A Russian Airbus carrying at least 62 passengers, left for the Urals at Moscow airport found crashed, since this aeroplane was lost from the radar screens. The Saratov Airlines An-148 regional jet was en route to the city of Orsk when it vanished. An emergency services source has told Interfax news agency the plane crashed and there was “no chance” anyone could have survived. There were also six crew members aboard, the source added. The source said the jet had come down near the village of Argunovo, about 80km (50 miles) south-east of Moscow.

Israel says it has inflicted huge damage on Syrian air defenses after one of its fighter jets was brought down during a raid over Syria. The response was the “most significant attack” of its kind against Syria since the 1982 Lebanon war, said senior Israeli air force general Tomer Bar. The F-16 jet went down during a mission that followed an Iranian drone launch into Israeli territory, Israel says. The two pilots parachuted to safety before the crash in northern Israel. Israel says it responded with a second wave of strikes on both Syrian and Iranian military targets operating inside Syria. Israeli air strikes in Syria are not unusual, but the loss of an Israeli fighter jet marks a serious escalation.

Why is there a war in Syria?

Later on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with his military chiefs. He said Israel wanted peace but would defend itself “against any attack against us or any attempt by Iran to establish itself against us in Syria”. In other developments: A Turkish helicopter was shot down as the country continued its offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria. Two soldiers on board were killed, the Turkish military says UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said the past week was one of the bloodiest in Syria since the conflict began in 2011 – with at least 277 civilian deaths reported

How did events unfold on Saturday morning?

Israel’s military says one of its combat helicopters downed an Iranian drone infiltrating Israel. It tweeted footage of the incident. Israeli aircraft then attacked Syrian and “Iranian targets in Syria”, the military says. Syria’s state media say air defenses opened fire in response to an Israeli attack on a military base, hitting more than one plane. The damaged F-16 came down in an empty field near the town of Harduf in northern Israel. It is unclear how exactly the plane was brought down. Gen Bar said it faced massive anti-aircraft fire, forcing the two pilots to eject. He said the crew did not report being hit before abandoning the aircraft. They were taken to hospital, one of them “severely injured”, the Israeli military said.

What did Israel do next?

Israel launched a second wave of strikes in Syria. Eight of the Syrian targets belonged to the fourth Syrian division near Damascus, IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said. All the Israeli aircraft from this sortie returned safely. “We are not looking to escalate the situation,” he added. Syria and its ally Iran deny that the drone entered Israel. Russia expressed “serious concern” over the Israeli air strikes and called for all sides to show restraint.

What is the Iranian presence in Syria?

Iran is Israel’s arch-enemy, and Iranian troops have been fighting rebel groups since 2011. Tehran has sent military advisers, volunteer militias and, reportedly, hundreds of fighters from its Quds Force, the overseas arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It is also believed to have supplied thousands of tonnes of weaponry and munitions to help President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, which is fighting on Syria’s side. Tehran has faced accusations that it is seeking to establish not just an arc of influence but a logistical land supply line from Iran through to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A powerful new element

For years Israel has been striking at weapons stores and other facilities in Syria with a single goal – to disrupt and, as far as possible, to prevent advanced Iranian missiles being delivered to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Syria has often been the conduit for these shipments, but the changing balance of power there, with the survival of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad bolstered by Iranian help, has introduced a powerful new element – a direct Iranian role in the crisis. But it is also alleged to be developing missile factories, both there and in Lebanon, to make the supply lines to Hezbollah less vulnerable. Israel’s campaign to disrupt missile supplies is becoming ever more complex. And Iran risks becoming a direct actor in this conflict, ever closer to Israel’s own borders

US Vice-President Mike Pence has skipped a dinner at which he was due to share a table with North Korea’s ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam. Mr Pence briefly encountered Mr Kim but they tried to avoid directly facing each other, Yonhap news agency reports. Meanwhile South Korean President Moon Jae-in has shaken hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The Games are taking place amid tension over North Korea’s nuclear programme. Mr Pence has brought to South Korea as a guest Fred Warmbier, the father of a young American who died after being released from prison in North Korea. Meanwhile on Thursday North Korea held a military parade that had been scheduled for April but was brought forward.

What happened at the dinner?

Mr Pence and Kim Yong-nam were being hosted by South Korean President Moon Jae-in before the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang. But the US vice-president left the reception venue after five minutes, South Korea’s Yonhap said. While Mr Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe both shook hands with Mr Kim, Mr Pence did not, South Korean officials said. What we’ve seen of Kim Yo-jong from North Korean media At the event Mr Moon said he hoped the Winter Olympics would be remembered as the “day peace began”. He is due to meet the North Korean delegation for talks on Saturday according to Yonhap. At the opening ceremony, Mr Pence, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-nam were seated in close proximity to each other.

Who is Kim Yo-jong?

The highest profile member of the North Korean delegation to the Games, she is the first immediate member of the North’s ruling family to visit the South since the 1950-1953 Korean war. Ms Kim, who is said to be very close to her brother, was promoted to the North’s powerful politburo last year. She is on a US sanctions list over alleged links to human rights abuses in North Korea. Ms Kim is thought to be about 30 years old, around four years younger than her brother. Her visit is being seen as a sign that Kim Jong-un is serious about improving ties with the South, the BBC’s South Korea correspondent Laura Bicker reports. She adds that some are also speculating that Ms Kim might be bringing a message from her brother.

How will the Koreas compete at the Games?

Athletes from both North and South Korea marched under one flag at the opening ceremony, bringing spectators to their feet. They are also fielding a joint women’s ice hockey team. Alongside 22 athletes, Pyongyang has sent more than 400 delegates to the Games, including a team of cheerleaders and an orchestra. However the opening ceremony was not shown on North Korean state TV, which was broadcasting patriotic songs and slogans celebrating industry and the armed forces.

Have relations warmed?

The sports diplomacy comes at a time of improved ties between the two Koreas, although experts have cautioned that it does not put an end to underlying regional tensions. The Korean peninsula has been divided since the 1950-53 war and the two sides have never signed a peace treaty.

Bangladeshi police have clashed with thousands of protesters, as opposition leader Khaleda Zia was jailed for five years for corruption. Ms Zia, a former prime minister, denies misusing international funds donated to a charitable children’s trust. The jail sentence may mean the 72-year-old is barred from parliamentary polls due later this year. The case is one of dozens pending against Ms Zia, a long-time rival of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Ms Zia has described the charges against her as politically motivated. As she went into court, she told weeping relatives: “I will be back. Do not worry and be strong”, are according to the Daily Star. The verdict was read out in a court in Dhaka after police used tear gas to disperse thousands of her supporters. Several police officers were injured in the violence, reports said. Ms Zia was led away to jail minutes after the verdict, bdnews24 reported. Her son Tarique Rahman was given 10 years in jail in absentia as he is in London. The same jail term was handed down to four of her aides. The trial against Ms Zia centered on $252,000 (£182,000) intended for an orphanage trust set up when she was prime minister. She was found guilty of embezzling the funds.  

The US has carried out rare air strikes on Syrian pro-government forces after what it called an “unprovoked attack” on allied Kurdish and Arab fighters. US officials estimated that 100 pro-government fighters were killed in the incident on Wednesday. They had allegedly tried to take ground east of the River Euphrates captured from the Islamic State group by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. State media said the US “aggression” left dozens of people dead or wounded. The Middle Euphrates River Valley serves as an informal demarcation line in eastern Syria, with the government controlling the western side and the SDF the east. There were several skirmishes in the valley last year, as both sides sought to drive IS militants from their last major stronghold in the country. “Coalition service members in an advise, assist, and accompany capacity were co-located with SDF partners during the attack 8km east of the agreed-upon Euphrates river de-confliction line,” a statement said. “In defense of coalition and partner forces, the coalition conducted strikes against attacking forces to repel the act of aggression,” it added, asserting its “non-negotiable right to act in self-defence”. Unnamed US military officials subsequently told reporters that about 500 pro-government fighters, backed by artillery, tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems and mortars, were involved in the assault. One SDF fighter was reportedly wounded in the incident. There were no American casualties. “We suspect Syrian pro-regime forces were attempting to seize terrain SDF had liberated from [IS] in September 2017,” one official told Reuters news agency. The forces were “likely seeking to seize oilfields in Khusham that had been a major source of revenue for [IS] from 2014 to 2017, the official added. The US-led coalition had observed a slow build-up of pro-government forces in the area over the past week and had alerted Russia, which backs the Syrian government, to the presence of SDF forces in the area, according to the official. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, confirmed there had been an attack on SDF positions near the town of Khusham, 10km (6 miles) south-east of Deir al-Zour city, and put the death toll at about 20. On Thursday morning, Syrian state media reported that the US-led coalition had bombed “popular forces” fighting IS and SDF forces east of the River Euphrates, denouncing what they called a “new aggression” and “an attempt to support terrorism”. An Al-Ikhbariyah TV correspondent said the bombing left “dozens of dead and wounded” and identified the pro-government fighters as “local people”.