Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in its south and causing material damage, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday.

Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones early Friday morning, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.

A civilian interrogator who worked 20 years ago at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq denied abusing detainees Thursday, and told jurors he was actually promoted for doing a good job.

The United States vetoed a widely backed U.N. resolution on Thursday that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favor, the United States opposed and two abstentions, from the United Kingdom and Switzerland. U.S. allies France, Japan and South Korea supported the resolution.

Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel could upset the delicate balance on the northern border where Iranian-backed Hezbollah has spent the Gaza war skirmishing with Israeli forces.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, after a meeting Thursday with his counterpart in Indonesia, criticized the US for earlier blocking UN resolutions calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Both the Chinese and Indonesian foreign ministers reiterated their countries’ calls for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza

Lebanon’s Interior Minister says Israeli agents were most likely behind this month’s killing of a U.S-sanctioned Lebanese currency exchanger in a mountain resort overlooking Beirut. The currency exchanger was shot by a large number of bullets.

Jews around the world will soon celebrate Passover, recounting the biblical story of their exodus from Egypt after hundreds of years of slavery. But for many Israelis it’s hard to fathom honoring an occasion focused on freedom, when friends and family are still in captivity.

Calls for action against Israel in international soccer because of the conflict with Hamas will be stepped up by Palestinian officials at the annual FIFA congress next month.

Google has fired 28 employees in the aftermath of protests over technology that the internet company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, further escalating tensions surrounding a hot-button deal.