World News

Over 71% of Lebanon’s population risks losing access to safe water – UNICEF

The United Nations warned that more than four million people in Lebanon, including one million refugees risked losing access to safe water as shortages of funding, fuel and supplies affect…

Read More Here

Israeli troops kill Palestinian teen in West Bank clash – Palestinian officials

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian teenager during a clash in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The violence…

Read More Here

Olympics – Israelis killed at 1972 Munich Games remembered in opening ceremony

TOKYO, July 23 (Reuters) - Israeli Olympic team members killed by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Munich Olympics were remembered during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on Friday with a…

Read More Here

Israel to reimpose coronavirus ‘Green Pass’ as Delta variant hits

Israel announced plans to allow only people who are deemed immune to COVID-19 or have recently tested negative to enter some public spaces such as restaurants, gyms and synagogues after…

Read More Here

Israel eyes spyware export curbs; Macron, Merkel troubled by abuse reports

An Israeli parliamentary panel may seek changes to defence export policy over reports that software sold by Israel's NSO Group was used to spy on journalists, officials and rights activists…

Read More Here

Israel seeks to tax disposables to reduce plastic use

JERUSALEM, July 19 (Reuters) - Israel plans to impose a steep purchase tax on disposable utensils to discourage their use and protect the environment, government agencies said on Monday. "We…

Read More Here

Israel’s FM Lapid says will travel to Morocco in late July

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday he will travel to Morocco at the end of July, the first official visit by Israel's top diplomat to the Arab state…

Read More Here

Liberals in Israeli government to discuss NSO spyware with defence minister

JERUSALEM, July 19 (Reuters) - A liberal party in Israel's governing coalition said on Monday it would ask the Defence Ministry about exports of Israeli spyware that media reports have…

Read More Here

Lebanon says consultations on new government will start next week

Lebanon's presidency said parliamentary consultations to choose a new prime minister will begin on July 26 in another attempt to push Lebanon’s fractious political class to form the country’s next…

Read More Here

Israeli firm’s spyware used to target journalists’ cell phones

An Israeli company's spyware was used in attempted and successful hacks of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials and human rights activists around the world, according to an investigation…

Read More Here

Lebanon faces even tougher times

France urged Lebanon on Friday to designate a prime minister as soon as possible after Saad al-Hariri abandoned efforts to form a government, but prospects for a new cabinet being…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Lebanon’s PM-designate Hariri says he has given up on cabinet formation

Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri abandoned his effort to form a new government on Thursday, saying it was clear he would not be able to reach an agreement with President Michel…

Read More Here

Risk of ‘catastrophic’ coronavirus surge in Middle East- WHO

A surge of coronavirus cases in several Middle Eastern countries could have dire consequences, aggravated by the spread of the Delta variant and low vaccine availability, the World Health Organisation…

Read More Here

Living with COVID-19: Israel changes strategy as Delta variant hits

Four weeks ago, Israel was celebrating a return to normal life in its battle with COVID-19. After a rapid vaccination drive that had driven down coronavirus infections and deaths, Israelis had stopped wearing…

Read More Here

Jordan jails two senior figures convicted of plotting coup

A Jordanian court on Monday sentenced a former royal confidant, Bassem Awadallah, and a minor royal, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, to 15 years in jail on charges of attempting to…

Read More Here

Jordan sees hopes of tourism revival after 2020 collapse

Hoping for customers, Ahmad Nassar is dusting and polishing the trinkets and souvenirs in his tourist shop in Madaba, an ancient town in central Jordan known for its early Christian…

Read More Here

Schooling crisis in Lebanon as teachers flee

Sorbonne-educated Chryssoula Fayad spent nearly two decades teaching history and geography at Lebanon's elite French schools, ultimately heading departments. Now she is a substitute teacher in Paris, part of an…

Read More Here

Israel offers third shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to adults at risk

Israel said on Sunday it will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer Inc's vaccine to adults with weak immune systems but it was still weighing whether to make the…

Read More Here

Herzog takes office as Israel’s 11th president

Isaac Herzog took office on Wednesday as Israel’s 11th president after a day of ceremonies with outgoing President Reuven Rivlin. During his term in office, Rivlin consistently scored high public…

Read More Here

Israel’s new government dealt blow in controversial citizenship vote

Israel failed on Tuesday to renew a controversial law that bars granting citizenship or residency to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank or Gaza who are married to Israeli citizens,…

Read More Here

Lebanon is “days away” from social explosion, PM Diab warns

Lebanon is a few days away from a "social explosion", caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Tuesday, calling on the international community to save the country. Diab, in a speech…

Read More Here

Israel sees drop in Pfizer vaccine protection against infections

Israel reported on Monday a decrease in the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in preventing infections and symptomatic illness but said it remained highly effective in preventing serious illness. The decline…

Read More Here

Israeli officials say cargo ship possibly attacked en route to UAE- Israeli media

JERUSALEM/DUBAI, July 3 (Reuters) - Israeli defence officials were checking whether Iranian forces were behind a possible attack on a cargo ship under partial Israeli ownership on Saturday on its…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Palestinian youth participate in military summer camp in Gaza City

Palestinians youths take part in a military summer camp organized by members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam brigade - the military wing of Hamas - in Gaza City, 01 July…

Read More Here

Israel strikes Hamas site in Gaza

Israeli aircraft bombed a Hamas site in the Gaza Strip overnight in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave, Israel's military said on Friday. There were no immediate…

Read More Here

Pope, Lebanon Christian heads begin summit on country’s crisis

Pope Francis and Lebanon's Christian leaders began a summit on Thursday to discuss how religion can help the country overcome its worst crisis since its civil war ended in 1990.…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Israel seeks to extend new Gulf ties to all Middle East, says Lapid

Israel's foreign minister said on Wednesday his visit to the United Arab Emirates was just the start of a road to peace with other Middle East countries, signalling an offer…

Read More Here

Police, Palestinians clash as Israel begins demolition in Jerusalem’s Silwan

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel demolished a Palestinian shop in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan on Tuesday, triggering scuffles between police and protesters who accused authorities of discriminatory enforcement of…

Read More Here

Lebanon raises fuel prices in bid to ease shortages

BEIRUT, June 29 (Reuters) - Lebanon's government raised fuel prices by more than a third on Tuesday, a move aimed at alleviating crippling shortages but which will mount pressure on…

Read More Here

Blinken: ‘Untenable’ for 10,000 IS fighters still to be held in Syria

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that 10,000 Islamic State fighters continue to be held in detention in camps run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),…

Read More Here

U.S. troops come under fire in Syria after strikes against Iran-backed militias

US troops came under rocket fire in Syria on Monday, but escaped injury, in apparent retaliation for weekend U.S. air strikes against Iran-aligned militia in Syria and Iraq. A U.S. military spokesman said U.S.…

Read More Here

U.S. carries out air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Syria

The United States said on Sunday it carried out another round of air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq andSyria, this time in response to drone attacks by the militia against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. In a statement, the U.S. military said it…

Read More Here

Syrian refugee girls face ‘dangerous’ child marriage trend, says charity

Syrian refugee girls are increasingly at risk of child marriage due to a surge in pandemic-linked poverty, legal loopholes and long-term displacement in countries across the Middle East and North…

Read More Here

Israel requires masks indoors again as Delta variant drives up cases

Israel told its citizens on Friday they must again wear masks indoors, 10 days after being allowed to ditch them, amid a sustained surge in coronavirus infections attributed to the…

Read More Here

Pfizer says COVID vaccine highly effective against Delta variant

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is highly effective against the Delta variant of COVID-19, a Pfizer official in Israel said on Thursday. First identified in India, Delta is becoming the globally dominant…

Read More Here

Delta variant prompts Israeli rethink of quarantine waiver for COVID vaccinees

Israel empowered health officials on Wednesday to quarantine anyone deemed to have been exposed to an especially infectious variant of COVID-19 even if they were previously vaccinated against or recovered…

Read More Here

Israel urges vaccination for all teens, citing Delta variant

Israel recommended that all 12-15 year-olds be vaccinated against COVID-19, citing new outbreaks attributed to the more infectious Delta variant. Israel expanded vaccine eligibility to include adolescents last month but until…

Read More Here

Israel says COVID-19 vaccines rejected by Palestinians were safe

COVID-19 vaccines delivered by Israel and then rejected by the Palestinian Authority (PA) over their expiration date were fine, the Israeli health ministry said on Saturday. Israel and the PA…

Read More Here

EU warns Lebanon’s leaders of sanctions over ‘home-made’ crisis

The European Union's foreign policy chief told Lebanon's leaders on Saturday they were to blame for the country's political and economic crisis and some could face sanctions if they continue…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Israel says COVID-19 vaccines rejected by Palestinians were safe

COVID-19 vaccines delivered by Israel and then rejected by the Palestinian Authority (PA) over their expiration date were fine, the Israeli health ministry said on Saturday. Israel and the PA…

Read More Here

Photo Story – General strike in Lebanon

A roadblock made of garbage bins during a general strike, in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 June 2021. The strike was called by the General Labor Union in all Lebanese governorates to…

Read More Here

Israel to give Palestinians 1 mln COVID vaccine doses in exchange deal

Israel will give at least 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Palestinian Authority (PA) under a deal to share shots, officials said on Friday, in a boost for the…

Read More Here

Israel keen to establish ties with SE Asia’s Muslim nations

Israel is willing to work towards establishing ties with Southeast Asia's Muslim majority nations, its ambassador to Singapore said on Thursday, despite their condemnation in May of Israeli air strikes…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Israel strikes Hamas sites over fire balloons, challenging truce

Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza on Wednesday after incendiary balloons were launched from the Palestinian enclave in the first such attacks since a fragile ceasefire ended 11 days…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Reactions to Israel’s new unity government

Israeli activists and supporters of a new government during a rally outside the Israeli Knesset (parliament) ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new government at the Israel Knesset in…

Read More Here

New Israeli government approves nationalist march in Jerusalem

Israel's new government on Monday approved a Jewish nationalist march in Jerusalem, a step that risks inflaming tensions with Palestinians hours after veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu handed over power to…

Read More Here

Who’s who in Israel’s new patchwork coalition government

Israel's new government is a hodgepodge of political parties that had little in common other than a desire to unseat veteran right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The coalition, sworn in…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Israel’s new government begins, Netanyahu era ends

The first Israeli government in 12 years not led by Benjamin Netanyahu got down to business on Monday, with the former prime minister shying away from a handover ceremony with…

Read More Here

New Israeli government wins majority vote, ending Netanyahu tenure

Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year run as Israel's prime minister ended on Sunday with parliament approving a new "government of change" led by nationalist Naftali Bennett. Heading into opposition, Netanyahu, 71, the…

Read More Here

Out, but not down, Netanyahu could be tough opposition leader

Long the familiar face of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu is headed to the political sidelines after serving as prime minister for more than a decade. But even as he battles in…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Israel’s Knesset to vote on new government, end Netanyahu’s record reign

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12-year hold on power was set to end on Sunday when parliament votes on a new government, ushering in an administration that has pledged…

Read More Here

New Israeli government seals coalition deals as Netanyahu era approaches its end

The new Israeli government set to end Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year tenure as prime minister signed its final coalition agreements on Friday, pointedly including term limits. The coalition of parties from…

Read More Here

Netanyahu faces end of rule in parliamentary vote on new government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an end to his long hold on power in Israel on Sunday when the country's legislature votes on approving an improbable government of diverse parties that came together to unseat him. "It's happening!"…

Read More Here

French prosecutors open probe into Lebanese bank governor – AFP

French prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into money laundering allegations against Lebanon's central bank governor, Agence France-Presse reported on Sunday. Riad Salameh is under investigation in relation to possible…

Read More Here

Israel domestic security warns of violence as Netanyahu faces unseating

The head of Israel's domestic security service issued a rare warning on Saturday of possible violence during one of the most politically charged periods in decades, with the country on…

Read More Here

Lebanese president says central bank directive on bank withdrawals still in force

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Thursday a directive allowing depositors to withdraw from their dollar accounts at a fixed rate of 3,900 to the dollar was still in force.…

Read More Here

Israel is set for a change of government. Who? When? Why?

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is on the verge of being toppled from power after more than a decade in office. The 71-year-old right-winger looks set to be ousted…

Read More Here