Israel's two-front war in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, as well as the threat of escalation with Iran, have put the Middle East crisis on boil.

But despite the risk of all-out war involving regional powers Israel and Iran, experts say there is little appetite for a diplomatic solution.

This is largely because the main obstacles to peace are immovable without incentive and persuasion, and the only actors capable of changing the situation are either reluctant to act or are in a position to benefit from escalation, analysts say.

"There are diplomatic solutions to this crisis, but they have to center on the de-occupation of Palestine, since that is the root cause of the conflict," said Trita Parsi, co-founder of the Washington-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

The main obstacle to such an outcome, Parsi said, "is Washington's refusal to sincerely push Israel to end its occupation." If the United States "fundamentally changes its approach, these diplomatic solutions will become politically viable."

The United States is a key ally of Israel, a major recipient of U.S. arms and aid. But Israel has charted its own course, despite some U.S. pressure, and it is unclear if other players would scale down their military activities in response to Israeli de-escalation.

Expanding War

Israel is currently involved in a two-front war against Iran-backed armed groups -- the U.S.-designated terrorist organizations Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel launched its war in Gaza a year ago in retaliation for Hamas's deadly assault on its territory. More recently, the war expanded into Israel's aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Lebanon intended to cripple Hezbollah and its ability to strike Israel with rockets and missiles.

Hezbollah is both an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. The EU has not blacklisted its political wing, which has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Iran, which helped establish Hezbollah four decades ago to serve as its lead proxy in its shadow war against archenemy Israel, has also engaged in tit-for-tat attacks with Israel in recent months, leading to fears of a broader war involving the two regional heavyweights.

Of the two fronts, analysts told RFE/RL, Israel is more inclined to engage in diplomatic efforts with Hamas because it is interested in securing the release of scores of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7, 2023, assault.

Recent polls have shown that Israeli public opinion considers the release of the hostages as the top objective of the war in Gaza.

Israel's killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of the October 7 attack and considered by Washington to be a "massive obstacle to peace," is also seen as a potential breakthrough.

The State Department characterized Sinwar's October 17 death as an opportunity to end the conflict in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages. President Joe Biden said it was now "time to move on" and secure a cease-fire.

Hezbollah Seeks Relief

In Lebanon, only Hezbollah and its key backer Iran want a cease-fire because the militant group has "taken such very heavy blows," according to Middle East expert Kenneth Katzman, a senior adviser for the New York-based Soufan Group intelligence consultancy.

"I don't think Israel necessarily wants a lot of diplomacy," he said.

Iran, meanwhile, has recently made the rounds among Arab Gulf States in an effort to persuade them to help deter Israel from attacking key targets in Iran. Fears of Israeli attacks against Iranian oil and even nuclear facilities have risen since Iran fired around 180 ballistic missiles on Israel on October 1.

But while some Gulf states have normalized relations with both Iran and Israel, and helped blunt Iran's missile and drone attack on Israel in April, experts are skeptical of their influence in this diplomatic arena.

"The Arab states have very little sway over Israel, but they have some sway with Washington," Parsi said in written comments.

Staying On The Sidelines

The Gulf states, as well as Washington, also have their own incentives to stand aside because they want to see Hezbollah weakened, experts said.

Thanassis Cambanis, director of the U.S.-based Century Foundation think tank, said that Saudi Arabia and most of the Gulf states "are tacitly willing to tolerate or even support" the war against Hezbollah because it provides them an advantage in "their own regional contest for power with Iran."

In Gaza, Cambanis said, "there is a real perverse lack of incentive" for either Hamas or the Israeli government to work out a cease-fire because extending the conflict helps each of them hold onto power.

Cambanis said that a diplomatic process that involved serious U.S. leverage "could very quickly and very easily end the conflict as it stands now."

But he said that diplomacy cannot currently resolve the underlying causes of the war.

"I don't think it's reasonable to expect diplomacy to come up with a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nor do I expect diplomacy to urgently come to a long-term resolution of the boundary disputes between Lebanon and Israel," Cambanis said.

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The United Nations and international rights groups have called for an investigation into reports that Iranian border guards fired on and killed Afghan migrants seeking to cross into Iran from Pakistan.

Local reports and rights groups say the incident occurred on October 13 in the Saravan district of Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, an impoverished and volatile region.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan says it has launched an investigation. Iranian officials have denied that the incident took place.

Haalvsh, a Baluch rights group, said gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades fired by Iranian forces killed dozens of Afghans. RFE/RL was unable to independently verify the group's claim.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show images of dozens of corpses wrapped in white cloth strewn on the road. RFE/RL was unable to independently verify the veracity of the video.

Taj Mohammad, a resident of the northern province of Balkh, said his cousin was killed in the incident. "We want international organizations and the government in Afghanistan to probe this incident," he told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

Jamaluddin, another resident of Balkh, said his son was killed in the incident. "The [Taliban] government does not ask and does nothing."

Why It's Important: Millions of Afghan migrants and refugees have fled to Iran -- either through Afghanistan or Pakistan -- since the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government and the Taliban's seizure of power in 2021.

Many Afghans in Iran have complained of increasing violence and harassment at the hands of Iranian authorities, who have deported over 1 million Afghans in the past year.

Richard Bennett, the UN special human rights rapporteur in Afghanistan, said on X that he was "seriously concerned" about the reports and urged Iran to "investigate transparently."

"Clarity is urgently needed. These reports don't stand in isolation. More dignity and safety is needed for Afghans worldwide," he said on October 16.

What's Next: If the incident is confirmed, Iran is likely to face international pressure over its treatment of the estimated 4 million Afghans living in the Islamic republic.

The incident could also strain ties between the Taliban and Iran. The sides have engaged in deadly border clashes in recent years.

What To Keep An Eye On

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned of rapidly rising malnutrition among Afghan children.

The world's largest humanitarian network said on October 17 that clinics in the country were recording "alarming" cases of acute child malnutrition.

The cases are much more frequent among communities suffering from falling incomes, climate-induced natural disasters, and the consequences of decades of fighting, it said.

"The scale of malnutrition in our country is staggering," said Mohammad Nabi Burhan, secretary-general of the Afghan Red Crescent Society. "Severe acute malnutrition can be fatal if left untreated."

In May, Save the Children warned that three out of 10 -- or some 6.5. million Afghan children --will suffer from "crisis or emergency levels of hunger" this year.

According to the UN children agency, UNICEF, some 815,000 children from six months to 5 years old were admitted for "severe wasting," meaning their body parts had become weaker because of malnutrition.

Why It's Important: Afghanistan is the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

As international funding recedes, an increasing number of Afghan children are likely to die of malnutrition and diseases.

That's all from me for now.

Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

The caretaker prime minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, has rejected any move by Iran to hold talks on implementing a UN resolution concerning southern Lebanon, calling it "blatant interference" in his country's internal affairs.Responding to comments a day earlier by Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Qalibaf that Tehran was ready to negotiate on the UN resolution that calls for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of international weapons or troops, Mikati said on October 18 that the Lebanese government was "surprised by this position."

This "constitutes a blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish a rejected guardianship over Lebanon," he said in a statement.

Qalibaf made the comments in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro.

"The issue of negotiating the implementation of Resolution 1701 is the responsibility of the Lebanese state, and everyone is required to support it in this direction, rather than seeking to impose new guardianships that are rejected on all national and sovereign grounds."

The UN resolution authorizes a peacekeeping mission, called UNIFIL, to help Lebanon keep the border area secure.

The Israeli army launched a ground incursion into the southern border area earlier this month, saying it was pushing out militants from Iran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, and that UNIFIL has failed in its mission.

Several UN peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon have since come under fire, but a UNIFIL spokesperson on October 18 said the mission would remain in Lebanon despite the attacks.

"We need to stay, they asked us to move," said UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti by video link from Beirut.

"The devastation and destruction of many villages along the Blue Line, and even beyond, is shocking," he said.

The Blue Line refers to a demarcation created by the UN to separate Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Iran-backed Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has confirmed the death of leader Yahya Sinwar, considered to be the mastermind of the October 7, 2023, attack that killed some 1,200 people in Israel and triggered the war in Gaza between Israel and the militant group.

Deputy Gaza Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya, who is also the group's chief negotiator, confirmed on October 18 Israeli reports that Sinwar was killed in Gaza in a televised address where he called on Israel to end its war in the coastal strip of land and withdraw its forces.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) first confirmed Sinwar's death on October 17, saying soldiers of the 828th Brigade (Bislach) identified and eliminated three "terrorists," and "after completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated."

"People are shocked and saddened. A Palestinian leader has been killed," 37-year-old Ramzi Sahlout, a former teacher who now helps as a volunteer at a local hospital, told Radio Farda via WhatsApp from northern Gaza. "The situation remains unchanged, and nothing new has happened. The war continues, and the only important issue for people now is the end of the war."

Sinwar's death leaves Iran-backed Hamas without a leader for the second time in less than three months and, according to senior officials from the United States and other Israeli allies, creates the possibility of a new scenario for the region.

"We believe, continue to believe, that finding an end to the war is critical, and we also believe that Mr. Sinwar's death...can provide an inflection point to getting there," said White House spokesperson John Kirby, who is in Berlin with U.S. President Joe Biden as he meets European officials on a variety of topics.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted the removal of Sinwar from the scene opens a path for "a change of direction."

"We'll see how things evolve," Austin said on October 18 during a visit to Brussels for a meeting of NATO defense ministers. "But clearly there are opportunities for a change in direction, and we would hope that, you know, parties would would take advantage of that, both in Lebanon, in Gaza and in Lebanon."

SEE ALSO:

Palestinians Count The Toll Of Israel's Devastating War In Gaza

Added NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte: "I personally will not miss him."

Sinwar's death represents a major victory for the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been under pressure from many allies, including the United States, for the rising number of civilian casualties in Gaza as a result of the war, and accusations that Israel has been hindering aid supplies to the territory, where hundreds of thousands are living in a growing humanitarian crisis.

But neither side appears prepared, at least publicly, to seize on the opportunity Austin and other diplomats around the world have spoken about in the wake of Sinwar's death.

Hamas said on October 18 it would launch a new phase of fighting in the conflict, while Netanyahu said in a speech late the previous evening that "our war has not ended."

The current war between the two sides broke out after Hamas's October 7 attack, that also saw the militants take some 240 people back to Gaza as hostages.

Israel has since launched a withering offensive that, according to the Hamas-led Heath Ministry in Gaza, has seen more than 42,000 people killed while displacing virtually all of Gaza's 2.3 million people.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sinwar had rebuffed efforts by the United States and its partners to bring the war to a close through an agreement that would free the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The fighting has also spilled over into Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party, has fired rockets and missiles into Israel on almost a daily basis in support of Hamas.

Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament and the militants control the southern part of the country that borders Israel.

The IDF launched a ground incursion into the southern border area earlier this month, saying it was pushing out Hezbollah militants.

The death of Yahya Sinwar just months after he was named the top leader of Hamas highlights the difficulties the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group has in protecting high-value targets from Israel, but it might not have a major effect on the course of the war in the Gaza Strip.

The 62-year-old Sinwar was accused of organizing and directing Hamas's deadly assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, landing him at the top of Israel's hit list.

Israel confirmed on October 17 that Sinwar was killed in a military operation in the southern city of Rafah in Gaza. Hamas has not yet commented.

Sinwar's death highlights the high turnover rate of senior Hamas members as well as Israel's "very deep coverage in terms of intelligence and the ability to strike quickly when high-value targets are detected," said Lucas Webber, senior threat intelligence analyst at Tech Against Terrorism and research fellow at the Soufan Center.

The timing of Sinwar's death is also significant, he said, coming as Israel is renewing its offensive in northern Gaza and expanding operations against Hamas ally Hezbollah, an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

"It's seen as a tactical success, taking out a high-value target at a time when they kind of need this internal support for the expansion of their internal and external military campaign," Webber said.

Webber was doubtful about the impact that Sinwar's death could have toward ending the war in Gaza, however.

"He [Sinwar] was obviously very experienced and had a high status among Hamas and its supporters, but I don't think his killing will change the trajectory of the conflict in any fundamental way," Webber said.

Sinwar became Hamas's top leader soon after Israel's suspected assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the group's political chief, in Tehran on July 31.

Hamas is still fighting nearly a year after Israel's retaliatory invasion of Gaza and will be difficult to defeat, Webber notes. Sinwar's death might require some "reorientation" by Hamas, he said, but will not "factor too much" into Israel's attempts to win the war.

Thanassis Cambanis, director of the U.S.-based Century Foundation think tank, says it's difficult to gauge the impact Sinwar's death will have on Hamas's viability to remain in power in Gaza.

But he does see two possible outcomes to Sinwar's death.

"One is that Israel becomes emboldened to even more intensely pursue the complete destruction of Hamas and Gaza," he said. "The other option, which would be more positive, is that his death would create an opening for negotiations to actually lead to an end to the conflict."

SEE ALSO:

Death Of Hamas Leader Sinwar Prompts Calls For Cease-Fire In Gaza War

Neither Hamas nor Israel has to this point been seriously interested in ending the war, Cambanis says.

"Both sides see it in their interest to continue fighting,” he added. “Sinwar's death could change the dynamic for the better by creating an opening for Hamas to either surrender or come to some kind of negotiated settlement that until now, its leadership hasn't really been that interested in pursuing."

As for who would be in line to replace Sinwar, who was seen as a "ruthless" replacement for his predecessor Haniyeh, Cambanis said that can go two ways as well.

"We've seen more pragmatic people follow after periods of really intense extremism, and then we've also seen factions or parties where people really double down and with each leader who gets killed the successor is even more hard-line," he said.

Trita Parsi, co-founder of the Washington-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, warned that the "idea behind Hamas -- that Palestinian statehood only can come through armed resistance against Israel -- has not only not been killed, but it has also likely flourished."

"Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and massive killings of civilians, including forced starvation, has likely radicalized the Palestinian people and provided more ground for recruitment for Hamas," he added.

Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, is dead, according to Israel.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on October 17 that Sinwar was killed during a military operation in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has not yet commented.

The 62-year-old was the alleged architect of the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The unprecedented assault triggered Israel's ongoing war in the Palestinian enclave.

Sinwar became Hamas's top leader soon after Israel's suspected assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the group's political chief, in Tehran on July 31.

Sinwar, the head of Hamas's military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was not considered the favorite to succeed Haniyeh, who lived in Qatar.

Khaled Meshaal, a former political chief of Hamas, and Khalil al-Hayya, a prominent figure within the political wing, were seen as frontrunners.

Traditionally, Hamas's political chief is based abroad so he can travel and maintain contact with regional allies, such as Iran and Hezbollah. Sinwar is believed to be in Gaza.

A key reason for Sinwar's appointment, experts said, was his close ties with Iran, which has provided financial and military support to the group.

Molded By Israeli Prisons

Also known by his supporters as Abu Ibrahim, Sinwar was born in a refugee camp in the city of Khan Younis in Gaza.

His parents, like Haniyeh's, fled the coastal town of Ashkelon during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War that resulted in the establishment of the state of Israel -- or what Palestinians call the "nakba," or catastrophe.

Sinwar joined Hamas shortly after it was formed in 1987 and set up its feared internal security organization, Al-Majd, whose main purpose was to find Israeli spies within the group. He gained a reputation for violence and was nicknamed the "Butcher of Khan Younis."

Sinwar was captured by Israeli forces and sentenced to multiple life terms for a variety of offenses -- including the killing of two Israeli soldiers -- and spent more than two decades in prison.

While in prison, Sinwar organized strikes to improve working conditions and emerged as a leader among incarcerated Palestinians.

Sinwar was released from prison in 2011 as part of an exchange that saw more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners freed in return for one Israeli soldier held by Hamas.

Soon after his release, Sinwar accompanied Haniyeh on a trip to Tehran, where he met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The United States imposed sanctions on October 16 on individuals and companies that it said are part of a sanctions evasion network that funnels millions of dollars to Hezbollah in part through sales of illegal amphetamines.

The action targets three individuals and four Lebanon-based companies linked to Hezbollah's "finance team." The individuals have registered companies in their own names in order to conceal Hezbollah's interest in the activities, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

"The companies in turn provide Hezbollah potentially lucrative business opportunities while also providing them access the formal financial system," according to the department.

The sanctions build on designations imposed in September on other individuals and entities linked to Hezbollah's corporate network. Those sanctions targeted Hezbollah finance officials who the department said masquerade as ordinary Lebanese business owners, as well as several of their companies.

The Treasury also placed sanctions on three individuals involved in the production and sale of the amphetamine known as captagon, who it said have funded the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its allies, including Hezbollah.

"Today's action underscores [Hezbollah's] destabilizing influence within Lebanon and on the wider region, as the group, its affiliates, and its supporters continue to finance their operations through covert involvement in commercial trade and the illicit trafficking of captagon," Bradley Smith, acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in the statement.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that the sanctions were imposed in support of the objectives of the Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act passed by Congress last year and signed by President Joe Biden in April.

The law requires the president to impose sanctions on foreign persons "determined to engage in activities or transactions to contribute to the illicit production and proliferation of captagon."

Miller said the "dangerous and highly addictive amphetamine harms communities and countries across the region and beyond and is a source of funding for the Syrian regime and its backers, including Hezbollah."

He said Hezbollah continues to launch rockets into Israel, further destabilizing both Lebanon and the region, and the United States remains steadfast in its commitment to "disrupt Hezbollah's access to the international financial system and its various methods of generating revenue, which the Iran-backed group uses to fund its violence."

"We will also continue to target the illicit captagon trade in the region, which has become an illicit billion-dollar enterprise operated in part by senior members of the Syrian regime," he said.

The sanctions freeze any assets held by the individuals and companies in U.S. jurisdiction and bar U.S. persons from conducting business with them.

The United States has said it will deploy an advanced antimissile system and around 100 soldiers to operate it to Israel, a key ally.

The Pentagon said on October 13 that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system will bolster Israel’s already formidable air defenses. It is unclear when the system and the U.S. soldiers will arrive in Israel.

What Is THAAD?

The THAAD is one of the most advanced and powerful antimissile systems in the U.S. arsenal.

Israel currently uses several systems developed with the United States -- the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow -- to intercept rockets, drones, and missiles at different altitudes and distances.

The THAAD system has advanced radar, which detects missiles from longer distances. Its interceptors also have a longer range.

“It is a far superior antimissile system,” said Hossein Aryan, a Britain-based defense expert. “Its range is vastly [more] extensive” compared to Israel’s air defense systems.

Why Is The U.S. Sending THAAD To Israel?

The U.S. decision came after Iran fired around 180 ballistic missiles on Israel on October 1, an attack that some experts say exposed vulnerabilities in Israel’s air defenses.

Aryan said Iran’s attack prompted Washington to boost Israel’s antimissile defense capabilities in the event of “another potential attack from Tehran.”

Tehran’s massive missile barrage -- its biggest-ever direct attack against its archenemy -- was in response to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and its recent assassinations of key Iranian allies in the region.

Israel downplayed the damage caused by Iran’s attack. But satellite imagery appeared to show around 30 ballistic missiles landed in and around the Nevatim air base in southern Israel. The images show damage to buildings and craters on the runway at the base.

The Nevatim base houses U.S.-made F-35 fighter planes. Experts say Iranian missiles only narrowly missed some of the fighter planes stationed in the base.

Meanwhile, one missile landed close to the headquarters of Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, in Tel Aviv, causing a deep crater.

Israel has vowed a severe response to Iran’s missile attack.

Meanwhile, a drone attack by Hezbollah, the armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, killed four Israeli soldiers in a base on October 13.

Shashank Johsi, a visiting fellow at Kings College London, said Washington is deploying the THAAD system “because it anticipates that Israel's retaliation to the recent Iranian missile barrage will be a large and significant attack.”

That, in return, is “likely to prompt yet another Iranian strike,” he said.

Joshi, who is also the defense editor of The Economist magazine, said Israel has a range of options, from striking Iranian weapons facilities to targeting its leadership or nuclear sites.

“Whichever option it chooses, Iran's leadership is likely to retaliate in force,” he said.

At least one person was killed in a fire at the Pars Petro Shushtar refinery in Iran's Khuzestan Province, state media reported on October 15, as efforts to control the fire are ongoing. A local authority attributed the cause of the incident "to a tanker collision with gasoline tanks" and said the incident is under investigation. IRNA quoted a local official in the province as saying that several people were also injured. "Firefighters on the scene are trying to bring the fire under control," the official added.

A former journalist for RFE/RL who returned to Iran after many years abroad has been arrested in Tehran, a source told RFE/RL on October 15.

Reza Valizadeh, a dual Iranian-U.S. national, was arrested about three weeks ago and is facing charges, including cooperation with Farsi-language media abroad, one of his relatives told RFE/RL.

Iranian officials have not yet commented on Valizadeh's arrest.

Valizadeh left his job as a staff member at RFE/RL’s Radio Farda in November 2022 and stayed abroad for some time.

In his last post on X on August 13, Valizadeh said he had traveled to Tehran on March 16.

The post says that he had "half-finished" negotiations with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ intelligence organization, but in the end he returned to Iran after 14 years on his own responsibility and "without a letter of trust, even verbally."

It is not clear under what circumstances he wrote this post.

A large number of Iranians with dual citizenships have been arrested by the security agencies and charged with committing various crimes. Many of their properties have been seized or blocked, and in some cases their family members inside Iran have been pressured to force these people to return to the country.

Iran is accused of putting pressure on foreign governments to implement its demands by illegally arresting or "taking hostage" foreign nationals, including dual citizens.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on October 15 summoned the ambassador of Hungary over EU sanctions against seven individuals and seven entities linked to Iran. Iran summoned the ambassador to condemn the sanctions, which were announced on October 14. Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. The ministry announced in a statement Iran's "strong objection" and said "resorting to illegal and coercive methods such as sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran is not acceptable in any way and will lead nowhere." EU foreign ministers approved the new sanctions after Kyiv's Western allies accused Tehran of sending ballistic missiles to Russia to aid in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions, reported in an exclusive by RFE/RL's Radio Farda last week, target companies and individuals accused of being involved in the transfer of the weapons to Russia, including the country's flagship carrier Iran Air, as well as airlines Saha Airlines and Mahan Air.

Senior officials from around Eurasia have begun meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit under tight security in Islamabad amid a surge in violence by various separatist groups in Pakistan.

Thousands of security officers had the capital locked down on October 15 as seven prime minsters -- including from longtime ally China and the foreign minister of archrival India -- began to discuss security issues, regional cooperation, trade, and financial integrity among the 10 member states.

Early on October 11, unidentified gunmen shot and killed 21 coal miners in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province, which has been rocked by a series of militant attacks since the start of the year.

Baluch separatist groups, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), designated as a global terrorist organization by the United States, are engaged in fighting against the Pakistani government.

Pakistan's northwest has also recently experienced a surge in militant violence.

On October 10, militants opened fire on a police vehicle in the city of Tank, killing two officers. Within hours the military said it had killed four militants in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

In other recent violence in the country, two Chinese citizens were killed in a large blast near the airport of Karachi that the Chinese Embassy called a "terrorist attack." The blast was claimed by the BLA.

The attack took place late on October 6 and it targeted a convoy of Chinese employees of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company Limited that was traveling from the airport, the embassy said. The Chinese citizens were working on the construction of two coal-fired power plants in Pakistan.

Member countries of the SCO, formed in 2001 by Moscow and Beijing, include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, and Iran.

India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, while Iran became a member in 2023 and Belarus in July 2024.

Leaders from India and Pakistan are not expected to meet during the SCO summit.

Foreign ministers from the European Union have approved new sanctions against seven individuals and seven entities linked to Iran after Kyiv's Western allies accused Tehran of sending ballistic missiles to Russia to aid in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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The sanctions, reported in an exclusive by Radio Farda last week, target companies and individuals accused of being involved in the transfer of the weapons to Russia, including the country's flagship carrier Iran Air, as well as airlines Saha Airlines and Mahan Air.

Individuals sanctioned include the deputy defense minister of Iran, Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari; prominent officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps's Quds Force (IRGC-QF); IRGC Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters; and IRGC Aerospace Force Space Division, as well as the managing directors of the EU-listed companies Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries (HESA) and Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO).

The United States, Britain, France, and Germany accused Iran of sending ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine more than a month ago, sparking consultations among European allies on the matter.

"Today’s designation includes individuals and entities responsible for the development and transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and related technology to Russia in support of its war of aggression against Ukraine, and to armed groups and entities undermining peace and security in the Middle East and the Red Sea region," the council said in a statement on October 14 .

Those targeted are subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union. Additionally, the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, with those listed is prohibited.

Iran Air has direct flights to several cities in Europe, including Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Paris, and Milan.

The new EU sanctions come just a few days after Peter Stano, the EU's chief foreign policy spokesman, told RFE/RL that he was "optimistic" about the EU's relationship with Iran.

Stano stressed that EU relations with Iran "have been at an all-time low for a long time" and noted that the most recent reason is Iran's support for Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine by supplying drones and more recently missiles.

Domestic repression in Iran, arbitrary detention of EU citizens, and uranium enrichment are other factors that have caused the Islamic republic's relations with the EU to become "complicated" and "sensitive," according to Stano.

Human Rights Watch has condemned Iran’s controversial new law that increases prison terms and fines for women and girls who breach the country's strict dress code in the wake of the mass Women, Life, Freedom protests that followed the death of a young woman while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.

SEE ALSO:

'Naked' And Defiant: Diary Of An Iranian Protester

The Hijab and Chastity law mandates sentences of up to 10 years in prison for those who are deemed to be dressed “inappropriately” in public.

The law, which was approved by parliament in September 2023, came into force after its approval by the Guardians Council, a conservative legal body.

“Rather than responding to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement with fundamental reforms, the autocratic government is trying to silence women with even more repressive dress laws,” said Nahid Naghshandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The hijab became compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

For women, unacceptable coverings are defined as “revealing or tight clothing, or clothing that shows parts of the body lower than the neck or above the ankles or above the forearms,” according to the new law.

For men, it has been defined as “revealing clothing that shows parts of the body lower than the chest or above the ankles, or shoulders.”

Naghshandi warned that the new law “will only breed fierce resistance and defiance among women in and outside Iran.”

The renewed focus on the mandatory hijab came after Iran was swept by monthslong mass protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police in 2022 for an alleged hijab violation.

French President Emmanuel Macron told Iranian counterpart Masud Pezeshkian that it was Tehran's "responsibility" to help ease tensions in the Middle East, where the Iran-allied Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups are engaged in fighting Israeli forces. Macron underlined "the responsibility of Iran to support a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilizing actors that enjoy its support." Hezbollah is an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon and has been targeted with a massive Israeli air and ground campaign over recent weeks. It is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hamas is deemed a terror organization by the United States and the EU. The Iranian presidency also reported on the call, mentioning efforts to reach a cease-fire but using belligerent language toward Israel.

Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, a popular and controversial Iranian rapper known by his stage name Tataloo, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on a variety of charges, a judiciary spokesman said on October 13.

Court spokesman Asghar Jahangir told a news conference that the performer had been sentenced to five years on charges of insulting sanctities and 10 years for encouraging corruption and prostitution.

It was not immediately clear if the sentences would run concurrently or consecutively. Jahangir said he would be required to begin his sentence immediately.

Tataloo's works -- considered provocative and Western in style -- are not officially permitted in the country, with authorities saying he lacks pertinent certificates from the Culture Ministry.

Hard-liners in Iran often condemn performers who they accuse of offending the conservative Islamic nation's moral standards and corrupting the youth.

Tataloo, 36, who at times has used his music to criticize Iran's human rights record, had lived in Istanbul since 2018 but was extradited to Iran by Turkish authorities in December 2023. He has been detained in Iran since his extradition.

Tataloo's trial began in March on charges of promoting obscenity, publishing propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and disseminating obscene content.

In a statement last month, the case investigator cited Tataloo's expression of regret, stating the rapper had written a repentance letter while also expressing his desire to marry, start a family, and pursue music in a more accepted manner.

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The information could not be verified, but the admission, if true, likely saved the performer from a much harsher potential sentence.

The rapper, known for blending rap, pop, and R&B and for his distinctive tattoos, has been a polarizing figure in Iran.

He previously released a song in support of Iran's nuclear rights, which coincided with the breakdown of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

In 2020, Instagram shut down the rapper's account after activists and Instagram users reported him for inappropriate posts asking underage girls to join his "team" for sex.

Tataloo had been briefly jailed in 2013 for distribution of his banned music to foreign-based satellite channels and for two months in 2016 for insulting a judge during a court hearing.

Iranian media reported in December 2023 that Turkish police had arrested Tataloo on charges of insulting members and staff of the consulate in Istanbul over a complaint by the Iranian consulate.

Fars News Agency reported that Tatlou was charged with setting up a gambling house; encouraging, enticing or threatening people to obtain or facilitate pornographic content; inciting and persuading people, especially the younger generation, to commit crimes against chastity and sexual deviance; and encouraging people to commit corruption and prostitution.

With reporting from ISNA and dpa

Four Israeli soldiers were killed and dozens were injured, seven critically, when a "swarm" of Hezbollah drones hit an army base near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina in one of the bloodiest attacks on the country since October 2023.

Hezbollah is an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military early on October 14 said the attack took place at an army base some 60 kilometers north of Tel Aviv. It did not immediately provide further details.

CNN had earlier reported that the United Hatzalah rescue service said it had "provided assistance to over 60 wounded people in various conditions -- some of them in critical, serious, moderate, and light condition."

National emergency service Magen David Adom (AFMDA) said at least 67 people were injured in the attack in Israel's Haifa district.

Hezbollah -- which is considered a terrorist group by the United States, although the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing -- claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had launched a "swarm of attack drones" at a military training camp in Binyamina.

Iran-allied Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel but, because of Israel's sophisticated air-defense systems, most have been shot down or have caused little damage and few casualties.

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Earlier in the day, angry UN peacekeepers said Israeli forces had smashed into a gate of one of their bases in Lebanon, causing about 15 minor injuries.

"At around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in shelters, two IDF Merkava tanks destroyed the position's main gate and forcibly entered the position in the Ramia area," said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding that the Israeli forces left after about 45 minutes.

Israel later claimed the tanks had come under fire when they crashed into the base gate.

The action came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UN peacekeepers must "immediately" pull out of the combat zone in southern Lebanon and directly addressed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones," Netanyahu said, accusing Guterres of making UNIFIL soldiers "human shields" and "hostages of Hezbollah."

"Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately," he said.

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UNIFIL is a 9,500-strong mission created in 1978 tasked with monitoring a cease-fire that ended a 33-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.

Forty nations that contribute to UNIFIL said in a joint statement on October 12 that they "strongly condemn recent attacks" on the peacekeepers. The United States and European leaders have demanded Israel stop firing at the peacekeepers, with U.S. President Joe Biden on October 12 saying he was "absolutely, positively" telling Israel to stop.

Fears of an all-out regional war grew as signs indicated Israel could be preparing to launch a direct strike on Iran in retaliation for Tehran's massive missile strike on Israel on October 1.

Biden on October 13 said he had ordered the Pentagon to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of U.S. efforts "to defend Israel."

Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said the system will help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's missile attacks. The THAADs are similar to Patriot missile systems but can cover wider areas and require about 95 soldiers to operate, analysts say.

"It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias," Ryder said.

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Living Under The Threat Of Hezbollah Rockets In Northern Israel

The French presidency on October 13 said President Emmanuel Macron, in a phone call, told his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, it was Tehran's "responsibility" to back efforts to lower tensions in the Middle East. The Iranian presidency also reported the call, saying the sides discuss ways to end the conflict but also using heavily belligerent language toward Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on October 13 said Tehran was prepared for a "war situation," although he stated his government desired peace.

"We are fully prepared for a war situation. We are not afraid of war, but we do not want war. We want peace, and we will work for a just peace in Gaza and Lebanon," he said while on a visit to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Israeli warplanes hit a 100-year-old mosque in a village of Lebanon near the border early on October 13, a day after a marketplace was hit in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

Lebanon's Health Ministry reported deadly strikes in other areas of the country, including one on a Shi'ite Muslim village in a mostly Christian mountainous area.

Hezbollah said it launched rockets at Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory on October 13 as ground troops conducted incursions into the country's south.

A Hezbollah statement claimed it targeted a "gathering" of Israeli forces in the village of Maroun al-Ras "with artillery shells."

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Hezbollah fired hundreds of projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on October 12 as Israelis celebrated Yom Kippur, an important holiday on the Jewish religious calendar.

The escalation comes as Israel is also conducting fresh attacks in Gaza and is expected to strike Iran in retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month.

Palestinian medical officials said on October 13 that an Israeli strike killed a family of eight and wounded seven others in the central Gaza Strip.

The attack late on October 12 hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing a couple and their six children, who ranged in age from 8 to 23, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken.

Israel continues to strike what it says are militant targets in Gaza nearly every day for more than a year into the war with Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the United States and European Union.

The Israeli Army said in a statement on October 13 that forces operating throughout the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours had attacked about 40 targets and killed dozens of militants.

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Both Hamas and Hezbollah are allies of Iran. Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran's missile attack on October 1, which Tehran said was launched in retaliation for Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killings of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Washington believes Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential response to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on October 12, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

There is no indication that Israel will target Iran’s nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the NBC report said, adding that Israel has not made final decisions about how and when to act.

Araghchi said there would be "no red line" for Iran in defending its citizens from the potential strikes.

"While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests," Araghchi wrote in a post on X on October 13.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Iran has banned passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, after near-simultaneous attacks last month in which the communication devices exploded across Lebanon and Syria. The new regulation applies to both cabin and hold luggage, a spokesman for the Iranian aviation authority told the ISNA news agency on October 12. Passengers are still allowed to take their mobile phones on board. Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia exploded in September. Hezbollah, an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah and Iran blamed the brazen attacks on Israel. At least 39 people were killed and around 3,000 were injured, some seriously. Most were Hezbollah members.

Tehran has delivered two Iranian-made satellites to Russia for launch into orbit, according to the Tasnim news agency, which is linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The report on October 12 said the satellites were "developed by a private-sector company," but it is a continuing sign of close cooperation on technical, scientific, and military matters by Moscow and Tehran. The report said the Kowsar satellite was designed for precision agriculture and mapping, while Hodhod is an Internet-related communications satellite. No launch date was specified. Russia sent Iranian satellites into orbit in February and in 2022, sparking concerns from Washington. A Washington Post report citing anonymous Western intelligence officials claimed Russia "plans to use the satellite for several months or longer" to assist its war efforts in Ukraine before allowing Iran to take control of it. Iran denied the allegations and said it would maintain control of the craft at all times.

The Iranian Supreme Court has lifted the death sentence against imprisoned labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi and referred her case "for reconsideration," her lawyer said on October 12. Mohammadi, 45, was sentenced to death in July, accused of membership in an independent labor union and a banned Kurdish separatist group based in neighboring Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region. Her family has said she was not affiliated with any political organization inside or outside the country. The sentence sparked widespread condemnation from civil and political activists. Lawyer Amir Raeesian told the Sharq news outlet that the Supreme Court "overturned the sentence of my client...and referred the case to the same branch for reconsideration." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

Hezbollah on October 12 said it had fired a number of missiles and drones at an Israeli military base south of Haifa and at the outskirts of Tel Aviv as Israelis celebrated Yom Kippur, the most important holiday on the Jewish religious calendar.

Hezbollah -- an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon -- said its forces targeted "the explosives factory there with a salvo of...missiles" in the Haifa region, while it said it sent a swarm of drones toward Tel Aviv, the economic center of the country.

The Israeli military confirmed that Hezbollah fired hundreds of projectiles from Lebanon into Israel over Yom Kippur, which ended at sundown on October 12.

"Throughout the weekend of Yom Kippur, approximately 320 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organization crossed from Lebanon into Israel," the military said in a statement.

Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.

Israel has meanwhiile faced a of barrage of diplomatic criticism over a second strike at a United Nations peacekeeping position in Lebanon.

Two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were hurt in the incident, the UNIFIL mission said on October 11.

The Israeli military said it had fired at "an immediate threat" around 50 meters from the UNIFIL post.

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On October 10, two Indonesian soldiers were hurt when Israeli tank fire hit a watchtower.

The UN peacekeeping force said in a statement that the incident occurred at its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, adding that Israeli forces also fired on a nearby bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system.

The incidents sparked condemnation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Israel's Western allies, prompting the Israeli military to pledge to carry out a "thorough review."

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it hit some 280 "terror targets" in Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip over the weekend.

"Among these targets were underground terror infrastructure sites, weapons storage facilities, military command centers, terrorist cells, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites," a statement read.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on October 12 traveled to Beirut, condemning what he called Israel's "crimes."

He met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who said his government's priority was "to work toward a cease-fire," according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 11 that Washington was still working to prevent a larger war in the Middle East and urged Israel to protect civilians after 22 people were killed in strikes on two buildings in central Beirut.

"We continue to engage intensely to prevent broader conflict in the region," Blinken told reporters after an East Asia summit in Laos, adding that it was "vitally important" for Israel to ensure that civilians are protected during the conflict.

Lebanese sources said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was targeted in the attacks, which were the third on Beirut since Israel started a military campaign in southern Lebanon last month against the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia, sparking fears of an all-out regional war.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported after the strikes that an attempt to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside either of the targeted buildings.

Safa heads Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, security sources said.

With reporting by AFP

The United States on October 11 issued additional sanctions targeting Iran's oil industry in response to its October 1 attack on Israel, the Treasury Department said.

The new sanctions are designed to increase financial pressure on Iran and limit the ability of its regime to earn money from oil sales that can be used to undermine stability in the region and attack U.S. partners and allies, the Treasury Department said in a news release.

"In response to Iran's attack on Israel, the United States is taking decisive action to further disrupt the Iranian regime's ability to fund and carry out its destabilizing activity," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

The sanctions target Iranian efforts to channel revenues from its energy industry into deadly and disruptive activity, including development of its nuclear program, the proliferation of ballistic missiles and drones, and support to "regional terrorist proxies with dangerous consequences for the region and the world," Yellen said.

"We will not hesitate to take further action to hold Iran accountable," she added.

The department said its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating 10 entities in multiple jurisdictions and identifying 17 vessels as blocked property for their involvement in shipments of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products in support of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Triliance Petrochemical Company.

In addition, the U.S. State Department is designating six entities and identifying six vessels as blocked property for transporting or trading petroleum products from Iran.

"Collectively, these actions target a significant portion of the shadow fleet of tankers and illicit operators that move the Iranian regime's petroleum exports," the Treasury said.

NIOC was designated in October 2020 for its financial support to the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Triliance was designated in January 2020 for facilitating the sale of Iranian petroleum products from NIOC.

The sanctions freeze any assets the targeted entities and ships hold within U.S. jurisdiction and bar U.S. persons from any dealings with them.

The European Union will move ahead early next week with new sanctions against individuals and entities linked to Iran, sources told RFE/RL on October 11.

According to three European sources who spoke with RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, the sanctions are expected to be agreed on October 14 and likely will include Iran Air.

One source noted that EU ambassadors had already given the package a preliminary green light on October 9.

"Yes, sanctions on Monday in response to the shipment and more sectoral sanctions likely after that," another source told RFE/RL, referring to the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.

"I have zero indication that there is any reluctance," the source said.

After the United States, Britain, France, and Germany accused Iran of sending missiles to Russia more than a month ago, the three European countries announced their plans to place sanctions on Iran Air, the state-owned airline.

At the time, the German Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL that work had begun to consult with European allies on the matter.

Iran Air has direct flights to several cities in Europe, including Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Paris, and Milan.

The possibility of new EU sanctions comes just a few days after Peter Stano, the EU's chief foreign policy spokesman, told RFE/RL that he was "optimistic" about the EU's relationship with Iran.

Stano stressed that EU relations with Iran "have been at an all-time low for a long time" and noted that the most recent reason is Iran's support for Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine by supplying drones and more recently missiles.

Domestic repression in Iran, arbitrary detention of EU citizens, and uranium enrichment are other factors that have caused the Islamic republic's relations with the EU to become "complicated" and "sensitive," according to Stano.

The Japanese group Nihon Hidankyo, an organization of Atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

In making the announcement in Oslo on October 11, Norwegian Nobel Committee chief Joergen Watne Frydnes said it was "alarming" that "new countries appear to be preparing to acquire nuclear weapons, and threats are being made to use nuclear weapons as part of ongoing warfare."

“It is very clear that threats of using nuclear weapons are putting pressure on the important international norm: the taboo of using nuclear weapons,” Frydnes said when asked at a news conference if rhetoric from Moscow surrounding nuclear weapons and its invasion of Ukraine had played a part in the committee's decision.

Frydnes did not mention any specific countries, but his comments come at a time when countries such as Iran have raised fears of nuclear proliferation. Tehran says it is developing its nuclear capabilities for civilian purposes, but its foes say it is looking to produce atomic weapons.

In addition, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has further heightened concerns about the risk of nuclear war given Moscow's announcement that it plans to review its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons and its deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus -- the first relocation of such warheads outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

"The committee is drawing attention to a very dangerous situation in the world, with relations between China and the U.S., and between Russia and the U.S., the most toxic since the end of the Cold War," said Dan Smith of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which noted that at the start of 2024, the nine nuclear-armed states possessed an estimated 12,121 atomic weapons.

"If there is a military conflict, there is a risk of it escalating to nuclear weapons," Smith added.

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The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize isn't the first time an anti-nuclear group has been recognized.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Before it, Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, which works to reduce the role nuclear arms play in international politics, won in 1995.

The prize also comes as conflict ravages the Middle East, with fears focused on Iran. More than three dozen Iranian hard-line lawmakers on October 10 demanded the government revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons.

In a letter to the Supreme National Security Council, they said Western powers could not control Israel, thus making nuclear weapons "Iran's option to create deterrence."

Nihon Hidankyo was chosen from among 286 nominees -- 89 of which were organizations.

Last year, the prize, which comes with an 11 million Swedish krona (just over $1 million) award, went to imprisoned Iranian women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, to cement their growing bilateral ties that have raised concern in the West as war rages in Ukraine and the Middle East.

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The two leaders met in Ashgabat on the sidelines of a conference in the capital of the tightly controlled Central Asian country of Turkmenistan on October 11. It was the first of two meetings between the men, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24.

It was the first of two meetings between the two, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters ahead of the meeting that while the talks will focus on bilateral relations, "the situation in the Middle East definitely will not be ignored and will also be on the agenda."

The meeting was the first between the two since Pezeshkian assumed office on July 30 after winning an election to succeed his hard-line predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.

Relations between Moscow and Tehran have strengthened since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Pezeshkian is trying to gauge to what extent Iran can rely on Russia for help," Touraj Atabaki, professor emeritus of Middle East and Central Asia social history at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Radio Farda.

"Russia wants to stand with Iran due to Iran's support in its war on Ukraine but Moscow doesn't want to darken its relationship with Israel further and cut all ties," he added.

Since the early months of the Ukraine war, Russia has been accused of using Iranian-made Shahed and Mohajer-6 drones, many of which have been found after being shot down over Ukrainian cities and battlefields.

Iran initially denied arming Russia before relenting and admitting that it had supplied a "limited number of drones" to Moscow before the war.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Tehran continues to deny that its drones are being used by Russia against Ukraine. That has not stopped the United States and the European Union from imposing sanctions on Iran for helping Moscow.

Last month, the EU said it had "credible" information provided by allies suggesting that Iran has supplied short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to help Moscow wage war in Ukraine.

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Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East have been heightened since Tehran launched some 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, saying the attack was in response to the killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders and a general from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Israel has vowed to launch a "deadly, precise, and surprising" attack on Iran in retaliation, while it continues to pound targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip that it says are aimed at Iran-backed proxies.

At least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded on October 11 by Israeli strikes in Jabalia in northern Gaza, according to the territory's civil-defense agency.

The recent spiral of violence was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas that killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 taken hostage. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

The fighting in Gaza prompted another Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, to fire missiles into Israel in support of Hamas. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.

The Israeli military has launched massive air strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon in response, as well as a ground incursion into southern Lebanon intended to destroy the Iran-allied militant group, whose political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Israel faced condemnation on October 11 after its forces fired at what it said was a threat near a UN peacekeeping position in Lebanon. Israeli soldiers had responded to "an immediate threat" around 50 meters from the UNIFIL post, the military said.

"An initial examination indicates that during the incident, a hit was identified on a UNIFIL post...resulting in the injury of two UNIFIL personnel," the statement added. The army pledged to carry out a "thorough review."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the firing as "intolerable" and "a violation of international humanitarian law," while the British government said it was "appalled" by reports of the injuries.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was "absolutely" asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers, while the French, Spanish, and Italian leaders issued a joint statement expressing "outrage."

French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his call for an end to exports of weapons used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, while saying the UN peacekeepers had been "deliberately targeted."

In Iran, more than three dozen hard-line lawmakers on October 10 demanded the government revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons.

In a letter to the Supreme National Security Council, they said Western powers could not control Israel, thus making nuclear weapons "Iran's option to create deterrence."

Iran has been hit with waves of crippling economic sanctions for its nuclear program, which has seen a sharp increase in its uranium enrichment capacity after the United States under former President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 landmark deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that restricted Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian purposes, but government officials caused alarm recently by saying it could change its "nuclear doctrine" if it is attacked or its existence is threatened by Israel.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP