A condemnation of Israel's legislation of the death penalty to terrorists law was issued in a joint statement by foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The law, which passed on Monday, requires Israel's military courts in the West Bank and civilian courts in Israel to apply the death penalty to Palestinians convicted of deadly acts of terrorism.
"The Ministers warned against the increasingly discriminatory, escalating Israeli practices that entrench a system of apartheid and a rejectionist discourse that denies the inalienable rights and the very existence of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the statement said.
Joint Statement
The Foreign Ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt stronglyShow more
They stressed that such measures "risk further exacerbating tensions and undermining regional stability," and expressed concern over the "conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, warning of mounting risks amid credible reports of ongoing abuses, including torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, starvation, and the denial of basic rights."
The Iraqi oil ministry announced that it began exporting oil through Syria and cooperating with its Syrian counterparts to ensure the "safe passage of oil," adding that the export volume will gradually increase.
The IDF said it struck an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces base and a ballistic missile storage site in Iran overnight, adding that it has identified that regime forces have begun relocating "command centers into mobile units, with regime commanders operating from within them," and has targeted a mobile post while commanders were present at the site.
Iran's Khuzestan Steel Company will need between six months and a year to restore operations after its facilities were damaged in a strike last week, a deputy director said, according to a report by a judiciary-linked news outlet.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had reported that the Khuzestan steel production factory, which uses sealed cobalt-60 and caesium-137 radioactive sources for gauging, was hit in U.S.-Israeli strikes last week.
"All modules and steel-making furnaces of this industrial complex have been damaged," Deputy Director of Operations Mehran Pakbin said, adding that reconstruction efforts would rely on domestic capabilities.
Here are the key updates from day 33 of war in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, the United States and the Middle East:
■ The IDF reported a total of 50 rocket launches from Lebanon into northern Israel since Wednesday night: including 30 overnight into Thursday and 20 more in the latest barrage, which struck Kiryat Shmona and surrounding communities; two people were lightly wounded and six properties were damaged in Kiryat Shmona, according to reports.
■ A missile launched from Iran lightly wounded four people in central Israel's Bnei Brak, including two seven-month-old infants, and caused damage to property at several locations in central Israel early Thursday, according to rescue services.
■ U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States is going to hit Iran "extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong," adding that the core strategic goals of the war against Iran are nearing completion.
■ The U.S. military has presented Trump with a proposal to seize approximately 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium from Iran, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
■ Pakistan's foreign ministry announced that it has remained actively engaged with U.S. leadership to find a settlement to the ongoing conflict with Iran, adding that it does not have confirmation to date that a U.S. delegation will arrive for talks.
■ Tehran will press on with the Middle East war until the United States and Israel face "permanent regret and surrender," the spokesperson of its armed forces' unified command said on Thursday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
■ The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad announced that Iran-aligned militia groups may carry out attacks in central Baghdad within 24-48 hours and urged American citizens to leave Iraq.
■ Authorities in Abu Dhabi responded to an incident near Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) after air defence systems intercepted a missile, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said on Thursday, adding that there was minor damage and no injuries.
■ The International Criminal Court's member states voted on Wednesday to move ahead with disciplinary proceedings against Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan after receiving reports regarding sexual-assault allegations against him, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials familiar with the vote.
Sirens sounded for the third time in an hour in Israel's Kiryat Shmona and surrounding communities along the border with Lebanon; two people were lightly wounded in the previous barrage and evacuated for hospital treatment, emergency services said, including an 85-year-old and a 34-year old.
Six properties were damaged across the city, according to reports. Fire and rescue services reported several gas cylinders that were damaged by shrapnel, which they shut off to prevent a fire from developing.
Damage in Kiryat Shmona following Wednesday morning's rocket barrages.Credit: Magen David emergency servicesDamage in Kiryat Shmona following Wednesday morning's rocket barrages.Credit: Magen David emergency services
Tehran will press on with the Middle East war until the United States and Israel face "permanent regret and surrender," the spokesperson of its armed forces' unified command said on Thursday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The threat followed comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington would hit Iran "extremely hard" within weeks, although Iran was "essentially decimated" with the United States on track to achieve its military objectives.
Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson of the Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, responded that U.S. and Israeli assessments of Iran's military capabilities were "incomplete."
Iran would step up its military actions, with "more crushing, broader and more destructive" attacks in store for its adversaries, he added.
