Iran Informs Qatar of its Stance on Ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
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Iran Informs Qatar of its Stance on Ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian informed senior Qatari officials of his country's point of view on the war on the Gaza Strip, saying it was natural that the Iran loyalists will not remain silent in the face of all the Israeli crimes.

Amir-Abdollahian met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, where he conveyed a verbal message from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on several regional and international issues, especially the developments in the Palestinian territories.

The Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that Amir-Abdollahian also met with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

During the meeting, they discussed means of cooperation to advance an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territories, protect civilians, and prevent the expansion of violence and conflict in the region, which will have dire consequences for everyone.

The Qatari FM said he discussed with Amir-Abdollahian the escalations in Gaza and the West Bank and advancing ceasefire efforts.

He wrote in a post on the "X" platform: "We stressed intensifying efforts to prevent expanding conflict that will result in serious consequences for everyone."

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the Zionist regime continues to commit crimes against the defenseless people and impose a siege on Gaza.

"We are gradually witnessing an increase in reactions and the escalation and expansion of the scope of conflicts in the region," he added.

Before leaving Doha for Ankara, Amir-Abdollahian met with the head of the Hamas politburo, Ismail Haniyeh, for the second time this month.

"It was necessary to use the latest political opportunities to stop the war, and if the situation goes out of control, no party will be safe from its consequences," the top official said, according to Iranian media.

He said the US was part of the war in Gaza, adding that Washington is in no position to ask others for restraint.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani announced that an immediate ceasefire is on the agenda of discussions between Iran and Qatar, stressing the need to halt the Zionist bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and send humanitarian aid.

Kanaani told reporters accompanying the Iranian delegation that the visit comes from Iranian regional consultations and international efforts to help end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

According to the spokesman, the two countries agreed that the current situation is unacceptable and expanding the scope of the conflict could affect everyone, pointing out that the situation in the region is on the verge of an explosion due to the crimes of the Zionist entity.

Qatar could convey Iran's message to concerned parties, said Kanaani, adding that Iran shared its point of view, and for it, the ceasefire and truce are an important humanitarian point.

Concerning the hostages, Kanaani said that the conditions in the Gaza Strip now do not allow for the release of some prisoners.

Kanaani accused the US of obstructing efforts to reach a ceasefire in the enclave because of its use of veto power against a Russian and a Brazilian resolution in the Security Council.

Iran issued several warnings and threats to Israel and the US, but it has so far refrained from revealing its position if the war between Israel and Hamas turns into a regional conflict, according to an analysis published by Agence France Presse.



Israel Army Issues Evacuation Warning for Lebanon Village ahead of Strikes

 Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Chehour, southern Lebanon November 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Chehour, southern Lebanon November 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir
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Israel Army Issues Evacuation Warning for Lebanon Village ahead of Strikes

 Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Chehour, southern Lebanon November 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Chehour, southern Lebanon November 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir

The Israeli army issued an evacuation warning on Sunday for the village of Kafr Hatta in southern Lebanon ahead of air strikes on Hezbollah targets in the area, AFP reported.

"The Israeli (army) will soon, and once again, strike terrorist Hezbollah military infrastructure in the village, in order to address the prohibited attempts it is making to rebuild its activities there," Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee wrote on X, posting a map of the expected target.

The Lebanese army said Thursday that it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani river, the first phase of a nationwide plan. Kafr Hatta is located north of the river.


Sudan PM Announces Govt Return to Khartoum from Wartime Capital

File Photo: Some shops reopen despite extensive damage (Asharq Al-Awsat)
File Photo: Some shops reopen despite extensive damage (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Sudan PM Announces Govt Return to Khartoum from Wartime Capital

File Photo: Some shops reopen despite extensive damage (Asharq Al-Awsat)
File Photo: Some shops reopen despite extensive damage (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris announced on Sunday the government's return to Khartoum, after nearly three years of operating from wartime capital of Port Sudan, AFP reported.

"Today, we return, and the Government of Hope returns to the national capital," Idris told reporters in Khartoum, ravaged by the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

"We promise you better services, better healthcare and the reconstruction of hospitals, the development of educational services... and to improve electricity, water and sanitation services," he said.


Iran Protest Death Toll Rises as Alarm Grows over Crackdown 'Massacre'

Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, released on January 10, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, released on January 10, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
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Iran Protest Death Toll Rises as Alarm Grows over Crackdown 'Massacre'

Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, released on January 10, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, released on January 10, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS

At least 192 protesters have been killed in Iran's biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years, a rights group said Sunday, as warnings grew that authorities were committing a "massacre" to quell the demonstrations.

The protests, initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, have now become a movement against the theocratic system in place in Iran since the 1979 revolution and have already lasted two weeks.

The mass rallies are one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel's 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June, which was backed by the United States.

Protests have swelled in recent days despite an internet blackout that has lasted more than 60 hours, according to monitor Netblocks, with activists warning the shutdown was limiting the flow of information and the actual toll risks being far higher.

"Since the start of the protests, Iran Human Rights has confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters," the Norway-based non-governmental organization said, warning that the deaths "may be even more extensive than we currently imagine".

Videos of large demonstrations in the capital Tehran and other cities over the past three nights have filtered out despite the internet cut that has rendered impossible normal communication with the outside world via messaging apps or even phone lines.

Video verified by AFP showed large crowds taking to the streets in new protests on Saturday night in several Iranian cities including Tehran and Mashhad in the east, where images showed vehicles set on fire.

Several circulating videos, which have not been verified by AFP, allegedly showed relatives in a Tehran morgue identifying bodies of protesters killed in the crackdown.

The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said it had received "eyewitness accounts and credible reports indicating that hundreds of protesters have been killed across Iran during the current internet shutdown".

"A massacre is unfolding in Iran. The world must act now to prevent further loss of life," it said.

It said hospitals were "overwhelmed", blood supplies were running low and that many protesters had been shot in the eyes in a deliberate tactic.

 

- 'Significant arrests' -

 

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed the deaths of 116 people in connection with the protests, including 37 members of the security forces or other officials.

State TV on Sunday broadcast images of funeral processions for security forces killed in recent days, as authorities condemned "riots" and "vandalism".

National police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said authorities made "significant" arrests of protest figures on Saturday night, without giving details on the number or identities of those arrested, according to state TV.

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani drew a line between protests over economic hardship, which he called "completely understandable", and "riots", accusing them of actions "very similar to the methods of terrorist groups", Tasnim news agency reported.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said "rioters" must not distrupt Iranian society.

"The people (of Iran) should not allow rioters to disrupt society. The people should believe that we (the government) want to establish justice," he told state broadcaster IRIB.

In Tehran, an AFP journalist described a city in a state of near paralysis.

The price of meat has nearly doubled since the start of the protests, and while some shops are open, many others are not.

Those that do open must close at around 4:00 or 5:00 pm, when security forces deploy in force.

 

- 'Legitimate targets' -

 

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the ousted shah, who has played a prominent role in calling for the protests, called for new actions later Sunday.

"Do not abandon the streets. My heart is with you. I know that I will soon be by your side," he said.

US President Donald Trump has spoken out in support of the protests and threatened military action against Iranian authorities "if they start killing people".

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged the European Union on Sunday to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps as a "terrorist organization" over the suspected violence against protesters.

He also said Israel supports the Iranian people's "struggle for freedom".

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran would hit back if the US launched military action.

"In the event of a military attack by the United States, both the occupied territory and centers of the US military and shipping will be our legitimate targets," he said in comments broadcast by state TV.

He was apparently also referring to Israel, which the Islamic republic does not recognize and considers occupied Palestinian territory.