Reuters

Beyond Israel's stated goal of destroying what it calls an existential threat from Iran's nuclear capabilities with its attacks on Friday, Benjamin Netanyahu has a wider aim - regime change in Tehran.

Warning sirens sounded across Israel on Friday as Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles in a retaliatory attack after Israel launched overnight airstrikes.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive and is being continuously briefed about the situation, a security source told Reuters, following an Israeli attack on Iran early on Friday.

An Air India plane with more than 200 people on board crashed near the airport in India's western city of Ahmedabad, the airline and police officials said on Thursday, without specifying whether there were any fatalities.

Middle East leaders and their Western allies have been warning that ISIS could exploit the fall of the Assad regime to stage a comeback in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, where the extremist group once imposed a reign of terror over millions.

A Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty on a sex crimes charge on Wednesday, though the jury has not yet reached a verdict on all counts the former movie mogul faces in deliberations that have been marred by infighting and threats.

A group of activists – including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg – who were detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat, have been taken to a Tel Aviv airport for deportation, Israel said on Tuesday.

Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the war-torn Gaza Strip on Monday and the boat with its crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, is now heading to a port in Israel.