TEHRAN -- The death toll from a huge blast and the subsequent fire at Shahid Rajaee Port in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan on Saturday has reached 65, with over 1,200 others injured, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported Monday, citing the provincial governor.
The fire has been completely contained, while the rescue and relief operations were still ongoing, Mohammad Ashouri Taziani told Mehr. (Iran-Port Blast-Casualties)
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JERUSALEM -- Ronen Bar, head of Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency, announced on Monday that he would resign over his failure to prevent the Hamas-led surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Bar made the announcement at a memorial service for Shin Bet's fallen combatants, saying he would step down on June 15. (Israel-Shin Bet Chief-Resignation)
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CAIRO -- A meeting is currently underway in Cairo between Egyptian officials and an Israeli security delegation, led by Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, to discuss a new proposal aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, informed Egyptian sources said on Monday.
Speaking to Xinhua, the sources revealed that Egypt has put forward a new initiative calling for a temporary six-month truce in exchange for the release of half of the Israeli hostages currently held in Gaza. (Egypt-Israel-Gaza-Talks)
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TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held a phone conversation on Monday over bilateral relations and the latest developments in the West Asia region.
Araghchi highlighted the "escalating instability" caused by Israel's "ongoing crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as its repeated aggressions against Lebanon," and urged "global mobilization" to stop Israel's "ongoing genocide," according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on social media platform X. (Iran-Saudi-Gaza) ■
