U.S. embassies urge citizens to "consider departing" Mideast countries amid heightened tensions
The U.S. embassies in some 10 Middle East countries on Saturday warned American citizens to exercise caution and "consider departing or be prepared to depart should there be escalation."
On their websites, the U.S. embassies in countries including Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia issued similar security alerts.
"Due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation," the alerts said, adding that Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation.
The embassies advised U.S. citizens in the Middle East to exercise caution and heightened vigilance and to be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions.
They also advised U.S. citizens outside the region to "seriously reconsider travel to and through the Middle East."
Iranian FM warns U.S. against "adventurous" actions
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday warned the United States against taking any "adventurous" actions, saying those responsible would bear the consequences, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency.
Araghchi made the remarks during separate phone conversations with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, during which they exchanged views on the latest regional developments, Mehr said in a report.
Araghchi told Munir and Fidan that Iran was fully prepared to safeguard its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security, and would respond decisively to any act of aggression.
In talks with his Saudi counterpart, Araghchi warned that any hostile U.S. or Israeli action, as well as any regional support for it, would draw a firm, proportionate response from Iran's armed forces, it added.
Also on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry accused the United States of violating the peace memorandum of understanding they reached mid-June, citing its continued strikes on Iranian targets, blockade on Iranian ports and commercial shipping, and stepped-up economic pressure.
Police respond to active shooter incident near restaurant in U.S. Idaho
Police were responding to an active shooter incident near an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Twin Falls, in the U.S. state of Idaho, authorities said Saturday.
The Twin Falls Police Department said in a public safety alert that officers were working in the area and asked residents and visitors to stay away so that law enforcement officers and first responders could operate safely.
Roads in the area, including a nearby bridge, were closed, police said, urging motorists to use alternate routes and not attempt to enter the restricted area.
No official information about casualties, the identity or number of shooters, or possible arrests had been released as of press time. Authorities said additional details would be provided when available.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad stress need for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, end to hostilities
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Islamic Jihad Movement (PIJ) on Saturday stressed the need to compel Israel to halt its "aggression" and fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
In a press statement, Hamas said a delegation headed by Zaher Jabarin, the movement's leader in the West Bank, met with a PIJ delegation led by Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhalah in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.
According to the statement, the two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening joint action, adopting unified national positions, and making every effort to protect the Palestinian people and restore what they described as their legitimate rights.
Explosion at Moscow restaurant kills 3, injures 21
Three people were killed and 21 others injured after an improvised explosive device detonated at a restaurant in central Moscow, Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said Saturday.
According to the NAC, a woman attempted to bring the explosive device into the restaurant located near Kudrinskaya Square. She was killed when the device detonated.
One of the other two fatalities was a security guard who had prevented the woman from entering the restaurant with the explosive device, the NAC said. The third victim was a restaurant visitor.
36 killed, thousands still sheltering after Japan's Kumamoto earthquake
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture reached 36, while more than 9,200 residents remain in evacuation shelters, prefectural authorities said Saturday.
At a disaster response headquarters meeting held Saturday morning, Kumamoto Prefecture government officials said that the number of fatalities now stood at 36, remaining unchanged since Friday, while six people were in serious condition.
According to the prefecture, the number includes nine dead at Nippon Paper Industries Co.'s plant in Yatsushiro City where a smokestack collapsed and seven at an Aeon shopping mall in Kashima Town that was rocked by an explosion following the magnitude 7.1 tremor.
Current Ebola outbreak largest ever recorded in DR Congo: WHO
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the largest ever recorded in the country, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday.
As of Thursday, the DRC had reported 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 1,587 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 44 percent, the WHO said in its latest disease outbreak report.
The previous largest outbreak, which struck the country's east between 2018 and 2020, recorded 3,317 confirmed cases.
India's Assam flood death toll rises to 82
The death toll in ongoing floods in India's northeastern state of Assam has risen to 82, with two people still missing, officials said Saturday.
According to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Sivasagar district reported the highest 42 deaths, followed by Charaideo and Jorhat districts with 21 and nine deaths respectively.
According to Sarma, the floods hit 2,251 villages, affecting over 1.1 million people in the state. Floods have fully damaged 2,530 residential houses and another 9,668 houses have suffered partial damage.
The authorities have set up 218 relief camps where 71,889 people have taken shelter. Besides, 1,811 relief distribution centers have been opened in the affected districts.■
