DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — PM Sheikh Hasina resigns and leaves Bangladesh amid widening unrest, military official says, ending 15 years in power.

Egyptian and Turkish officials say they’re focused on preventing a wider regional conflict

CAIRO — Leaders in Egypt and Turkey are exhausting all avenues possible to prevent Israel’s war in Gaza from becoming a wider regional conflict, the Egyptian and Turkish foreign ministers said Monday at a joint press conference.

Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s foreign and migration minister, said that he spoke with his counterpart Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s minister of foreign affairs, about the crisis in Gaza, the situation in Libya and Sudan, the situation in the Red Sea and the issues in Yemen.

Both ministers said they discussed important regional issues during their meeting this week, including fighting terrorism and ways to reduce tensions in the region, especially ones emerging from Israel’s war in Gaza.

Both countries share the same vision in achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and rejected recent assassinations in the region, including that of Hamas leader Ismail Hanyieh.

Abdelatty said that it’s important to achieve, not only discuss, the two-state solution and end Israeli occupation and aggression against Palestinians to bring stability to the region. He also warned against provocations emerging from the war in Gaza that could lead to miscalculations that would plunge the region into a full-scale war.

“I condemn Israel assassinating the main negotiator of the ceasefire talks, Ismael Haniyeh. We can conclude from this incident that Netanyahu doesn’t want peace. Netanyahu wants to burn the entire region,” said Fidan.

Turkey to request to intervene in the genocide case against Israel

CAIRO — Turkey’s foreign minister has announced that his country will on Wednesday formally submit a request to intervene in the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Hakan Fidan, whose country is among the fiercest critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza, made the comment in Cairo during a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart. Turkey in May had announced its intention to intervene in the case which was filed by South Africa.

During the news conference, Fidan praised Palestinians for their “constructive approach” in the peace negotiations while accusing Israel of undermining the efforts, citing the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh as evidence.

“Not satisfied with that, Israel has treacherously assassinated the chief negotiator of the ceasefire talks,” Fidan said. “This assassination has clearly shown that Netanyahu does not want peace.”

The Turkish minister also criticized the standing ovation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received while delivering a speech in the U.S. Congress last month.

“The parliamentary podium is no place for war criminals. The only place for war criminals is the dock,” he said.”

Biden will speak with Jordan’s king and meet with his national security team

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are scheduled to consult later Monday with the White House national security team. And Biden will speak with King Abdullah II of Jordan, whose foreign minister made a rare visit to Iran over the weekend.

The activity follows a weekend of outreach by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and others in the Biden administration to Western and Middle East allies and partners as the U.S. tries to prepare for any Iranian retaliation to the killing of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran last week. Iran has blamed Israel.

Blinken on Sunday told foreign members in the Group of Seven economic powers that Iran’s response could come in as soon as 24 to 48 hours.

Iran state media say secretary of Russia’s Security Council has arrived for talks

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state news agency says the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, has arrived in Tehran for talks on bilateral and international issues.

The IRNA report did not elaborate, but Russia’s state Tass and RIA Novosti news agencies reported that Shoigu was scheduled to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian; secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian; and chief of the Iranian military’s General Staff, Mohammad Bagheri.

Diplomatic efforts have increased after the assassination last week of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran has blamed Israel and vowed to retaliate.

Head of the U.S. Central Command is in the Middle East, official says

WASHINGTON — A U.S. defense official says the head of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Eric Kurilla, is in the Middle East region.

The official wouldn’t say where specifically Kurilla is, but added that he “often visits the region to work and consult with regional partners.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss travel not yet made public.

The United States and allies have been preparing to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike from Iran and its allies and prevent a wider regional conflict after the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation.

— Lolita Baldor

Israel’s defense minister says the military is ready for ‘swift transition to offense’

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister says the military is prepared for a “swift transition to offense” as the country braces for an Iranian attack after the killing of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke Monday at a briefing with air force officials. “We must be prepared for anything – including a swift transition to offense,” he said.

Iran has said it is planning to respond with “power and decisiveness” to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last week, which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. The escalating threats have raised fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.

Israeli airstrike kills 5 in Hamas-run police force while securing aid convoy

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike has killed five members of Gaza’s Hamas-run police force who were securing an aid convoy. Another two policemen were wounded in Monday’s strike, according to records at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since seizing power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. It operates a police force numbering in the tens of thousands that provided a high degree of public security before the war. But the police have largely disappeared as Israel has targeted them with airstrikes, contributing to the collapse of law and order and hindering aid delivery to the enclave.

Israel does not differentiate between Hamas’ armed wing and its government. It says it is committed to destroying both after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that ignited the war. It also accuses Hamas of hijacking aid for its own purposes.

Aid groups say they have struggled to deliver desperately needed food and supplies because of Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting and the collapse of public order.

Israel returns more than 80 bodies to the Gaza Strip, Palestinian official says

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — A Palestinian official says Israel has returned more than 80 bodies to the Gaza Strip.

The identities of the deceased and the cause of death were not immediately known.

Source: https://www.aol.com/israel-hamas-war-latest-hezbollah-055837641.html?guccounter=1