CAIRO -- Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls on Saturday evening with U.S., regional, and international officials to discuss efforts to de-escalate rising tensions in the Middle East, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
During the phone calls, Abdelatty spoke separately with U.S. president's special envoy Steve Witkoff, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Türkiye, and Pakistan, as well as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi. (Egypt-Middle East-Diplomacy)
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TEHRAN -- Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified command of the Iranian armed forces, said on Sunday that four U.S. military aircraft were shot down in Iran's central airspace during the U.S. mission to rescue a pilot in Iran.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the headquarters' spokesman, made the announcement, saying the aircraft included two C-130 Hercules military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters, according to the official news agency IRNA. (Iran-US-Military aircraft)
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JERUSALEM -- Israel was preparing to escalate its attacks on Iran if reported indirect talks between the United States and Iran fail, Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported Sunday.
Israel believes U.S. President Donald Trump will give the green light to target energy facilities and national infrastructure in Iran and is awaiting the "final approval," Kan TV reported, citing Israeli officials. (Israel-Iran-Attacks)
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BEIRUT -- Diplomatic contacts are ongoing to stop the Israeli war on Lebanon, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Sunday, stressing that diplomacy is necessary to end the conflict and reduce civilian suffering.
"We are conducting continuous contacts with various countries to reduce the tragedies of this war, and we call on friendly countries to intervene to stop this madness practiced by Israel," Aoun said in an Easter speech in Bkirki. (Lebanon-Israel-Diplomacy) ■
