Israel views the Sunni Islamists who seized power in December as a rising threat at its border and has sent troops to protect the Druze minority. Israel said it carried out a warning strike against an extremist group that was preparing to attack a Druze community in Syria, following through on its pledge to protect the minority group as violence spread Wednesday in Druze areas near Damascus. It was the latest Israeli strike in Syria, where Israel views the Sunni Islamists who seized power in December as a rising threat at its border and has sent troops into the southwest, vowing to protect the Druze minority. In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike had hit the “extremist group” as it prepared to continue an attack on Druze in the Syrian town of Sahnaya, just south of Damascus. “At the same time, a message was passed on to the Syrian regime — Israel expects it to act in order to prevent harm to the Druze,” they said. A spokesman for Syria’s interior ministry, speaking to Reuters from Sahnaya, said he had no indication that an attack had taken place. Sectarian violence erupted in the predominantly Druze area of Jaramana, near Damascus, on Tuesday between Druze and Sunni Muslim gunmen. More than a dozen people were reported killed. The violence spread to Sahnaya, another predominantly Druze area near the capital, on Wednesday. The Syrian health ministry said that 11 people were killed and others wounded there after “outlaw groups” targeted civilians and members of the state’s General Security Service in Sahnaya. The violence was sparked by a voice recording cursing the Prophet Mohammad and which Sunni militants believed was made by a member of the Arab Druze minority. The Syrian Interior Ministry said on Tuesday it was investigating the origin of the recording and called for calm. The Druze adhere to a faith that is an offshoot of Islam and have followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Residents of Sahnaya reported intense street fighting throughout Wednesday. “We’re in extreme panic and fear because of the indiscriminate shelling, which is forcing most of us to stay totally shuttered inside our homes,” said Elias Hanna, who lives on the edge of Sahnaya. “We’re worried that the massacres of the coast will repeat themselves near Sahnaya against the Druze,” he said. Syria’s interior ministry, quoted by the state news agency, said it would strike anyone seeking to destabilize Syria “with an iron fist”. The new Islamist-led leadership in Damascus has called for all arms to fall under their authority, but Druze fighters have resisted, saying Damascus has failed to guarantee their protection from hostile militants. The Israeli government reiterated its pledge to defend Syrian Druze in March after the killing of hundreds of minority Alawites in western Syria — sectarian bloodshed that was sparked by deadly attacks on government security forces and blamed by the Islamist authorities on forces loyal to ousted former President Bashar al-Assad. The violence has hardened fears among Syrian minorities about the governing Islamists, despite interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s repeated promises of inclusive governance. Israel has a small Druze community and there are also some 24,000 Druze living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day war. Israel annexed the territory in 1981, a move that has not been recognized by most countries or the United Nations. The spiritual leader of Druze in Israel, Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, said in a statement late on Tuesday that he was “closely monitoring” developments in Syria and had discussed them with Israel’s defense minister. Israel has lobbied the United States for months to keep Syria weak and decentralized. Israel struck Syria regularly when it was governed by Assad, seeking to curb the role of his ally Iran.

US President Donald Trump has called Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to congratulate him on his victory in the country's general election, and the two have agreed to meet in the near future. The two countries were expected to enter talks about a new economic and security relationship after Monday's vote. Trump's trade tariffs and repeated comments undermining Canada's sovereignty overshadowed the race, which ended with Carney's Liberals projected to win a minority government, according to public broadcaster CBC. In their first call since the election, Trump congratulated Carney on his victory, according to the prime minister's office on Tuesday. The office also said the two leaders had "agreed on the importance of Canada and the United States working together – as independent, sovereign nations – for their mutual betterment". The fact that Carney did not win an outright majority will make his pressing tasks of negotiating with his US counterpart, and tackling a range of domestic issues, more of a challenge - as he will need to wrangle support from other political parties. The Liberals will need to rely on those parties' support to pass legislation through the House of Commons. They also face possible defeat in any vote of confidence in the chamber. The Liberals are most likely to find willing partners with the diminished left-wing New Democrats, who have in the past supported the Liberals, and the Bloc Québécois. The Liberals are projected to have won 169 seats, three short of the 172 needed for a majority in Canada's House of Commons. It still marks a historic turnaround for a party that had seemed on course for collapse just months ago. Carney, a former central banker for Canada and the UK, will continue as prime minister, having stepped into the role last month following the resignation of his unpopular predecessor, Justin Trudeau. One issue for which it might be easy for the Liberals to find support in the House is in passing legislation to help workers and industries affected by US tariffs - something all parties swung behind on the campaign trail. On Tuesday morning, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet suggested Carney could benefit from at least a period of stability in the House. Blanchet urged a "truce" among parties while Canada negotiated trade with the US, saying it was clear Canadians wanted political stability in unstable times. He said it was not time for other parties to "threaten to overthrow the government anytime soon" and did not see any scenario "other than collaboration for a period of slightly over a year". The leader of the sovereigntist party, which only runs candidates in Quebec, did urge Carney to avoid pressing the province on certain issues, noting that collaboration goes both ways. On Tuesday, the White House commented on Carney's win, with deputy press secretary Anna Kelly saying: "The election does not affect President Trump's plan to make Canada America's cherished 51st state." Carney told the BBC that a 51st state scenario was "never, ever going to happen". Meanwhile, new US ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, said in a video statement that he was "committed to making progress in this great relationship". Carney has also promised action on a range of domestic issues, including tackling the country's housing crisis and tax cuts for lower- and middle-income Canadians. The prime minister also needs to prepare for the G7 summit in June, which Canada is hosting in the province of Alberta. In Monday's election, both the Liberals and the Conservatives saw a significant rise in their share of the national vote compared with four years ago. The Conservative Party came in second, on track to win 144 seats, and will form the official opposition. Increased support for Canada's two largest parties came at the expense of smaller parties, particularly the NDP, whose share of the popular vote was down by around 12 percentage points. Voter turnout for the election was 67%. Both Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh lost their seats, with Singh announcing he would step down as leader of the left-wing party.

Since March 2, Israel has completely cut off all supplies to the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip, and food stockpiled during a ceasefire at the start of the year has all but run out. U.N. and Palestinian representatives at the International Court of Justice accused Israel of breaking international law by refusing to let aid into Gaza, on the first day of hearings about Israel’s obligations to facilitate aid deliveries. Since March 2, Israel has completely cut off all supplies to the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip, and food stockpiled during a ceasefire at the start of the year has all but run out. At the opening of the hearings at the U.N.’s top court, the U.N.’s legal counsel said Israel had a clear obligation as an occupying force to allow and facilitate humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza. “In the specific context of the current situation in the occupied Palestinian Territories, these obligations entail allowing all relevant U.N. entities to carry out activities for the benefit of the local population,” Elinor Hammarskjold said. Palestinian representative Ammar Hijazi said Israel was using humanitarian aid as “a weapon of war”, while people in Gaza were facing starvation. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel had submitted its position in writing to the hearings, which he described as a “circus”. Speaking in Jerusalem on Monday, Saar said the court was being politicized, while the U.N. was failing to root out employees of its Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA who are members of Gaza militant groups. “They are abusing the court once again to try and force Israel to cooperate with an organization that is infested with Hamas terrorists,” Saar said. “The goal is to deprive Israel of its most basic right to defend itself.” The U.N. said in August that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault and had been fired. Another Hamas commander, confirmed by UNRWA as one of its employees, was killed in Gaza in October, according to Israel. The ICJ, also known as the World Court, was tasked in December to form an advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians that is delivered by states and international groups, including the United Nations. Israel has repeatedly said it would not allow the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza until Hamas releases all remaining hostages. It has accused Hamas of hijacking humanitarian aid, which the militant group denies. “This case is about Israel destroying the fundamentals of life in Palestine, while it blocks the U.N. and other providers of humanitarian aid from providing life-saving aid to the population,” Hijazi, the head of the Palestinian mission to the Netherlands, told the hearing. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into Gaza. Germany, France and Britain last week called to allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory. Advisory opinions of the ICJ carry legal and political weight, although they are not binding and the court has no enforcement powers. After the hearings, the World Court will likely take several months to form its opinion.

The former Bank of England boss, Mark Carney, has won Canada's election to become the country's next prime minister. He was sworn into the position last month after his predecessor resigned, but called for a snap election that saw Canadians head to the polls on Monday. Carney was the first non-British person to take on the top banking role in the central bank's more than 300-year history. He had previously steered his home country through the 2008 financial crash as the governor of the Bank of Canada. Unlike most PM-hopefuls, Carney had never held political office. Still, he handily won the Liberal Party contest to replace outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in early March, and has now been elected by the people. He had touted his experience handling global economic crises, hoping Canadians will see him as the leader mostly likely to stand up to US President Donald Trump who has launched a trade war on his northern neighbour. Early life and childhood Although Carney has travelled the globe, working in places like New York, London and Tokyo, he was born in the remote northern town of Fort Smith, in the Northwest Territories. With three out of four grandparents hailing from County Mayo in Ireland, Carney holds both Irish and Canadian citizenship. He got British citizenship in 2018, but recently said he intends to relinquish his British and Irish citizenship because he thinks the prime minister should only hold Canadian citizenship. The son of a high-school principal, he went to Harvard University on scholarship where he played the most Canadian of sports, ice hockey. In 1995, he earned his PhD in economics from Oxford University, where he wrote his thesis on whether domestic competition can make an economy more nationally competitive - a subject that is sure to come up as Canada works to make internal trade easier in the face of American tariffs. "Mark was an extraordinarily versatile student, rapidly mastering new approaches, perspectives and challenges," recalled his former doctoral supervisor Meg Meyer, in a press release sent by the university after Carney won the leadership race. "These skills will undoubtedly serve him well as he leads Canada during these turbulent times." Previous experience In 2003, he left the private sector to join the Bank of Canada as a deputy governor, then worked for the Department of Finance as senior associate deputy minister. In 2007, he was appointed governor of the Bank of Canada, shortly before global markets crashed, sending the country into a deep recession. His leadership at the central bank is widely praised for helping the country avoid the worst of the crisis. Although central bankers are notoriously circumspect, he was open about his intentions to keep interest rates low for at least a year, after dramatically cutting them. That move would be credited for helping businesses keep investing even when the markets sank. He would go on to take a similar approach when he was lured back to London - this time as the governor of the Bank of England. He is credited with modernising the Bank, appearing much more frequently in the media than his predecessor. In 2015, the Bank reduced the number of interest rate meetings from 12 to eight a year, and started publishing minutes alongside the announcement of interest rate decisions. Interest rates were anchored at historic lows when he took over, but he introduced a policy of "forward guidance", where the Bank would try to further support the economy and encourage lending by pledging not to raise rates until unemployment fell below 7%. Confusion about this policy saw an MP compare him to an "unreliable boyfriend", a moniker that stuck around long after the original controversy died down. Unlike previous governors who generally kept a low profile, he made controversial interventions ahead of two big constitutional referendums. In 2014 he warned that an independent Scotland might have to surrender powers to the UK if it wanted to continue using the pound. Before the Brexit referendum, he warned that a vote to leave the EU could spark a recession. In the wake of the leave vote, after David Cameron resigned as prime minister and the pound plunged, he addressed the nation in a bid to reassure the country that the financial system would operate as normal. He described it as his "toughest day" on the job, but said the contingency plans the Bank put in place worked effectively. The Bank later cut interest rates from 0.5% to 0.25% - and restarted its quantitative easing programme to support the economy. His final week in March 2020 saw the start of the acutest phase of the Covid pandemic - the Bank cut rates by 0.5% to support the economy, and Carney told the country that the economic shock "should be temporary". Crossing paths with Trump Carney's time at the Bank gave him plenty of experience dealing with Donald Trump - who has not only imposed steep tariffs on Canada since returning to office in January, but has also suggested that America should annex its less powerful neighbour. From 2011-18, Carney was chair of the Financial Stability Board, which co-ordinated the work of regulatory authorities around the world, giving him a key role in the global response to the policies of the first Trump presidency. He was a regular at the G20 meetings, with a pitch-side view of Trump on the global stage. Although he kept his thoughts on the US president to himself at the time, he has been much more frank in recent days. After Trump made repeated comments about making Canada the 51st state, he was less diplomatic, comparing him to the villain in the Harry Potter books. "When you think about what's at stake in these ridiculous, insulting comments of the president, of what we could be, I view this as the sort of Voldemort of comments," Carney said. "Like I will not even repeat it, but you know what I'm talking about." He seems prepared to dig in his heels as the trade war continues, noting he would continue to impose counter-tariffs "until the Americans show us respect … and [make] credible and reliable commitments to free and fair trade". Political ambitions The Liberals have reportedly courted him for a decade, but until recently the 60-year-old had brushed off the idea. "Why don't I become a circus clown?" he told a reporter in 2012. Things changed, however, when Trudeau stepped down in January after his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland quit his cabinet, sparking a party squabble that, coupled with Trudeau's tanking poll numbers, led the prime minister to announce his resignation. Reports suggested Trudeau had intended to replace Freeland with Carney in the finance post. Freeland - a personal friend - even ran against him in the race to replace Trudeau. But Carney won by a landslide, pitching himself as the best equipped to take on Trump, who has imposed steep tariffs on Canadians goods. "I know how to manage crises," Carney said during a leadership debate late last month. "In a situation like this, you need experience in terms of crisis management, you need negotiating skills." Still, his time in the world of finance has opened him up to criticism from political rivals in Canada. The Conservatives have accused Carney of lying about his role in moving investment firm Brookfield Asset Management's head office from Toronto to New York, though Carney says the recent formal decision to relocate the firm was made after he quit the board. They have also pushed him to disclose his financial assets over conflict-of-interest concerns. Carney has placed his assets in a blind trust and has said he is in full compliance with existing conflict-of-interest rules, but has been pressed for more transparency. Where does Carney stand on issues? In addition to Carney's get-tough-on-Trump approach, he has proposed a number of policies to address at-home issues as well. He is known as an advocate for environmental sustainability. In 2019 he became a UN special envoy for climate change, and in 2021 launched the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, a grouping of banks and financial institutions working to combat climate change. One of the most contentious parts of Trudeau's platform has been the carbon tax, which saw Canadians pay a tax on carbon emissions, and receive a rebate. Conservatives repeatedly promised to end the tax, which they say does little for the environment. Shortly after being sworn in, Carney signed an order-in-council scrapping the tax from 1 April, though he has in the past advocated for similar policies. "This will make a difference to hard-pressed Canadians," he said. On the campaign trail, he has also advocated for making Canada a "clean and conventional" energy superpower, and to speed up major project approvals. Canada's top candidates talk up fossil fuels as climate slips down agenda Carney has called himself a "pragmatist" when questioned about potential conflicts between his energy policies and his climate values. On immigration, Carney has advocated for a cap on current immigration targets, in order to ensure that Canada's housing and healthcare systems are not stressed. The issue had come to the fore last year, with Trudeau lowering targets amid critics saying the country's immigration system was overrun. His biggest mission, he had said, will be to keep Canada's economy growing, despite slowed trade with the US.

Victims of the car attack that left 11 people dead at a festival in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday have not yet been named by police, but they are now being identified online by family and colleagues. The victims, nine females and two males, range in age from a five-year-old girl to a 65-year-old man. More than two dozen other people were injured, according to police. Up to 100,000 revellers were celebrating the Lapu-Lapu festival in Canada's largest west coast city when the attack occurred. A 30-year-old man has been arrested and is facing multiple murder charges. Officials have not yet released a motive, but say the case is not being treated as terrorism. Seven victims in hospital were in a critical condition, according to Vancouver police spokesman Sgt Steve Addison. Three others were in a serious condition. Here's what we know about some of those who have been identified in social media posts and on fundraising pages by family and colleagues. The Le family - ages 5, 30 and 47 Katie Le, five, was the youngest person to die in the attack. She was killed along with her father, Richard Le, 47, and mother Linh Hoang, 30. Her 16-year-old brother, who stayed home from the festival to do homework, is the family's sole survivor, a relative wrote on a GoFundMe page. "This event was meant to be a joyful community gathering, celebrating unity and the strength of a connected people," wrote Richard Le's brother, Toan Le. Katie was about to graduate from kindergarten, and was "vibrant, joyful, and full of life". Toan Le remembered his brother Richard Le as "a dedicated father, badminton and tennis coach, and real estate professional". "He devoted his life to teaching young people the values of sportsmanship and team spirit. He served his community and clients with pride and always went out of his way to help others," he wrote. Linh Hoang "was known for her kindness and gentle spirit", and had recently been planning a trip to visit family in Vietnam. Toan Le told CTV News the 16-year-old survivor was still in shock. "He's still trying to absorb the situation, and I don't think he is fully comprehending what has happened," he said, adding that the boy was in the care of family. Kira Salim Kira Salim, a teacher and counsellor at Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary School, was among those killed. "Kira was a valued member of our community whose wisdom and care for our middle and secondary school students had a powerful impact," school officials Maya Russell and Mark Davidson wrote in a statement. "The loss of our friend and colleague has left us all shocked and heartbroken," they added. "We recognize Kira's passing may be difficult to process," the school district's statement said. "We are a small but mighty community. This is one of the qualities of New Westminster that Kira loved the most," they wrote. Salim is described in a LinkedIn page as a mental health provider and educator. "My personal mission is facilitating and guiding youth and marginalized communities to thrive in their lives while creating a diverse and equitable environment that uplifts different strengths and personalities while providing customized and innovative solutions to support patients," Salim wrote. Salim wrote in a post that it "is a dream come true" after taking a job at Frazer River Middle School nine months ago. New West Pride, an LGBT advocacy group, memorialised Salim with a photo. "They were an epic drag king, a wonderful exuberant contributer [sic] to our local community, volunteer, activist, local educator, mental health worker," the group wrote. "Kira will be deeply missed."

Chinese online retailer Temu, known for its ultralow prices, is hitting U.S. customers with hefty import charges due to President Donald Trump's trade war. Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have in some cases more than doubled the prices of items on the e-commerce marketplace. A three-pack of men's athletic shorts advertised as on sale for $23.61 with free shipping came out to $56.36 after a $32.75 import charge, according to an NBC News review of product listings. A notice on Temu’s checkout page says that “items imported into the U.S. may be subject to import charges.” “These charges cover all customs-related processes and cost, including import fees paid to customs authorities on your behalf. The amount listed may not represent the actual amount paid to customs authorities,” the notice said. Some items that are shipped from the U.S., yet still manufactured in China, showed a much higher price tag than those made and shipped abroad. One domestically shipped blender retailed for $34.19 and had no import fees, NBC News found. A similar blender manufactured and shipped from China cost only $5.94, but it came with an added $8.18 in import charges for U.S. customers — more than the price of the item itself. In many cases, Temu items that are shipped from domestic warehouses are now labeled “local,” with many appearing at the top of the search page for U.S. users. Temu didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Bloomberg earlier reported on the Temu price hikes.

SYDNEY — The trial of a woman accused of murdering three elderly people after serving them a lunch of poisonous mushrooms began in Australia on Tuesday, in a case that has gripped the nation. Erin Patterson is charged with the 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband. All four became ill after the lunch hosted by the accused at her home in Leongatha, a town of around 6,000 people about 84 miles from Melbourne. Prosecutors allege the mushrooms were served to the victims as part of a beef Wellington. Jury selection began Tuesday at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court in nearby Morwell, with the opening arguments expected to begin on Wednesday morning. Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty. The case has generated huge interest both in Australia and internationally, with the six seats in the courtroom reserved for media allocated in a daily ballot. Dozens more are expected to watch proceedings in an overflow room set up at the court. State broadcaster ABC is producing a daily podcast during the trial, which is expected to run for five to six weeks, while streaming service Stan has commissioned a documentary on what it says is “one of the highest-profile criminal cases in recent history.”

Israel says it is pressuring Hamas to release hostages by not allowing entry of goods and supplies into Gaza, despite calls by Western allies to allow their passage. Israel will face accusations of breaking international law by refusing to let aid into the Gaza Strip when dozens of nations present arguments at the International Court of Justice during a week of hearings starting in The Hague on Monday. Since March 2, Israel completely cut off all supplies to the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip, and food stockpiled during a ceasefire at the start of the year has all but run out. In December, the U.N.’s top court was tasked to form an advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians that is delivered by states and international groups, including the United Nations. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militant group Hamas releases all remaining hostages. Germany, France and Britain last week called on Israel to adhere to international law by allowing the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, after Israel reiterated that no aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, in order to pressure Hamas. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into the besieged Palestinian territory. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of hijacking humanitarian aid that was allowed into Gaza. Hamas has denied the allegations and has blamed Israel for shortages. The resolution adopted in December by 137 of the 193 nations in the U.N.’s General Assembly called on Israel to comply with its obligations towards the Palestinian population, as it expressed “grave concern” about the dire humanitarian situation. Israel, the United States and 10 other countries voted against the resolution, while 22 countries abstained. Representatives for the Palestinian territories will be among the first to address the court in The Hague on Monday. Israel is not among the roughly 40 nations that will speak during the five days of hearings scheduled through Friday. The United States will state its opinion on Wednesday. Advisory opinions of the ICJ, also known as the World Court, carry legal and political weight, although they are not binding and the court has no enforcement powers. The U.N. views Gaza and the West Bank as Israeli-occupied territory. International humanitarian law requires an occupying power to facilitate relief programs for people in need and ensure food, medical care, hygiene and public-health standards. After the hearings, the World Court will likely take several months to form its opinion.

Even before the news of the alleged strike broke, U.S. Central Command defended its the strikes, saying it was "very deliberate in our operational approach." Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a U.S. airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. While the U.S. military had no immediate comment, the strike in Yemen’s Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, would renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the rebels as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. The U.S. military’s Central Command, in a statement early Monday before news of the alleged strike broke, sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign. The strikes have drawn controversy in America over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the unclassified Signal messaging app to post sensitive details about the attacks. “To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,” Central Command said. “We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do.” It did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the alleged strike in Saada. Graphic footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. The Houthi-run Interior Ministry said some 115 migrants had been detained at the site. The rebels’ Civil Defense organization said at least 68 people had been killed and 47 others wounded in the attack. Footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there. A woman’s voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded. Ethiopians and other African migrants for years have landed in Yemen, braving the war-torn nation to try and reach Saudi Arabia for work. The Houthi rebels allegedly make tens of thousands of dollars a week smuggling migrants over the border. Migrants from Ethiopia have found themselves detained, abused and even killed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the war. An Oct. 3, 2022, letter to the kingdom from the U.N. said its investigators “received concerning allegations of cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire allegedly by Saudi security forces, causing the deaths of up to 430 and injuring 650 migrants.” Saudi Arabia has denied killing migrants. Monday’s alleged strike recalled a similar strike by a Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis back in 2022 on the same compound, which caused a collapse killing 66 detainees and wounding 113 others, a United Nations report later said. The Houthis shot dead 16 detainees who fled after the strike and wounded another 50, the U.N. said. The Saudi-led coalition sought to justify the strike by saying the Houthis built and launched drones there, but the U.N. said it was known to be a detention facility. “The coalition should have avoided any attack on that facility,” the U.N. report added. That 2022 attack was one of the deadliest single attacks in the yearslong war between the coalition and the Houthi rebels and came after the Houthis struck inside the UAE twice with missiles and drones, killing three in a strike near Abu Dhabi’s international airport. Meanwhile, U.S. airstrikes overnight targeting Yemen’s capital killed at least eight people, the Houthis said. The American military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in their monthlong campaign. The overnight statement from Central Command also said “Operation Rough Rider” had “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including those associated with its missile and drone program. It did not identify any of those officials. “Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis,” the statement said. “The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime.” “We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region,” it added. The U.S. is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis are also the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel. The U.S. is conducting strikes on Yemen from its two aircraft carriers in the region — the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea. On April 18, an American strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack of the American campaign. Central Command on Monday offered an explanation for why it hit the port. “U.S. strikes destroyed the ability of Ras Isa Port to accept fuel, which will begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities,” it said. Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly sought to control the flow of information from the territory they hold to the outside world. It issued a notice Sunday that all those holding Starlink satellite internet receivers should “quickly hand over” the devices to authorities. “A field campaign will be implemented in coordination with the security authorities to arrest anyone who sells, trades, uses, operates, installs or possesses these prohibited terminals,” the Houthis warned. Starlink terminals have been crucial for Ukraine in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion and receivers also have been smuggled into Iran amid unrest there.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test-launch of strategic cruise missiles and ordered full readiness to use nuclear attack capability, which would ensure the most effective defense for the country, state media said Friday. The test was designed to warn “enemies, who are seriously violating the security environment of the (country) and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment” and to demonstrate “readiness of its various nuke operation means,” the KCNA news agency said. “What is guaranteed by powerful striking ability is the most perfect deterrence and defense capacity,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying. “It is the responsible mission and duty of the DPRK’s nuclear armed forces to permanently defend the national sovereignty and security with the reliable nuclear shield by getting more thorough battle readiness of nuclear force and full preparedness for their use.” DPRK is short for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The missile launch was conducted on Wednesday over the sea off the west coast of the Korean peninsula, it said. South Korea’s military said Friday it had detected signs of missile launch preparations on Wednesday and tracked several cruise missiles after they were launched around 8 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Tuesday ET) over the sea. North Korea has pursued the development of strategic cruise missiles over several years, intended to deliver nuclear warheads.The type of missile tends to bring less alarm and condemnation from the international community than ballistic missiles because they are not formally banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions. The Security Council has banned the North from ballistic missile and nuclear weapons development and imposed a number of sanctions for violations. The report of the missile test came in the same week that Kim made back-to-back visits to military schools, driving home the message of loyalty and the importance of ideological and tactical training of young military officers. Kim did not mention any country by name when he spoke of warning the enemies but has kept up harsh rhetoric against the United States and South Korea despite comments by President Donald Trump that he would be reaching out to him. Trump and Kim held unprecedented summit meetings during the U.S. president’s first term.