DUBAI, March 23 (Reuters) - The cases of individuals arrested over Iran's nationwide protests earlier this year have been processed, first deputy Chief of the Judiciary Hamzeh Khalili said on Monday, with cases given a final verdict now being implemented

Nationwide anti-government protests rocked the country in January and were repressed in the biggest crackdown in the history of the Islamic Republic.

JERUSALEM, March 23 (Reuters) - An Israeli civilian killed on Sunday on the Lebanese border dies as a result of friendly fire and not from a rocket attack from Hezbollah, the Israeli military said on Monday.

Initial findings indicate that the man, Ofer Moskowitz, was killed by artillery fire that was carried out to assist forces operating in southern Lebanon, the military said.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Toby Chopra)

LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - A British man detained in Tehran urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday to "step out of the shadows" and publicly challenge the spying charges against him and his wife, who now fear for their lives more than three weeks into the Iran war.

Craig Foreman and his wife Lindsay were sentenced to 10 years in prison in February after Iran accused them of spying for Britain and Israel. The couple have repeatedly denied the charges.

London's police chief pledged Monday over 250 more officers and "highly visible" armed patrols to protect the Jewish community after an arson attack on four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation next to a synagogue.

The promise of the 264 additional officers by Metropolitan Police head Mark Rowley came as the force said it was investigating an online claim of responsibility.

Counter-terrorism police have been tasked with the inquiry into what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called a "deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack". Here is what we know:

DUBAI, March 23 (Reuters) - An attack on Iran's southern coast and islands will lead to Gulf routes being cut with the laying of sea mines, the country's Defence Council said on Monday according to state media.

The U.S. is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, according to Axios.

Washington sent a peace plan to Iran, US media reported, as Donald Trump voiced optimism Tuesday at ending nearly a month of warfare and Tehran announced that it will let "non-hostile" oil vessels go through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The tentative signs of a diplomatic solution came despite new violence, with an Iranian missile causing injuries in Israel, which in turn pressed on multiple fronts and vowed to seize control of a strip of southern Lebanon.

BEIJING, March 23 (Reuters) - China on Monday urged all parties involved in the Middle East conflict affecting the Strait of Hormuz to end military operations to prevent a "vicious cycle" and return to negotiations.

"Should hostilities continue to escalate and the situation deteriorate further, the entire region will be plunged into chaos," the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said when responding to a question about U.S. President Donald Trump pressuring Iran to reopen the key shipping waterway.

March 23 (Reuters) - Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community organisation in north London were set ablaze, police said on Monday, adding that the incident was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.

"An investigation has been launched after four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service were set on fire in Golders Green," Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

"Officers remain on scene and the arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime."

DUBAI, March 23 (Reuters) - Iran will retaliate to an attack on its electricity sector by targeting Israel's power plants as well as power plants supplying U.S. bases with electricity in regional countries, a statement by the Revolutionary Guards on Monday said.

The statement seemingly retracted earlier threats to desalination plants in the region, which are crucial for providing drinking water in Gulf countries.

The amount of heat trapped by the Earth reached record levels in 2025, with the consequences of such warming feared to last for thousands of years, the UN warned Monday.

The 11 hottest years ever recorded were all between 2015 and 2025, the United Nations' WMO weather and climate agency confirmed in its flagship State of the Global Climate annual report.

Last year was the second or third hottest year on record, at about 1.43 Celsius above the 1850-1900 average, the World Meteorological Organization said.