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Middle East and North Africa

Iran to decide how to punish Israel for attack on consulate in Damascus — Foreign Ministry

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani urged the UN and the international community to condemn Israel’s actions and "take all necessary measures against the aggressor"

DUBAI, April 1. /TASS/. Iranian authorities reserve the right to retaliate to the Israeli airstrike on the republic's consulate in Damascus and will decide how to "punish the aggressor," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.

"Iran, while reserving the right to retaliate, will decide on its own how to respond and punish the aggressor," Kanaani said in a statement posted on the official Telegram channel of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

The diplomat said the responsibility for the attack rests with Israel, adding that the attack on the consulate is being investigated. Kanaani also urged the UN and the international community to condemn Israel’s actions and "take all necessary measures against the aggressor."

Earlier, the Syrian agency SANA reported that the Israeli Air Force had conducted a strike on a building in Damascus. According to Iran’s SNN TV channel, the building of the consulate and residence of Iranian Ambassador Hossein Akbari came under fire. According to the ambassador, five to seven people were killed in the attack. He confirmed that Iranian diplomats and military advisers who were inside could have been killed in the shelling.

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Middle East and North Africa

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It is unclear yet if there were any casualties

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Maria Zakharova emphasized that the Baltic Sea "will always be a common space for all of the region’s countries without exception"

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Trump's planned key appointments

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Musk doubles down on his opinion about 'endless war' in Ukraine

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Ukraine's Kurakhovo Reservoir dam blast to help, not hurt Russian troops — expert

At least ten Ukrainian troops were killed

African countries interested in joining work in BRICS format — Russian MFA

The first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held on November 9-10 in the Sirius Federal Territory on Russia’s Black Sea coast

Russia to ensure parity in response to US missile defense system in Poland — Kremlin

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Trump to end NATO’s obsession to get on Russian territory — White House ex-strategist

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54 countries vote against resolution on combating ne-Nazism

116 countries, including Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Serbia, and Syria, supported the document

FACTBOX: What we know about night-time drone attacks on Russian regions

Overnight, 29 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were destroyed in the skies over the Kursk, Belgorod, Tver, Bryansk, Penza, and Voronezh regions, the Defense Ministry said

Russia supports Mali's appeal to UN Security Council on Kiev's actions — MFA

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Freezing conflict will only allow Ukraine to rearm itself, fight Russia anew, says expert

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Russia has written off $20 bln worth of African debts — MFA

Mikhail Bogdanov added that it allows using those debts "to implement socio-economic projects directly in the country"

Senior Russian diplomat doubts Trump knows exactly how to end war in Middle East

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US State Department insists DPRK troops engaged in Russia’s borderline Kursk Region

Patel also insisted that "Russian forces have trained the DPRK soldiers in artillery, in UAV, and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, which are critical skills for frontline operations"

FSB foils attempted terrorist attack on power station in Nizhny Tagil

It was revealed that the detainee had materials for producing an improvised explosive device and had been communicating with Ukrainian security services via Telegram

Combat experience distinguishes Su-57 among fifth-generation fighters

The Russian Defense Ministry said it excellently performed in combat

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Ukraine moves medics, non-combat personnel to infantry to counter Russian advance

According to a Ukrainian army spokesperson, more medical personnel is being sent to the frontline, although pilots and military engineers "remain in their specialized positions"

Ukraine’s troops south of Kurakhovo caught in pincers — military sources

Small groups of Ukrainian soldiers have been trying to leave the communities, but all roads are under the Russian army’s fire

Japan remains ready to sign peace treaty with Russia — top diplomat

After Tokyo imposed anti-Russian sanctions over the situation in Ukraine, Russia halted consultations with Japan on a peace treaty

Russian lower house passes third reading of bill banning child-free propaganda

The legislation stipulates preventing the distribution of information promoting voluntary childlessness online, through the media, movies and advertisements

Mi-171A3 helicopter draws interest from partners in China — Russian Helicopters

The helicopter can fly in harsh conditions, particularly those inside the Arctic Circle, where satellite communication coverage is poor

Russian forces gain foothold near Kupyansk as Kiev begins to retreat

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted two significant blockages of Ukrainian troops near Kupyansk, involving more than 15,000 military personnel

Russia says its FPV drones disrupted Ukrainian troops rotation in Sumy Region

The ministry provided live-recording footage showing direct hits on Ukrainian military vehicles

Ukrainian General Staff reports difficult situation along entire frontline

It also acknowledged the supremacy of the Russian army in equipment and personnel

Africa to become advanced continent, Russian diplomat says

The continent’s development processes are gaining momentum, Mikhail Bogdanov noted

Europeans seek Russia’s help in securing release of hostages held by Hamas — envoy

According to the latest updates from Israel, the Palestinian militant group is still holding 101 people hostage in Gaza

First S-550 air defense systems enter service in Russia — source

The source described the new system as "an absolutely new and unrivalled mobile system of strategic missile defense"

Russia to open embassies in several African countries — MFA

In some African states, such as South Sudan, for example, the Russian side reached an agreement at some point to open an embassy, though "it has not been done for a variety of reasons," Mikhail Bogdanov noted

Musk helping Trump choose top officials — media

According to the source, Donald Trump is tapping the best and brightest people to work with him, and he will encourage them to speak their mind

Countries will line up for Russian gas when US stops exporting LNG — Serbian president

According to Aleksandar Vucic, Washington will use LNG "for the growing consumption of artificial intelligence, electric charging stations and everything else"

US hegemony ambitions led to global problems starting with Belgrade bombings — lawmaker

According to Vyacheslav Volodin, "it is very important to objectively assess the events that took place 25 years ago"

Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli airbases near Haifa, Tel Aviv

According to the statement, Hezbollah units also delivered a missile strike on Israel’s Tel Nof airbase located 27 kilometers south of Tel Aviv

Extension of conflict not in Ukraine’s interest — analyst

According to Sean Bell, the West provided a "huge amount" of weapons to Ukraine, but that didn’t help the government in Kiev

Ukraine aims to call up 1 mln people in eastern areas by end of 2024 — official

According to the plan, 360,000 people are to be mobilized in October; 325,000 and 300,000 in November and December, respectively

Bulgarian president calls for using all diplomatic opportunities to end Ukraine conflict

According to Rumen Radev, Europe wants the conflict in Ukraine "to finish as soon as possible"

West to face 'devastating' response if it allows Kiev to strike deep into Russia — MFA

According to Maria Zakharova, Ukrainian social media accounts are meanwhile speculating that the Zelensky regime plans to present the received Western missiles as Ukrainian, changing the labels to use the weapons to attack Russia

Russian emergencies chief visits Cuba

The Russian Embassy in Cuba said on its Telegram channel that "the visit aims to strengthen Russian-Cuban cooperation in the sphere of alleviating the aftermath of natural disasters"