分类： world

A tense aerial encounter between US and Iranian forces in international waters has cast uncertainty over upcoming diplomatic talks between the longstanding adversaries. The incident occurred Tuesday when a US F-35C fighter jet shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone that the US Central Command stated had “aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier approximately 800 kilometers from Iran’s coastline.

The US military characterized the engagement as “an act of self-defense” necessitated by the drone’s “unnecessary maneuvering” toward the carrier. No American personnel were injured nor equipment damaged during the confrontation.

Iranian media presented a contrasting narrative, with Fars news agency reporting their drone had successfully completed a “surveillance mission” in international waters, monitoring military movements and transmitting real-time data to ground bases. Simultaneously, Tasnim news agency acknowledged Iran had lost contact with one of its drones, with the cause under investigation.

The aerial confrontation comes amid fragile diplomatic overtures. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to pursue “fair and equitable” negotiations with the United States, responding to a proposal from US President Donald Trump that regional governments had urged Iran to consider. Pezeshkian emphasized any talks must occur within a framework of “dignity, prudence and expediency.”

Diplomatic preparations face multiple complications. While Turkey has offered mediation services, Iran reportedly prefers Oman as a venue and favors direct bilateral talks rather than a broader format involving Arab and Muslim states. The diplomatic initiative has also drawn resistance from Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office asserting Iran “has repeatedly demonstrated it cannot be trusted to keep its promises.” Israeli officials are reportedly seeking US assurances of “operational freedom of action” against Iran and pressing for complete cessation of Tehran’s ballistic missile program and uranium enrichment.

Further complicating the diplomatic landscape, Iran faces renewed tensions with the European Union following the bloc’s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Tehran responded by labeling EU militaries as “terrorist groups” and summoned EU ambassadors to protest the move.

Domestically, Iranian authorities announced the arrest of 139 foreign nationals in Yazd during recent anti-government protests that began in response to currency depreciation but escalated into violent clashes. Tehran has consistently blamed the United States and Israel for instigating the unrest.

A significant internal rupture has emerged at Human Rights Watch (HRW) following the resignation of its former Israel-Palestine director, Omar Shakir. In a damning resignation letter, Shakir accused the organization’s senior leadership, specifically new Executive Director Philippe Bolopion, of deliberately suppressing a fully-vetted report that concluded Israel is committing crimes against humanity by denying Palestinians their right of return.

The report, titled “‘Our Souls Are in the Homes We Left’: Israel’s Denial of Palestinians’ Right to Return and Crimes Against Humanity,” was allegedly blocked from publication in late November despite having completed the standard review process. Shakir revealed that the report was so near to release that donors had been briefed, it was coded into HRW’s website, and an embargoed press link was prepared.

Shakir stated that Bolopion justified halting publication over concerns that detractors would misinterpret it as HRW endorsing a call to ‘demographically extinguish the Jewishness of the Israeli state.’ Shakir condemned this reasoning as ‘cooking the books’ and allowing ‘pragmatism’ to dictate legal findings—a approach he characterized as more typical of politics than principled human rights advocacy. He cited this decision as a fundamental compromise of HRW’s commitment to fact-based reporting and consistent application of international law, which ultimately led to his resignation.

The right of return is a principle codified in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which HRW itself has upheld in other contexts, such as a 2023 report on the Chagos Islands. The historical context traces back to the 1948 Nakba, where Palestinians were expelled following Israel’s establishment, and further displacements occurred after the 1967 war.

Shakir also acknowledged the intense scrutiny he faced in his role, particularly following the October 7th attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, which has resulted in over 71,800 Palestinian deaths and has been deemed a genocide by numerous UN experts and institutions. He contrasted the suppression of the right-of-return report with the publication of HRW’s 2024 report on the October 7th attacks, which drew backlash from Palestinians but was published because it was ‘the principled thing to do.’

HRW did not respond to requests for comment on these allegations by the time of publication.

Multiple sources including family associates, legal representatives, and Libyan media outlets have confirmed the death of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The reports emerged on Tuesday, though specific details regarding the circumstances and location of his demise remain unclear at this time.

Once a central figure in shaping Libya’s political direction prior to the 2011 uprising, Gaddafi’s public visibility had diminished significantly in recent years. His legacy remains deeply controversial, marked by both his political influence during his father’s regime and serious legal challenges that followed.

In 2015, a Libyan court delivered a death sentence in absentia against Gaddafi for his role in violently suppressing peaceful demonstrations during the revolution that ultimately overthrew his father’s government. Additionally, the International Criminal Court had provisionally charged him with crimes against humanity, with his legal team’s efforts to dismiss the case proving unsuccessful.

In a brief political resurgence in 2021, Gaddafi registered as a presidential candidate for elections scheduled that December. However, the electoral process collapsed amid ongoing political instability and factional disputes that have continued to plague the North African nation since the revolution.

A U.S. F-35 fighter jet engaged and destroyed an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle over the Arabian Sea on Tuesday after the drone advanced toward the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, according to an official statement from the U.S. military.

The incident, which occurred on February 3, 2026, involved a Shahed-139 surveillance and attack drone manufactured by Iran. Military authorities confirmed the drone was operating in close proximity to the carrier strike group before being intercepted and neutralized by advanced aerial defenses.

This confrontation represents the latest escalation in ongoing regional tensions between the United States and Iran. The Arabian Sea, a critical waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with international shipping routes, has frequently served as a stage for such military encounters. The USS Abraham Lincoln’s presence in the region comes as part of ongoing U.S. naval operations aimed at maintaining maritime security and stability.

The engagement highlights continuing friction between Washington and Tehran, particularly regarding military movements in strategic Middle Eastern waters. Pentagon officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about Iranian surveillance attempts targeting U.S. naval assets, while Iranian authorities have consistently criticized the American military presence in the region.

This incident follows previous reports of increased U.S. naval deployments to the Middle East, with approximately ten American warships currently operating in regional waters according to recent intelligence assessments. Military analysts suggest such encounters, while potentially dangerous, reflect established protocols for dealing with perceived threats to naval operations in international waters.

A ground collision involving two commercial aircraft occurred at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday evening, resulting in significant wingtip damage to both planes. The incident unfolded when an Air India flight AI2732, preparing for departure to Coimbatore, was taxiing from position C1 toward M4 while an IndiGo flight was simultaneously arriving and joining at position B1.

According to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the simultaneous movements caused the right wingtips of both aircraft to make physical contact during taxi operations. Both aircraft immediately returned to their respective bays for comprehensive safety inspections following the collision.

Air India confirmed substantial damage to their aircraft’s wingtip structure and subsequently grounded the plane for detailed technical evaluation. All passengers were safely disembarked without injury, with airline representatives arranging alternative travel arrangements to minimize disruption to their journeys.

The incident has been formally reported to aviation regulators, marking another significant event in India’s aviation sector that will likely prompt review of ground movement procedures at major airports. This occurrence follows previous aviation incidents in the country, including a recent event where an Air India plane engine sustained damage from cargo container ingestion.

A substantial seismic event measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck Myanmar on Tuesday, according to data released by the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ). The earthquake originated at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (approximately 6.21 miles) beneath the Earth’s surface, potentially amplifying its impact across the region.

The tremors extended beyond Myanmar’s borders, with multiple Indian media outlets reporting strongly perceptible shaking throughout eastern India. The metropolitan area of Kolkata experienced particularly noticeable tremors, though initial reports indicate no immediate structural damage or casualties within Indian territory.

This seismic activity occurs within the broader context of the seismically active Southeast Asian region, which frequently experiences tectonic movements due to the complex interaction of the Indian and Eurasian plates. The relatively shallow depth of this earthquake contributed to its widespread perceptibility across national boundaries.

Seismologists continue to monitor aftershock potential while emergency response teams in both Myanmar and India remain on alert. The event follows recent seismic activity in neighboring Indonesia, where a 6.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded, highlighting the region’s ongoing geological volatility.

Turkish judicial authorities have launched a comprehensive examination of millions of newly released documents concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, focusing specifically on potential connections to child trafficking operations within Turkey. The Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated this formal investigation in December following parliamentary inquiries from opposition lawmakers.

The probe gained significant momentum after the U.S. Department of Justice released approximately three million documents last Friday, providing Turkish prosecutors with substantial new evidence to review. This development comes amid growing political pressure for an extensive parliamentary investigation into whether Turkish children were among Epstein’s victims.

Bugra Kavuncu, spokesperson for the opposition Iyi Party, emphasized the urgency of establishing a special parliamentary commission. “We propose the urgent establishment of a parliamentary commission to investigate whether there are any Turkish children who were victims in the Epstein case,” Kavuncu stated, adding that such matters transcend political considerations and represent fundamental humanitarian concerns.

The investigation has drawn attention to alarming domestic statistics cited by Dogan Bekin, a parliamentarian from the right-wing Yeniden Refah party. Official data from the Turkish Statistical Institute indicates that between 2008 and 2016, some 104,531 children were reported missing nationwide, with young girls constituting the majority of these cases.

Bekin has submitted formal inquiries to multiple government ministries, demanding clarification on whether any children were victimized by Epstein’s criminal network and what inspection measures have been implemented in schools and orphanages to identify potential victims. The lawmaker also questioned whether Epstein had established contacts with Turkish politicians, administrators, or high-ranking officials.

The document release has revealed several connections between Epstein and Turkish political figures, though no evidence suggests involvement in wrongdoing. Emails from American businessman Tom Pritzker indicate he facilitated communication between Epstein and then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in 2010. However, representatives from Davutoglu’s Future Party have denied any substantive relationship, characterizing the interaction as a brief encounter related to diplomatic affairs.

Additional correspondence shows Epstein mentioning potential contact with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2011, though other emails reveal the financier’s critical views of the Turkish leader, leaving the seriousness of this reference uncertain.

The unfolding investigation represents Turkey’s response to the global repercussions of the Epstein document release, which has triggered political turmoil and resignations internationally as numerous public figures face scrutiny over their associations with the convicted sex offender.

A limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza facilitated emotional, long-awaited reunions for a small number of Palestinians on Monday, February 3rd, 2026. The crossing, which serves as Gaza’s sole access point to the outside world not controlled by Israel, had been effectively sealed since Israeli military forces assumed control in May 2024 during the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Jubilant yet tearful scenes unfolded at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis as returnees arrived late Monday. AFP footage captured crowds gathering around a bus, with individuals filming the poignant moments on their phones. The emotional weight was palpable as women wept upon embracing family members and a man held a young child up to a window to greet arrivals.

However, the return was marred by hardship and stringent Israeli inspections. Rotana Al-Riqib, a Palestinian woman in her thirties returning from Egypt, described the experience as a ‘humiliating journey,’ detailing interrogations and the confiscation of all belongings, including her children’s possessions, leaving them with only some clothes.

The reopening fell drastically short of initial expectations. While Egyptian officials had anticipated around 200 people to transit, sources on both sides reported only approximately two dozen movements in total. Gaza’s Hamas-operated Interior Ministry confirmed merely 12 individuals—nine women and three children—were permitted to return from Egypt, with only eight departing. An Egyptian source cited 12 admissions from Gaza, comprising five injured patients and seven companions.

Ali Shaath, head of a Palestinian technocratic committee for Gaza’s governance, termed the reopening a ‘window of hope’ for a territory shattered by two years of war. For many, particularly the estimated 20,000 patients in urgent need of medical care, the crossing represents a critical lifeline. The reopening is a component of a U.S.-backed truce plan, long demanded by the UN and aid agencies. Yet, Israeli coordination bodies have not indicated any plans to facilitate the long-awaited surge of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory, leaving dire conditions largely unaddressed.