Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is visiting Bahrain and Jordan on Wednesday, where he will push calls for de-escalation in the Gaza war that is threatening to also engulf Lebanon.
His visit comes just after the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and amid fears that Israel’s military is expanding its ground operation in Lebanon.
He will stress the importance of working with regional partners and demand that Iran and its proxies stop attacks which are causing chaos and destruction for the region and its people.
“The situation is incredibly dangerous and further escalation or miscalculation in the region is in no one’s interests,” Mr Lammy said.
“I am pleased to be back in the region to meet with our key partners in Bahrain and Jordan and see first-hand our combined efforts towards building long-term security and stability in the Middle East.
“We must not waver at this critical period to achieve ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, to get more desperately needed aid into Gaza, and secure the release of all hostages.
“Our nations share deep-rooted partnerships across defence, trade, and security, which I look forward to building upon.”
Mr Lammy is expected to discuss efforts to bring security and stability to the Middle East and reiterate the UK’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
The UK Government has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and de-escalation as the Gaza war spread to include greater Israeli operations in Lebanon and attacks by Iran. While in Bahrain, Mr Lammy will meet British armed forces personnel who are helping to maintain security in the Gulf, including commercial shipping in the Red Sea which has come under fire from Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. In Jordan, he will meet senior leaders, including Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and express the UK’s support for the country’s role in delivering much needed humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.
On Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel and urged the region to “step back from the brink” and find a political solution to the crisis.
Mr Lammy is also expected to discuss trade with his regional counterparts as the government prepares to host a major international investment summit on October 14. In Bahrain he will tour HMS Lancaster, which has been operating in the region since 2022.
Bahrain hosts a permanent support base for the Royal Navy, known as HMS Juffair, which was opened in 2018.
Brief scores:
Manchester United 4
Young 13', Mata 28', Lukaku 42', Rashford 82'
Fulham 1
Kamara 67' (pen),
Red card: Anguissa (68')
Man of the match: Juan Mata (Man Utd)
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CREW
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
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The specs
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