April 7, 2023

*) Israeli warplanes strike besieged Gaza, Lebanon following Al Aqsa raids The Israeli military has struck besieged Gaza and southern Lebanon. This followed a day of rocket fire from the Palestinian territory and from Lebanon in reaction to Israel's back-to-back raids into the Al Aqsa Mosque that injured Palestinian worshippers. Hamas, which governs the tiny coastal strip of Gaza, said several air strikes had been carried out in the blockaded enclave early on Friday. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the strikes. Later, at least three explosions were heard in Lebanon's Tyre region, as Israel's military said it was carrying out strikes there. *) Iran, Saudi Arabia foreign ministers hold landmark meeting in Beijing Iran and Saudi Arabia's top diplomats have met in Beijing, the first official meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in more than seven years. After years of hostility, the two countries agreed to end their diplomatic rift and re-open embassies in a major deal facilitated by China last month. In a joint statement following the recent meeting, the ministers said that their agreement to normalise ties would help bring "security and stability" to the Middle East. *) China's Xi, France's Macron call for Russia-Ukraine peace talks Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have called for Russia-Ukraine peace talks to take place "as soon as possible". The pair, who held talks in Beijing, also reaffirmed their opposition to the use of nuclear weapons during the conflict. Macron began a series of meetings with Chinese leaders on a visit with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen that could set a course for the bloc's future relations with China. Meanwhile, Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to battle in Bakhmut, the devastated eastern city which has become a symbol of Kiev's defiance. *) China sends warships and aircraft around Taiwan for second day China has sent warships and aircraft near Taiwan for a second day, Taipei said. This