Middle East latest: Frontrunner to replace killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah 'unreachable' after Israeli airstrike - report

Israel is fighting a war on four fronts, but it's not yet threatening oil prices

Israel is fighting on at least four fronts, threatening a war across the oil-rich Middle East, but there is no great sense of fear yet when it comes to the price of oil.

Israel's actions against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and the ultimate sponsors of these groups, Iran, have proved a catalyst for oil price spikes since the 7 October attack on Israel in 2023.

It comes as Iran's oil minister Mohsen Paknejad said he was "not worried" about escalating conflict in the region.

But something has changed in recent weeks - even as the conflict has intensified.

Oil prices have barely moved compared to shifts seen earlier in the crisis and remain well below the levels seen in April when Iran last fired on Israel in retaliation for military action against its proxies.


Hezbollah senior leader tipped to replace Nasrallah has been 'unreachable' since Friday - report

The Hezbollah senior leader tipped to replace his cousin Hassan Nasrallah has been "unreachable" since Israeli strikes hit Lebanon on Friday, a Lebanese security source has reportedly told the Reuters news agency.

Following the death of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah, his cousin Hashem Safieddine was the frontrunner to take his place.

But, reports have suggested he has been targeted in an Israeli strike in Beirut and his fate is currently unknown.

Three security officials have confirmed to Reuters that he was the target of the attack on the Beirut suburbs.

Nasrallah's younger cousin was born in the southern Lebanese village of Deir Qanoun En Nahr near Tyre in 1960 and the young men studied theology together at two Shia institutions - one in Najaf, Iraq and the other in Qom, Iran.


In Gaza, 87% of school buildings have been hit or damaged, the UN says

Three schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza have been attacked over the past two days, killing more than 20 people.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarri said the agency helping refugees in Gaza has said "schools are not a target and cannot be used for any military purposes by anyone".

UNICEF, the UN children's agency, has said 87% of school buildings in Gaza have been directly hit or damaged since Israel launched its offensive following the October 7 attacks last year.


Israel confirms strike on 'Hezbollah command centre' next to hospital

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) has confirmed it carried out a strike overnight next to a hospital in southern Lebanon.

The IDF said it was targeting a Hezbollah "command centre" which it claimed was located in a mosque adjacent to the Salah Ghandour Hospital.

"The command centre was used by the Hezbollah terrorists to plan and execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel," the IDF said in a statement.

It said notices were sent to residents "demanding that any military activity carried out from the hospitals should stop immediately" ahead of the attack.