Aden / AFP Heavy fighting between Yemeni government forces and Shiite rebels for control of the heights overlooking the strategic Bab Al Mandab strait has left 17 combatants dead, the loyalist commander said on Wednesday. The waterway connects the Suez Canal and Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean beyond and is a major shipping lane. …

  Tehran/ AFP Iran showed off missiles, warplanes, tanks and marching troops on Wednesday in a display of military strength in the face of growing regional tensions. The Islamic republic used the 36th anniversary of the start of the Iran-Iraq war to parade arms including 16 ballistic missiles through Tehran. A new missile with multiple warheads, called Zolfaghar, was also on …

  Jerusalem / AFP Israeli guards shot and wounded an unarmed 13-year-old Palestinian girl on Wednesday after she did not stop at a checkpoint, officials said, the latest incident in an upsurge of violence. The Israeli defence ministry said the girl was not carrying a weapon. The incident occurred at a checkpoint near the Israeli settlement of Alfei Menashe and the …