Neymar announces emotional retirement from international football 

KYIV: At least nine people were killed and 28 others injured after Russian ballistic missile strikes hit Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, on Saturday morning, Ukrainian officials said. The attack caused heavy damage in several areas of the city. Multiple explosions were reported as missiles struck residential areas and other locations. Emergency teams rushed to the affected sites to rescue people and control fires. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital came under a major missile attack. He said several explosions were heard across the city, while fires broke out and some areas faced power disruptions. Officials said the Darnytskyi district was among the worst-hit areas. At least seven people were killed there, while 14 others were injured. Two children were among those wounded in the strike. Another missile strike hit the Solomyanskyi district, killing two people and injuring eight others. A five-storey residential building was partially destroyed, trapping some residents inside. Rescue workers carried out operations to search for survivors and clear the damaged structure. The attack also affected the area around the Lithuanian embassy. Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said a missile landed nearby, damaging windows and spreading debris inside the embassy compound. No casualties were reported among diplomatic staff. The latest strikes are part of an increase in Russian missile attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials say Moscow has intensified the use of ballistic missiles, creating greater pressure on the country’s air defence systems. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for additional air defence support, especially Patriot missile interceptors, which Ukraine says are essential for stopping ballistic missile attacks. Zelensky raised the issue during his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington. He urged greater support for Ukraine’s air defence capabilities as Russian attacks continue. Trump said discussions over Ukraine’s request to produce Patriot interceptors are still ongoing. However, he expressed concerns about sharing advanced US military technology and said such decisions require careful consideration. Ukraine has faced shortages of Patriot systems as Russian air attacks have increased. Kyiv says these systems remain among the few weapons capable of intercepting high-speed ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued launching retaliatory strikes against Russian targets. Ukrainian officials say their operations are aimed at disrupting military supply routes and damaging facilities linked to Russia’s war efforts.

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the vision behind the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan extends beyond the three signatories and could eventually include other regional countries. Erdogan said the agreement was designed to strengthen collective security and promote lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the region. He stressed that the pact was not directed against any particular country. Speaking in an interview with an Arab newspaper, Erdogan said the three countries wanted to create a broader regional framework based on cooperation, mutual trust and collective responsibility. He said countries that support peace, stability and prosperity should be able to join the framework in the future. According to Erdogan, the agreement is based on the principle of collective deterrence. A security threat against one member would be treated as a concern for the other members. He said the arrangement could also encourage joint defence-industry projects and greater cooperation against terrorism. Erdogan argued that regional countries should take greater responsibility for addressing their own security challenges rather than relying on solutions imposed from outside the region. He described the agreement as the outcome of long-running consultations among the participating countries and said it reflected changing conditions in the region. The Turkish president also rejected the idea that the pact was simply a response to tensions between the United States and Iran. He said its broader objective was to establish a durable mechanism for regional security. Focus on Gulf security Erdogan said the agreement could contribute to stability in the Gulf, which he described as vital to international trade and the global economy. He highlighted the importance of energy supplies, maritime routes and trade links passing through the region. He also expressed concern over tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, warning that prolonged disruption there could have consequences for economies around the world. Erdogan called for restraint and continued diplomatic engagement to ensure the waterway remains safe for international shipping. He said Türkiye preferred dialogue and negotiations over military escalation and believed diplomatic efforts were essential to resolving disputes in the region and beyond. The Makkah agreement formalises growing strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The three countries describe the arrangement as defensive and aimed at strengthening collective deterrence rather than creating an offensive military bloc. Erdogan said stronger cooperation between Ankara and Riyadh would also contribute to regional stability. He pointed to expanding ties in defence, trade, investment, energy and tourism. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has described the trilateral agreement as an extension of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s existing defence cooperation. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had earlier signed a strategic mutual defence agreement under which aggression against either country would be treated as aggression against both. The latest trilateral framework builds on those longstanding security ties and introduces Türkiye into a wider mechanism for defence cooperation.

Iran is alleged to have flown senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment to Yemen earlier this month in a move that could significantly strengthen the military capabilities of the Houthi movement, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The reported transfer is believed to have taken place on July 13 aboard a Mahan Air flight that departed from Tehran. Sources said the aircraft was originally scheduled to land in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, but was forced to divert to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah after military activity disrupted operations at Sanaa International Airport. According to the sources, between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including senior commanders, were on board the aircraft. They claimed the mission included military advisers tasked with providing operational support and training on advanced missile systems. The flight was also reportedly carrying missile components, drone-related equipment and gold, which the sources alleged was intended to finance Houthi military operations. The reported shipment has raised fresh concerns that Tehran may be expanding its military support for the group amid growing regional tensions. Officials from Yemen’s internationally recognised government said intelligence indicated that Iranian military experts had arrived to strengthen Houthi capabilities. They claimed the advisers were expected to improve the group’s ability to launch attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea and the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes. Regional security analysts also supported the claims, saying the shipment allegedly included components for short- and medium-range missiles as well as drone systems similar to those previously used in attacks across the Gulf region. The reported deployment came only days before the Houthis announced a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia. The group later claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi oil tankers operating in the Red Sea, further escalating tensions and increasing fears over global energy supplies and maritime security. Despite the allegations, both Iran and the Houthi movement strongly denied the reports. A Houthi media official who said he was among the passengers on the flight insisted that everyone on board was a civilian and rejected claims that military personnel or weapons had been transported. Iran has also repeatedly denied supplying advanced weapons to the Houthis or directing their military operations. Iranian officials maintain that the Yemeni group independently develops its own military capabilities and makes its own operational decisions. According to Iranian officials, the July 13 flight was organised to return a Houthi delegation and Yemeni civilians who had travelled to Tehran earlier in the month. They said the passengers included people who had attended a funeral ceremony as well as Yemenis who had received medical treatment in Iran. The allegations have emerged at a time of heightened confrontation across the Middle East, where attacks involving the United States, Iran, Israel and Iran-backed groups have intensified. Growing instability has already disrupted commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, contributing to rising oil prices and increasing uncertainty in global financial markets.