Today
Oil price rises over Middle East war fears
Iranian oil refineries could be hit in retaliatory strikes after US president Joe Biden said nuclear facilities should be removed from the target list.
- 10 mins ago
- Andrew Tillett
Israel strikes heart of Beirut, killing six
Witnesses reported hearing a massive blast, and a security source said it targeted a building in the central district of Bachoura, near parliament.
- 1 hr ago
- Timour Azhari and Ari Rabinovitch
- Updated
- Middle East tensions
Pro-Palestinian protests to go ahead after police back down
Protest organisers withdrew from plans to hold a vigil on October 7, but won agreement from police to march through the Sydney CBD on Sunday.
- 1 hr ago
- Maxim Shanahan
- Analysis
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
In Beirut’s once-bustling suburbs, smoking rubble and eerie quiet
Most of the residents of the Dahiya – the collection of neighbourhoods on the southern outskirts of Beirut where Hezbollah is the dominant power – have fled this week.
- Christina Goldbaum and Hwaida Saad
- Analysis
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
How Israel could retaliate against Iran
Officials say Israel’s options include attacks in Iran, such as on missile launchers or oil infrastructure, some have even called for strikes against its nuclear facilities.
- James Shotter
Israel vows Iran will pay ‘heavy price’, Lebanon combat intensifies
Israel and Iran traded verbal blows, while in Lebanon the first direct troop clashes claimed lives on both sides.
- Hans van Leeuwen and Matthew Cranston
Yesterday
Pro-Palestinian activists to defy police, PM with October 7 rallies
The prime minister says holding events on the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel would be “incredibly provocative” and cause a great deal of distress.
- Andrew Tillett
- Updated
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israel pours troops into Lebanon after Iran attack
The addition of infantry and armoured troops suggests Israel’s ground operation against Hezbollah has moved beyond limited commando raids.
- Updated
- Steven Scheer, Parisa Hafezi and Timour Azhari
- Analysis
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Suddenly, Israel has free rein to strike Iran hard
The damage Israel has inflicted on Hezbollah has stripped Tehran of much of its deterrence against a wider attack, say analysts and security experts.
- Aaron Boxerman
Israel’s twin fears collide on a Jaffa street
Israelis confronted the anxieties that have consumed them for most of their lives – a chance encounter with death from a gunman, and an attack by a powerful enemy.
- Mehul Srivastava, Polina Ivanova, James Shotter and Raya Jalabi
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Actually, the US absolutely does need to escalate in Iran
Iran presents an utterly intolerable threat not only to Israel but also to the United States and whatever remains of the liberal international order.
- Bret Stephens
- Opinion
- Middle East tensions
Iran is playing its last few cards as its missiles strike Israel
Iran has little chance of defeating Israel in an all-out war. Tehran is in no position to dictate terms, and it knows it.
- Patrick Gibbons
PM condemns Iran for Israel missile strike
Anthony Albanese called for a Middle East ceasefire, as he warned that planned pro-Palestinian protests for October 7 would stoke disharmony.
- Andrew Tillett
- Opinion
- US Votes 2024
Trump could be the biggest winner from Middle East escalation
The former president claims the world was at peace during his rule and that the “weakness” of the Biden administration has led to wars in Europe and the Levant.
- Gideon Rachman
This Month
No one should mourn slain Hezbollah chief: PM
A political row over Australian support for terror group Hezbollah is deepening.
- Andrew Tillett
Australians urged to take commercial flights out of Lebanon
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says an immediate ceasefire is required after Israel invaded southern Lebanon.
- Andrew Tillett
‘Ask that question again’: Dutton’s fiery clash with ABC reporter
The opposition leader has accused the ABC of failing to support the government’s definition of terrorism, after a heated exchange with a reporter.
- Gus McCubbing
Leaders depart UN empty-handed, facing wider Middle East war
There was no expectation of major breakthroughs at the annual gathering of presidents, premiers and other leaders. There rarely is. But this year was especially grim.
- Edith Lederer and Jennifer Peltz
- Updated
- Middle East tensions
‘Targeted raids’: Israel starts ground operation in Lebanon
The Israeli military says it has begun a “limited, localised” operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, after days of preparations.
- Updated
- Josef Federman, Matthew Lee and Sam Magdy
Iran, Israel and the rising threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb
Iran’s supreme leader may decide that the only way ahead for the regime - despised by its own citizens and vulnerable to Israeli attack - is nuclear weapons.
- The Economist