Middle East

Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is conducting large-scale aerial and naval drills off the strategic Strait of Hormuz and in the Persian Gulf, with the country’s first domestic multi-purpose satellite monitoring the process. According to the IRGC’s Sepah News, the final phase of the exercises, codenamed Payambar-e A’zam (The Great …

Iran detained two Swedish nationals over drug smuggling, the website of the country’s judiciary reported on Tuesday. The spokesman for the judiciary, Gholamhossein Esmaili, was quoted by the Mizan news agency as saying the case is under investigation and that Iran has informed the Swedish government and its embassy in …

Lebanese PM Hassan Diab said on Tuesday that Israel had violated his country’s sovereignty with a “dangerous military escalation” along the border on Monday, and called for caution after a rise in tensions. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the country’s forces had thwarted an attempt by the Lebanese group Hezbollah …

The Libyan armed forces loyal to the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) are waiting for a political solution to enter the city of Sirte “peacefully”. A spokesman for the Sirte and Al-Jafra operation of the Libyan armed forces, Brigadier Abdul Hadi Dara, said the Libyan army wishes to …

he Arab Ministerial Council for Electricity will hold an exceptional meeting today, Monday. The assistant secretary general, head of the economic affairs sector at the Arab League, Kamal Hassan Ali, stressed the importance of this meeting, noting that it is expected that the general agreement to establish the Arab Common …

Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement says all Israeli claims about border clashes with the movement’s fighters earlier on Monday are fake and aimed to boost the morale of Israeli forces by fabricating fictitious victories. Hezbollah’s Monday statement came after Israeli and Western media outlets claimed that the regime’s forces had thwarted …

Qatar will seek to host the 2032 Olympic Games, it said on Monday, joining a crowded field and raising questions about scorching summer temperatures and underwhelming attendances at past events. India, Australia’s Queensland state, the Chinese city of Shanghai and a potential joint bid between South and North Korea are …

A section of a mosque in the occupied West Bank was set on fire on Monday, and Palestinian officials accused Israeli settlers of being behind the attack. “The Land of Israel for the People of Israel,” read part of a slogan sprayed in Hebrew on the mosque’s wall, a reference …

Stephanie Williams, the deputy head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya for political affairs, said there is a “huge risk” of direct confrontation between rival foreign powers in Libya, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Williams said the chances of a miscalculation around the rebel-held Mediterranean city of …

Morocco will stop people entering and leaving some of its biggest cities from midnight to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, the interior and health Ministries said on Sunday. The cities to be locked down include the economic powerhouse of Casablanca as well as Tangier, Marrakech, Fez, and Meknes. The …

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday said that 72 migrants have been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard off the country’s western coast. The UNHCR tweeted that “72 people were brought back to Tripoli Naval Port by Libyan Coast Guard late last night. UNHCR and the …

Tunisian President Kais Saied on Saturday designated the interior minister as the new prime minister to succeed Elyes Fakhfakh, who resigned over allegations of a conflict of interest, the presidency said. New premier Hichem Mechichi pledged to respond to the social and economic demands that have spawned constant protests in …

The United States military has said Russia appears to be sending more military equipment to its mercenaries in Libya, including in the flashpoint city of Sirte, in breach of an arms embargo. The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on Friday there was mounting evidence from satellite photos of Moscow’s …

Dozens of protesters opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were arrested in Israel late Thursday and early Friday as they clashed with police. Protesters have been holding demonstrations for weeks, calling for Netanyahu to resign over corruption charges and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. At least 55 people were arrested …

Two US warplanes have conducted dangerous and aggressive maneuvering closed to an Iranian airliner, putting lives of tens of civilian passengers on board in danger. The incident took place on Thursday involving two warplanes and Mahan Air’s Flight 1152 that had taken off from Tehran and was en route to …

Thousands of Muslim faithful made their way to Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia on Friday to take part in the first prayers in 86 years at the structure that once was one of Christendom’s most significant cathedrals, then a mosque and museum before its reconversion into a Muslim place of worship. …

Sixteen international and Bahraini human rights groups have urged Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to commute the death sentences handed down to two nationals, stressing that the pair who suffered alleged torture were not afforded a fair trial.  Back in February 2014, Bahraini security forces detained Hussain Moosa, 34, …

Corruption charges against the hardline prime minister, and the handling of coronavirus, have fuelled more protests in Israel. Israeli protests have continued to increase in size and intensity against the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. This time around, more young protesters appear to have joined demonstrations as distaste for …

Israel has said it is sending military reinforcements to its northern frontier after the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group threatened retaliation over the killing of one of its members in an attack in Syria earlier this week. The Israeli army said on its Twitter account on Thursday that the move was “in …

Turkey warned Egypt against any deployment of forces in the Libyan civil war and sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s role, highlighting the threat of escalating violence and geopolitical rivalries in the oil-rich country. The remarks by Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, come days after Egypt’s …