Middle East: war spreads to Lebanon. New raids on Iran and missiles in the Gulf

Other news: a Chinese citizen is among the victims of the bombings in Tehran. In a phone call to Netanyahu, Indian Prime Minister Modi, under pressure after his trip to Israel, calls for a “rapid end to hostilities”. Off the radar of the mainstream media, the war between Pakistan and Afghanistan also continues. In Japan, negotiations on the treaty against plastic pollution resume. New regulations to protect the Great Wall of China.

MIDDLE EAST

On the third day of the conflict that began with the Israeli and US attack on Iran, the front has expanded further to Lebanon, following the Gulf countries. In response to Hezbollah missile and drone strikes, the Israeli army has heavily bombed Beirut and southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health says the attacks killed at least 31 people and wounded 149. Meanwhile, raids on Iran and missile and drone strikes on Israel and the Gulf countries continue. Yesterday, the Gandhi Hospital in Tehran was hit, while a missile struck a synagogue in Beit Shemesh, killing nine people. Three American soldiers also died in the bombing of a base in Kuwait. Meanwhile, air and commercial maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf remains paralysed, with serious repercussions for the global economy.

CHINA-INDIA-MIDDLE EAST

There is also at least one Chinese citizen among the hundreds of people killed in the Israeli and US attacks on Tehran. This was announced this morning by Beijing Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, reiterating the Chinese government's call for an immediate ceasefire. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also had a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night, in which he expressed concern and called for an end to the fighting as soon as possible. Modi is under pressure from Indian public opinion because the attack came immediately after his trip to Israel, during which he strengthened the axis between the New Delhi government and Netanyahu.

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN

Overshadowed by the new conflict in the Middle East, the war that has reignited on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan also continues. Islamabad reports that 182 Taliban positions have been destroyed and over 400 militants killed in its operations. But Kabul also claims to have killed 32 Pakistani soldiers in its counter-offensive. Meanwhile, all Pakistani schools in the border areas have been closed today after a drone struck a school in the Mohmand district without causing any casualties.

JAPAN

Delegates from around 20 countries are meeting in Japan for three days of “informal” talks with the aim of salvaging efforts to reach a global treaty on plastic pollution. Talks held in South Korea in 2024 to reach an agreement failed, and a renewed attempt in Geneva last August also foundered after extra time. An official from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment said that the closed-door “informal” meeting between “operational-level officials”, scheduled to last until Tuesday, was not expected to result in any official announcement.

CHINA

On 1 March, new regulations dedicated exclusively to the protection of the Great Wall came into force in the People's Republic of China. Approved by the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, the regulations define the scope of protection to include not only the wall itself, but also related cultural sites and the surrounding environment. The regulations emphasise the use of technology, including modern tools, digital archives and digital monitoring systems, promoting a more scientific approach to the preservation of the Great Wall.

RUSSIA

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the establishment of a commission reporting directly to him on the development of artificial intelligence technologies, appointing among its top leaders Aleksey Dyumin, his former bodyguard and close friend of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mysteriously disappeared creator of the Wagner company, with the aim of “raising the efficiency of the formation and implementation of national policy”.

TURKMENISTAN

In Turkmenistan, the Minister for National Security, General Nazar Atagaraev, has been relieved of his duties following the death of a disabled person in Group I as a result of torture by the police. The incident follows the news published by Turkmen.News of a man kicked and punched to death by the head of Turmenkhimii, Tangryguly Ataev, who has also been dismissed, based on information from sources within the ministry itself.