Tag Archives: Middle East

A US airstrike targeted a Syrian Army checkpoint in the country’s northeast, killing one soldier and wounding two others, according to SANA. The soldiers were targeted by a warplane after they prevented an American military patrol from passing through the area, the outlet reported. The incident occurred southeast of Qamishli, …

Israel closed the Gaza Strip’s offshore fishing zone Sunday following a night of cross-border fighting with Palestinian resistance, the most intense escalation of hostilities in recent months. Palestinian resistance in Gaza fired two rockets into southern Israel after Israeli airstrikes targeted sites belonging to the territory’s Hamas rulers. The military …

After years of informal normalisation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has finally reached a formal “peace agreement” with Israel that paves the way for a strategic relationship between the two countries under the auspices of the Trump Administration. The agreement rewards US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin …

Fourteen years ago, on August 13, 2006, the Zionist occupation committed a horrible crime by killing dozens of Lebanese at a residential complex in Beirut’s southern suburb, Dahiyeh. In two minutes, eight buildings turned into rubble when Israeli warplanes threw 23 tons of smart bombs on Al-Imam Al-Hassan Complex. The …

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas called for an urgent meeting on Thursday with other Palestinian leaders following the announcement of the peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh called the deal “treason,” saying it must be reversed. He called on other Arab states …

Lebanon’s Parliament met Thursday in the first session since the tragic explosion last week that changed the face of the capital and forced the government to resign. Parliament is convening outside its regular location to observe social distancing amid a coronavirus surge and because of continuous protests outside the Parliament …

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the United States is in desperate need of terrorists in the region including ISIL terrorist group and seeks to support terrorists using Caesar sanctions law against Syria. Speaking to the members of the People’s Assembly’s third legislative term on Wednesday, he said, “Electing your …

Jordan will close its land trade border crossing with Syria for a week after a rise in COVID-19 cases coming from its northern neighbour, officials said on Wednesday. The interior minister’s decision to close the Jaber crossing, the main gateway of goods from Lebanon and Syria to the Gulf, will …

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Benny Gantz, agreed to form an “emergency” government in May after three bitter and deadlocked election campaigns, the goal was to stabilize Israeli politics in the face of a global pandemic. But less than 100 days later, their fractious coalition government could …

Tunisia prime minister-designate Hichem Mechichi said on Monday he will form a technocrat government without political parties, due to the disagreement between parties in the North Africa country. Mechichi’s decision will likely put him in confrontation with the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party, the largest party in Parliament, which announced its …

An emergency donor conference on Sunday for blast-stricken Lebanon raised pledges worth nearly 253 million euros ($298 million) for immediate humanitarian relief, the French presidency said. Those commitments would not be conditional on political or institutional reform, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said. There were also pledges made for longer-term support …

The Lebanese army said Sunday that hopes have dwindled of finding survivors at the blast site in Beirut following days of search and rescue operations supported by international experts. “After three days of search and rescue operations we can say we have finished the first phase, which involved the possibility …

Lebanon’s information minister resigned on Sunday as the country grapples with the aftermath of the devastating blast that ripped through the capital and raised public anger to new levels. The resignation comes as public anger is mounting against the ruling elite, blamed for the chronic mismanagement and corruption that is …

Hezbollah’s leader denied on Friday accusations that his movement has arms warehoused at Beirut port, backing an investigation into a huge blast there that rocked the city. In a televised speech, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called Tuesday’s explosion “an exceptional event” in Lebanon’s modern history that required unity and calm. Hezbollah …

Lebanon mourned on Thursday the victims of the most powerful blast to hit the country that was already being crushed by an economic crisis, as rescuers searched for those missing since the explosion that flattened Beirut port and devastated the city. French President Emmanuel Macron, making the first visit by …

The Latest on the explosion in Beirut (all times local): 11:29 p.m Germany has dispatched dozens of search and rescue specialists to Lebanon to help in the race to find survivors trapped beneath rubble following Tuesday’s explosion in Beirut. About 50 staff of Germany’s THW civil protection organization flew out …

Firefighters and civil defense crews are battling a major fire at a fruit and veg market in the United Arab Emirates’ city of Ajman on Wednesday. No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the blaze is still unknown. Only a day after a massive explosion devastated Beirut, the …

Residents of Beirut awoke to a scene of utter devastation on Wednesday, a day after a massive explosion at the port sent shock waves across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 100 people and wounding thousands. Smoke was still rising from the port, where huge mounds of grain gushed from …

A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings across the capital, and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. More than 78 people were killed and more than 4000 injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said. Hours later, ambulances still carried …

A massive explosion has rocked Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, causing many casualties, damaging buildings and shattering windows. The blast, which flattened much of the capital’s port, was felt across the city as a giant mushroom cloud rose above it. Lebanon’s health minister said “hundreds” of people were wounded as witnesses said …