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Israel FM Tells French, British Counterparts He Expects Allies to Attack Iran if it Strikes

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy attends the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at National Convention Center, in Vientiane, Laos, July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy attends the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at National Convention Center, in Vientiane, Laos, July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Israel FM Tells French, British Counterparts He Expects Allies to Attack Iran if it Strikes

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy attends the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at National Convention Center, in Vientiane, Laos, July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy attends the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at National Convention Center, in Vientiane, Laos, July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told his French and British counterparts Friday that his country expects support "in attacking" Iran if it strikes Israel.

"If Iran attacks, we expect the coalition to join Israel not only in defense but also in attacking significant targets in Iran," Katz told his French and UK counterparts during their visit to Israel.

The visit by Britain's David Lammy and France's Stephane Sejourne to Israel comes as a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks was underway in Doha, an effort to end 10 months of fighting in the Palestinian enclave and bring 115 Israeli and foreign hostages home.

The talks came as Iran appeared on the point of retaliating against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

"This is a dangerous moment for the Middle East," Lammy said in a statement. "The risk of the situation spiralling out of control is rising. Any Iranian attack would have devastating consequences for the region."

Britain and France are calling for a diplomatic solution to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and restore peace along the Israeli-Lebanese border, the British foreign ministry said.

"It's never too late for peace. We must at all costs avoid a regional war, which would have terrible consequences," French foreign minister Sejourne said in a statement.

The visit by the duo marks the first UK-France joint visit to Israel in more than 10 years.

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World

School Shooting in Türkiye Leaves 16 Wounded, Attacker Dead

Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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School Shooting in Türkiye Leaves 16 Wounded, Attacker Dead

Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

An ex-student opened fire at his former high school Tuesday in Türkiye, where school shootings are rare, wounding 16 people including students before killing himself, officials said.

Special security forces were deployed to the school in southeastern Türkiye 's Sanliurfa province, where students were evacuated, the local governor, Hasan Sildak, told reporters.

Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school in the Siverek district as students fled the building in panic.

Sildak identified the attacker as a former student at the school, born in 2007.

"He took his own life when cornered by police," the governor said.

"We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident," he added.

Local media reported that most of the wounded were students.

World

Report: US, Iranian Teams Could Return to Islamabad for Peace Talks This Week

US Vice President JD Vance (L) is welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. (AFP)
US Vice President JD Vance (L) is welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Report: US, Iranian Teams Could Return to Islamabad for Peace Talks This Week

US Vice President JD Vance (L) is welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. (AFP)
US Vice President JD Vance (L) is welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. (AFP)

Negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Islamabad later this week, five sources said on Tuesday, days after the highest-level talks between the two countries in decades ended without a breakthrough.

A source involved in the talks said a date was not yet decided, but both countries could return as early as the end of this week.

"No firm ‌date has been ‌set, with the delegations keeping Friday through Sunday ‌open," ⁠a senior Iranian ⁠source said.

The weekend meeting in Pakistan's capital to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran, held four days after last Tuesday's ceasefire announcement, was the first direct encounter between US and Iranian officials in more than a decade, and the most senior engagement since Iran's 1979 revolution.

A proposal has been shared with both the US and ⁠Iran to resend their delegates to resume the ‌talks, the first source said.

Two Pakistani sources ‌with knowledge of the talks said Islamabad was communicating with the two sides ‌about the timing of the next round and the meeting would ‌likely take place on the weekend.

"We have reached out to Iran and we got a positive response that they will be open to a second round of talks," a senior Pakistani government official said.

Pakistan's foreign ministry, military and ‌prime minister's office did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The White House also did ⁠not immediately respond ⁠to a request for comment.

US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf led their respective delegations in the last round of talks to work out a slew of issues, including the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit point for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively blocked but the US has vowed to reopen, as well as Iran's nuclear program and international sanctions on Tehran.

Vance told reporters after the talks ended that "we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer."

"We'll see if the Iranians accept it."

World

Xi Calls for Tighter Ties to Spain in Face of Global ‘Chaos’

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China April 14, 2026. (Spanish Government/Handout via Reuters)
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China April 14, 2026. (Spanish Government/Handout via Reuters)
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Xi Calls for Tighter Ties to Spain in Face of Global ‘Chaos’

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China April 14, 2026. (Spanish Government/Handout via Reuters)
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China April 14, 2026. (Spanish Government/Handout via Reuters)

China's President Xi Jinping warned against a return to the "law of the jungle" in international relations and called for closer economic ties with Spain as he met Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing on Tuesday, according to Chinese state media.

The meeting of the two leaders comes on the second day of Sanchez's visit as he seeks to position Spain as a bridge between Beijing and the European Union, whose relations with the United States are under strain.

Xi told Sanchez the sides should strengthen cooperation in the face of global "chaos and turmoil" and "a contest between justice and force", according to a readout of the talks from state broadcaster CCTV.

"Both China and Spain are principled countries that stand for justice. They should strengthen communication, consolidate mutual trust, and cooperate closely to oppose the world's regression to the law of the jungle," Xi said during talks at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

"How a country treats international law and the international order reflects its worldview, its conception of order, its values, and its sense of responsibility," Xi said.

The two countries should "seize opportunities" for cooperation in trade, new energy and technology fields, he added.

At a press conference after the talks, Sanchez welcomed China's role in seeking to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.

"The role China can play is important in order to find diplomatic means that end this war and contribute to stability and peace," Sanchez said.

The pair also discussed "the reforms our multilateral system needs to better recognize the multipolar reality of today's world," he said.

The Spanish prime minister is seeking to strengthen economic ties with the world's second largest economy, but called China's trade imbalance with the EU "unsustainable" on Monday.

He is on his fourth visit to China in four years and follows a steady flow of Western leaders visiting Beijing in recent months as President Donald Trump's tariffs and unpredictable foreign policy have rattled the US' traditional allies.

Sanchez is keen to boost trade with China after Trump, who is due to visit Beijing in May, threatened to cut trade with Spain.

Trump's threats came after Spain denied the use of its military bases for US strikes against Iran, a key economic partner of Beijing.

Spanish government sources said a primary goal of Sanchez's China trip is to secure greater market access for agricultural and industrial goods, and to explore joint ventures in the technology sector.