Middle East

Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US

US President Donald Trump sought to shape expectations ahead of his first meeting in months with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by stressing Israel’s reliance on American support and dismissing…

Read More Here

EasyJet profits plunge as Middle East conflict hits travel demand

Budget airline EasyJet has reported a sharp fall in quarterly profits after the conflict in the Middle East drove up fuel costs and dented consumer confidence, adding fresh pressure on…

Read More Here

Trump allows direct US flights to Lebanon in historic move

The US will allow direct flights to Lebanon, President Donald Trump announced.It comes over 40 years after the US suspended direct flights between the two countries in 1985, during US…

Read More Here

Iran strikes eastern Syria, in first such attack during current war

Iran struck eastern Syria on Friday, Iranian state media and a Syrian military source said, in the first ‌known attack by Tehran on Syrian territory since a regional war erupted…

Read More Here

UPDATED-Bomb attack rocks Damascus during Macron visit

Two bombs exploded near a hotel ‌in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron had spent the night, but his office said he did not hear the explosions and he met…

Read More Here

Netanyahu to run for re-election, his party says

Benjamin Netanyahu will seek re-election this year, his party announced on Wednesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wasn't sure if the Israeli prime minister would stand again. In…

Read More Here

Oil falls as Lebanon and Israel agree on a ceasefire

Oil prices fell on Thursday as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon boosted hopes for a broader agreement to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that could lead to…

Read More Here

Israel says it killed Hamas’ new armed wing chief in Gaza

Israel said on Wednesday it had killed Hamas's newly appointed armed wing chief in Gaza, days after it killed his predecessor, while intensifying military pressure in Gaza and expanding operations…

Read More Here

Trump links Abraham Accords to any Iran deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he asked Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords en masse to normalize relations with ‌Israel…

Read More Here

Far-right Israeli minister condemned for taunting handcuffed Gaza flotilla activists

There has been international condemnation of Israel's treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces. The US, the UK, France, Italy…

Read More Here

Israel, Lebanon extend ceasefire as Trump seeks ‘best deal’ with Iran

Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire for three weeks at a meeting at the White House brokered by President Donald Trump, who said he was prepared to wait for "the…

Read More Here

Israel needs to stop encouraging settler violence, Palestinian FM says

The Palestinian foreign ministersaid that Israel has a responsibility to protect Palestinians in the West Bank, but instead supports settler violence. She also argued that the war involving Iran has…

Read More Here

Lebanon will only take part in talks with Israel if ceasefire already in place, official tells BBC

Lebanon will only participate in planned talks with Israel next week if a ceasefire is firmly in place beforehand, according to a senior official speaking to the BBC. The condition…

Read More Here

As US and Iran talk truce, Israel digs in for a ‘forever war’

Even as the U.S. and Iran seek to cement a ceasefire, Israel is seizing more territory from its neighbours in preparation for a long, drawn-out conflict across the Middle East.…

Read More Here

Ukraine and Syria to cooperate on security

The leaders of Ukraine and Syria have pledged greater security cooperation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Kyiv offers its military expertise to governments across the Middle East region amid the…

Read More Here

Israel says it will keep control over part of southern Lebanon

Israel’s defense minister has announced plans to establish a buffer zone within southern Lebanon, stating that Israel will maintain security control over part of the territory even after the current…

Read More Here

Three UN peacekeepers killed in Lebanon as Israeli strikes pummel south

Three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend in which Lebanese journalists and medics were killed in Israeli strikes.…

Read More Here

Lebanon Labels Israeli Campaign an ‘Invasion’ as Crisis Deepens

Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghassan Salamé has described Israel’s military campaign in southern Lebanon as an “invasion”, saying entire villages have been destroyed and more than one million people displaced. Speaking…

Read More Here

Israel Expands Southern Lebanon Control in Escalation Against Hezbollah

Israel has announced that its forces will take control of a large portion of southern Lebanon as part of an intensified campaign against Hezbollah, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz.…

Read More Here

US pulling non-essential staff from embassy in Beirut amid Iran tensions

The State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the U.S. embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said, amid growing concerns about…

Read More Here

Israel reopens Gaza’s Rafah border crossing to Egypt, with tight limits

Israel reopened the border between Gaza and Egypt on Monday for a limited number of people on foot, allowing a small number of Palestinians to leave the enclave and some…

Read More Here

Renewed Violence in Gaza Despite Ceasefire

On Saturday, Israel carried out its most severe airstrikes in Gaza in recent weeks, resulting in the deaths of at least 32 individuals, as reported by Palestinian health officials. Continuation…

Read More Here

Developments in Gaza: Diplomatic Efforts, Ongoing Conflict, and the Rafah Crossing

United States envoy Steve Witkoff announced that he and his colleague Jared Kushner held "constructive" discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These talks occurred as Israel maintained its deadly…

Read More Here

Mass breakout of ISIS fighters from prision in Syria

Syria's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that about 120 Islamic State detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after the Kurdish website Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic…

Read More Here

Israel sees spike in PTSD and suicide among troops as war persists

Israel is grappling with a dramatic increase in post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide among its troops after its two-year assault on Gaza, precipitated by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack…

Read More Here

US launches phase two of plan to end Gaza conflict, including creation of transitional authority

Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has announced the launch of phase two of the plan to end the conflict in Gaza. It includes disarming Hamas, rebuilding the war-ravaged territory…

Read More Here

US carries out strikes in Syria

The United States conducted extensive strikes against ISIS targets in Syria on Saturday. This was part of an ongoing operation referred to as “Operation Hawkeye Strike.” According to a statement…

Read More Here

Somalia condemns Israeli minister’s Somaliland visit

Israel's foreign minister is the first official to visit Somaliland following Israel's controversial recognition of the breakaway region as a sovereign state. Gideon Saar met Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi…

Read More Here

Suspected Islamic State facility in Syria targeted in joint operation between UK and France

The British Ministry of Defence announced its joint operation with France on Saturday night. They targeted an underground facility in Syria. This facility is believed to be used by the…

Read More Here

Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026

Israel said it had suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration…

Read More Here

Trump warns Iran of possible strike

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States could support another major strike on Iran were it to resume rebuilding its ballistic missile or nuclear weapons programs and…

Read More Here

Islamic State embraces AI to produce fake content and recruit new members

Islamic State-linked groups began experimenting with artificial intelligence soon after tools such as ChatGPT became widely available, and their use of the technology has since grown more sophisticated, according to…

Read More Here

Israel Signals Tough Stance on Hezbollah as Ceasefire Anniversary Approaches

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US envoy for Lebanon affairs Morgan Ortagus amid rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Intelligence Chief Maj.…

Read More Here

Pope urges Middle East to reject ‘horror of war’ at end of first overseas trip

In a country still grappling with conflict, economic collapse and the trauma of the 2020 port explosion, Pope Leo XIV used the final moments of his Middle East visit to…

Read More Here

Netanyahu requests presidential pardon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon, marking a rare step in the country’s political and legal history. Herzog's office said Sunday that…

Read More Here

Lebanon, Cyprus sign maritime demarcation deal, paving way for possible energy exploration

Lebanon and Cyprus signed a long-awaited maritime demarcation deal on Wednesday, paving the way for potential exploration of offshore gas fields and energy cooperation in the Mediterranean. Lebanese President Joseph…

Read More Here

Hamas attack victims sue Binance for allegedly allowing payments to militant group

Victims of Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel sued Binance and its founder Changpeng Zhao, accusing them of facilitating millions of dollars in payments to the group and other U.S.-designated…

Read More Here

Israel kills Hezbollah military leader in Beirut strike

Israel killed militant group Hezbollah's top military official in an airstrike on a southern suburb of Beirut on Sunday, the Israeli military said, despite a U.S.-brokered truce a year ago.…

Read More Here

UN Security Council backs Trump’s peace plan in key vote

The U.N. Security Council adopted a U.S. resolution to authorize an international stabilization force for Gaza and back the Trump administration’s peace plan on Monday, a significant early step toward…

Read More Here

Hamas quietly reasserts control in Gaza

From regulating the price of chicken to levying fees on cigarettes, Hamas is seeking to widen control over Gaza as U.S. plans for its future slowly take shape, Gazans say,…

Read More Here

France to help Palestinians draft constitution for future state

France will help the Palestinian Authority draft a constitution for a future state, President Emmanuel Macron said after talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris. A number of major…

Read More Here

Five European countries call on imports ban from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine

The Netherlands is drafting legislation to ban imports from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine, despite pausing broader sanctions on Israel after last month’s Gaza ceasefire, Foreign Minister David van Weel…

Read More Here

White House, Palestinian officials disagree on aid reaching Gaza

The White House has claimed that nearly 15,000 trucks carrying commercial goods and humanitarian aid have entered Gaza since October 10, averaging 674 per day since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire began.…

Read More Here

Hezbollah rejects negotiations with Israel

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Thursday that the militia group had "a legitimate right to resist (Israeli) occupation", adding that it would support the Lebanese army. Hezbollah also said that, while…

Read More Here

US may ask UN to mandate international force in Gaza for two years, document shows

The United States has drafted a United Nations resolution that approves a two-year mandate for a Gaza transitional governance body and an international stabilization force in the Palestinian enclave, according…

Read More Here

Not enough tents, food reaching Gaza as winter comes, aid agencies say

Far too little aid is reaching Gaza nearly four weeks after a ceasefire, humanitarian agencies said, as hunger persists with winter approaching and old tents start to fray following Israel's…

Read More Here

Israel carries out new strikes in Gaza after asserting commitment to ceasefire

Israeli planes and tanks pounded areas in eastern Gaza on Thursday, Palestinian residents and witnesses said, a day after Israel said it remained committed to a U.S.-backed ceasefire despite launching…

Read More Here

Netanyahu orders ‘forceful’ strikes in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to conduct “forceful” airstrikes in Gaza, his office wrote on social media, putting new pressure on a weeks-old ceasefire agreement with Hamas.…

Read More Here

Israel Weighs Foreign Troop Role in Gaza Ceasefire as Red Cross, Egyptian Teams Enter to Recover Hostage Bodies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday Israel would determine which foreign forces it would allow as part of a planned international force in Gaza to help secure a fragile…

Read More Here

Israel’s parliament gives initial nod to occupied West Bank annexation

A bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of land which Palestinians want for a state, won preliminary approval from Israel's parliament on…

Read More Here

UK sends army officers to monitor Gaza ceasefire

The U.K. has sent military personnel to Israel to help oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, as the U.S. tries to shore up a fragile truce brokered by Donald Trump. They…

Read More Here

Trump threatens Hamas amid push towards next steps of Gaza truce

The U.S. increased pressure on Hamas on Tuesday to disarm in the next phase of an already fragile Gaza ceasefire as President Donald Trump pushed to cement an end to…

Read More Here

Israel says it will return to ceasefire after Gaza strikes

The Israeli military has said it will resume enforcement of the ceasefire in Gaza after launching air strikes on Sunday in response to what it called Hamas's "blatant violation" of…

Read More Here

Hamas says it needs more time to recover bodies of dead hostages

The United States has downplayed concerns over the Gaza ceasefire after Hamas stated it requires additional time and specialist equipment to recover the remaining bodies of Israeli hostages. Under the…

Read More Here

One of four bodies returned to Israel by Hamas last night doesn’t match any of hostages, IDF says

Israel's military has said the fourth body handed over by Hamas on Tuesday night doesn't match any of the hostages. In a statement, the IDF said Hamas is "required to…

Read More Here

Trump says Hamas must disarm or be disarmed, perhaps violently

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had communicated to Hamas that the militant group must disarm or it will be forced to. On Monday, Hamas freed the…

Read More Here

Trump declares end of Gaza war as last Israeli hostages swapped for Palestinian detainees

Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees, as U.S. President Donald Trump declared the…

Read More Here