Twelve countries issued a joint condemnation Saturday of Israel's appointment of Michael Lotem as a non-resident ambassador to Somaliland, Somalia's breakaway region, calling the move a flagrant violation of Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Palestine, Türkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Kuwait. Israel had announced the appointment Wednesday, having already become the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state in December. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation had separately condemned the move earlier in the week. The joint statement frames the appointment as a violation of international law, the UN Charter, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, warning it sets a dangerous precedent for stability in the Horn of Africa. The US defended Israel's December recognition at the UN Security Council, where several signatories to Saturday's statement questioned whether the move could be connected to proposals to relocate Palestinians from Gaza or to establish military bases in the region. The coalition's response signals a coordinated diplomatic pushback that could shape OIC and Arab League positioning on Israel's broader regional relationships.
Venezuela's earthquake death toll has reached 1,430 with the US Geological Survey warning fatalities could top 10,000, placing it among Latin America's deadliest in a century. US military planes are landing in Caracas, Washington is mobilising $150 million in aid, and rescue teams from 17 countries are on the ground.
Iranian armed forces attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, briefly halting traffic through the waterway. The strike threatens a fragile US-Iran arrangement and could push shipping insurance costs and oil prices higher.
The US has struck Iran, with President Trump citing an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. The action raises immediate risks for global oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
The US struck ten Iranian targets on the second consecutive day of military action, putting a fragile ceasefire under serious pressure. The escalation raises immediate risks for Gulf shipping, global oil supply, and regional stability.
