Middle East round-up: Rockets fly between Lebanon and Israel

First, there were the reports of a single rocket flying across the border from Lebanon into Israel. Then another. And then the news that more than 30 had been launched. The majority were intercepted by Israel, but the attack led to the most violent confrontation between Lebanon and Israel since 2006, a sign that the increasing violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is threatening to spread across the region.

The rockets were fired in retaliation for Israeli police attacks on Palestinian Muslims worshipping at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israel responded with aerial attacks on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip but, interestingly, they were limited, and did not hit targets belonging to the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah. That’s because Israel accused Palestinian fighters based in Lebanon of being behind the rocket attack, and not Hezbollah. But the Iran-backed Shia group has control over security in southern Lebanon, and it’s very hard to imagine an aerial assault, launched on Israel from their territory, without their explicit approval.

Meanwhile, as Christians of various denominations celebrate Easter, there is a growing spotlight on the increasing difficulties they face in the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, Christians say that violence against them has increased under the current far-right Israeli government, and the Greek Orthodox church publicly criticised Israeli authorities for restrictions placed on the number of Christians allowed to attend Easter services. “[Christianity] is the biggest religion in the world and yet Christians are being kept out of their quarter of the holy city on the holiest day of the year for them,” one Anglican chaplain told Al Jazeera.

There’s now talk of a soon-to-be announced agreement, including another ceasefire, an end to import restrictions, more flights to Sanaa and, most significantly, a Saudi withdrawal from Yemen.

The Saudis have been trying to extricate themselves from Yemen for a while now, and these negotiations seem to be a big step in that direction. But does that mean an end to the devastating war in Yemen? There’s a lot of hope, particularly with a big prisoner swap expected in the coming days. But the Saudis and the Houthis are not the only parties in this war. The Yemeni government and the southern separatists will want to have their say, too. Ignoring them, or the millions of Yemenis worried about a full Houthi takeover, won’t make Yemen’s war go away.

There are now troubling signs in Iran even though anti-government protests that started in September have died down. Those protests started after a woman died in police custody after being accused of failing to adhere to Iran’s dress code. Many women refused to wear their mandatory headscarves in protest, and the sight of unveiled women has become increasingly common in some parts of Tehran. The authorities have now decided that that has gone too far, and are installing surveillance cameras to identify women not wearing the hijab. In response, some Iranian women have been posting photos online of themselves without a headscarf, defying authorities.

And Now for Something Different

Moza Almatrooshi is baking bread. But there’s a crowd watching, because this is art. The chef and artist’s performance at Art Dubai was designed to highlight the people who make the staple food of billions of people worldwide, and the intersection of art and food.

Turkey’s economy tops agenda as Erdogan launches election manifesto | Kuwait’s political crisis leaves opponents waiting for new era | Israel signs $400m deal to sell anti-tank missiles to Greece | Iraq demands Turkey apologise over Sulaymaniyah airport attack | At least 30 missing after two boats sink off the Tunisian coast | Canada repatriates 14 citizens from ISIL camps in Syria | UAE court dismisses South African request to extradite billionaire Gupta brothers | 20 years after the US invasion, where are Iraq’s stolen antiquities? | Sudan’s pro-democracy activists stage protests to mark anniversary of President Omar al-Bashir’s overthrow | Egyptian traditions endangered by rampant inflation | Egypt denies leak about supplying Russia with 40,000 rockets | Algeria law ‘controlling media’ close to passing | Qatar and Bahrain end dispute, restore ties | Fears in Sudan as army and paramilitary force face off |

-al jazeera