Russia Says Ukraine Attacks Belgorod Region Again with Missiles and Drones 

This handout picture posted on January 2, 2024 on the official Telegram account of Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, shows aftermath of a missile strike on the region. (Photo by Handout / TELEGRAM / @VVGLADKOV / AFP)
This handout picture posted on January 2, 2024 on the official Telegram account of Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, shows aftermath of a missile strike on the region. (Photo by Handout / TELEGRAM / @VVGLADKOV / AFP)
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Russia Says Ukraine Attacks Belgorod Region Again with Missiles and Drones 

This handout picture posted on January 2, 2024 on the official Telegram account of Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, shows aftermath of a missile strike on the region. (Photo by Handout / TELEGRAM / @VVGLADKOV / AFP)
This handout picture posted on January 2, 2024 on the official Telegram account of Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, shows aftermath of a missile strike on the region. (Photo by Handout / TELEGRAM / @VVGLADKOV / AFP)

Ukraine launched 12 missiles and several drones in the early hours of Wednesday on Russia's southern region of Belgorod, Russia's defense ministry and local authorities said.

Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the situation "continues to remain tense" in Belgorod, where Russia says 25 civilians including five children were killed in Ukrainian attacks on Saturday.

There was no word of any casualties from the latest attacks. Gladkov said the extent of damage would be assessed throughout the day.

Ukraine's escalation of attacks on Belgorod over the New Year period has come as Russia launched some of its most intense strikes on Ukraine since the war began almost two years ago. Kyiv said on Tuesday that Russia had launched well over 300 attack drones and missiles of various kinds at cities across Ukraine since Friday.

Belgorod, like other Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, has seen frequent low-level attacks since the start of the war, but Saturday's was by far the deadliest. President Vladimir Putin said it would "not go unpunished".

One person was killed and seven more wounded in the region on Tuesday, Russian authorities said.

In Wednesday's attacks, Russia's defense ministry said Ukraine fired six Tochka-U ballistic missiles and six guided missiles launched from a Vilkha heavy multiple rocket launcher.

Gladkov said Ukraine also launched several drones on the region and the city of Belgorod, which is the administrative center of the region.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.



IAEA Inspectors Visited Iranian Nuclear Sites Last Week, Foreign Ministry Says 

People walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 5, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 5, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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IAEA Inspectors Visited Iranian Nuclear Sites Last Week, Foreign Ministry Says 

People walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 5, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 5, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited Iranian nuclear sites last week, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, according to state media, a week after the IAEA urged Iran to "seriously improve" cooperation.

The UN nuclear watchdog has carried out about a dozen inspections in Iran since hostilities with Israel in June, but last week highlighted it had not been given access to nuclear facilities such as Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, which were bombed by the United States.

"As long as we are a member of the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), we will abide by our commitments, and just last week, IAEA inspectors visited several nuclear facilities, including the Tehran Research Reactor," Esmaeil Baghaei said, without naming the others.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said last week that Iran must "seriously improve" cooperation with the United Nations inspectors to avoid heightening tensions with the West.

Iranian officials have blamed the IAEA for providing a justification for Israel's bombing in a 12-day war in June, which began the day after the IAEA board voted to declare Iran in violation of obligations under the NPT.

Baghaei's comments on Monday were in response to Grossi saying last week that Iran "cannot say 'I remain within the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons treaty’, and then not comply with obligations".


Kremlin Tells Reporters Lavrov Is Working Actively as Russia’s Foreign Minister Despite False Reports 

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speak during the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia July 11, 2025. (AFP)
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speak during the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia July 11, 2025. (AFP)
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Kremlin Tells Reporters Lavrov Is Working Actively as Russia’s Foreign Minister Despite False Reports 

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speak during the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia July 11, 2025. (AFP)
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speak during the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia July 11, 2025. (AFP)

The Kremlin said on Monday that Sergei Lavrov was working actively as Russia's foreign minister and suggested that people ignore Western media speculation that he may have fallen out of favor with President Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov, 75, a veteran Soviet-era diplomat known for his robust negotiating style, was absent from a big Kremlin meeting last week that he would typically attend, and Putin chose someone else to attend a G20 summit in South Africa later this month, a role that Lavrov has filled in the past.

The Kremlin on Friday dismissed speculation that Lavrov had fallen out of favor with Putin, however, after efforts to organize a summit between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump were put on ice last month.


Iran Says US Claim on Plot to Kill Israeli Ambassador in Mexico 'Absurd'

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
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Iran Says US Claim on Plot to Kill Israeli Ambassador in Mexico 'Absurd'

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)

Iran on Monday dismissed accusations by the United States that Tehran had attempted to kill the Israeli ambassador in Mexico, describing the claim as "absurd".

"We found this claim very ridiculous and absurd," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a weekly press briefing, adding that it was part of an attempt "to destroy Iran's friendly relations with other countries".

Following Washington's accusation on Friday of the assassination attempt, Israel's foreign ministry thanked Mexican authorities "for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran".

But Mexico's foreign ministry later said it had "received no information" on the alleged plot, and Iran's embassy in Mexico called it "a great big lie".

A US official said Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force initiated the plot in late 2024 and that it was disrupted earlier this year.

The alleged plot involved recruiting operatives through Iran's embassy in Venezuela, whose leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, maintains a tactical alliance with Tehran.

"The entire matter was fabricated," Baqaei said on Monday.

In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war during which the US briefly joined with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24.