April 4 (Reuters) - Iraq closed its southern Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran after airstrikes on the Iranian side killed an Iraqi citizen, security sources told Reuters on Saturday.
The sources gave no further details on the incident.
(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed;Editing by Alison Williams)
A blast hit a pro-Israeli centre in the Netherlands causing minimal damage and no injuries, police said Saturday, as the targeted group pointed to a spate of similar incidents across Europe.
A police spokeswoman told AFP no one was inside the site run by Christians for Israel, a non-profit in the central town of Nijkerk, when the explosion went off outside its gate late on Friday.
"Investigations revealed that a person dressed in black placed the explosive device," the police added in a statement, appealing for witnesses to come forward.
The latest developments in the Middle East war:
- Pope urges peace -
Pope Leo XIV urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to "choose peace", in his first Easter blessing.
"We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people," he told a crowd in St Peter's Square.
- US rescue mission -
LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - British prosecutors said on Friday they had charged three men in connection with an arson attack last month on Jewish community ambulances in north London.
The ambulances were set on fire on March 23 in what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as a "deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack".
The SITE Intelligence website has said an Iran-aligned multinational militant collective called Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand had claimed responsibility for the incident near a synagogue in the Golders Green area of London.
By Phil Stewart and Enas Alashray
WASHINGTON/CAIRO, April 4 (Reuters) - Iran's forces were hunting on Saturday for a missing U.S. pilot from one of two warplanes downed over Iran and the Gulf, officials from both sides said, while two airmen were rescued.
The incidents show the risks still facing U.S. and Israeli aircraft over Iran as the war entered its sixth week, despite assertions by President Donald Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that U.S. forces had total control of the skies.
Israeli strikes killed the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as the Islamic republic on Monday defied threats from US President Donald Trump to devastate civilian infrastructure if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The warring sides kept up their barrage of strikes, with Iranian missiles and drones targeting Israel, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and Israeli strikes hitting Iran and swathes of Lebanon where it is battling Tehran-backed Hezbollah.
The price of diesel fuel has rocketed by more than 30 percent across Europe since the start of the Middle East war highlighting the continent's dependence on imported energy and the lingering prominence of diesel on the car market.
The Easter holiday weekend across Europe is expected to see a surge in demand with queues at petrol stations.
Diesel has been worse hit than other fuels, and was already under pressure before the war. Experts say its cost will rise further -- with a knock-on effect on inflation -- as long as trade through the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
April 4 (Reuters) - Australians were urged to maintain their travel plans for Easter weekend although hundreds of petrol stations, mostly in rural areas, were without power on Saturday, as the Iran war continued to strain the nation's fuel supply.
"Easter is a very special time of faith and family," Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in televised remarks. "We encourage people to feel free to stick to your plans, go and see your family, go take a break - but get no more fuel than you need."
As American forces race against time and Iran's military to locate an aviator reportedly shot down Friday, a former Air Force pilot and a rescuer told AFP what it takes to hide, survive and extract someone behind enemy lines.
"You're like, 'Oh my God, I was in a fighter jet two minutes ago, flying 500 miles an hour, and a missile just exploded, literally 15 feet from your head,'" said retired brigadier general Houston Cantwell, who is now at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
By Jonathan Landay, Erin Banco and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - Recent U.S. intelligence reports warn that Iran is unlikely to open the Strait of Hormuz any time soon because its grip on the world’s most vital oil artery provides the only real leverage it has over the United States, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
