US forces struck more than 70 Islamic State group targets in Syria on Friday in what President Donald Trump described as "very serious retaliation" for an attack that killed three Americans last weekend.
Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the December 13 attack in Palmyra -- home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by jihadist fighters -- that left two US soldiers and a US civilian dead.
By Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that a new governance structurefor Gaza -- made up of an international board and a group of Palestinian technocrats -- would be in place soon,followed by the deployment of foreign troops, as the U.S. hopes to cement a fragile ceasefire in Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave.
By Mikhail Flores
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the Houthi detention of another 10 U.N. personnel in Yemen, taking the total to 69, his spokesperson said.
The Iran-aligned Houthis detained the additional U.N. staff on Thursday, said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, and Guterres calls for the immediate release of all those detained.
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that Washington's immediate goal on Sudan is a cessation of hostilities going into the new year that allows humanitarian organizations to be able to deliver assistance.
Earlier this month a group of Palestinian boys turned out to train at their local football pitch in the shadow of the wall separating Israel from the West Bank's Aida refugee camp -- and found a note at the gate.
The children took the ominous message from Israeli authorities to Muhannad Abu Srour, sports director at the Aida Youth Centre in the camp near Bethlehem, and the news was not good.
A famine declared in Gaza in August is now over thanks to improved access for humanitarian aid, the United Nations said on Friday, but warned the food situation in the Palestinian territory remained dire.
More than 70 percent of the population is living in makeshift shelters, it said, with hunger exacerbated by winter floods and an increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures plummet.
Dec 19 (Reuters) - Major shipping companies are devising strategies for a potential return to the Suez Canal after two years of disruptions due to security risks in the Red Sea.
They have been rerouting vessels via longer, costlier routes around Africa since November 2023, following attacks on commercial ships by Yemen's Houthi forces, reportedly in solidarity with Palestinians during warfare in Gaza.
A ceasefire agreement reached in October has led some companies to explore resumption plans, although security remains a key concern. Below are the latest updates:
By Laila Bassam and Jana Choukeir
BEIRUT, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel truce in Lebanon focused on Friday on how to return displaced people to their homes, addressing civilian issues to help prevent renewed war if a year-end deadline to disarm Hezbollah is not met.
The 15th meeting of the committee reflected a long-standing U.S. push to broaden talks between the sides beyond monitoring the 2024 ceasefire, in line with President Donald Trump's agenda of cementing peace deals across the volatile Middle East.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - There is no longer famine in Gaza, a global hunger monitor said on Friday, after access for humanitarian and commercial food deliveries improved following a fragile October 10 ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.
The latest assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification comes four months after it said 514,000 people - nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza - were experiencing famine. It warned on Friday that the situation in the enclave remained critical.
