Middle East

Middle East

Qatar PM sees ‘a bit of progress’ on Gaza truce

Gaza mediator Qatar yesterday said there was some progress in talks in Doha this week aimed at securing a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war.

22h ago

Death toll from blast at Iran's Bandar Abbas port rises to 40

The death toll from a powerful explosion at Iran's biggest port of Bandar Abbas has risen to at least 40, with more than 1,200 people injured, state media reported on Sunday, as firefighters worked to fully extinguish the fire

1d ago

Hamas open to long Gaza truce but not to disarming

Hamas is open to a years-long truce with Israel in Gaza but is not willing to lay down its arms, an official said yesterday, as leaders of the Palestinian Islamist militant group met mediators in Cairo for ceasefire talks.

1d ago

Progress made in nuclear talks

The United States and Iran reported progress in their latest round of nuclear talks yesterday and agreed to meet again next week as they pursue a deal that could help ease soaring Middle East tensions.

1d ago

Huge blast at key Iran port kills 18, hurts hundreds

A powerful explosion ripped through a key port in southern Iran yesterday, killing five people and injuring more than 500, state media said.

1d ago

Iraqi politicians oppose Syrian leader’s possible visit to Baghdad

Several powerful pro-Iran Iraqi politicians have in recent days voiced opposition to a potential visit by Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Iraq for the upcoming Arab League summit.

1w ago

Hunger in Gaza / ‘Deprivation by design’: UN 92 killed by Israel in two days

Israeli strikes killed at least 92 people in the Gaza Strip in the last 48 hours, the health ministry said yesterday, as UN said the tiny Palestinian territory is being subjected to “deprivation by design”.

1w ago

Iran, US end talks in Rome

Iran and the United States yesterday agreed to hold another round of talks next week over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Iranian state TV reported, as they ended their second round of negotiations in Rome over their decades-long standoff.

1w ago

Israel steps up strikes on key Syria structures

Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria overnight, declaring the attacks a warning to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as it accused their Turkish allies of trying to turn the country into a Turkish protectorate.

3w ago

Israel’s new ‘security zone’: Palestinians flee Rafah again

Hundreds of thousands of fleeing Gazans sought shelter yesterday in one of the biggest mass displacements of the war, as Israeli forces advanced into the ruins of the city of Rafah, part of a newly announced “security zone” they intend to seize.

3w ago

Israel kills Hezbollah official in Beirut airstrike

An Israeli airstrike killed four people including a Hezbollah official in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday, a Lebanese security source said, further testing a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

3w ago

Netanyahu vows to pressure Hamas after ceasefire proposal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated a demand on Sunday for Hamas to disarm and for its leaders to leave Gaza as he promised to step up pressure on the group while continuing efforts to return hostages..He said Israel would work to implement US President Donald Trump’s “volun

4w ago

Saudi Arabia to celebrate Eid tomorrow

The crescent moon was spotted at Sudair and Tamir observatories in the Kingdom

1m ago

Israel hits building in Beirut’s south suburbs

Israel’s air force conducted a large strike on a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital yesterday, a Reuters reporter said, the first heavy bombardment there since a truce deal in November ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah.

1m ago

Israeli actions in Gaza resemble ‘atrocity crimes’

Israeli actions in Gaza, including strikes on populated areas in which civilians have been killed, “bear the hallmarks” of atrocities, the United Nations’ aid agency warned yesterday.

1m ago

1,42,000 displaced in Gaza in one week

The resumption of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip has displaced 1,42,000 people in a mere seven days, the United Nations said Wednesday, warning of dwindling stocks of humanitarian aid.

1m ago

Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 23

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 23 Palestinians yesterday, local health officials said, as the Israeli military expanded evacuation orders to tens of thousands of residents across the enclave.

1m ago

Iran unveils missile systems on Gulf islands

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have unveiled new missile systems on three strategic islands in the Gulf, saying they can target nearby “enemy bases, vessels, and assets”, state media reported Saturday.

1m ago