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Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has been cleared of all wrongdoing by a panel of judges appointed to review the findings of a United Nations investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him, Middle East Eye can exclusively reveal.
The highly confidential report by the panel of three judges was submitted to the ICC’s executive oversight body, the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), on 9 March. It will not be made publicly available, and has not been seen by the majority of the court's 125 member states.
Since December, the judges, who were appointed by the ASP, have been examining an external fact-finding report conducted by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) into the allegations against Khan, which have unfolded in parallel with his office's efforts to pursue a war crimes investigation against Israeli officials over the war in Gaza.
The role of the panel has been to provide independent legal advice to the bureau, based on the facts presented in the OIOS report, on whether Khan, who has strenuously denied all allegations, has committed serious misconduct, less serious misconduct, or no misconduct at all.
Read more: Exclusive: Judges clear ICC’s Karim Khan over sexual misconduct claims
Saudi Arabia has ordered Iran’s military attache and four other embassy staff to leave the kingdom within 24 hours after declaring them persona non grata, the foreign ministry said.
Riyadh said the move comes in response to what it described as continued Iranian attacks on Saudi territory.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence says it has intercepted and destroyed four drones over the Eastern Province.
Two Israeli reservists were wounded after a mortar shell was fired from Lebanon, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
Israel’s military says it will continue striking Iran through the second week of April, signalling no pause in a war that has already widened the conflict across the region.
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Israel is "midway" through its war objectives, while offering no indication of de-escalation. He claimed Israeli forces have weakened Iran and left it "more exposed and lacks significant aerial defense capabilities."
Zamir also linked the strikes to Israel’s broader regional offensive, saying the campaign in Iran is "weakening Hezbollah" as fighting continues in southern Lebanon.
G7 foreign ministers say they stand ready to act to stabilise global energy supplies as the Israeli-US war on Iran enters its fourth week.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the ministers said they would support regional partners amid escalating attacks. "We ... express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies," they said.
They added: "We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure."
The statement made no mention in regards to the war started by Washington and Tel Aviv.
Iranian state television says a missile strike on Dimona, home to a nuclear facility in southern Israel, was a "response" to an earlier attack on its Natanz site.
Iran’s atomic energy organisation said the "Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning", adding there was "no leakage of radioactive materials reported", according to local media.
Earlier, we reported that a nuclear research site in Dimona, southern Israel, had come under attack.
AFP now reports that the Israeli army has confirmed "a direct impact of an Iranian missile" on a building in the city that houses a nuclear research facility.
The military said the strike caused damage to the site, after footage circulating on social media appeared to show a fireball hitting the ground.
Israeli media report that at least 39 people were injured in the attack, although officials have yet to provide a full breakdown of casualties.
The Israeli-US war has killed thousands and sent shockwaves across the Middle East.
Here is the latest breakdown based on official state tallies:
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Iran: At least 1,444 killed and 20,984 injured
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Lebanon: 1,024 killed and 2,740 wounded
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Iraq: At least 61 killed, most from the Iran-backed PMF
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Israel: 18 killed, including two soldiers in southern Lebanon
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United States: 13 service members killed — seven in operations against Iran and six in a refuelling aircraft crash over Iraq
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United Arab Emirates: Eight killed, including two soldiers
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Kuwait: Six killed, including two Interior Ministry officers and two army soldiers
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Saudi Arabia: Two killed
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France: One soldier killed in northern Iraq and six others wounded
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Qatar: No fatalities reported, 16 injured
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence says it has intercepted and destroyed two drones over the Eastern Province.
Eid al-Fitr has come to Gaza during a so-called ceasefire after more than two years of war, bringing an overwhelming yet incomplete sense of happiness and an uncertain peace, amid haunting memories of loss.
One of the two major Islamic holidays, Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. For people like me, who were born and raised in Gaza and have survived repeated Israeli escalations and nearly two decades of blockade, it is a time to remind the world that we are human beings capable of celebrating, just like others around the globe.
Preparations for Eid in Gaza typically start in the middle of Ramadan: streets fill with shoppers searching for new clothes, sweets and nuts, as merchants rush to sell their goods before the holiday.
As the month draws to a close, the smell of sumagiyya, a tangy sumac-flavoured Palestinian stew with origins in Gaza, fills the air, as grandmothers prepare large quantities to share with relatives and neighbours on the first day of Eid.
Read more: Eid in Gaza: Despite immense loss, we deserve to celebrate
A military source told Tasnim News Agency that Iran has shifted its strategy, signalling a move beyond a policy of proportional retaliation.
The source said Tehran now intends to raise the cost of any attack, warning that future responses will be broader and more damaging.
"The enemy must have realized by now that if they attack one infrastructure, we will attack several of their infrastructures; if they attack a refinery or gas facility, we will attack several similar facilities and teach them a crushing lesson."
The source added: "Iran responds to every mistake of the enemy with surprise and sets their interests on fire."
Israeli media report that at least 20 people have been injured following an Iranian missile attack on Dimona in southern Israel.
Israel’s Channel 12 said the casualties resulted from strikes in and around the area, as tensions continue to escalate between Iran and Israel.
Details remain limited, and there has been no immediate official confirmation from Israeli authorities on the extent of the damage or the condition of those wounded.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan held talks in Riyadh on Thursday, on the sideline of a summit of Islamic countries, and discussed ways to combine their strengths for the first time.
Turkey has, since last year, been seeking a security pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, a Pakistani minister said in a statement that such a deal had been in the pipeline for nearly a year.
Turkish sources familiar with the issue previously told Middle East Eye that Ankara was also trying to bring Egypt into the arrangement. The sources said the agreement would not mirror the guarantees and commitments of Nato, but would instead serve as a security platform to enable greater cooperation in the defence industry and broader defence matters.
"We are exploring how, as countries with a certain degree of influence in the region, we can combine our strengths to solve problems," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.
Read more: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan meet as Ankara pushes for a security pact
