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US and UK say their navies shot down 15 attack drones over the Red Sea

A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships, the British and American militaries said.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping routes, and have launched drones and missiles targeting Israel, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread.

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US military leaders press Israel to shift from major combat as Iranian-backed ship attacks escalate

The top two U.S. military leaders are traveling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited campaign and prevent a wider regional war. Their trip comes as Iranian-backed militants on Saturday launched a wave of attack drones against ships in the Red Sea and said they would continue until Israel's "aggression" ends.

One of the American warships assigned to the Ford carrier strike group, the destroyer USS Carney, "successfully engaged" 14 one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. Britain reported that a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships.

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Kuwait's ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, dies at age 86

Kuwait's ruling emir, the 86-year-old Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, has died, state television reported Saturday.

Kuwait TV broke into programming with Quranic verses just before making the announcement.

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Communications blackout and spiraling hunger compound misery in Gaza as war enters 11th week

A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections compounded the misery Saturday in the besieged Gaza Strip, where a United Nations agency said hunger levels had spiraled in recent days.

Internet and telephone lines went down Thursday evening and were still inaccessible Saturday morning, according to internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org, hampering aid deliveries and rescue efforts as Israel's war against Gaza's ruling militant group Hamas stretched into the 11th week.

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Israeli army mistakenly kills 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza

Israeli troops have mistakenly shot three hostages to death in a battle-torn neighborhood of Gaza City, and an Israeli strike killed a Palestinian journalist in the south of the besieged territory, underscoring the ferocity of Israel's ongoing onslaught.

The deaths were announced as a U.S. envoy tried to persuade the Israelis to scale back their campaign sooner rather than later.

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Pentagon orders US aircraft carrier to remain in the Mediterranean near Israel

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and one other warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks to maintain a two-carrier presence near Israel as its war with Hamas grinds on, U.S. officials said.

It would be the third time the Ford's deployment has been extended, underscoring the continued concerns about volatility in the region during Israel's war in Gaza. The U.S. has two aircraft carriers in the region, a rarity in recent years.

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Israeli drone strike on Gaza school kills Al-Jazeera journalist, injures another

An Israeli strike killed a Palestinian camera operator for the TV network Al-Jazeera and wounded its chief Gaza correspondent as they reported at a school in the south of the besieged territory, the network said.

Camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa and correspondent Wael Dahdouh had gone to the school in the southern city of Khan Younis after it was hit by a strike earlier in the day. While they were there, an Israeli drone hit the school with a second strike, the network said.

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Israel presses Gaza assault as top US official visits

Israel pressed its offensive in Gaza on Friday despite mounting international calls for restraint, with key backer the United States saying the war to crush Hamas must not lead to a long-term Israeli occupation of the territory.

The war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people.

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Top US official says not 'right' for Israel to occupy Gaza long-term

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Friday it is not appropriate for Israel to occupy Gaza in the long-term, as speculation mounts over the post-war future of the territory.

"We do not believe that it makes sense for Israel, or is right for Israel, to occupy Gaza, reoccupy Gaza over the long term," Sullivan told journalists in Tel Aviv.

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Israel says war on Hamas will last months as US envoy discusses timetable

Israel's defense minister said it will take months to destroy Hamas, predicting a drawn-out war even as his country and its top ally, the United States, face increasing international isolation and alarm over the devastation from the campaign in Gaza.

Yoav Gallant's comments came as U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Israeli leaders to discuss a timetable for winding down major combat in Gaza. Israeli leaders repeated their determination to pursue the military assault until they crush the militant group for its Oct. 7 attack.

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