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The army says an airbase, cargo warehouse and some civilian facilities were targeted in Port Sudan in the first RSF attack in the eastern city.

Sudan’s army says the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked a military airbase and other facilities in the vicinity of Port Sudan airport.

The army said on Sunday that the airbase was targeted using a drone, as well as a cargo warehouse and some civilian facilities, in the first attack in the eastern city by the RSF.

There are reports of some damage after drones hit an ammunition depot.

“Both the civilian and military airports are in the same place. What we know from residents in the port city is that five drones were launched by the RSF and targeted the airbase,” Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan said, reporting from the capital, Khartoum.

“There is a section of the airport that is for civilian flights, but there are military flights that land in the same airport. So, it’s not clear if the drones were targeting the military or civilian facilities or both,” she said.

“There are no reports of civilian casualties yet, and it’s not clear if the RSF was trying to target the fighter jet that was displayed in an air force show there on Saturday afternoon.”

A Sudanese passenger plane was redirected to Jeddah Airport after being unable to land at Port Sudan Airport, according to navigation data from Flight Radar.

The data showed that the plane took off from Dubai International Airport but had to change its route and make an emergency landing at King Abdulaziz International Airport. The plane performed a circular maneuver over the Red Sea before heading back towards Jeddah.

Sudan’s army and the RSF have been engaged in intense fighting since April 2023, with the war damaging the country’s infrastructure and displacing millions.

Thousands of Israelis have gathered outside the Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv, urging the government to prioritise the release of captives still held in Gaza instead of escalating military operations in the Palestinian territory.

The demonstration on Saturday was held as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government authorised the mobilisation of up to 60,000 reserve troops, signalling plans to intensify its assault on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

One protester held aloft a placard castigating Netanyahu that read, “our tyrant is a liar, because of him the state is on fire”.

Government officials claim an expanded military offensive on Gaza will pressure Hamas into releasing the 59 remaining captives, but critics argue it further endangers their lives. Ending the fleeting ceasefire, which saw Palestinian prisoners exchanged for Israeli captives earlier this year, has not led to any more releases.

A video circulated by Hamas on Saturday purported to show one of the Israeli captives, whom local media identified as Maxim Herkin. In the four-minute video posted online, Herkin is seen being rescued by Hamas members after an Israeli attack struck a tunnel, burying and injuring the Israeli captive.

Families of the captives released a statement saying they spent the Sabbath gripped by “excruciating anxiety” after news of the government’s planned escalation and the effect it could have on those still held in Gaza.

The Bring Them Home Campaign, a group representing the relatives, condemned the move as reckless.

“Israel is on its way to sinking into the Gaza mud in the name of the illusion that it is possible to achieve any victory without returning our brothers and sisters from captivity,” the group said in a post on X. “Expanding the fighting will endanger the kidnapped, the living and the dead alike.”

They urged Netanyahu to abandon the offensive and instead reach an agreement that would secure the captives’ return. “Stop this mistake,” the group said.

‘Protests not enough to influence Netanyahu’

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Israeli journalist Gideon Levy said the protest movement remains consistent, but lacks the momentum to challenge Netanyahu’s coalition. “It’s the same old protest, very courageous and devoted, but not big enough to influence Netanyahu,” Levy said.

He noted that a large segment of Israeli society continues to support the war effort, even amid rising frustration from the captives’ families, and that “when [Israelis] are called to war, they will obey.”

Netanyahu, speaking Thursday at a public event in Jerusalem, seemed to suggest that defeating Hamas remains Israel’s top priority instead of the release of captives. “We want to bring all our hostages home,” he said. “The war has a supreme goal, and the supreme goal is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve.”

Captives’ families have accused Netanyahu of undermining previous attempts to reach a truce and swap deal. Some believe his refusal to compromise reflects political motives, aimed at ensuring the survival of his far-right coalition government, rather than genuine concern for the captives.

Foreign Minister Araghchi insists Iran’s nuclear activities are civilian in nature.

Iran has defended its right to enrich uranium, doubling down on a long-held stance as the next round of nuclear negotiations with the United States in Oman were abruptly delayed.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to social media on Saturday to declare, “Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle,” referencing the country’s membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

He added, “There are several NPT members which enrich uranium while wholly rejecting nuclear weapons,” underlining Iran’s argument that its nuclear activities are civilian in nature.

“Maximalist positioning and incendiary rhetoric achieve nothing except eroding the chances of success,” added Araghchi, in reference to the US position that Iran must stop all enrichment activities.

In a Thursday interview with Fox News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Iran to halt its enrichment efforts, arguing, “the only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons.” However, countries like Germany, Japan and Brazil also conduct enrichment without possessing nuclear arsenals.

The comments come after a fourth round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed.

I generally refrain from airing arguments on key negotiation elements through the media.

What I will say is that repeating falsehoods will not change basic facts. As a founding signatory to the NPT, Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle. Moreover, there…

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 2, 2025

Oman, acting as a mediator, cited “logistical reasons” for the delay. A new date remains unconfirmed, with one Iranian official telling the Reuters news agency it would depend on “the US approach”.

The setback follows a new wave of US sanctions tied to Iran’s oil sales and alleged continued support for Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Tehran responded by accusing Washington of sending “contradictory messages” that undermined diplomacy.

France added to the uncertainty earlier this week when Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot claimed Iran was “on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons” – a charge Tehran dismissed as “simply absurd”.

Iran, which insists it does not seek a bomb, has consistently maintained its nuclear programme complies with IAEA oversight.

Araghchi reiterated that Iran’s right to enrich was “non-negotiable”, even as IAEA chief Rafael Grossi suggested on Wednesday that any enriched material in Iran could be either dissolved or exported if a deal were reached.

The diplomatic deadlock comes as global powers weigh whether meaningful progress can still be achieved on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by world powers, which collapsed after the US, under the first Donald Trump presidential term, unilaterally abandoned it in 2018.

The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) saw Iran curtail its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.