Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls protesters ‘vandals’ and ‘saboteurs’ and blames US for instigating the unrest

Iran’s supreme leader has vowed that authorities will not back down in the face of a rapidly growing protest movement, setting the stage for an intensified violent crackdown on the second day of a nationwide internet shutdown.

Protests have raged in cities and towns across the country in recent days, posing a threat to the authority of the regime, which has been significantly weakened since the last large protest movement in the country in 2022. Another round of demonstrations was called for Friday night.

Military opens window for civilians to leave as Kurdish groups turn down demand their fighters withdraw from city

Syria’s army says it will renew attacks against a Kurdish-majority district of Aleppo where clashes have raged this week, after Kurdish groups rejected Damascus’s ceasefire terms that demanded their fighters withdraw from the city.

The army said it would target military sites used by Kurdish fighters in the Sheikh Maqsoud district, announcing the opening of a humanitarian corridor from 4pm (1300 GMT) to 6pm on Friday for civilians to leave.

Security forces reported to have killed at least 45 people since protests began 12 days ago, as pressure on regime increases

Iran was plunged into a complete internet blackout on Thursday night as protests over economic conditions spread nationwide, increasing pressure on the country’s leadership.

While it was unclear what caused the internet cut, first reported by the internet freedom monitor NetBlocks, Iranian authorities have shut down the internet in response to protests in the past.

People told to leave three areas as fears grow of wider conflict between government and Kurdish authorities

The Syrian army ordered civilians to evacuate neighbourhoods of Aleppo on Thursday after fighting with Kurdish forces entered its third day, deepening the rift between the Syrian government and the US-backed Kurdish authorities in Syria.

The Syrian government urged people to leave the three contested neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zeid by early afternoon, opening humanitarian corridors and displacement shelters to facilitate their exit. The Syrian army said it would begin military operations against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after the deadline, and issued maps showing specific areas that needed to be evacuated.

People face teargas, pellet guns and violence as protests continue and opposition parties call for general strike

Demonstrations over economic conditions broke out in Kurdish regions of Iran on Wednesday despite authorities using violence to try to disperse protests before an announced general strike, according to witnesses and rights groups.

Protesters took to the streets across Kurdish cities in western Iran, with shopkeepers shutting down stores and demonstrators chanting against government corruption. People said they were met with force as authorities fired teargas, pellet guns and what demonstrators said were live bullets at crowds.

Nationwide protests continue to grow as rights groups accuse authorities of cracking down on demonstrators

Iranian security forces have clashed with protesters staging a sit-in at Tehran’s grand bazaar, firing teargas and expelling demonstrators as the nationwide protest movement continued to grow in its 10th day.

The violence on Tuesday at a location that carries historical symbolism as an activist hub during the country’s 1979 revolution comes as rights groups accuse authorities of cracking down on protesters.

Shop owners report fewer travellers while bars and wineries hope for legal clarity on alcohol sale

Abu Ali spent the first hours after the toppling of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad boxing up his merchandise. Old-regime bumper stickers, mugs with Assad’s face, T-shirts on which Russian and Syrian flags faded into each other – it all had to go.

A year later, the weathered tourist shop on the boardwalk of the Syrian coastal city of Tartous has entirely new products. The shelves are lined with the new three-star Syrian flag, mother-of-pearl jewellery boxes engraved with revolutionary slogans, and pictures of rebel fighters killed during the country’s 14-year civil war.

Donald Trump’s capture of Nicolás Maduro follows months of military campaign and years of strained relationship

• US attacks Venezuela – live updates

The US carried out airstrikes across Venezuela overnight on Friday, with explosions rocking the capital, Caracas, before dawn. Shortly afterwards, Donald Trump announced that US forces had captured the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flown them out of the country.

The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, said they would face trial in New York on charges of involvement in narco-terrorism. A fresh indictment was issued on Saturday.

US president lauds ‘brilliant operation’ on social media as attorney general says couple will face criminal charges

• US attacks Venezuela – live updates

• What we know so far about the attack

• Watch: Aircraft fly low over Caracas as explosions hit city

Donald Trump has said the US “captured” Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flew them out of the South American country during a pre-dawn assault on Caracas and the surrounding region.

“It was a brilliant operation, actually,” the US president told the New York Times after witnesses in Venezuela reported a series of explosions. “A lot of good planning and [a] lot of great, great troops and great people.”

Ailing economy sparks biggest uprising in years, with protesters saying it’s time to hit regime when it’s at its weakest

Mehnaz was too young to protest when Mahsa Amini died in police custody three years ago after she was arrested for allegedly wearing the hijab improperly. Her mother did not let her join the throngs of crowds chanting “woman, life, freedom” in Tehran and across the country – so she could only watch at home as they were beaten back by batons and bullets.

Since then, the 19-year-old computer science student in Tehran has waited for the chance to join fellow Iranians in protest. On Sunday, the moment finally came.