COPENHAGEN/DUBAI: Danish shipping company Maersk on Friday denied a claim by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement that the militia carried out a drone strike on a Maersk vessel sailing toward Israel.

JEDDAH: Internet and telephone services were cut across the war-torn Gaza Strip on Thursday as Israel’s bombardment took more Palestinian lives.

RAMALLAH, West Bank: International pressure on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to overhaul its leadership and step up reforms are a distraction from the need for a political horizon to lay the basis for peace after the Gaza war, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said.

BEIRUT: Israeli artillery shelling intensified on Thursday at various Lebanese border towns where Hezbollah is active.

War correspondents reported “the use of phosphorus bombs by the Israeli army in shelling the outskirts of the town of Khiam.” 

Israeli Channel 14 reported that the Iron Dome intercepted 20 missiles fired from southern Lebanon towards the Galilee Panhandle.

The Israeli military launched a drone strike on a house located in the town center of Aita Al-Shaab.

LONDON: Authorities in Iran are removing visa requirements for passport holders from 33 countries, including Saudi Arabia.

The move was confirmed on Thursday following comments after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday by Minister of Tourism Ezzatollah Zarghami, who said: “The government intends to open the country’s doors to the world.

“The Islamic Republic has shown its readiness to open doors to people worldwide and provide more facilities for them so that they can easily visit our country and benefit from its advantages.”