Middle East

The Lebanese interior and municipalities minister has blamed recent violent street protests on foreign meddling and funding, vowing to sue those blocking roads during the riots. Speaking to al-Manar TV channel on Friday, Mohammed Fahmi said Lebanese authorities are in possession of “certain and confirmed information that foreign interference and …

Italy’s Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini stressed the importance and necessity of Italy maintaining a presence in Libya. During a meeting of the Foreign and Defence Committees in the Senate and the House of Representatives dedicated to Italy’s participation in international missions, Guerini stated that the Libyan situation is well-known, pointing …

The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, has warned that the shortage of humanitarian assistance amid the coronavirus pandemic threatens to push more children in Yemen to the brink of starvation. The UNICEF reported on Friday that the number of malnourished children in Yemen could increase to 2.4 million by the …

A senior official from the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas says armed resistance is a main tool to thwart the Israeli plan of annexing parts of the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. “The Israeli annexation plans are a new crime added to the crimes of stealing Palestinian land …

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories urged the EU on Friday to consider measures to prevent or punish any Israeli annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. Friday’s statement by Michael Lynk said the EU should back up its warnings against Israeli plans with …

A Turkish court on Friday handed down life sentences to 121 people for taking part in the 2016 attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state media reported. The court in Ankara sentenced 86 suspects to “aggravated” life imprisonment for “attempting to violate the constitution” while 35 individuals were given …

Unicef has warned that millions of children could be pushed to the brink of starvation as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across war-torn Yemen amid a “huge” drop in humanitarian aid funding. It said the number of malnourished Yemeni children could reach 2.4 million by the end of the year, a …

The Ministry of Defence of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) said it will continue in its moves to recapture the eastern city of Sirte from the forces of renegade General Khalifa Haftar despite the warning of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi that the city represents a “red line” …

A massive explosion of a gas tank has occurred in the eastern part of Tehran early on Friday while no casualties have been reported. Images that showed an orange light went viral at around 00:30 am local time on Friday (08:00 p.m. GMT on Thursday). Rumors were circulating that the …

Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has lambasted the so-called “Caesar Act” sanctions imposed by the US against Syria, stressing that the measures aim at pressuring the Arab country economically and preventing it from restoring its unity and key regional role. Berri, who was chairing an emergency meeting of his party, …

Deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein directed his best-known accuser to have sex with former Israeli PM Ehud Barak, according to a sealed deposition – one of many papers lawyer Alan Dershowitz is trying to use to clear his own name. Lawyers for Dershowitz, who was a friend of Epstein as well …

Inaugurating three major oil projects via video conference on Thursday morning, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that sanctions can not impede Iran from development. The projects included the construction of the Goureh-Jask pipeline in Hormogan province, Miandoab Petrochemical in West Azarbaijan, and the Normal Hegzane in Arak, Markazi production line. …

Libya’s coast guard intercepted 71 migrants hoping to make it to Europe, including four women and two children and returned them to the capital Tripoli, the U.N. migration organization said Thursday. The International Organization for Migration tweeted that the migrants, who were stopped late Wednesday, were given food and emergency …

Three domestically-built Kowsar fighter jets were delivered on Thursday to Iran’s Army Air Force. Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami and a number of military and state officials were present in the ceremony. Manufacturing Kowsar which is a short-range air support aircraft has put Iran among the few countries …

The United Nations and European and Arab powers on Wednesday warned Israel that its plans to annex Palestinian land would deal a major blow to peace but the United States offered its green light. One week before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to start the annexation process, a …

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has declared the choice of whether Israel should annex the occupied West Bank is “for Israelis to make.” Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory remain illegal under international law. Pompeo gave the go-ahead to Israel’s annexation effort during a press conference on Wednesday, effectively …

The semi-official Syrian newspaper, Al-Watan, published the first scenes of the destruction left by the Israeli strikes in the Hama countryside this morning. The photos published by the Syrian newspaper on its official Facebook page show the great destruction caused by the raids on some installations, buildings and structures in …

Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, said today, Wednesday, that his country would be open to talks with the United States if Washington apologizes for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear agreement and offers a compensation to Tehran. “We are open to talks with the United States if Washington fulfills its obligations under …

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has responded in a sarcastic message to the recent claim of his US counterpart about the end of the UN arms embargo on Iran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted a map on Twitter claiming that Europe and Asia could be in Iran’s …

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed hope Tuesday that Israel will hear global calls and will not go ahead with the annexation of parts of the West Bank, which would undermine a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The U.N. chief said in an interview with The Associated Press that …