02

Aug

Israeli cabinet starts first state budget debate in three years

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli cabinet ministers on Sunday began debate on the 2021-2022 state budget, more than three years after the government last approved a fiscal spending package. Due to…

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01

Aug

Syrian army steps up offensive in restive southern city

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian troops stepped up shelling of an opposition enclave in the southern city of Deraa in a bid to assert control over an area that has defied…

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01

Aug

Syria’s Assad asks PM Hussein Arnous to form new cabinet

AMMAN, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al Assad has again tasked Prime Minister Hussein Arnous with forming a new government after he became a caretaker premier following polls…

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31

Jul

UPDATED: U.S military says it is assisting tanker that was attacked off Oman

The U.S. Navy is assisting an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker that was fatally attacked on Thursday off the coast of Oman, the U.S. military said on Saturday, adding the ship…

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31

Jul

FBI probe shows amount of chemicals in Beirut blast was a fraction of original shipment

The amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up at Beirut port last year was one fifth of the shipment unloaded there in 2013, the FBI concluded after the blast, adding…

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31

Jul

Lebanon restricts cafes, beaches to the vaccinated or COVID tested

Lebanon is to limit entry to restaurants, cafes, pubs and beaches to people holding COVID-19 vaccine certificates or those who have taken antibodies tests, the tourism ministry announced. Non-vaccinated employees…

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30

Jul

Lebanon president ready to answer questions on Beirut blast

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun told the country's public prosecutor on Friday he was ready to give a statement about last year's port blast in the capital Beirut if needed. "No…

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30

Jul

Israel’s president launches drive to give third COVID-19 shot to over-60s

Israeli President Isaac Herzog received a third shot of coronavirus vaccine on Friday, kicking off a campaign to give booster doses to people aged over 60 as part of efforts…

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29

Jul

Lebanon parliament ready to lift immunity for Beirut blast probe

Lebanon's influential parliament speaker Nabih Berri said on Thursday the legislature was ready to lift the immunity of its members in order allow for questioning over last year's port blast…

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29

Jul

UPDATED: Israel to offer third shot of Pfizer vaccine to people over 60

Israel will begin offering a third shot of the Pfizer/Biontech COVID-19 vaccine to people aged over 60, a world first in efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious…

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29

Jul

Lebanon battles wildfires in country’s north

Raging wildfires have burned large swathes of Lebanon's pine forests in the mountainous north of the country, killing at least one firefighter and forcing some residents to flee, the National…

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29

Jul

Lebanon’s Mikati hopes to form government soon

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati said that he hoped to form a government shortly after securing the approval of President Michel Aoun for most of his nominees. Mikati, a businessman,…

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26

Jul

UPDATED: Lebanon’s Mikati secures majority to be nominated PM-desginate

Leading Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati secured enough votes in parliamentary consultations on Monday to be designated the next prime minister, raising hopes for an urgently needed viable government to tackle…

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25

Jul

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…

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24

Jul

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…

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24

Jul

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…

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23

Jul

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…

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22

Jul

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…

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20

Jul

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…

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20

Jul

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…

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20

Jul

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…

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19

Jul

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…

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19

Jul

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…

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17

Jul

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…

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15

Jul

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…

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15

Jul

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…

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13

Jul

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…

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12

Jul

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…

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11

Jul

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…

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11

Jul

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…

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11

Jul

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…

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07

Jul

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…

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06

Jul

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,…

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06

Jul

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…

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06

Jul

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…

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04

Jul

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…

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02

Jul

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…

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02

Jul

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…

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01

Jul

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.…

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30

Jun

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…

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29

Jun

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…

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29

Jun

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…

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29

Jun

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),…

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29

Jun

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.…

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28

Jun

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…

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27

Jun

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…

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25

Jun

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…

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24

Jun

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…

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23

Jun

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…

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22

Jun

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…

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20

Jun

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…

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19

Jun

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…

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19

Jun

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…

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18

Jun

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…

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18

Jun

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…

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17

Jun

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…

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16

Jun

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…

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