Regional
Israeli wildfires force evacuations, road closures on Memorial Day
Wildfires due to extreme heat and winds broke out near Jerusalem on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of communities and the closure of a main highway, as the country was observing Memorial Day and many Israelis visited gravesites.
The main Route 1 Jerusalem to Tel Aviv highway was closed near the fire site and police said three communities had been evacuated.
“Based on assessments of the fire’s spread, the district commander has instructed teams to prepare for the potential evacuation of additional communities, including deploying buses in case they are needed,” the police said in a statement.
TV footage showed fires along the highway and people abandoning cars and running from the fires.
Israel’s Fire and Rescue service said on Tuesday that due to extreme conditions that were increasing the likelihood of fires spreading and developing, it had prohibited the lighting of bonfires through May 7.
Israel’s 77th Independence Day begins tonight and there is a widespread custom to build bonfires and have barbecues. The rescue service said barbecues should only be lit in authorised areas.
Israeli media reported that 120 fire and rescue services had mobilised dozens of firefighting teams, aircraft and helicopters to try to contain the fires. They noted that 12 people were injured from smoke inhalation while Israel has asked at least five countries for help – Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy and Cyprus.
The military’s chief of staff said he had ordered Home Front Command, the Air Force and all IDF units to assist as needed to support the Israeli Police and Fire and Rescue Services.
Search and Rescue forces from the IDF Search and Rescue Brigade and Air Force fire trucks have been assisting in efforts to extinguish the fires in the Jerusalem Hills area and evacuate residents.
Sirens sounded at 0800 GMT on Memorial Day to commemorate fallen soldiers in Israel’s many wars since becoming a state in 1948.
(Reuters)
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Islamabad on Friday on his first official visit to Pakistan, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Geo News reported.
He was received by Prime Minister Sharif and senior officials, with his aircraft escorted by Pakistan Air Force jets upon entering Pakistani airspace. The UAE president is accompanied by a high-level delegation.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the visit aims to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has signaled that the country will continue developing missiles over the next five years, following visits to major munitions enterprises in the last quarter of 2025, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
Kim said the country’s missile and shell production sector is “of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrence,” according to KCNA.
The report said Kim ratified draft documents on the modernization of key munitions enterprises, which will be submitted to a major ruling party congress expected to be held in early 2026. The congress is set to outline North Korea’s development plan for the next five years.
KCNA’s report follows Thursday’s disclosure that Kim oversaw the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine alongside his daughter, widely seen as a potential successor, as well as the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Daesh members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Istanbul Police obtained information that Daesh members had planned attacks in Turkey, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X, Reuters reported.
The police raided 124 places in Istanbul, capturing 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said. Several pistols and ammunition were seized, it said.
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