Romania for this period." It recommends increased caution, keeping a low profile, and avoiding religious sites while paying increased attention to one's surroundings. Romania's Intelligence Service (SRI) said in response that it had no information justifying raising the terror-alert level. However, the SRI said it would act with increased attention to defend Romania's security. Israel, whose military is engaged in conflicts with U.S-designated Islamist terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, observes the Yom Kippur religious holiday on October 12. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Romanian Service, click here.

Russian Deserters Request Political Asylum In France

Russian military ID of a servicemen who refused to fight in Ukraine with "a deserter" stamp.
Russian military ID of a servicemen who refused to fight in Ukraine with "a deserter" stamp.

Six Russian soldiers who sought to escape mobilization for the war in Ukraine have arrived in France after first fleeing to Kazakhstan, according to media reports. The six have begun the process of obtaining political asylum, BBC Russian reported. It appears that this is the first instance when a European Union country agreed to issue entry documents to a group of Russian individuals who fled the war. Previously, human rights activists say there was only one case in which a Russian deserter who fled to Kazakhstan was able to obtain a visa to an EU country. According to Mediazona, since the beginning of the year until August, about 5,200 criminal cases of desertion have been filed with Russian military courts, a figure hugher than for all of last year. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Updated

Zelenskiy Says Ukrainian Troops Holding On In Kursk After Russian Claims Of Gains

A Ukrainian AHS Krab self-propelled howitzer fires toward Russian positions near the front line in the Chasiv Yar area in the Donetsk region.
A Ukrainian AHS Krab self-propelled howitzer fires toward Russian positions near the front line in the Chasiv Yar area in the Donetsk region.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were holding off attempts by Russian troops to expel them from the Kursk region, following a 24-hour period in which Russian shelling killed at least five Ukrainian civilians.

"As for the Kursk operation, there were attempts by Russia to push back our positions, but we are holding the defined lines," Zelenskiy said on October 12 in his nightly video address following Russian claims of advances in the area.

Ukrainian troops made quick and shocking gains after they launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region in August, but Russia has announced the recapture of several villages, including the latest two on October 11.

Reports on the ground cannot be independently verified.

In other areas, including in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya regions, Zelenskiy said following a meeting with military commander General Oleksandr Syrskiy, Ukrainian forces were "facing very difficult conditions and fierce enemy actions."

Officials said earlier that Russian shelling had killed five Ukrainian civilians over the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.

In Donetsk, three people were killed -- two in Bohoyavlenka and one in Ivanopil, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram, adding that another eight people were wounded across the region.

In the northeastern region of Kharkiv, a 38-year-old man was killed by Russian shelling in Kozachia Lopan and a 67-year-old man was killed in Kupyansk, regional authorities reported.

Russian troops also shelled populated areas of the Kherson region, including Kherson city, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported, adding that a medical facility, an administrative building, a cellular tower and residential buildings were damaged in the city.

Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson in November 2022, forcing Russian troops to retreat east of the Dnieper River, but Moscow's forces continue to strike the city and its surrounding region from across the river, causing casualties and damage to civilian and energy infrastructure.

In the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, two women and an 11-year-old girl were wounded by Russian shelling early on October 12, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Separately, Ukraine's air force said that air defenses shot down 24 out of the 28 drones launched by Russia at the Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolayiv, and Kherson regions.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian regions of Belgorod and Krasnodar, wounding three people early on October 12, Russian officials said.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that a woman and two men wounded in a strike on Ustinka were hospitalized in moderate condition.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

In Krasnodar, three houses and one vehicle were destroyed by Ukrainian drones, regional chief Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram, adding that no injuries were reported.

In the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, a fuel depot was on fire in Rovenky, local Telegram channels reported, posting a video of the purported fire.

There was no official confirmation of the Rovenky strike, which was the second one after an attack on the fuel depot in May which killed several people.

Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 17 drones over Krasnodar, 12 over Kursk, 2 over Belgorod, while another 16 were downed off the Sea of Azov coast.

Ukraine, whose infrastructure has been battered by incessant Russian drone and missile strikes that also caused numerous victims among civilians, has in turn resorted lately to striking Russian military targets -- mainly fuel depots -- with its own drones.

Zelenskiy, who concluded a whirlwind tour of Ukraine's main European allies on October 11, has been pressing for approval to use modern long-range weapons systems donated by the West to strike deeper inside Russia -- a request that so far has been declined by most Western leaders.

Zelenskiy said during his visit to Berlin on October 11 that it was important that Ukraine's allies do not decrease their assistance next year.

In his latest video address, Zelenskiy said that "there are many partners, who for objective reasons, cannot help with arms supplies. They do not have [enough of] their own weapons."

"But they can us help with financing. And some partners have special technologies that can be used right now in Ukraine -- in our defense," he added.

Kyiv faces difficult months ahead in its fight to stop a slow but continuous Russian advance in the east.

Updated

Hezbollah Attacks Israeli Base, Tel Aviv Area On Yom Kippur

People demonstrate against the government and to show support for the hostages taken during the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Tel Aviv on October 12.
People demonstrate against the government and to show support for the hostages taken during the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Tel Aviv on October 12.

Hezbollah on October 12 said it had fired a number of missiles and drones at an Israeli military base south of Haifa and at the outskirts of Tel Aviv as Israelis celebrated Yom Kippur, the most important holiday on the Jewish religious calendar.

Hezbollah -- an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon -- said its forces targeted "the explosives factory there with a salvo of...missiles" in the Haifa region, while it said it sent a swarm of drones toward Tel Aviv, the economic center of the country.

The Israeli military confirmed that Hezbollah fired hundreds of projectiles from Lebanon into Israel over Yom Kippur, which ended at sundown on October 12.

"Throughout the weekend of Yom Kippur, approximately 320 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organization crossed from Lebanon into Israel," the military said in a statement.

Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.

Israel has meanwhiile faced a of barrage of diplomatic criticism over a second strike at a United Nations peacekeeping position in Lebanon.

Two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were hurt in the incident, the UNIFIL mission said on October 11.

The Israeli military said it had fired at "an immediate threat" around 50 meters from the UNIFIL post.

On October 10, two Indonesian soldiers were hurt when Israeli tank fire hit a watchtower.

The UN peacekeeping force said in a statement that the incident occurred at its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, adding that Israeli forces also fired on a nearby bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system.

The incidents sparked condemnation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Israel's Western allies, prompting the Israeli military to pledge to carry out a "thorough review."

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it hit some 280 "terror targets" in Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip over the weekend.

"Among these targets were underground terror infrastructure sites, weapons storage facilities, military command centers, terrorist cells, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites," a statement read.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on October 12 traveled to Beirut, condemning what he called Israel's "crimes."

He met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who said his government's priority was "to work toward a cease-fire," according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 11 that Washington was still working to prevent a larger war in the Middle East and urged Israel to protect civilians after 22 people were killed in strikes on two buildings in central Beirut.

"We continue to engage intensely to prevent broader conflict in the region," Blinken told reporters after an East Asia summit in Laos, adding that it was "vitally important" for Israel to ensure that civilians are protected during the conflict.

Lebanese sources said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was targeted in the attacks, which were the third on Beirut since Israel started a military campaign in southern Lebanon last month against the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia, sparking fears of an all-out regional war.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported after the strikes that an attempt to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside either of the targeted buildings.

Safa heads Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, security sources said.

With reporting by AFP

U.S. Issues Fresh Sanctions On Iran In Response To Attack On Israel

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (file photo)
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (file photo)

The United States on October 11 issued additional sanctions targeting Iran's oil industry in response to its October 1 attack on Israel, the Treasury Department said.

The new sanctions are designed to increase financial pressure on Iran and limit the ability of its regime to earn money from oil sales that can be used to undermine stability in the region and attack U.S. partners and allies, the Treasury Department said in a news release.

"In response to Iran's attack on Israel, the United States is taking decisive action to further disrupt the Iranian regime's ability to fund and carry out its destabilizing activity," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

The sanctions target Iranian efforts to channel revenues from its energy industry into deadly and disruptive activity, including development of its nuclear program, the proliferation of ballistic missiles and drones, and support to "regional terrorist proxies with dangerous consequences for the region and the world," Yellen said.

"We will not hesitate to take further action to hold Iran accountable," she added.

The department said its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating 10 entities in multiple jurisdictions and identifying 17 vessels as blocked property for their involvement in shipments of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products in support of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Triliance Petrochemical Company.

In addition, the U.S. State Department is designating six entities and identifying six vessels as blocked property for transporting or trading petroleum products from Iran.

"Collectively, these actions target a significant portion of the shadow fleet of tankers and illicit operators that move the Iranian regime's petroleum exports," the Treasury said.

NIOC was designated in October 2020 for its financial support to the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Triliance was designated in January 2020 for facilitating the sale of Iranian petroleum products from NIOC.

The sanctions freeze any assets the targeted entities and ships hold within U.S. jurisdiction and bar U.S. persons from any dealings with them.

U.S. Envoy Touts Benefits Of Mining Lithium In Serbia

U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment Jose Fernandez speaks at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on October 11.
U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment Jose Fernandez speaks at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on October 11.

A U.S. diplomat said on October 11 that a decision on lithium mining is up to Serbia's people but pointed out that a proposed project to exploit the mineral in the west of the country is expected to bring economic benefits.

Jose Fernandez, undersecretary for economic growth, energy, and environment, told a news conference in Belgrade that the question of whether to go ahead with the Jadar project was a sovereign decision and he supports the debate over the project.

The British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto plans to create Europe's biggest lithium mine in Serbia’s Jadar Valley. Rio Tinto says the project could provide nearly 60,000 tons of lithium annually and thus meet about one-fifth of the needs for Europe's electric-vehicle production.

The company has said that experts have confirmed that the Jadar project can be implemented safely and in accordance with the highest environmental standards. But numerous experts and activist oppose the project, claiming that it would have negative effects on environment.

"No country wants to trade the environment for economic growth," Fernandez said at the news conference. "That's a false choice that no country wants to make."

Fernandez said he believes that the mine project will create jobs and bring Serbia closer to the European Union.

He noted that by 2050 the world will need 42 times more lithium than is used today, and that this critical raw material was currently controlled by "one or two countries."

Speaking on October 10, the same day that the Serbian parliament rejected a bill to ban the exploitation of lithium in western Serbia, Fernandez said that the Jadar project is a great opportunity for Serbia that "doesn't come around that often."

During his visit, Fernandez also announced projects that Serbia will implement in cooperation with U.S. companies in the field of green energy.

He said a solar energy agreement will be signed next week and noted that the Energy Ministry is studying the feasibility of a hydroelectric power plant on the Danube River.

Fernandez said that the United States sees that Serbia wants to diversify its sources of energy in order to reduce its dependence on Russia.

"Serbia has long relied on coal, as well as gas from Russia. It is in the interest of every country to achieve energy independence," he said. "Some countries have learned the hard way that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is arming himself with dependence on Russian gas."

Turkey, Serbia Eye Cooperation On Production Of Military Drones

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) meets Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on October 11.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) meets Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on October 11.

The leaders of Turkey and Serbia said their countries might begin jointly producing military drones.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 11 during a visit to Belgrade that he and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic discussed the capabilities that the Turkish industry has in air assets, adding that could be a basis for cooperation in the defense industries of the two countries.

Serbian, Turkish Presidents Agree To Strengthen Cooperation
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Asked whether the joint military industry cooperation would include the production of Bayraktar drones, Erdogan said: "Serbia has certain capacities…and as friendly countries we can develop our capacities together."

Speaking at a joint news conference with Vucic, he said that cooperation in a dedicated industry is necessary to protect peace.

Serbia had planned to purchase Bayraktar military drones from Turkey, but it announced in 2023 that it had abandoned the plan in response to the delivery of drones from Turkey to Kosovo, a former Serbian province whose independence Serbia does not recognize.

Vucic said last year that the delivery of the drones to Kosovo was "neither easy nor good news for us and it will affect our relations" with Turkey. But while hosting Erdogan in Belgrade on October 11, he said the Turkish military industry "is significantly stronger than ours" and he saw "room for great cooperation" with it.

Vucic said he had "great confidence" in Erdogan and his "attitude toward peace and stability," and noted that Serbia recently renewed export licenses for Turkey and subsequently exported a significant portion of shells to the Turkish market.

During Erdogan's visit, Serbia and Turkey signed agreements in various areas, including trade, energy, and emergency situations.

The two leaders also discussed regional and geopolitical issues, underscoring the importance of peace and stability in the Balkans and a common-sense approach when it comes to the tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.

Turkey again confirmed its determination to protect stability in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Erdogan said, while Vucic reiterated that Serbia supported the not only the territorial integrity of Bosnia, but also the integrity of Republika Srpska within it.

Asked what concrete steps Serbia and Turkey intend to take to ensure the stability of the Balkans, Vucic said that Erdogan had many ideas.

"Accordingly, we will try to spread and show somewhat different signs and signals toward Bosnia and Herzegovina, and vice versa to guarantee those who come after us security, peace, and commitment to solving problems, especially economic development," Vucic said.

With reporting by AP

U.S. Charges Subject Of RFE/RL Report With Stock Manipulation Over False Claims

 Enerkon CEO Benjamin Ballout (file photo)
Enerkon CEO Benjamin Ballout (file photo)

A U.S. businessman whose extravagant claims about supposed projects in Ukraine were exposed in an RFE/RL investigation has been charged with stock manipulation by financial regulators in the United States.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said that Benjamin Ballout, the CEO of Enerkon Solar International, "authored, approved, and issued" at least three false press releases designed to drive up the price of the company's stock so that he and his associates could sell shares for a profit.

The charges stem from what the SEC said were false claims about purported U.K. and U.S. deals in press releases published between March and May 2021, at least two months after the initial Ukraine project claims.

This kind of scheme, known as "pump and dump," is not uncommon in the world of public companies that are valued at well under $1 billion and trade on the over-the-counter market as opposed to regulated exchanges.

Two of Ballout's associates, Mohamed Zayed and William Fielding, were also charged, the SEC said in a September 23 statement.

The government watchdog said it was seeking to force the return of the trio's allegedly illegal gains, impose civil penalties, and bar them from trading what are known as "penny stocks."

It said Fielding had agreed to settle with the SEC, giving up $311,000 in profits and $53,230 in interest and paying a $195,000 fine.

RFE/RL exposed Ballout's activities in a March 2021 article after he published a press release claiming that Enerkon had been "awarded" the right to create a massive solar-power project in Ukraine and build out a next-generation wireless-technology network around the country.

Enerkon's stock price jumped in the days and weeks following the press release, making Ballout overnight a multimillionaire on paper.

Ballout also claimed, in a filing with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), that he would be setting up meetings for a Ukrainian deputy prime minister with leading U.S. companies during the official’s upcoming visit to the United States.

An RFE/RL investigation showed that no such rights had been awarded to Enerkon. The Ukrainian government also denied that Ballout had been tapped to set up business meetings.

The investigation also showed that Ballout had no record of developing major projects and had struggled financially, filing for personal bankruptcy twice.

In phone calls and written messages, Ballout harassed and threatened RFE/RL reporters in an attempt to stop the article's publication.

"You and your crew under big scrutiny now. U can’t ever spy on me to a foreign gov and get away with it," he wrote in a March 22, 2021, text message.

Ballout did not answer his phone when RFE/RL tried to reach him for comment following the SEC charges.

EU To Announce New Sanctions On Iran, Sources Tell RFE/RL

Iranian ballistic missiles are displayed during a ceremony in Tehran in August 2023.
Iranian ballistic missiles are displayed during a ceremony in Tehran in August 2023.

The European Union will move ahead early next week with new sanctions against individuals and entities linked to Iran, sources told RFE/RL on October 11.

According to three European sources who spoke with RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, the sanctions are expected to be agreed on October 14 and likely will include Iran Air.

One source noted that EU ambassadors had already given the package a preliminary green light on October 9.

"Yes, sanctions on Monday in response to the shipment and more sectoral sanctions likely after that," another source told RFE/RL, referring to the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.

"I have zero indication that there is any reluctance," the source said.

After the United States, Britain, France, and Germany accused Iran of sending missiles to Russia more than a month ago, the three European countries announced their plans to place sanctions on Iran Air, the state-owned airline.

At the time, the German Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL that work had begun to consult with European allies on the matter.

Iran Air has direct flights to several cities in Europe, including Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Paris, and Milan.

The possibility of new EU sanctions comes just a few days after Peter Stano, the EU's chief foreign policy spokesman, told RFE/RL that he was "optimistic" about the EU's relationship with Iran.

Stano stressed that EU relations with Iran "have been at an all-time low for a long time" and noted that the most recent reason is Iran's support for Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine by supplying drones and more recently missiles.

Domestic repression in Iran, arbitrary detention of EU citizens, and uranium enrichment are other factors that have caused the Islamic republic's relations with the EU to become "complicated" and "sensitive," according to Stano.

Updated

Journalist Released In Russia's Tatarstan After Declaring Hunger Strike

Tatar journalist Iskander Siradzhi (file photo)
Tatar journalist Iskander Siradzhi (file photo)

Independent Tatar journalist Iskander Siradzhi has been released from pretrial detention in the Russian city of Kazan after launching a hunger strike to protest the charges against him.

His lawyer, Talia Chernova, was quoted by online news outlet Realnoe Vremya as saying that Siradzhi was released and that no investigative actions were taken against him on October 11, but he remains a suspect in a case involving the release of private information about two witnesses in a murder case.

Chernova said earlier on October 11 that Siradzhi "considers his prosecution to be illegal."

Siradzhi, a well-known local journalist and the owner of the online newspaper Sirazhi Suze, was detained on October 9 in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Tatarstan region, after authorities searched his home and office, confiscating all his equipment.

Authorities subsequently opened a criminal case against him for the alleged dissemination of private information without consent, his wife Elmira Siradzhi reported on Telegram.

Siradzhi was briefly investigated in November 2023 in connection with RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was arrested in Kazan in October 2023.

Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was first charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent" under a punitive Russian law that targets journalists among others and was subsequently charged with spreading falsehoods about the Russian military -- charges she and RFE/RL denied.

She was sentenced to 6 1/2 years before being released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States in August.

While Kurmasheva was still in detention, Siradzhi's home was searched at 5:30 a.m. by authorities, who took away his professional equipment and his children's computers.

"Allegedly, RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva collected information that constituted a state secret," Siradzhi said at the time.

"Supposedly, Kurmasheva asked some professors how many people were taken from their institute during the military mobilization. And this is supposedly a big crime. Supposedly, I am somehow connected with this crime," he added.

Siradzhi has never collaborated with RFE/RL.

Now the Investigative Committee is accusing Siradzhi of publishing personal information about two Kazan residents, named by authorities only as Safiullin and Sabirov.

The committee claimed that video footage published by Siradzhi several years ago disclosed details about the places of residence, the families, and the income of the two individuals, accusations that Chernova said are untrue.

The case against Siradzhi stems from his reporting on the case of Kazan resident Ibrahim Zakiyev, who was accused of murders committed some two decades ago.

Tatarstan's Supreme Court has recently acquitted Zakiyev, despite testimonies against him provided by Safiullin and Sabirov.

"And the very next day, based on [Safiullin and Sabirov's] statement, the Investigative Committee opens a case [against Siradzhi]," Chernova said, adding that his case is being handled by the same [investigative] department that sent Zakiyev’s murder case to court.

"I believe there’s a direct connection here," Chernova said. She added that investigators promised Siradzhi he would be released if he gave a confession.

Amid Ukraine, Mideast Conflicts, Nobel Peace Prize Awarded To Anti-Nuke Group

Joergen Watne Frydnes announces the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.
Joergen Watne Frydnes announces the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

The Japanese group Nihon Hidankyo, an organization of Atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

In making the announcement in Oslo on October 11, Norwegian Nobel Committee chief Joergen Watne Frydnes said it was "alarming" that "new countries appear to be preparing to acquire nuclear weapons, and threats are being made to use nuclear weapons as part of ongoing warfare."

“It is very clear that threats of using nuclear weapons are putting pressure on the important international norm: the taboo of using nuclear weapons,” Frydnes said when asked at a news conference if rhetoric from Moscow surrounding nuclear weapons and its invasion of Ukraine had played a part in the committee's decision.

Frydnes did not mention any specific countries, but his comments come at a time when countries such as Iran have raised fears of nuclear proliferation. Tehran says it is developing its nuclear capabilities for civilian purposes, but its foes say it is looking to produce atomic weapons.

In addition, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has further heightened concerns about the risk of nuclear war given Moscow's announcement that it plans to review its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons and its deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus -- the first relocation of such warheads outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

"The committee is drawing attention to a very dangerous situation in the world, with relations between China and the U.S., and between Russia and the U.S., the most toxic since the end of the Cold War," said Dan Smith of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which noted that at the start of 2024, the nine nuclear-armed states possessed an estimated 12,121 atomic weapons.

"If there is a military conflict, there is a risk of it escalating to nuclear weapons," Smith added.

The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize isn't the first time an anti-nuclear group has been recognized.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Before it, Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, which works to reduce the role nuclear arms play in international politics, won in 1995.

The prize also comes as conflict ravages the Middle East, with fears focused on Iran. More than three dozen Iranian hard-line lawmakers on October 10 demanded the government revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons.

In a letter to the Supreme National Security Council, they said Western powers could not control Israel, thus making nuclear weapons "Iran's option to create deterrence."

Nihon Hidankyo was chosen from among 286 nominees -- 89 of which were organizations.

Last year, the prize, which comes with an 11 million Swedish krona (just over $1 million) award, went to imprisoned Iranian women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi.

Updated

Fake Facebook Accounts Aimed At Moldovans Removed After Pressure From U.S. Lawmaker

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

U.S. tech giant Meta said on October 11 that it had removed a network of group accounts targeting Russian-speakers in Moldova ahead of the country's October 20 election after a U.S. senator called on the company to address Russian disinformation.

The parent company of Facebook said it removed seven Facebook accounts, 23 pages, one group and 20 accounts on Instagram for violating its policy against "coordinated inauthentic behavior."

This network originated primarily in the Transdniester region of Moldova and targeted Russian-speaking audiences in Moldova, Meta said, adding that the accounts were removed before they were able to build authentic audiences on Meta's apps.

The individuals behind the activity used fake accounts to manage pages posing as independent news entities, post content, and drive people to the operation's off-platform channels, primarily on Telegram.

They posted original content, including cartoons, about news and geopolitical events concerning Moldova and supportive commentary about pro-Russian parties in Moldova. A small fraction of the posts referred to exiled oligarch Ihan Shor and his party.

Following Meta's actions authorities in Moldova said they had blocked dozens of Telegram channels and chat bots linked to a drive to pay voters to cast "no" ballots in a referendum on EU membership held alongside the presidential election.

Moldovans are heading to the polls on October 20 to decide whether they will grant a second term to pro-Western President Maia Sandu and have their say in a referendum on the former Soviet republic's integration into the European Union.

In letters to Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, the CEOs of the parent companies of Facebook and Google, Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pointed to the importance of the two polls, which he called "a unique moment in Moldova’s history that will determine the future for generations of Moldovans," stressing that "the decision must be Moldovans’ alone.”

A former World Bank official, the U.S.-educated Sandu steered Moldova firmly toward the West after defeating Moscow-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in 2020 and moved to curb Russia's influence in one of Europe's poorest countries more than three decades after it declared independence from the Soviet Union.

Chisinau firmly condemned Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and joined the EU sanctions regime against the Kremlin while sheltering tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

Moldova secured EU candidate status in June 2022 and opened membership negotiations with the bloc earlier this year, steps that prompted Russia to step up a disinformation campaign to undermine the credibility of Moldova's government and portray Moscow as a better alternative for Chisinau's future.

Ahead of the elections, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a U.S. pro-democracy NGO, warned that foreign malign influence from Russia on social media platforms "is the greatest threat to electoral integrity" and recommended that social media companies move to prevent advertising from "sanctioned individuals or their proxies."

In his letters to Zuckerberg and Pichai, Cardin urged the two companies to "act without delay to allocate additional resources to support a fair electoral environment in the run-up to October 20" and pointed to a joint statement by the United States, Canada, and Britain warning in particular of Russian actors who intend to "incite protests in Moldova should a pro-Russia candidate not win."

Cardin went on to warn the two tech giants that fugitive Moscow-backed oligarch Ilan Shor, who is wanted in Moldova for his role in the theft in 2014 of around $1 billion in banking assets and is under U.S. and EU sanctions, "has paid for sponsored ads on your platforms."

Cardin's letters came the same day that Moldovan police searched the homes of leaders of a group linked to Shor as part of a criminal investigation into election meddling. Three suspects were detained.

The whereabouts of Shor, who also holds Russian and Israeli passports, are not known, but he is believed to live in Moscow. His Facebook account was blocked this summer. Meta has so far also blocked the accounts of lawmaker and Shor-associate Marina Tauber and of Evghenia Gutul, the Russian-backed leader of Moldova's autonomous region of Gagauzia.

Cardin reminded the two IT giants that they have a responsibility in preventing "malign" outside involvement in the make-or-break elections.

“The gravity of this decision before the Moldovan people puts the onus on Moldova’s partners, as well as those who help moderate key parts of Moldova’s information space, to prevent malign foreign influence from interfering in one of the most important choices Moldovans will ever make,” Cardin concluded.

With reporting by Reuters
Updated

Russian, Iranian Presidents Meet As War Rages In Middle East

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) shakes hands with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian in Ashgabat on October 11.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) shakes hands with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian in Ashgabat on October 11.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, to cement their growing bilateral ties that have raised concern in the West as war rages in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The two leaders met in Ashgabat on the sidelines of a conference in the capital of the tightly controlled Central Asian country of Turkmenistan on October 11. It was the first of two meetings between the men, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24.

It was the first of two meetings between the two, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters ahead of the meeting that while the talks will focus on bilateral relations, "the situation in the Middle East definitely will not be ignored and will also be on the agenda."

The meeting was the first between the two since Pezeshkian assumed office on July 30 after winning an election to succeed his hard-line predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.

Relations between Moscow and Tehran have strengthened since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Pezeshkian is trying to gauge to what extent Iran can rely on Russia for help," Touraj Atabaki, professor emeritus of Middle East and Central Asia social history at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Radio Farda.

"Russia wants to stand with Iran due to Iran's support in its war on Ukraine but Moscow doesn't want to darken its relationship with Israel further and cut all ties," he added.

Since the early months of the Ukraine war, Russia has been accused of using Iranian-made Shahed and Mohajer-6 drones, many of which have been found after being shot down over Ukrainian cities and battlefields.

Iran initially denied arming Russia before relenting and admitting that it had supplied a "limited number of drones" to Moscow before the war.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Tehran continues to deny that its drones are being used by Russia against Ukraine. That has not stopped the United States and the European Union from imposing sanctions on Iran for helping Moscow.

Last month, the EU said it had "credible" information provided by allies suggesting that Iran has supplied short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to help Moscow wage war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East have been heightened since Tehran launched some 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, saying the attack was in response to the killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders and a general from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Israel has vowed to launch a "deadly, precise, and surprising" attack on Iran in retaliation, while it continues to pound targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip that it says are aimed at Iran-backed proxies.

At least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded on October 11 by Israeli strikes in Jabalia in northern Gaza, according to the territory's civil-defense agency.

The recent spiral of violence was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas that killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 taken hostage. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

The fighting in Gaza prompted another Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, to fire missiles into Israel in support of Hamas. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.

The Israeli military has launched massive air strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon in response, as well as a ground incursion into southern Lebanon intended to destroy the Iran-allied militant group, whose political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Israel faced condemnation on October 11 after its forces fired at what it said was a threat near a UN peacekeeping position in Lebanon. Israeli soldiers had responded to "an immediate threat" around 50 meters from the UNIFIL post, the military said.

"An initial examination indicates that during the incident, a hit was identified on a UNIFIL post...resulting in the injury of two UNIFIL personnel," the statement added. The army pledged to carry out a "thorough review."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the firing as "intolerable" and "a violation of international humanitarian law," while the British government said it was "appalled" by reports of the injuries.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was "absolutely" asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers, while the French, Spanish, and Italian leaders issued a joint statement expressing "outrage."

French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his call for an end to exports of weapons used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, while saying the UN peacekeepers had been "deliberately targeted."

In Iran, more than three dozen hard-line lawmakers on October 10 demanded the government revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons.

In a letter to the Supreme National Security Council, they said Western powers could not control Israel, thus making nuclear weapons "Iran's option to create deterrence."

Iran has been hit with waves of crippling economic sanctions for its nuclear program, which has seen a sharp increase in its uranium enrichment capacity after the United States under former President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 landmark deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that restricted Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian purposes, but government officials caused alarm recently by saying it could change its "nuclear doctrine" if it is attacked or its existence is threatened by Israel.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Blinken Tells Israel Protecting Civilians 'Vitally Important' After Deadly Beirut Strikes

A heavily damaged building at the site of an Israeli air strike in Beirut on October 10.
A heavily damaged building at the site of an Israeli air strike in Beirut on October 10.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that Washington was still working to prevent a larger war in the Middle East and urged Israel to protect civilians after 22 people were killed in strikes on central Beirut.

Blinken spoke a day after Israeli air strikes targeted two buildings in Beirut, one of which completely collapsed.

"We continue to engage intensely to prevent broader conflict in the region," Blinken told reporters after an East Asia Summit in Laos, adding that it was "vitally important" for Israel to ensure that civilians are protected during the conflict.

Lebanese sources said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was targeted in the attacks, which were the third on Beirut since Israel started a military campaign in southern Lebanon last month against the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia, sparking fears of an all-out regional war.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported after the strikes that an attempt to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside either of the targeted buildings.

Safa heads Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, security sources said.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah kept up its rocket fire into Israel on October 10, with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) saying that several drones heading toward Israel had been intercepted.

Earlier on October 10, an Israeli strike on a school in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said it had carried out a "precise strike on terrorists" who had a command-and-control center embedded in the school.

"This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization's systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law," an Israeli military statement said.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, has denied such accusations. People who had been sheltering at the school said the strike hit a meeting of aid workers and injured 54 other people.

Israel has continued to strike at what it says are militant targets across Gaza as it battles Hamas militants, even as the war broadened to include Hezbollah in Lebanon amid rising tensions with Iran.

In a separate incident on October 10, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said an Israeli tank fired on its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, hitting an observation tower and wounding two peacekeepers. The nationality of the injured peacekeepers was not released.

The UN peacekeeping mission -- known as UNIFIL -- said in a statement that Israeli forces also fired on a nearby bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system.

The Italian Defense Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador in protest, and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told a press conference that "hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces against the base...could constitute war crimes."

Crosetto added that Italy has asked for an official explanation "because it was not a mistake."

The French Foreign Ministry said that while no French soldiers were injured in the incident, it also demanded an explanation.

With reporting by Reuters
Updated

Zelenskiy Wraps Up European Tour Looking To Keep Aid Flowing

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky upon his arrival for talks in Berlin on October 11.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky upon his arrival for talks in Berlin on October 11.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said during a visit to Berlin on October 11 that it was important that Ukraine's allies do not decrease their assistance next year as he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Zelenskiy has been on a whirlwind tour of major European capitals meant to win backing for his "victory plan" aimed at ending the war with Russia.

His main goal in his visits to London, Paris, Rome, and Berlin, his final stop, was to press for additional military and financial aid as Kyiv faces difficult months ahead in its fight to stop a slow but continuous Russian advance in the east.

In Berlin, Zelenskiy thanked Germany for its backing and said that "it is very important for us that this assistance does not decrease next year."

He said he would present Scholz with his plan for winning the war, repeating his hope that the conflict would end no later than next year.

"Ukraine more than anyone else in the world wants a fair and speedy end to this war," Zelenskiy said.

After his stops in London, Paris, and Rome on October 10, Zelenskiy said on X that he had "outlined the details" of his proposed "victory plan" to defeat Russian forces during his meetings with the leaders of Britain, France, and Italy.

He added that he and the other leaders agreed to work on the plan together but gave no details on what it says.

Scholz said he and the Ukrainian leader agreed on the need for a peace conference that includes Russia, but that peace "can only be brought about on the basis of international law."

"We will not accept a peace dictated by Russia," Scholz said.

Scholz also announced a 1.4 billion-euro ($1.53 billion) military aid package for Ukraine from Germany with partner countries Belgium, Denmark, and Norway, saying it includes more air defense, tanks, combat drones, and artillery and sends a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "playing for time will not work" and vowing "not let up in our support for Ukraine."

During a 35-minute meeting with Pope Francis on October 11, Zelenskiy sought the Vatican's help in securing the return of adults and children taken prisoner by Russia, he said on X, formerly Twitter.

"The issue of bringing our people home from captivity was the main focus of my meeting with Pope Francis," he said.

Zelenskiy gave Francis an oil painting called the Bucha Massacre, depicting the mass killings of civilians by Russian troops in the Ukrainian city in 2022.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Zelenskiy's arrival in Berlin comes after an October 12 summit of the Ramstein group of Ukraine's main backers was canceled at short notice when U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, abandoned their travel plans as the southern U.S. states braced for Hurricane Milton.

The White House said in a statement that Biden spoke to Scholz on October 10 and noted "his intention to continue our strong collaboration on geopolitical priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression."

The United States has been Ukraine's main backer and by far the main contributor in terms of financial and military aid, but a victory by Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump in the election could cast doubt about Washington's continued support for Kyiv.

Zelenskiy's diplomatic efforts are taking place as Russia continues to keep up the pressure on Ukraine's cities.

As Zelenskiy arrived in Berlin, the number of civilians killed in a Russian missile strike on Odesa on October 11 rose to nine, including a teenage girl, and Russian troops struck the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.

"A two-story building where civilians lived and worked was destroyed," Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

Odesa, Ukraine's main hub for grain exports, has been repeatedly struck by Russian forces since the start of the war.

Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said there were no injuries in one strike but an inspection following another missile strike on the Derhachiv community of Kharkiv was ongoing.

Outside Kharkiv, a 38-year-old man was killed by a Russian drone strike on the village of Kozacha Lopan, the region's military administration reported.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital was targeted by Russian drones early on October 11. The military administration of the Ukrainian capital later reported on Telegram that all the attacking drones had been shot down, without specifying a number.

On the battlefield, outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian troops inside the strategic city of Toretsk in the eastern region of Donetsk after abandoning Vuhledar, another strategic hub in the region, last week.

Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces carried out fresh attacks near Vremivka, Kharkiv, Kupyansk, and Siversk, the General Staff of Ukraine's military reported on October 11.

Separately, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said at least 208 civilians were killed and 1,220 injured in Ukraine in September. That made it the month with the highest number of civilian casualties in 2024, the mission said.

The organization said that 46 percent of the dead were over the age of 60. In addition, nine children were killed and 76 were injured in September.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP

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