Middle East - CDE News - The Dispatch

Israeli troops kill five Hamas gunmen in West Bank raids: military

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Israeli troops killed five Hamas militants in gun battles during raids on Sunday against one of the group's cells in the occupied West Bank,…

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Israeli PM to meet UAE, Bahrain ministers in New York

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will meet ministers from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, his first meetings with Gulf leaders since taking office in…

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U.N. issues new Syria war death toll, says 350,000 is an ‘undercount’

At least 350,209 people have been killed in the decade-old war in Syria, the United Nations human rights office said in its first report since 2014 on the death toll,…

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Israeli carrier El Al raises demands for state aid, appeals to prime minister

Israel's flag carrier El Al airlines said on Thursday it requested $100 million in compensation from the government for its strict COVID-19 travel policies and asked the prime minister to…

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Syria sees spike in COVID-19 cases as fears grow of new wave

Syria is facing a new surge in COVID-19 infections in both government-held areas and territory outside state control that could overwhelm the war-ravaged country's fragile health system, aid workers, officials…

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Israel captures last two escaped Palestinian militants, police say

Israeli forces on Sunday caught the last two of six Palestinian militants who had tunnelled out of a maximum security Israeli jail nearly two weeks ago, in an escape that…

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U.S. issues sanctions tied to supporters of Hezbollah, Iran

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it was imposing sanctions on Lebanon and Kuwait-based financial conduits that fund the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah as well…

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Syria violence worsening, not safe for refugee return, UN investigators say

Syria is still unsafe for the return of refugees a decade after its conflict began, U.N. war crimes investigators said, documenting worsening violence and rights violations including arbitrary detention by…

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Israeli court petitioned over suspected kidnapping of Italy cable crash survivor

The family of the only survivor of an Italian cable car disaster, a six-year old boy, petitioned a Tel Aviv court on Tuesday for his return after his grandfather took him to…

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Iranian tanker spotted in Syria discharging gasoil for Lebanon

TankerTrackers.com has visual confirmation that an Iranian tanker is discharging gasoil in Syria's Baniyas port which is destined for neighbouring Lebanon, the online oil shipment tracking service said on Tuesday. "Unable to deliver…

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Putin meets al-Assad in Moscow, criticizes foreign forces in Syria

President Vladimir Putin received Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in Moscow for the first time since 2015 on Monday and criticised foreign forces that are in Syria without a U.N. mandate,…

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Israeli prime minister visits Egypt in first official trip for a decade

CAIRO (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday for talks on Israeli-Palestinian relations and bilateral issues, Egypt's presidency said, in the first…

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Two Turkish troops killed in Syria’s Idlib -ministry

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Two Turkish soldiers were killed and three others injured after an attack in Syrian's northwest Idlib region, Turkey's defence ministry said on Saturday. The troops had been…

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EXPLAINER-How bad is the crisis in Lebanon?

BEIRUT, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Lebanon's financial meltdown has swiftly worsened in the last month, with much of the country crippled by fuel shortages that have ignited country-wide security incidents.…

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Lebanon agrees new government to tackle economic collapse

BEIRUT, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Lebanese leaders agreed a new government led by Sunni Muslim tycoon Najib Mikati on Friday after a year of feuding over cabinet seats that has…

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Lebanese leaders agree on government to address crisis

Lebanese leaders agreed a new government on Friday after a year of political feuding over cabinet seats that has exacerbated a devastating economic collapse, opening the way to a possible…

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Syrian army enters birthplace of uprising under peace deal

Syrian army troops entered Deraa al Balaad, the birthplace of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, for the first time since it lost control over the area a decade…

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Israel to reopen for small foreign tour groups

Israel will allow small foreign tour groups from selective countries to visit from Sept. 19 under a pilot programme to kick-start tourism, the government said. Tour groups of between 5…

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UPDATED: Six Palestinians escape from high-security Israeli prison

Six Palestinian militants broke out of a high-security Israeli prison on Monday in what Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called a grave incident. Israeli police and the military had started a…

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Lebanese ministers to make highest level visit to Syria in years

BEIRUT, Sept 3 (Reuters) - A delegation from Lebanon's caretaker government will visit Syria on Saturday in the highest level visit in years, aiming to pave the way for a…

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Syria says Israeli air strikes target areas near Damascus

Israel carried out air strikes on targets near Damascus early on Friday, triggering Syrian air defences but causing no casualties, Syrian state media reported, the second such attack in just…

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Lebanon in free fall, must not become ‘horror story’, US senator warns

Lebanon is in free fall and must not become a "horror story", a U.S. senator said during a visit to Beirut on Wednesday, voicing hope that a government would be…

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Israeli students return to school amid surge in COVID-19 cases

Israeli pupils returned to school on Wednesday with mask requirements and mandatory COVID-19 testing aimed at stemming a surge in coronavirus cases that has overshadowed the highly-vaccinated country's reopening. Health…

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Concern as Syrian oil slick spreads across Mediterranean

Authorities in Cyprus are monitoring an oil slick that originated from a power plant on Syria's Mediterranean coast and could soon affect the island. Syrian state media said last week…

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Israel says it will loan Palestinians money after highest-level talks in years

Israel will lend the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority more than $150 million after the sides held their highest-level meeting in years, Israeli officials said on Monday, while playing down prospects of any major…

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Fuel dispute triggers sectarian clash in Lebanon’s south

A dispute over scarce fuel supplies ignited sectarian tensions between neighbouring Shi'ite Muslim and Christian villages in southern Lebanon over the weekend, forcing the army to intervene, a security source…

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Israeli PM moves to play down defence chief’s talks with Palestinian leader

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sought on Monday to play down any notion of a move towards renewed peace negotiations with the Palestinians after the highest-level Israeli-Palestinian meeting in years.…

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Israel offers COVID-19 booster to all vaccinated people

JERUSALEM, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Israel on Sunday began offering a COVID-19 booster to children as young as 12, and its prime minister said a campaign that began a month…

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Israel bombs Hamas sites in Gaza over fire balloons – military

JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza early on Sunday in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave, the military said, as a recent rise…

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Lebanese army deploys to area in north after deadly violence

The Lebanese army has deployed troops to an area of the north where two men have been killed this week in violence between rival clans that spiralled out of a…

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Russian army patrol rebel enclave in Syria to avert offensive, sources say

AMMAN (Reuters) - Russian forces moved into an opposition enclave in the Syrian city of Deraa on Tuesday to try to avert an army assault on a stronghold that has…

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Israel’s new leader to present Iran plan in first White House visit

New Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett plans to push for a new Iran strategy during his first White House visit, saying he will urge U.S. President Joe Biden not to revive the 2015…

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Israel bombs Hamas sites in Gaza over fire balloons -military

Israeli warplanes bombed Hamas sites in Gaza in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave that caused brush fires in southern Israel, its military said early on Tuesday. There…

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Lebanese hospitals at breaking point as everything runs out

Drenched in sweat, doctors check patients lying on stretchers in the reception area of Lebanon’s largest public hospital. Air conditioners are turned off, except in operating rooms and storage units,…

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Israel finds COVID-19 vaccine booster significantly lowers infection risk

A third dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has significantly improved protection from infection and serious illness among people aged 60 and older in Israel compared with those who received two…

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Lebanon raises fuel prices by 66% as it tries to ease shortages

The Lebanese government said on Sunday that it was raising gasoline prices by 66% in a partial reduction of fuel subsidies as it seeks to ease crippling shortages that have…

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UNICEF warns millions of Lebanese face water shortages

More than 4 million people in Lebanon could face a critical shortage of water or be cut off completely in the coming days, UNICEF warned, due to a severe fuel…

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Israeli aircraft strike Hamas sites in Gaza after border clashes

Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza late on Saturday, the military said, in an escalation of hostilities after earlier cross-border gunfire seriously injured an Israeli soldier and wounded 41…

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Israeli PM has third COVID-19 shot as Israel extends booster campaign

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett received a third shot of Pfizer/BioNtech's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, after Israel extended its booster campaign for people over 40 to try to curb the…

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Israel extends COVID-19 vaccine boosters to people over 40, teachers

Israelis over 40 and teachers are now eligible for a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the health minister said, hoping an expansion of the booster campaign will fend…

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Photo Story: The aftermath of the wildfire in Jerusalem

A general view of a road surrounded by burned forests near Moshav Ramat Raziel in Jerusalem hills near Jerusalem, Israel, 19 August 2021. According to Israel's Fire and Rescue Service,…

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Third Pfizer dose 86% effective in over 60s, Israeli HMO says

A third dose of Pfizer /BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine was found to be 86% effective in people aged over 60, an Israeli healthcare provider said on Wednesday, citing initial results from…

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Wildfires outside Jerusalem contained

Wildfires in wooded hills near Jerusalem were contained, the Israeli fire brigade said, after crews waged a three-day battle joined by Palestinian firefighters and the Israeli Air Force. No serious…

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Israel economy rebounds

Israel's economy grew an annualised 15.4% in the second quarter from the prior three months, bouncing back from a weak first quarter with big gains in exports, consumer spending and…

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Wildfire in Jerusalem hills sends smoke clouds over city

Wildfires in wooded hills outside Jerusalem sent smoke clouds billowing over the city on Sunday as planes and crews on the ground fought flames that forced the evacuation of several…

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Gaza militants fire rocket at Israel, Israeli military says

Militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at Israel on Monday that was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, the military said, in the first such attack since…

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Israeli forces kill 4 Palestinians in West Bank clash

Israeli forces on a raid in the occupied West Bank exchanged fire on Monday with Palestinian gunmen, Israeli police said, while a Palestinian local official said at least four Palestinians…

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At least 28 killed in Lebanon fuel tank explosion – Health officials

BEIRUT, Aug 15 (Reuters) - At least 28 people were killed and 79 injured when a fuel tank exploded in northern Lebanon early on Sunday, the health ministry said. Military…

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Life grinds to a halt in Lebanon’s blackouts

Lebanon's worsening fuel crisis has reached a painful crunch point, with bakeries, businesses and hospitals either scaling back operations or shutting down completely, making life even harder for Lebanese already…

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Nobody running Lebanon, says central bank boss

Lebanon's central bank governor said nobody was running the country as he defended his decision to halt fuel subsidies that have drained currency reserves, saying the government could resolve the…

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Israel expands COVID vaccine booster campaign to over 50s, health workers

Israel on Friday lowered to 50 from 60 the minimum age of eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot and will also offer them to health workers, hoping to stem…

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Palestinian groups in Gaza committed ‘war crimes’: HRW

Deadly rocket and mortar fire on Israeli cities by Palestinian militant groups during a May conflict in and around Gaza constituted war crimes, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. The New…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Beirut, Lebanon

The destroyed port area one year after a huge explosion hit the city of Beirut, Lebanon, 31 July 2021 (issued 03 August 2021). At least 200 people were killed, and…

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Israeli survey finds 3rd Pfizer vaccine dose has similar side effects to 2nd

Most people who received a third dose of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine felt similar or fewer side effects than they did after receiving the second shot, according to an initial…

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Iran ‘very close’ to point of ‘no return’ in drive for nuclear bomb, Israel warns

Iran has been emboldened by a lack of action by Britain and other countries across the world, Israel has warned, as a senior official said the state was now “very…

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Israel strikes Hamas sites in Gaza in response to fire balloons – military

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave, Israel's military said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the strike that targeted what…

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Lebanese demand justice on port blast anniversary

Lebanon's leading Christian cleric said there could be no immunity from prosecution over the catastrophic Beirut port blast and that officials were evading investigation, as many Lebanese marked the first…

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