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Israeli Officer Kills Palestinian Assailant in West Bank, Police Say 

Israeli security forces are pictured during a military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hawara, on December 2, 2022. (AFP)
Israeli security forces are pictured during a military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hawara, on December 2, 2022. (AFP)
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Israeli Officer Kills Palestinian Assailant in West Bank, Police Say 

Israeli security forces are pictured during a military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hawara, on December 2, 2022. (AFP)
Israeli security forces are pictured during a military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hawara, on December 2, 2022. (AFP)

An Israeli officer shot dead a Palestinian assailant in the occupied West Bank on Friday, border police said, an incident which the Palestinians denounced as an execution. 

The man had stabbed and lightly wounded a border policeman after which another officer overpowered him. The man then fought with the officer and tried to snatch his rifle before the officer shot him dead, border police said in a statement. 

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed his death. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it was tantamount to an execution meant to escalate already spiraling violence in the territory, which Palestinians seek for a state. 

Border police distributed a photo of a knife on the ground and another of a border policeman with what appears to be a stabbing wound to his head. 

A video circulating on social media showed an officer holding a man in a head-lock by a road as two other men try to wrestle him away. The man then appears to strike the officer and attempt to take hold of his rifle before the officer pulls out a handgun and shoots him several times as he falls to the ground. 

The video, taken from a distance as vehicles cross the frame, could not be independently verified by Reuters. It does not show what had transpired prior and whether the man had been holding a knife or any other weapon before it was filmed. 

A border police spokesman did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the incident, which took place close to the city of Nablus. 

The city, along with nearby Jenin, has seen intensified and often fatal Israeli military operations, since a spate of deadly Palestinian street attacks in Israeli cities in March. 

The worst violence in the West Bank in years has deepened diplomatic stagnation since US-brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state there, in Gaza and in East Jerusalem, collapsed in 2014. 

The incoming Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu looks likely to include far-right politicians who oppose Palestinian statehood and want the Palestinian Authority (PA), which wields limited self-rule in the West Bank, dismantled. 

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Arab World

Hamas Mourns Iran’s Khamenei, Condemns ‘Heinous’ US-Israel Attack

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, third right, leads a prayer over the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in an assassination blamed on Israel on Wednesday, during their funeral ceremony at the Tehran University campus, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 1, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, third right, leads a prayer over the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in an assassination blamed on Israel on Wednesday, during their funeral ceremony at the Tehran University campus, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 1, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)
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Hamas Mourns Iran’s Khamenei, Condemns ‘Heinous’ US-Israel Attack

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, third right, leads a prayer over the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in an assassination blamed on Israel on Wednesday, during their funeral ceremony at the Tehran University campus, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 1, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, third right, leads a prayer over the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in an assassination blamed on Israel on Wednesday, during their funeral ceremony at the Tehran University campus, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 1, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)

Hamas on Sunday mourned Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei after his death in what it described as a "heinous" US-Israeli attack.

"We in Hamas mourn the passing of Ali Khamenei. He provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause, and our resistance," the Palestinian movement said in a statement.

"The US and the fascist occupation government bear full responsibility for this blatant aggression and heinous crime against the sovereignty of Iran, as well as for its serious repercussions on the security and stability of the region."

Arab World

Thai PM Says Preparing Evacuation of Citizens in Middle East

A projectile lights up the night sky over Tel Aviv, Israel, 01 March 2026. (EPA)
A projectile lights up the night sky over Tel Aviv, Israel, 01 March 2026. (EPA)
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Thai PM Says Preparing Evacuation of Citizens in Middle East

A projectile lights up the night sky over Tel Aviv, Israel, 01 March 2026. (EPA)
A projectile lights up the night sky over Tel Aviv, Israel, 01 March 2026. (EPA)

Thailand is readying to evacuate its citizens from the Middle East by military or charter flights, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Sunday, after the US and Israel attacked Iran -- which answered with its own missile strikes.

The government has "coordinated with the Royal Thai Air Force to prepare aircraft to evacuate Thai citizens, prioritizing those in Iran", Anutin told reporters in Bangkok, adding that charter flights were also under consideration.

"We have to check the closure of airspace, whether we need to evacuate them to the third country first," he added.

Anutin said there were tens of thousands of Thai workers in the region, citing the labor ministry.

Nearly 59,000 Thais were registered with Thailand's labor office in Israel, and more than 11,000 were registered with Thailand's labor office in Abu Dhabi -- which covers the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Iran, according to the ministry.

"The Thai government will do everything to bring Thai citizens back safely. If they want to return, we will take them back," Anutin said.

The United States and Israel began launching waves of strikes against Iran on Saturday, sparking swift retaliation by Tehran.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to continue striking Iran until its government falls.

Iranian state television confirmed the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday, after Trump said he had been killed.

Fresh explosions were heard in Doha, Dubai and Manama on Sunday.

Amid the bombardments, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE and Israel all have closed their airspaces to civilian traffic, at least in part, and multiple airlines cancelled flights to and from the region.

Arab World

Iraq’s Sistani Urges Iranian Unity After Khamenei Death

A person washes his face with a soft drink bottle after riot police deployed irritants to disperse protesters supporting Iraqi Shiite armed groups gathered near the entrance of the Green Zone and attempted to move toward the US embassy after the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 1, 2026. (Reuters)
A person washes his face with a soft drink bottle after riot police deployed irritants to disperse protesters supporting Iraqi Shiite armed groups gathered near the entrance of the Green Zone and attempted to move toward the US embassy after the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 1, 2026. (Reuters)
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Iraq’s Sistani Urges Iranian Unity After Khamenei Death

A person washes his face with a soft drink bottle after riot police deployed irritants to disperse protesters supporting Iraqi Shiite armed groups gathered near the entrance of the Green Zone and attempted to move toward the US embassy after the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 1, 2026. (Reuters)
A person washes his face with a soft drink bottle after riot police deployed irritants to disperse protesters supporting Iraqi Shiite armed groups gathered near the entrance of the Green Zone and attempted to move toward the US embassy after the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 1, 2026. (Reuters)

Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric on Sunday urged Iranians to remain united as Iraqis mourned supreme leader Ali Khamenei following his death in US and Israeli strikes. 

Baghdad announced a three-day mourning period for Khamenei, who had been Iran's hardline spiritual guide and top political authority since 1989. 

"With deep sorrow, I extend my condolences to the noble Iranian people and all Muslims on the martyrdom" of Khamenei, whose "unique role in leading the Islamic Republic of Iran for many years is evident to all", said Ali Sistani, himself born in Iran. 

"Through his martyrdom and the large-scale military assault on Iran, the enemies sought to inflict immense damage on this beloved country. 

"The great Iranian people are expected to maintain their unity, to stand firm and thwart the aggressors' sinister goals," Sistani added in a statement. 

Khamenei's death was met with anger in Baghdad, where hundreds of protesters have tried since the early hours of Sunday to storm the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located. 

Iran wields significant influence in Iraqi politics, and also backs armed groups whose power has grown both politically and financially. 

Iraq has for decades been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran. 

Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that "with deep sorrow, we extend our condolences to the noble people of Iran and the entire Muslim world" after "a blatant act of aggression" that killed Khamenei. 

He said the government had announced three days of mourning, while urging an immediate cessation of military operations that "are driving the region to unprecedented levels of violence". 

The Coordination Framework, a ruling coalition of Shiite groups with varying degrees of links to Iran, said "with deep sorrow and profound grief, we mourn the passing of the martyred leader, Ali Khamenei". 

His "blood will remain a guiding light for all generations" and "the curse will continue to haunt the murderous Zionists for all time", the coalition added. 

Influential cleric Moqtada Sadr meanwhile said in a statement that "we extend our condolences to the Islamic world", and also declared a three-day period of mourning.