SANAA -- At least 30 people were killed and eight others wounded in an attack on a crowded market in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province on Friday, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported, as the country's government and Houthi group traded accusations over responsibility.
The channel said three Saudi airstrikes hit Al-Hadarah public market in Taiz's Al-Wazi'iyah district in the morning, when it was crowded with shoppers. The casualty toll remained preliminary as rescue teams continued searching through the rubble, it added. (Yemen-Attack-Casuality)
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JERUSALEM -- The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday issued its first response to U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that Washington will end its annual military aid to Israel, saying that Israel and the United States agreed to move from military aid to partnership.
"U.S. military aid to Israel has always been a cross-the-aisle agreement," Netanyahu said in the statement. "Israel has used it both to defend itself and to confront enemies who threaten America and the West." (Israel-US-Military Aid)
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TEHRAN -- A senior Iranian security official said on Friday that Iran needs to see practical measures by the United States rather than mere "paper commitments" before entering a new phase of diplomacy.
"It is Iran's right not to settle for the U.S. paper commitments for entering a new phase of diplomacy. We need to see practical measures from the Americans, actions that are quite self-evident," Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri Kani said in an interview with state-run IRIB TV. (Iran-US-Diplomacy)
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DOHA -- Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to ease regional tensions and reach a comprehensive agreement to end the crisis during a phone call on Friday, Qatar's Emiri Diwan, the administrative office of the emir, said.
They reviewed the latest regional developments, particularly Qatar's mediation efforts to narrow differences between the parties concerned and support negotiations toward a lasting settlement, according to a statement from the Emiri Diwan. (Qatar-US-Diplomacy) ■
