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Middle East crisis live: rescue effort under way after US refuelling plane with five onboard crashes in Iraq

More now after reports of explosions in Dubai on Friday morning: thick black smoke rose over the financial hub’s skyline after what authorities described as a fire in an industrial area of the city-state. A fire was seen in Dubai’s Al Quoz neighbourhood and bystanders gathered to watch the smoke from the blaze, the Associated Press is reporting. Police stopped an AP journalist from going closer to the site of the fire, which was in a cul-de-sac. The Dubai media office, which issues statements for its government, posted on X that “debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the façade of a building in central Dubai”. It said there had been no injuries, though the black smoke curled over the skyline as far as the sail-shaped Burj al-Arab luxury hotel.

The kill line v Chinamaxxing: a window into how China and the US see each other

Across two online worlds that are normally splintered, over the last few months there has been a mirroring of sorts. On TikTok and Instagram, young people are diving into the joys of Chinese culture – from drinking hot water to playing mahjong – all under the banner of “Chinamaxxing”. On the Chinese internet, however, the US is losing its decades-long grip on soft power, and is instead being replaced by a darker trend: the kill line. The kill line is a dangerous place to be. In gaming, the term refers to the point at which a player’s strength is so depleted that one more blow could lead to total wipeout. In China, the term refers to the risks that come with daily life in the US. In recent months, the Chinese media has been flooded with discussion of the so-called “kill line” that exists in US society. The social media posts, news articles, podcasts and blogs describe a vision of the US as a dystopian capitalist hell. One video shared by a state-run account on RedNote shows a homeless man talking about how he used to earn a six-figure salary. (The post claims that the video comes from the US and that the man earned $450,000; in fact the clip is taken from an old video about homelessness on the streets of London). Another case that has gone viral is that of Tylor Chase, a former Nickelodeon star who was recently spotted homeless on the streets of California. One Chinese news presenter said: “Tylor’s fate confirms the existence of a ‘kill line’ in American society where the middle class plummets into the underclass … This ‘kill line’ exposes America’s dual nature: the winners achieve ultimate success, while the losers fall into an abyss from which there is no return.” In total, hashtags related to the US “kill line” have been viewed more than 600m times on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. Chinese propaganda has long cast the west as a land of poverty and depravity. On one day in 1968, during the early years of the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Communist party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, published no less than three articles describing the US as some version of hell, blighted by widespread famine and an elite class of billionaire “bloodsuckers”. One described the US simply as: “A paradise for the rich, a hell for the poor”. But regular people tended nonetheless to view the US as a land of opportunity and prosperity, especially after China started opening up in the 1980s and there was a greater flow of information between the two countries. In late 2025, that changed. The latest trend started in November, when a Chinese student living in Seattle posted a five-hour stream to the Chinese video-sharing website BiliBili. In the video, which has since attracted more than 3m views, he describes seeing hungry children at Halloween and the harsh realities of life for disadvantaged people in the world’s biggest economy. Soon, the term “kill line” took on a life of its own. In January, the Chinese Communist party’s official theoretical journal, Qiushi, published a commentary that stated the kill line “reveals the structural economic fragility of American society”. A few weeks later, a Chinese state media journalist asked the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, repeatedly about the so-called kill line at Davos. Bessent, confused, talked up Trump’s economic policy before saying: “I don’t understand the question.” “For quite a long time we know that China has been looking up to the US, regardless of the official rhetoric,” says Wang Haolan, a research associate at the Asia society in New York. But a host of events – from the 2008 economic crisis to the election of Donald Trump to the US’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic – has turned that admiration into a curiosity about the “turmoil” in the country, Wang says. Ren Yi, an influential nationalist commentator who blogs under the name Chairman Rabbit, says the re-election of Trump and the US-China trade war are the most important reasons for Chinese people’s plummeting regard for the US. “Chinese people are much more critical of the US now. Their attitude toward America has been shifting constantly, which is closely linked to the changing balance of power between the two nations,” Ren says. According to Ren, while China does have poverty problems, social and cultural factors mean that people are unlikely to end up on the streets. “In China, you can always get support from both close and extended family, you always have someone to help you.” Chinese people looking at the problems in the US “don’t understand it”. Homelessness in the US is a growing problem. In 2024, there were more than 771,000 people experiencing homelessness, an 18% increase on the previous year and a record high, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a non-profit organisation based in Washington DC. In China, the problem is harder to quantify because the internal passport system, called the hukou, counts people based on where they are registered – usually at birth – rather than where they live. Millions of domestic migrants live in crowded and unsanitary accommodation on the fringes of big cities, often floating between dormitories depending on their jobs, but they would not be officially counted as homeless. Severe destitution is hidden from public view, while the government’s success at eradicating extreme poverty – a milestone that China’s president, Xi Jinping, said was reached in 2021 – is frequently promoted in the official narrative. Many Chinese people see some truth in the idea that the possibility of a total social catastrophe is more likely in the US than China. But while internet users in China are gawking at the idea of a US riven by poverty and chaos, for their American counterparts it is quite the opposite. With “Chinamaxxing”, American teenagers are revelling in traditional Chinese lifestyle hacks such as drinking hot water or wearing slippers indoors. The trend’s slogan? “You’ve met me at a very Chinese time in my life”. The Chinese government is lapping this up. Beijing is on a tourism drive, relaxing visa requirements for visitors from many European countries, including most recently the UK. Influencers willing to tell a rosy story about the most appealing aspects of life in China – while skirting over more sensitive topics like human rights and political oppression – have been welcomed with open arms. Meanwhile, in the US, a country which, unlike China, for the most part allows journalists to freely report on the worst aspects of society as well as the best, its government’s most thuggish behaviouris being broadcast to audiences of millions, damaging its global reputation. A useful distraction? Some commentators see the kill line meme as being a way for Chinese people to vent about, or distract from, their own frustrations at home. Nearly one in five young people aged 16-24 are unemployed, according to official statistics, with some economists estimating that the true level could be much higher. Low wages and sluggish growth have given rise to an era of economic pessimism that the government is keen to combat. Promoting the supposed “kill line” that exists in the US could be one helpful distraction. “China currently has various social problems of its own, but by publicising that the west is also doing poorly – or even suggesting that the west is worse than China – creates an image that provides people with a sense of psychological comfort,” says Wang Qingmin, a Chinese writer who lives in Germany. “Someone who might have originally been critical of the Chinese government may, after seeing these problems in western society, shift toward a more positive attitude.” Some people “find positive energy by observing the misery of people in the US”, Ren says. Commentators who have tried to draw a more explicit link between the kill line meme and China’s domestic problems have been swiftly censored. In an essay that was later deleted, the legal blogger Li Yuchen wrote that US-bashing nationalism had become a lucrative niche for influencers. “It doesn’t solve any of your problems – your stocks won’t recover, your mortgage won’t decrease by a single penny,” Li wrote. Such content is like “a cheap dose of ‘patriotic aphrodisiac’”. Henry Gao, a professor at Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law, says the official promotion of the so-called US “kill line” suggests that the Chinese government is trying to deflect from economic problems at home. “This is a recurring pattern in China, where attention is often diverted toward perceived issues in other countries whenever significant internal challenges arise – with the United States typically being the first target,” Gao said. Additional research by Lillian Yang

Top Iranian nuclear scientists killed, Israel says – as it happened

This blog has now closed – our ongoing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran is continuing here.

Ukraine war briefing: Putin envoy says US better understands importance of Russian oil amid energy crisis

Vladimir Putin’s envoy says Washington is “beginning to better understand” the importance of Russian oil, after a “productive meeting” with US negotiators about the Ukraine invasion. “We discussed promising projects that could contribute to the restoration of Russian-American relations and the current crisis on global energy markets,” Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev wrote in a Telegram post. The discussions in Florida on Thursday, which did not include representatives from Ukraine, came hours before the US issued a 30-day licence for countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products currently stranded at sea, in an effort to stabilise global energy markets roiled by the Iran war. The US already lifted some sanctions on Russian oil earlier this week. That move was criticised as filling Russia’s war coffers. Trump said this week that Putin, to whom he spoke on Monday, wanted to be “helpful” in relation to the Middle East war. Russia has received €6bn (£5bn) from selling its fossil fuels in the fortnight since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran, data suggests. The revenues imply Russia made an extra €672m in oil, gas and coal sales during March, Simon Goodley writes. Hungary returned two seized armoured bank vehicles to Ukraine on Thursday but withheld cash and gold worth millions, citing an investigation into alleged money laundering, a move that Kyiv has denounced as theft. Relations between Hungary and Ukraine reached a new low last week when Hungary detained seven Ukrainians transporting cash and gold. Kyiv accused Budapest of taking the bank employees, engaged in a legitimate transfer, hostage to pressure Ukraine into restarting suspended oil shipments. Those detained were expelled by Hungary and crossed into Ukraine on Friday. The EU has proposed a mission to inspect the Druzhba oil pipeline in Ukraine, and is waiting for a reply from Ukraine, a spokesperson for the EU Commission said on Thursday. Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia have been suspended since late January after it was damaged. Kyiv says a Russian strike hit Druzhba pipeline equipment, while Slovakia and Hungary say Ukraine is to blame for the prolonged outage. Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainians of plotting to attack his family, amid the increasingly bitter standoff between Kyiv and Budapest. Orbán and his allies appear to be using the dispute for maximum political gain before the election due next month, Shaun Walker and Flora Garamvolgyi write. Polling has Orbán up to 20 points behind challenger Péter Magyar. Ukraine is opening access to its battlefield data for its allies to train drone AI software, the defence minister said on Thursday, as Kyiv seeks to harness the experience it has garnered fending off Russia’s invasion. The move comes as militaries across the globe start to use automated systems which can guide drones to their targets without a pilot, or quickly analyse vast pools of data. Foreign allies and companies have sought access to Ukraine’s datasets, as these are crucial for training models to recognise patterns, shapes and the behaviour of people and machines on the battlefield. The European Commission has warned it will cut funding for the Venice Biennale if organisers go ahead with plans to include Russia. The commission reiterated any breach of ethical standards by the art festival would be treated as a violation of contract, leading to suspension of the €2m (£1.7m) agreement, Jennifer Rankin reports. Biennale organisers said last week that Russia would be allowed to take part, triggering accusations from Ukraine it was offering “a stage … for whitewashing war crimes”. Romania and Ukraine have signed a statement of intent to produce Ukrainian defence systems including drones in Romania. Romania, an EU and Nato member, shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine, including along the Danube River where Ukrainian ports on the opposite bank have come under Russian attack and Russian drones have breached Romanian airspace. The Kremlin accused Ukraine on Thursday of targeting a major gas pipeline in southern Russia that leads to Turkey with “reckless” drone strikes. “At night, there were renewed attempts to attack the Russkaya compressor station with drones,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, calling the pipeline an “international facility” that “ensures energy security for Turkey”. “These are absolutely reckless actions by the Kyiv regime,” Peskov said.

Israeli military drops charges against soldiers accused of Gaza detainee abuse

Israel’s top military lawyer has dropped all charges against five soldiers accused of the violent abuse and rape of a Palestinian detainee from Gaza. The military advocate general, Itay Offir, said prosecutors lacked key evidence after the victim was sent back to Gaza, and that the conduct of senior officials had affected the chance of holding a fair trial. Medical records show the detainee was taken to hospital in the summer of 2024 with injuries including broken ribs, a punctured lung and rectal damage, according to Israeli media reports on the indictment. The detainee had been held at the Sde Teiman military detention centre, which has become notorious for torture. After the first arrests of Israeli soldiers in connection with the attack, a far-right mob including a minister and lawmakers broke into the base demanding the men’s release. Israeli media broadcast a video of the attack soon after. Offir’s predecessor has been arrested on suspicion of authorising the leak, in an apparent attempt to defuse anger about the arrests and refute claims the men had been unfairly charged. It had little effect inside Israel, where the men’s supporters have claimed they were targeted for routine security work in a military detention centre. The five soldiers have not been named. Offir said in a statement that the video did not present a clear picture of the attack, because “the vast majority of the defendants’ actions are obscured by shields”. He also said the decision to release the detainee back to Gaza as part of the October 2025 ceasefire deal negotiated by Donald Trump meant he could no longer give testimony at trial. The detainee was never charged or tried while in Israeli custody. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, welcomed the decision to drop charges, saying it was unacceptable it had taken so long and describing the men as “heroic warriors”. Rights groups said the decision raised serious questions about the rule of law in Israel and accountability for abuse and killing of Palestinians during what a UN commission has called a genocidal war. Sari Bashi, the executive director of the rights group Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said: “Israel’s military attorney general just gave his soldiers licence to rape, so long as the victim is Palestinian. “[The decision] is the latest in a long line of actions that whitewash abuses against detainees whose frequency and severity have worsened since 7 October 2023.” There has been only one conviction of an Israeli soldier for assaulting Palestinians in detention over the more than two years of war, despite widespread torture and abuse having been documented in Israel’s jail system, including sexualised torture. Dozens of Palestinians have died in captivity. Suhad Bishara, the legal director of the rights group Adalah, said it was a particularly strong case “where the world saw security footage of the assault alongside medical evidence of severe sexual and physical abuse”. “By abandoning the charges, the Israeli military has made clear that those who engage in the torture of Palestinians face no risk of accountability.” Quique Kierszenbaum contributed reporting

Putin’s ‘hidden hand’ lies behind Iran’s drone tactics, UK defence secretary says

Vladimir Putin’s “hidden hand” lies behind Iran’s military methods, the UK defence secretary has said, after a night in which drones struck a base used by western forces in Erbil, northern Iraq. John Healey was speaking after British officers at the UK’s military headquarters in north-west London told him that drone pilots from Iran and Iranian proxies were increasingly adopting tactics “from the Russians”. Iran has already fired more than 2,000 Shahed drones – long-range weapons heavily used by Russia against Ukraine – across the Middle East in response to the US-Israeli attack launched on 28 February. Lt Gen Nick Perry, the chief of joint operations, told Healey as he visited the UK’s military command centre in Northwood it appeared that Russia had since passed back tactical advice to Iran and its proxies on how to deploy them. Iranian drone pilots were “flying them much lower, and therefore they were more effective” in hitting targets, Perry said. That had “proven problematic”, he said, because Shahed drones were becoming one of Tehran’s more effective weapons as the conflict heads towards a third week. Overnight, a number of drones struck a western military base in Erbil, where British military personnel were based. A UK counter-drone team there shot down two others. There were no British casualties. Talking to journalists after his briefing, Healey said: “I think no one will be surprised to believe that Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics and potentially, potentially some of their capabilities as well.” He argued that was partly “because the one world leader that is benefiting from sky-high oil prices at the moment is Putin, because it helps him with a fresh supply of funds for his brutal war in Ukraine”. Tehran signalled its defiance on Thursday with a statement issued in the name of Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as supreme leader after the late ayatollah was killed at the start of the war. The declaration, delivered by a newsreader on state television, gave no clues on the state of the reportedly wounded leader’s health. It vowed Iran would continue to attack US bases in the region and keep the strait of Hormuz closed. The International Energy Agency said the war had already caused the “largest supply disruption in history” on world oil markets. The US president, Donald Trump, shrugged off the impact of oil price spikes, writing on his Truth Social platform that because the US was the world’s biggest oil producer, “we make a lot of money”. Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, issued a rebuke to Trump’s repeated claims over the past two weeks that the conflict would be over quickly. “Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory,” Larijani said on X. “While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation.” The Tasnim news agency, associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, broadcast footage of missiles being launched against the country’s enemies, though it was not possible to verify how old the footage was. Russia and Iran have cooperated on military issues since Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Iran supplying and then passing on the design for Shahed 136 deltawing drones. US sources say that in return Moscow has passed Tehran military intelligence in the past fortnight, though the Putin denied doing so in a phone call with Trump on Monday. Healey said he had discussed what was in effect the closure of the strait of Hormuz with the E5 group of European defence ministers on Wednesday, and that there were “clearer and clearer” reports that Iran was trying to mine the strategic waterway through which around a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The UK had some “autonomous systems” available in the Middle East that could be used to search for Iranian mines, he said, though a mine-hunting vessel previously in the region, HMS Middleton, had returned to the UK for maintenance. Two oil tankers moored five miles of the Iraqi coast were set on fire in an attack on Wednesday night. Iran claimed responsibility for what it said was an underwater drone strike that left one person confirmed dead and Iraq announcing it would suspend its oil terminal operations. The effective closure of the strait, partly by drone attacks on oil tankers and cargo vessels, has pushed the oil price to about $100 a barrel. The quickest way of ending the blockade would be through “a de-escalation of the conflict”, Healey said. The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said that the US navy was not able to escort ships through the strait of Hormuz now but it was “quite likely” that could happen by the end of the month. The US military remained focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities for now, he said. Other countries, including France, have signalled they might be willing to assist in convoying merchant shipping if the conflict eased. Healey did not rule out that the UK could eventually participate, but a formal proposal is not thought to be close while the US vacillates over the issue. Britain has no available warships in or near the region other than HMS Dragon, which set sail on Tuesday for Cyprus, where it will protect UK airbases, on a voyage expected to last up to a week.

Israel strikes Beirut and orders south Lebanon evacuation as conflict mounts

Israel issued a sweeping new displacement order for southern Lebanon, instructing residents up to 25 miles away from their border to head north, and striking the centre of Beirut in a sharp escalation of its fight with Hezbollah. A spokesperson for the Israeli military on Thursday ordered all residents to head north of the Zahrani River “for their safety”, before it began a bombing campaign against what it said were Hezbollah targets. The order covers major Lebanese cities, including Nabatieh, and dozens of villages. The IDF also issued an evacuation order for a neighbourhood in central Beirut near a row of restaurants, saying the Israeli military would strike a building there. The latest orders come just days after Israel issued instructions for people south of the Litani River and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Nearly a million people have already been internally displaced in 10 days of fighting. “Where can I go?” asked Hamza Zbeeb, a 48-year-old member of the municipality of Nimiriya, one of the villages included in the evacuation order. “Many people have gone to Beirut and returned because there’s nowhere to stay. I don’t want to be on the streets.” A few hours later, Israel struck two buildings in central Beirut, levelling them after warning residents to move away. One of the buildings in Beirut’s Zouq Blat neighbourhood was next to a shelter hosting displaced people, causing large crowds of families seeking shelter in the main square of central Beirut. The other building was close to the prime minister’s office, UN agencies and foreign embassies. Israel’s military leadership is considering an escalated campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah after the pro-Iran group launched its most intense attacks yet on Israel on Wednesday night. Hezbollah let off successive volleys of rockets and drone swarms on Israel, injuring two people, with most of the projectiles either being intercepted or falling into open areas. It continued firing into northern Israel on Thursday, with warning sirens sounding in Safed and surrounding towns. Israel quickly responded by bombarding Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, which continued into Thursday afternoon, rocking the capital city with periodic airstrikes. The Lebanese health ministry has said that 70 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Thursday. Among the dead were two academics, Hussein Bazzi and Murtadha Sarour, killed in an attack on the campus of Lebanese University. Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of international laws and norms”. The exchange was the most severe yet in the 10-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, in which Hezbollah and Iran coordinated their attacks for the first time. In a statement carried by the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the “joint and integrated operation” involved a missile attack by Iran carried out in conjunction with missile and drone fire from Hezbollah. Hezbollah launched more than 200 rockets towards Israeli territory, the statement added, including Israeli military bases in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Beersheba. In Israeli border communities, many spoke of a “very difficult” night. “Last night was a bit crazy,” said Daniel Dorfman, 43, in Metula, a town a few hundred metres from Lebanon. “I don’t get anxious usually but all the walls were shaking. It’s a little bit frightening. Here we get zero warning of any attack. You hear the explosions of the interception before you hear the sirens.” Hezbollah’s operation, called “Operation Chewed Wheat” – a reference to a Quranic verse about reducing one’s enemies to chewed wheat – was a sharp escalation by the group, believed to be battered by nearly two years of daily airstrikes by Israel. Israeli warplanes began bombing Lebanon nearly immediately after Hezbollah’s strikes. The skies of Beirut were lit red and windows shook as Israel unleashed its most powerful bombardment of the southern suburbs yet in this round of fighting. Videos showed collapsed buildings in southern Lebanon and streets choked with smoke illuminated by roaring flames. “It was a very difficult night; what can I say? Bombing all night,” said Ali Hariri, a lawyer and first responder with the Beit al-Talaba organisation in Nabatieh, as he stood amid the rubble-strewn streets of Nabatieh. Israel also carried out a strike in the early hours of Thursday in the neighbourhood of Ramlet al-Baida, central Beirut, on the corniche where many displaced families have been sleeping. Videos showed at least two men lying dead on the seaside walkway. “It was terrifying,” said Riyadh al-Lattah, a 57-year-old woodworker from the southern suburbs of Beirut who was camped out with his wife and five children across the street from the impact site in Ramlet al-Baida. “We heard them hit once and then once again almost immediately. We didn’t think they would hit here. What’s here? It’s just the sea.” Elsewhere, the health ministry said at least 17 people were injured in the strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, though more casualties were expected from other strikes throughout the country. In southern Lebanon, Israel’s military spokesperson said it was hitting Hezbollah’s missile launchers. They warned residents it would “soon act with overwhelming force” against Hezbollah and residents should distance themselves from affected areas immediately. Human rights groups said the orders equated to forced displacement and could amount to war crimes. They also said the Israeli military should still try to prevent civilian harm, even if civilians did not evacuate. Israeli strikes have killed at least 634 people and injured 1,586 in less than 10 days of fighting. Israel’s security cabinet met on Wednesday night to discuss Lebanon, where officials sought to stop Hezbollah’s ability to launch rockets into Israeli territory. On Wednesday, the head of the Israeli military Lt Gen Eyal Zamir ordered reinforcements to its northern border, redeploying the Golani Brigade from Gaza to the north. The brigade is specialised in offensive ground operations, and analysts said the force’s redeployment could signal a larger ground invasion of Lebanon. Yaakov Selavan, the deputy mayor of the Golan regional council, said residents of northern Israel expected the government and military to “finish the job [with Hezbollah] once and for all” and that the military should advance as far north as the Litani River, 20 miles (30km) into Lebanon. “It is non-arguable. We are not looking to occupy land. We are just looking to survive,” Selavan said. Hezbollah is reportedly preparing itself for a full-scale Israeli invasion of south Lebanon. Hezbollah fighters have been fighting with Israeli troops in south Lebanon, particularly around strategic points in the eastern parts of the country, such as hilltops around al-Khiam. Small units of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force have been acting autonomously to ambush Israeli troops, which have been conducting in-and-out raids in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has reportedly spent the year-and-a-half since its November 2024 ceasefire with Israel rebuilding its capabilities and reconsolidating its organisation. Israel had killed most of the senior leadership of the group and killed or incapacitated thousands of its fighters during the 13-month war, though exact numbers are not known. Lebanon’s government has called on Hezbollah to stop firing into Israel, and has insisted the state should hold the monopoly of violence in the country. But its understaffed, under-equipped army has so far been unable to confront the armed group directly. The government also fears provoking civil strife in Lebanon, which has a long, painful history of sectarian division and violence. The government, with French assistance, has appealed to the international community for a ceasefire in Lebanon, calling for negotiations with Israel while vowing to curb Hezbollah’s activities. Israel and the US, however, are sceptical that the Lebanese government can disarm Hezbollah.

British tourist among 20 charged in Dubai over videos of Iranian missile strikes

A British man is among 20 people who have been charged in the United Arab Emirates under cybercrime laws in connection with filming and posting material related to Iranian attacks on the country. The 60-year-old man, understood to be a tourist who was visiting Dubai, was charged under a law that prohibits sharing material that could disturb public security. The case was highlighted by Detained in Dubai, an organisation that provides legal assistance to individuals in the UAE. While restrictions on filming attacks during conflict are not unusual globally, the case has attracted attention because of the UAE’s reputation as a magnet for influencers whose livelihoods depend on constant filming and posting. Despite the law, footage from recent Iranian attacks has been widely spread on social media. Radha Stirling, the head of Detained in Dubai, said the unnamed man, who is from London, had been charged along with 20 other people after police found a video of an Iranian missile strike in Dubai on his phone, despite the fact he had apparently deleted the video from his phone immediately when challenged. According to the official case summary, those accused are alleged to have used an information network or information technology tool to broadcast, publish, republish or circulate false news, rumours or provocative propaganda that may incite public opinion or disturb public security. “The charges sound extremely vague but serious on paper. In reality, the alleged conduct could be something as simple as sharing or commenting on a video that is already circulating online,” said Stirling in a statement. “Under UAE cybercrime laws, the person who originally posts content can be charged, but so can anyone who reshapes, reposts or comments on it.” One video can quickly lead to dozens of people facing criminal charges. Penalties in such cases can include up to two years in prison, fines ranging from 20,000 AED (£4,000) to AED 200,000, or both, and foreign nationals will also face deportation. Stirling warned that the risk is compounded because multiple counts can be applied, meaning a person who reposts several clips or articles could theoretically face cumulative charges and multiple sentences, even where the actions were entirely innocent. “There are countless images, videos and news reports circulating online about the conflict. People understandably assume that if something is already widely shared or published by media outlets, it must be acceptable to comment on or repost it. In the UAE, that assumption can be extremely dangerous,” she said. “Journalists have travelled to Dubai specifically to film missile interceptions, sending footage to editors abroad who then publish it from outside the country. But once that material appears online, residents and visitors inside the UAE who share or comment on it could suddenly find themselves accused of spreading rumours or damaging public security.” The case comes amid the imposition of tight new rules on journalists and members of the public, including visiting foreigners, during a time of high tensions in the Middle East. Restrictions in Iran are particularly severe, while Gulf monarchies, which have been targeted by unprecedented drone and missile attacks from Iran, have also imposed tighter controls. Israel has barred publication of content deemed a direct security threat, such as live broadcasts showing city skylines during missile attacks, images that identify locations of missile impact sites or information on military plans and air defences. Governments seem particularly concerned about images that disclose the location of missile and drone strikes, or that show projectiles being intercepted. AFP, one of the few international news outlets with a Tehran bureau, said this week it has been unable to visit the scene of the strike on a school in the southern town of Minab, where Iranian authorities say more than 150 people, many of them children, were killed by a US Tomahawk missile.