Middle East & North Africa

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An Israeli strike on the Syrian capital on Saturday destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least five Iranians, Syrian and Iranian state media reported.

The Syrian army said the building in the tightly guarded western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh was entirely destroyed, adding that the Israeli air force fired the missiles while flying over Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military did not comment.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran said Saturday it had conducted a successful satellite launch into its highest orbit yet, the latest for a program the West fears improves Tehran’s ballistic missiles.

The announcement comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and just days after Iran and Pakistan engaged in tit-for-tat airstrikes in each others’ countries.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza protested Saturday outside the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing frustration over his government’s seeming lack of progress in getting the more than 100 captives released as the war in Gaza drags on.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An Israeli strike on the Syrian capital on Saturday destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least four Iranians, Syrian and Iranian state media reported.

The Syrian army said the building in the tightly guarded western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh was entirely destroyed, adding that the Israeli air force fired the missiles while flying over Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military did not comment on the strike.

BEIRUT, January 19. /TASS/: Israeli Air Force planes carried out massive strikes at Hezbollah outposts in south Lebanon.

A source in the civil defense of the city of Marjaayoun told TASS that four air-based missiles were launched at Shia militants’ positions at the Jabal Blat heights.

"Several powerful explosions occurred, that were heard in the port of Tyre and the Bint Jbeil area," the source said. "Thick smoke rose from the bombing location; it is probable that an ammunition depot was hit during the attack."

ISTANBUL, January 19. /TASS/:  There is no more trust toward the West, which has not taken any steps to prevent the crisis in Gaza, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said.

The organizations whose tasks include ensuring global security have failed, of which the conflict between Israel and Palestine is an example, he stated.

GAZA/DOHA/TEL AVIV, Jan 19 - The Palestinian Red Crescent accused Israel of firing on Friday at a hospital in Khan Younis, as a major advance in the main city in the southern Gaza Strip threatened the few healthcare facilities still open.

The Red Crescent said displaced people were injured "due to intense gunfire from the Israeli drones targeting citizens at Al-Amal Hospital" as well as the rescue agency's base. The military said it was checking the report.

GAZA, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- As the Israel-Hamas conflict has ravaged the Gaza Strip for more than three months, the daily suffering of the Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave has been exacerbated amid the lack of daily necessities.

The locals told Xinhua that they are struggling against death, starvation, diseases, and the complicated security situation on the ground, which together make them feel under pressure all the time.

BAGHDAD, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- What if an uninvited "guest" comes and refuses to leave? Naturally, the host would get furious and try all means to kick the uninvited guest out. This scenario parallels America's current situation in Iraq.

Despite the Iraqi prime minister's repeated orders to expel U.S. forces, the United States is not only turning a deaf ear but also hinting at deploying additional troops.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Rifts are emerging among top Israeli officials over the handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza. A member of the country’s War Cabinet cast doubt over the strategy for releasing hostages, while the prime minister rejected the United States’ calls to scale back its offensive.