TEHRAN: Two members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed by unidentified gunmen in the southeastern city of Zahedan on Tuesday, the Tasnim news agency said.
“Col. Mehdi Molashahi and Javad Kikha, Guards members in Sistan-Baluchistan province, were shot dead by unknown assailants in the city of Zahedan,” the agency said.
The Iranian authorities were investigating those behind the attack, Tasnim added without elaborating.
The attack comes less than a month after clashes left dead dozens of people in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, which borders Pakistan.
State media characterised the unrest that started on September 30 after Friday prayers as attacks by “extremists” on police stations in the provincial capital.
But a local religious leader — who had warned the community was “inflamed” over the alleged rape of a teenage girl by a police officer — said the force had shot at “civilians” and that one man who had a weapon had fired back.
On Friday, hundreds of people took to the streets of Zahedan and shouted slogans against the authorities, according to videos posted on social media.
The police reported the arrest of 57 “rioters” after this demonstration, according to state news agency IRNA.
Zahedan is one of the few Sunni-majority cities in predominantly Shiite Iran.
Poverty-stricken Sistan-Baluchestan, which also borders Afghanistan, is a flashpoint for clashes with drug smuggling gangs as well as rebels from the Baluchi minority and Sunni Muslim extremist groups.
Two Iran Guards shot dead in Zahedan: News agency
https://arab.news/4gf9x
Two Iran Guards shot dead in Zahedan: News agency
- On Friday, hundreds of people took to the streets of Zahedan and shouted slogans against the authorities
- The police reported the arrest of 57 “rioters” after this demonstration, according to state news agency IRNA
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
