World News in Brief: Syria human rights update, Cuba post-hurricane support still vital, impunity and violence in Myanmar - UN News

Forces from the military junta reportedly hit Kyauktaw township around midday on Monday, when the market’s more than 200 shops were busy with vendors, customers and transport workers Women and children were among the dead and at least 58 people were injured, many critically. The toll is expected to rise. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the attack raised serious concerns about respect for international humanitarian law, describing Myanmar as a country “wracked by extreme violence”. He highlighted abuses against the Rohingya in particular by both the army and the opposition Arakan Army armed group. Malaysia urged to stop deportationsThe strike came hours before Malaysia began implementing a plan to deport some 5,000 Myanmar nationals. The plan follows a reported agreement between Myanmar’s military rulers and Kuala Lumpur, which Malaysia has said would involve only voluntary repatriations. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says it has not been involved in identifying those being returned, who have reportedly been held in detention centres. Mr. Türk urged the authorities to halt the process immediately, warning that conditions in Myanmar are “far from safe and sustainable”.

The US military struck rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, days after US President Donald Trump announced that American forces had cleared all mines from the crucial trade route. The US said the weekend strikes were aimed at preventing Iran from laying new mines. After Iranian missiles launched towards Jordan in retaliation were intercepted, the US struck targets it claims were linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to Iranian authorities, US strikes hit a wedding party in Kuhestak on Wednesday, killing at least four and injuring 68 more. The US military said it is investigating the incident and that it never targets civilians. The latest exchange marks a major escalation in the conflict that began in February, when the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran. Condemnation from GuterresUN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern over the escalation and reported rise in civilian casualties, including at the wedding party. “The Secretary-General condemns all attacks against civilians,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.