Islamabad has condemned the "unprovoked violation" of its airspace after an Iranian attack killed two children and injured three people. Iran says it struck a Sunni militant group. Iran claimed it struck bases belonging to Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group in Pakistan, in a cross-border attack Tuesday. It comes after Iran launched similar attacks on Syria and Iraq over the past several days.   What do we know about the reported Iranian attacks on Pakistan? Iranian state media reported that drones and missiles were used in the operation. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry confirmed the attack, condemning it as an "unprovoked violation" of its airspace. It said that two children were killed in the incident and three people injured. "This violation of Pakistan's sovereignty is completely unacceptable and could have serious consequences," a Foreign Ministry statement read.   Why is there tension between Pakistan and Iran? Beyond fears that the incident could further inflame the already tense situation growing around the conflict in Gaza, it rings ominous for relations between nuclear-armed Pakistan and nuclear-ambitious Iran. The two have long eyed one another warily while at the same time seeking to maintain diplomatic relations. Though Iran has engaged Jaish al-Adl militants in border skirmishes in the past, the execution of cross-border missile attacks had never taken place.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched numerous attacks on international ships in the Red Sea, prompting a series of warnings from the US and others. Joe Biden hailed the "united and resolute" response. The United States and Britain on Friday began carrying out strikes against sites used by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. US officials said targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems and weapons storage locations. US media reported that the strikes involved fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles. The Houthis are backed by Iran and control large swathes of western Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.   Biden hails 'united' response to 'reckless' Houthi attacks US President Joe Biden said the strikes represented a "united and resolute" response to Houthi attacks on international ships and that the US would "not hesitate to direct further measures" against the militant group. "The response of the international community to these reckless attacks has been united and resolute," he said in a statement released by the White House.  Biden said the US and UK strikes were carried out with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands. "These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes," he said. In a separate statement, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also confirmed the strikes, saying the UK took "limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense" in order to "degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping." "Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea," he said.   Houthi official warns of retaliation Meanwhile, Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi vowed retaliation involving dozens of drones. "The response to any American attack will not only be at the level of the operation that was recently carried out with more than 24 drones and several missiles," he said. "It will be greater than that." "We will confront the American aggression," he said. Houthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al Ezzi said in a statement posted by the rebels' Al Masirah broadcaster that the US and UK will pay a "heavy price" for the strikes. "Our country was subjected to a massive aggressive attack by American and British ships, submarines, and warplanes," he said. "America and Britain will have to be prepared to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression."   Houthi attacks in the Red Sea Houthi rebels have, in recent weeks, launched numerous attacks on international ships in the Red Sea in reaction to the Israeli military operation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The route through the Suez Canal accounts for around 15% of the world's shipping traffic. The US military said Thursday that Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden. This was the 27th attack by the group since November 19. The US and its allies have issued a series of warnings to the Houthis to cease their attacks on ships. On January 3, 12 countries warned the group of "consequences" if they did not halt the attacks. On Wednesday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution demanding an immediate end to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.   Source: Deutsche Welle

The warring factions in Sudan's more than nine-week-long war have agreed another cease-fire, mediators say, shortly after deadly airstrikes hit the capital. All previous truces have failed to put an end to the conflict. The two opposing military factions fighting for power in Sudan agreed to another 72-hour cease-fire on Saturday in a deal that came shortly after airstrikes hit the capital, Khartoum, killing at least 17 people. The new truce, the latest in a series of attempts to put an end to the fighting, comes as the conflict between government troops and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters its third month. Local volunteers and the Khartoum Health Ministry said those killed in the airstrikes included five children. The strikes on the Yarmouk district of the Mayo area of southern Khartoum also destroyed some 25 homes. The fighting, ongoing since April 15, has left over 3,000 dead and 6,000 more injured, Sudanese Health Minister Haitham Ibrahim told Saudi Hadath TV. He added that only half of the capital's 130 hospitals remained operational, while all West Darfur hospitals were out of service. Over 2 million residents have fled to safer areas within Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries. Clashes have intensified after a frail cease-fire expired last week. It was the latest of several others brokered to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. What do we know about the latest strikes? The impoverished, densely populated southern neighborhood has been in the crosshairs several times, especially in recent weeks. Neither party gave an immediate comment after the strikes, which reportedly also injured 11, and it was not clear whether the attack was carried out by aircraft or a drone. The Health Ministry shared a video showing the destroyed homes due to the strikes. The Sudanese military has mobilized its air force against the RSF since the start of the conflict. The latter has been hiding in residential neighborhoods, where the military has been attacking them. Top military general Yassir al-Atta warned civilians to steer clear of homes occupied by the RSF, in a speech on Friday. "Because at this point, we will attack them anywhere," he said to cheers. "Between us and these rebels are bullets." The RSF, meanwhile, reportedly used drones and anti-aircraft missiles to fight the army. Darfur medics 'overwhelmed' by wounded In neighboring Chad, medics have complained of the influx of wounded citizens fleeing Sudan's Darfur region. The region, which saw fighting amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity two decades ago, has been among the most impacted by the latest conflict. "We are overwhelmed in the operating theater. We urgently need more beds and more staff," said Seybou Diarra, physician and project coordinator in Adre, Chad for the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity. At least 149,000 people have fled Darfur into neighboring Chad, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The US State Department has put the death toll in West Darfur's state capital, Genena, at around 1,100 since the fighting erupted in mid-April. Refugees from Sudan in Chad face desperation Among the victims was West Darfur Governor Khamis Abdullah Akabar, the French AFP news agency reported. He was killed shortly after giving a television interview on Wednesday in which he criticized the RSF. The paramilitary has denied responsibility for his death. The US State Department has blamed the RSF "primarily" for the Darfur atrocities, warning that the violence witnessed in the volatile region was an "ominous reminder" of its previous genocide. Sudan's ousted president Omar al-Basheer had used the Arab Janjaweed militia, from which the RSF later emerged, to quell Darfur's rebel uprising in 2003. Local reports suggest the Janjaweed has been recently fighting alongside the RSF in Darfur.

ASEAN chair Indonesia has called for immediate action and an end to violence in Myanmar. The death toll remains unclear, but reports suggest over 100 people may have been killed. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) issued a statement Thursday strongly condemning the recent air strikes in Myanmar, which have resulted in dozens of reported deaths, including civilians. The attack on Tuesday morning targeted the remote Kanbalu township in Myanmar's central Sagaing region. The official death toll from the strike remains unclear, though at least 100 deaths have been estimated by several sources, the AFP news agency reported. What ASEAN said in its statement Current ASEAN chair Indonesia released the statement, calling for an end to all forms of violence and stressing the need for immediate action to create dialogue and find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar. "All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians. This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar," Indonesia said in the statement. Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, is serving as the 2023 chair of ASEAN and will host the 10-member bloc's annual leaders' meetings in May and September. The country has been working to implement a five-point consensus agreed upon with the Myanmar junta in April 2021, which calls for an end to violence and dialogue between the military and rebels. A junta spokesperson confirmed the attack, saying they targeted a ceremony held by the National Unity Government (NUG) for their armed People's Defence Force and added that the attack aimed to restore peace and stability in the region. The junta has declared the NUG a terrorist organization. Strikes draw international criticism The strike drew swift condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers. UN rights chief Volker Turk expressed horror at the deadly attack. A villager from the area reported that it was difficult to identify the dead because they had been dismembered. Indonesia's plan has been largely ignored by the junta, and attempts by ASEAN countries to mediate have so far failed. Indonesia earlier this year announced plans to set up a special envoy's office under the foreign ministry to establish a low-level dialogue with the junta, but no details have emerged of such talks. The junta remains an ASEAN member but has been barred from top-level summits over its failure to implement the peace plan. Following the coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in 2021, a military crackdown on dissent and armed groups opposed to their rule has left more than 3,200 people dead, according to a local monitoring group.

Junta forces have launched airstrikes targeting armed opposition in central Myanmar.  On Tuesday, April 11, at least 50 people were killed in the attack.  BBC Burmese, Radio Free Asia (RFA) and The Irrawaddy news portal reported 50 to 100 people, including civilians, killed in the airstrikes, citing residents of the Sagaing region.  However, Myanmar authority did not comment on this issue.

On a visit to Kyiv, Germany's deputy foreign minister has told DW that innocent people had died due to Russia's "terrorist methods." She has pledged additional aid to help Ukraine's decimated energy infrastructure. Russia's continued airstrikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure amount to "state terrorism," according to Germany's Minister of State for Europe Anna Lührmann. Lührmann visited the country on Wednesday as part of a delegation of seven high-ranking European ministers. "It's shocking to see for yourself what's happening here in Kyiv," Lührmann told DW's Nick Connolly in the Ukrainian capital. "Our Ukrainian hosts took us to see one of the bomb sites. Three innocent people lost their lives, and that's all down to Russian state terrorism. It's deeply troubling what's happening here, just a few hours' travel away from Germany's borders." Lührmann is one of three deputies under Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Her comments come on the same day European Union lawmakers voted to label Russia a "state sponsor" of terrorism. The designation is largely a symbolic act since the EU does not have a specific legal framework to back it up. Russian airstrikes on Ukraine Russia has ramped up attacks on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine in recent weeks. This has left millions without heating and caused widespread blackouts as winter approaches. State power company Ukrenergo called the damage to its facilities "colossal" while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using the cold as "a weapon of mass destruction." Zelenskyy told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that Russia had fired around 70 missiles on Wednesday alone, hitting hospitals, schools, infrastructure and residential areas. How is Europe helping Ukraine? In response to this looming crisis, Ukraine's European allies have pledged aid to Kyiv. "It's clear that Putin wants Ukraine to sink into cold and darkness this winter," Lührmann said. "Ukrainians are facing up to all this with great bravery and we're here to help them meet these challenges — not just with words of encouragement but also with action." In Kyiv, she announced an additional €55 million ($57.3 million) worth of aid to Ukraine, including generators that are set to arrive in the country in coming days. "Ukraine has our full solidarity," Lührmann added. "I believe that it's not only Ukraine that would benefit for membership in the EU — the EU will be a better place with Ukraine as a member."

The US military in the past few days conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan to support Afghan security forces, the Pentagon said on Thursday.    According to media reports, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that "in the last several days, we have acted, through airstrikes, to support the ANDSF (Afghan National Defense and Security Forces)," without providing details.   A defense official told the Associated Press that the U.S. military conducted more than four airstrikes supporting Afghan forces on Wednesday and Thursday.   At least two of the strikes targeting military equipment that the Taliban had taken from the Afghan forces, and others targeting Taliban fighting positions, including at least one strike in the southern province of Kandahar, said the report.   These airstrikes came as the security situation in the war-torn country deteriorated and the U.S. drawdown was almost completed.   General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a press briefing on Wednesday that about half of the 419 district centers in Afghanistan are under Taliban control.    "A significant amount of territory has been seized over the course of six, eight, ten months by the Taliban ... strategic momentum appears to be sort of with the Taliban," Milley said.   President Joe Biden had ordered the U.S. military to end its mission in Afghanistan by August 31, days ahead of his original September 11 deadline. U.S. Central Command said last week over 95 percent of the withdrawal had been completed. Source: Xinhua/BSS AH