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French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot say Iran must make major concessions as part of any long-term political solution following the Middle East war.

"Whatever the outcome of the ongoing military operations, it must be complemented by a political solution that produces lasting results," Barrot told journalists in Tel Aviv on Friday.

"In this regard, the Iranian regime must be prepared to make major concessions — a radical change of stance."

Barrot repeated a European call for a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure after an Israeli bombardment of Iran's key gasfield pushed up energy prices.

France's top diplomat, who visited Beirut on Thursday, expressed France's "reservations" about Israel's ground operations to fight Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

He called on Israel to seize an "historic opportunity" and hold direct talks with the Lebanese authorities, after French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to host negotiations.

Reporting by AFP

Iran's military has threatened to hunt down officials and army commanders from the US and Israel even while they were vacationing or visiting entertainment centres.

"We are watching your cowardly officials and commanders, pilots and wicked soldiers," armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi said, quoted by state TV.

"From now on, based on the information we have on you, the promenades, resorts and tourist and entertainment centres in the world will not be safe for you either."

Reporting by AFP

Sri Lanka has declined permission for two US combat aircrafts to land at a civilian airport earlier this month, Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

The US requested permission for the two aircraft to land at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in the southern part of the country from March 4th to March 8th, Dissanayake told lawmakers.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti," he said during a statement.

"We turned down the request to maintain Sri Lanka's neutrality," he added to applause from parliamentarians.

Reporting by Reuters

Ukraine has deployed military units to protect critical and civilian infrastructure against drones in five Middle Eastern countries, Ukraine's security council secretary Rustem Umerov said after a visit to the region.

Umerov has visited the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan in the past week. He said Ukrainian units had been deployed in those nations, and that further steps for "long-term security cooperation" with each of them had been outlined.

"Ukrainian military specialists are operating in each of these countries under the coordination of the National Security and Defense Council," he wrote on X.

"Interception units have been deployed to protect civilian and critical infrastructure. Work is also under way to expand coverage areas."

Reporting by Reuters

An Israeli warplane broke the sound barrier over Beirut on Friday morning, state media says, as AFP journalists heard loud booms reverberate across the city and in distant mountains.

Lebanon's official National News Agency says "a strong sonic boom, in two successive waves, shook the skies over Beirut and its suburbs" on the morning of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Ramadan fasting period.

Last week, Israeli warplanes also caused loud booms in the skies of the Lebanese capital, as they dropped propaganda leaflets on the city, terrifying residents.

Reporting by AFP

The IDF says it has launched strikes in Iran's Noor region on the shores of the Caspian Sea, as it kept up its bombing campaign after almost three weeks of war.

"The IDF has begun striking targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime," the army said in a statement.

The fresh strikes come after Israel's military said on Thursday its jets had hit several Iranian naval vessels in the Caspian Sea.

Iran has not commented on the strikes.

Reporting by AFP

The IDF says it has struck Syrian army camps in response to what it called attacks against the Druze community in the southern Sweida province.

The latest flare-up between the neighbouring countries comes as war roils the Middle East after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

"Overnight, the IDF struck a headquarters and weapons at Syrian regime military camps in southern Syria," the Israeli military says.

Syrian state media has not mentioned the clashes or Israel's air strikes.

Reporting by AFP

We've all seen the headlines — Australia only has 30 days of fuel in reserve.

But is that really the case?

Israeli police say they have arrested an army reservist who served on the Iron Dome air defence system on suspicion of passing secrets to Iran.

"Raz Cohen, a 26‑year‑old resident of Jerusalem who served in the reserves in the Iron Dome system, was recently arrested on suspicion of committing security offenses involving contact with Iranian intelligence," Israeli police say.

"Over the course of several months, the citizen maintained contact with Iranian intelligence operatives and, under their instructions, was asked to carry out various security missions, including passing on sensitive security information."

Reporting by AFP