Israel steps up Beirut strikes, vows to hit bridges in south

March 18, 2026 6:28 PM

Israel steps up Beirut strikes, vows to hit bridges in south

Israel stepped up airstrikes on Beirut on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people and destroying a 10-storey building near the city centre in the third week of its war with Hezbollah, Lebanese authorities said. Indicating further escalation in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said it would target bridges across the Litani River to prevent Hezbollah transferring fighters and weapons, and reiterated a warning for residents to leave the south. The Hezbollah-Israel conflict has become the dead...

Iran says nuclear doctrine unlikely to change, Hormuz Strait needs new protocol

March 18, 2026 2:42 PM

Iran says nuclear doctrine unlikely to change, Hormuz Strait needs new protocol

Iran's stance against the development of nuclear weapons will not significantly change, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Al Jazeera in remarks relayed by Iranian media on Wednesday, cautioning that the new supreme leader is yet to publicly express his view on the matter. Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed early in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, opposed the development of weapons of mass destruction in a fatwa, or religious edict, issued in the early 2000s. West...

China’s economy builds early momentum in 2026 as risks mount

March 16, 2026 9:38 AM

China’s economy builds early momentum in 2026 as risks mount

China's factory output growth quickened in January-February while retail sales rebounded, in a steady start to the year for an economy confronting multiple challenges including the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Industrial output rose 6.3% from the same period in the previous year, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Monday, up from the 5.2% growth clocked in December. It beat a 5% expansion forecast in a Reuters poll and marked the quickest growth since September last...