Middle East

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has rejected accusations that the country is enriching uranium to 84% purity, asserting that there has been “no deviation” in the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear activities. Mohammad Eslami made the remarks on Wednesday, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) …

A Palestinian gunman killed two Jewish settlers in their car in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Israeli officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident, which came as Israeli and Palestinian security officials met in Jordan to discuss ways of lowering tensions. Medics said the …

The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria that struck on Feb. 6 surpassed 50,000 on Friday after Turkey declared more than 44,000 people died, Reuters reported. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the death toll in Turkey due to earthquakes rose to 44,218 on Friday …

Israeli authorities have approved plans for the construction of thousands of new settler units in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds, defying international outcry over illegal settlement expansion and land grab activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Palestinian Information Center reported that the so-called Israeli Supreme Planning and Building …

Iranian and Syrian military officials have reportedly agreed on the delivery of missile systems to Damascus to boost the country’s air defenses amid increased Israeli air raids. In a report on Thursday night, IRIB News said Iran and Syria have reached an agreement for the delivery of equipment related to …

Turkey has begun initial work to rebuild homes following this month’s devastating earthquakes, a government official said on Friday, as a U.N. Development Program (UNDP) estimated 1.5 million people have been left homeless. More than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the Feb. 6 earthquakes …

Lebanon’s struggling banks on Friday decided to suspend their strike, which started earlier this month, for one week after caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked them to do so. The Association of Banks in Lebanon did not give further details about the suspension. The strike began Feb. 7 in protest …

Yemen has called on the United Nations and relevant international bodies to adopt proper measures against the expulsion of Yemeni families by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from a strategic island southwest of Socotra, as part of plans to build a military base there under the supervision of Israeli military …

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has discussed security cooperation with Iraqi sides during his ongoing visit to the neighboring state, stressing that this cooperation will improve the security and stability of both countries. The Iranian minister, who is in Iraq for an official visit, held separate meetings with a number …

Israeli settlers shot and seriously wounded two Palestinians in the northern occupied West Bank early Friday, Palestinian health officials said, in what authorities describe as the latest incident in a wave of settler violence. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the two wounded Palestinians were being treated at a hospital in …

Israel has carried out airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip, a day after the occupying regime’s forces carried out a violent raid on the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli warplanes pounded targets in the north of Gaza City on Thursday, sending plumes of black smoke rising over one …

A Jordanian court on Wednesday sentenced three people to death by hanging on charges of belonging to the ISIS terrorist group and staging two bombing attacks, an AFP correspondent said. A total of 11 people were handed sentences ranging from five years in prison to death, in the same case …

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has expressed his gratitude to the Iraqi government for its endeavors to restore Tehran’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Baghdad on Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian thanked Hussein and the Iraqi government for their …

At least nine Palestinians have been killed and nearly 100 wounded in an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that nine people died from critical wounds sustained on Wednesday after Israeli occupying troops stormed Nablus, local media …

Iran has blasted the organizers of the 2023 Munich Security Conference for not giving an equal chance to all members of the international community to present their views, saying the event took place under the slogan of security but actually promoted war. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said during a …

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned an Israeli air strike on Damascus that killed at least five people and heavily damaged residential buildings, calling for “urgent international action” to stop the Israeli regime’s aggression. Syria’s official news agency SANA cited the country’s Foreign Ministry as making the call in …

Turkey has ended rescue efforts in all provinces except the two hardest hit by last week’s massive quake that killed tens of thousands of people, the Turkish disaster agency said Sunday. “In many of our provinces, search and rescue efforts have been completed. They continue in Kahramanmaras and Hatay provinces,” …

More than 46,000 people were confirmed dead in the aftermath of the earthquakes which struck Turkey and Syria Three survivors, one of whom was a child, were successfully rescued from the rubble of a building in Turkey’s Hatay province on Saturday, according to the Anadolu news agency. However, a reporter …

Multiple casualties were reported in a “residential neighborhood” of the Syrian capital At least one missile hit the Kafar Souseh neighborhood of Damascus overnight, severely damaging a residential building and causing multiple deaths and injuries, state news agency SANA reported early on Sunday, blaming the Israeli military. A volley of …

The death toll from an attack blamed on ISIS in Syria has risen to 68, a war monitor said Saturday, the deadliest attack in over a year. “A total of 61 civilians and seven soldiers have been killed in the attack,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory …