Middle East

Amnesty International has sharply criticized the planned eviction of several dozen Palestinian families from their homes in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds neighborhood of Silwan as “another illustration of Israel’s criminal policy of forced displacement of Palestinians.” Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa in the London-based organization, Saleh …

At least three people have been killed in an artillery attack by the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen’s northwestern province of Sa’ada, as the Riyadh regime and its allies continue their aggression against the impoverished West Asian country. Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television …

One person was killed and two others were left injured after an explosion in a pipeline used by petrochemical plants in the port of Asaluyeh, located on the southwestern Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf. Local authorities in the province of Bushehr said that they had launched an investigation into …

Syrians vote in a presidential election as the counter-terrorism operation in the Arab country nears an end with government forces winning back control of almost all regions from foreign-backed terrorists. More than 12,100 polling centers opened across Syria at 07:00 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT) on Wednesday and will close …

The Gaza Strip revises up its tally of the casualties that have been left from the Israeli regime’s recent 12-day war on the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory. Israel’s Manufacturers’ Association has released a report admitting to the huge economic damage sustained by the regime as a result of the barrage of …

A “mysterious” airbase being built on a volcanic island in the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb, off Yemen’s southwestern coast and at the cusp of a key global maritime energy trade route, has been traced to the United Arab Emirates, even though the country has claimed to have disengaged from Yemen …

Iran’s Interior Ministry has released a final list of the candidates found qualified by the Constitutional Council to run for president in the June 18 election, officially clearing them to start campaigning. The much-awaited list, which was released on Tuesday, includes Saeed Jalili, Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, Mohsen Rezaei, Alireza Zakani, …

Dozens of US military trucks have left Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah for the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, carrying tons of grain. Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing local sources, reported that a convoy of 35 military vehicles loaded with wheat crops from silos of Tal Alou village in …

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have agreed to extend by one month the agreement they had clinched for the UN nuclear agency to continue inspection of the country’s nuclear sites while the ongoing talks in Vienna on the revival of a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and …

Israeli police launch a wave of arrests targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel who rallied in support of Sheikh Jarrah, Al-Aqsa, and Gaza. Israeli police announced they will arrest hundreds of Palestinian citizens of Israel over the coming days for their participation in recent sit-ins in support of Palestinians in occupied …

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will no longer be able to access images of the Iranian nuclear sites because a monitoring deal with the UN nuclear body has expired. “From May 22 and with the end of the three-month agreement, the agency …

The incident comes as a fragile ceasefire holds in the besieged Gaza, days after the end of an 11-day Israeli bombing campaign. Dozens of Jewish settlers, flanked by heavily armed Israeli special forces, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem in the early morning, hours after Palestinian worshippers …

The owner of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March says the canal authority was at fault over its grounding as it disputes the vessel’s detention and a compensation claim, a lawyer representing the owner said on Saturday. The Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container …

Morocco on Saturday urged Spain to open an investigation into the circumstances of a Western Sahara independence leader’s arrival in the country for medical treatment and explain its findings to Rabat. Madrid should explain “the conditions, circumstances, and connivances that led to the fraudulent entry of this person using false …

Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri says he will not form a government that simply complies with the wishes of President Michel Aoun, as the cash-strapped country has yet to overcome a persisting political standoff. “I will not form a government as the team of his Excellency the President wants it, …

A Palestinian official says an initial assessment shows at least 2,000 housing units were destroyed in airstrikes launched by Israel on Gaza. Naji Sarhan, deputy of Gaza’s works and housing ministry, tells The Associated Press on Saturday that more than 15,000 other units were partly destroyed in the 11-day war. …

Crackdown intensifies on pro-democracy Hirak movement by authorities. Several hundred protesters were arrested in Algeria as authorities ramp up efforts to quell a years-long protest movement that has demanded root-and-branch political reform. Said Salhi, head of the Algerian League for Human Rights, said about 800 people were detained in Algiers …

Palestinians in East Jerusalem al-Quds, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip celebrated victory against Israel, as a ceasefire unilaterally declared by Tel Aviv and accepted by Palestinian resistance groups went into effect early Friday. In Gaza, which had been under heavy Israeli bombardment for 11 days, people came out …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the parties in Vienna talks have accepted to remove all main sanctions targeting the country’s oil, petrochemical, shipping, and insurance sectors as well as the Central Bank of Iran. “We have taken the main big step, and the primary agreement has been reached,” Rouhani said …

Israeli fighter jets continue to bomb Gaza, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding several more as Benjamin Netanyahu defies world calls for a de-escalation. Israeli fighter jets continued to pound the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding several more as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …