Middle East

Libya’s renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar has declared a ceasefire, ending a nine-month campaign to seize the capital, Tripoli. The conditional ceasefire in the western region of the country — including Tripoli — started at 12:01 a.m. local time Sunday, according to the general’s spokesman, Ahmed al-Mismari. That’s provided that the …

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Tehran on Sunday, amid rising tension between Iran and the U.S. following the killing of an Iranian general in a drone airstrike. According to a statement by the Qatari Royal Court, Tamim will hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani …

Britain’s ambassador to Iran has said he did not take part in any demonstration after he was arrested during anti-government protests in Tehran. Rob Macaire was held for more than an hour after he and a number of other people were detained on suspicion of organizing, provoking and directing radical …

Dubai International, one of the world’s busiest airports, canceled, diverted and delayed flights on Saturday due to heavy rain and flooding, Dubai Airports said. Flights are likely to be delayed throughout the day and some have been canceled or diverted to nearby Al Maktoum airport, state-owned Dubai Airports said on …

Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said, one of the Middle East’s longest-serving rulers who maintained the country’s neutrality in regional struggles, died on Friday and his cousin Haitham bin Tariq al-Said was named as his successor in a smooth transition. With his death, the region loses a trusted and seasoned leader …

Head of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has accepted full responsibility for the downing of a Ukraine aircraft which crashed near the capital Tehran earlier this week. Speaking on Saturday, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said he had “wished he could die” after being informed of …

Iran says a Ukrainian plane that crashed outside Tehran this week had flown close to a sensitive military site and been brought down due to human error “at a time of crisis caused by US adventurism.” In a statement Saturday, the general staff of the armed forces touched on the …

The Trump administration on Friday announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following this week’s missile strikes by the Islamic Republic on US bases in Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new sanctions will target eight senior Iranian officials. Mnuchin said President …

Iran has again rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down a Ukrainian passenger jet near the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday. Its civil aviation chief said on Friday he was “certain” that the plane was not hit by a missile. He was responding to claims by Western leaders that …

Israel has launched several airstrikes on eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, killing at least eight fighters of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a key player in the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups in the region. The air raids struck trucks and weapons depots in Albu Kamal in …

A Lebanese prosecutor imposed a travel ban on former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, judicial sources said, after he was questioned over an Interpol warrant issued by Japan seeking his arrest on financial misconduct charges. Ghosn fled Japan to Lebanon, his childhood home, last month as he was awaiting …

Satellite photos show the extensive damage caused by a series of precision missile strikes by Iran at Ain al-Assad airbase in Iraq, which hosts US forces. US National Public Radio (NPR) released the photos, taken by the commercial company Planet, show hangars and buildings hit hard by a barrage of …

Hours after Iran’s missile attack on American bases in Iraq, Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says Tehran’s next responses to the US assassination of a top Iranian general will be proportionate to what Washington will do. “Our next measure will naturally be proportionate to the ones the Americans will …

Iran’s top security official says Tehran is considering 13 revenge scenarios against the US for the targeted killing of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. “Even the weakest of the 13 revenge scenarios will be a historic nightmare for America,” said Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), …

A stampede has erupted during the funeral procession for Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in his hometown Kerman, leaving an unspecified number of casualties. Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s Emergency Medical Services, confirmed that at least 35 of mourners have lost their lives while several others have been transferred …

The nuclear deal signed between major world powers and Iran after years of tough talks could be on the brink of collapse after Tehran announced it will throw out all constraints on uranium enrichment, the German FM warned. The first week of the year saw more bad news coming in, …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has made it clear in a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart, Barham Salih, that the two neighbors will remain close allies even as they mourn high-profile commanders recently assassinated by the United States. On Friday, the US military, under a direct order from President Donald …

Iran reserves the right to avenge the US’ killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, with dozens of potential targets already on the list, a senior commander within the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says. “Vital American targets in the region have been identified by Iran a long time ago,” …

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani urges a peaceful solution to ease tensions and restore peace to the region following the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in a US airstrike in the Iraqi capital, …

The bodies of deputy head of Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, and others killed in a US airstrike arrived in the holy city of Karbala on Saturday afternoon. According to the media reports, the bodies are planned to be transported to …