Middle East
Lebanon conflict pushes Gaza truce out of focus
Palestinians fear the crisis in Lebanon is diverting the world’s attention from Gaza, where Israeli strikes killed dozens more people this week, and diminishing already dim prospects for a ceasefire a year into an offensive that has shattered the enclave.
Lebanon invasion / How might Israel strike back against Iran?
Israel has sworn it will retaliate for Iran’s missile barrage on Tuesday, which involved more than 180 ballistic missiles and was largely thwarted by Israel’s air defense systems. Below are some ways Israel, backed by the United States, could strike back.
Iran’s allies will keep fighting Israel
Iran’s supreme leader yesterday vowed in a rare address that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel, as he defended his country’s missile strike on its arch-foe.
US President Biden does not believe there will be 'all-out-war' in Middle East
U.S. President Joe Biden said he did not believe there is going to be an "all-out war" in the Middle East, as Israel weighs options for retaliation after Tehran's largest ever assault on its arch-enemy.
Israel strikes Beirut, south Lebanon
Israel’s military urged residents of more than 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately yesterday as it pressed on with incursions after suffering its worst losses in a year of fighting the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Food aid to Gaza falls as Israel sets new rule
Food supplies to Gaza have fallen sharply in recent weeks because Israeli authorities have introduced a new customs rule on some humanitarian aid and are separately scaling down deliveries organized by businesses, people involved in getting goods to the territory told Reuters.
Iran warned Nasrallah of Israeli plot to kill him
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader Syyed Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon days before he was killed in an Israeli strike and is now deeply worried about Israeli infiltration of senior government ranks in Tehran, three Iranian sources said.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT / Hezbollah losses strengthen Turkey against Iran: analysts
Israel’s onslaught against Hezbollah in Lebanon is reassuring for Turkey, which could seize the opportunity to strengthen its regional influence in the face of its rival Iran, analysts told AFP.
Palestinian man shot dead by Israeli army
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian gunman during a raid that set off clashes in the flashpoint town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, medical officials and militant groups said.
Syria doubles pay for civil servants, military personnel
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has decreed a 100-percent pay rise for civil servants and pensioners while fuel subsidies were lifted in a country ravaged by 12 years of war.
IS kills 3 pro-govt fighters in Syria desert
Islamic State jihadists killed three fighters loyal to the Damascus government in an attack in the Syrian desert yesterday, a war monitor said, the latest such deadly assault.
Israel troops kill two Palestinians
Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank yesterday, in the first deadly raid in the Jericho area for months.
Iran arrests 9 Bahais over corruption charges
Iranian authorities yesterday arrested nine followers of the Bahai faith over a host of corruption charges including money laundering and tax evasion, the intelligence ministry said.
Death toll in IS attack on Syria army bus rises to 33: monitor
An attack by Islamic State group jihadists on Syrian government forces in the war-torn country’s east has killed 33 soldiers, a monitor said yesterday, revising an earlier toll of 26 deaths.
Saudi names ambassador for Palestinian Territories
Saudi Arabia yesterday named a non-resident ambassador for the Palestinian Territories who will also serve as consul general in Jerusalem, a new position announced amid speculation about possible future ties with Israel.
Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops
Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man and wounded at least eight others during an operation in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank yesterday, Palestinian officials said.
Israeli forces kill Palestinian man
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man in a clash in the occupied West Bank yesterday, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade armed group said.
Yemen commander among 4 dead in suspected Qaeda attack
A bombing in southern Yemen yesterday killed four fighters loyal to a secessionist force, including a prominent commander who previously survived assassination attempts by Al-Qaeda, a security official said.