• Cross-border fire between Hizbollah and Israel leaves 16 dead

    Israeli rescue teams searching a damaged building in the border town of Kiryat Shmona "found a 25-year-old who was unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing", and pronounced him dead at the scene, the Magen David Adom emergency service said.
  • Blinken heads to Israel to press for ‘immediate’ truce in Gaza war

    After talks in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Blinken flies to Israel on Friday, his sixth trip to the region since the war began with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7. Israel said its spy chief would also head back to Qatar on Friday for more truce talks with US,...
  • Leader of US Senate calls for election in Israel

    The leader of the US Senate called for Israel to hold new elections in the most strident criticism yet by a senior American official of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza. The remarks from Chuck Schumer came amid increased pressure from President Joe Biden over the...
  • Gaza aid port plans ‘sign of international weakness’: Amnesty

    Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty, said nobody was holding Israel to account over the delays to deliveries by land to the Gaza Strip. She said the international community must be prepared to hold Israel to account. "We're not holding the stick that will allow for those violations to stop,"...
  • New Palestinian leaders needed after Gaza war: opposition figure

    Talks are aiming to secure a ceasefire of about six weeks starting between now and Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 10 or 11, to allow for exchanges of Palestinian captives held by Israel with hostages. During the pause, there can be an "intensification of efforts in regards...
  • Coups, conflicts and crises confront African summit

    Ahead of the gathering in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, African Union Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat voiced alarm at the violence gripping many nations, both in Africa and other parts of the world. Sudan was in "flames", Faki said, while also highlighting the jihadist threat in Somalia, "eternal tensions"...
  • Erdogan’s Egypt visit aimed at rapprochement with al-Sisi

    Turkey and Egypt cut ties in 2013 after Sisi, then Egypt's defense minister, ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, an ally of Turkey and part of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. At the time, Erdogan said he would never speak to "anyone" like Sisi, who in 2014 became president of the Arab...
  • UN chief slams ‘distressing’ spending on arms over climate

    Without action, "the situation will deteriorate," he warned. "Conflicts are multiplying. The climate crisis is set to spiral, as emissions continue to rise. And acute food insecurity has been increasing year on year."
  • Hamas official in Lebanon survives Israeli strike

    While the Israel-Lebanon violence has been largely contained to the border area, a strike earlier on Saturday hit the coastal town of Jadra. The second-farthest deadly attack from the border in four months of hostilities "was a failed attempt to assassinate a senior official in the (Hamas) movement", a Palestinian...
  • UN agency boss should quit over Hamas ‘tunnel’: Israel

    Israel's army and the Shin Bet security agency said operations in Gaza City in recent weeks had led to the discovery of a "tunnel shaft" near a school run by the humanitarian agency. Documents and weapons in the UN compound itself "confirmed that the offices had in fact also been...
  • Moody’s downgrades Israel’s credit rating due to Hamas conflict

    Fitch -- which is the last of the big three US ratings agencies -- placed Israel on negative watch over risks from the conflict. "The weakened security environment implies higher social risk and indicates weaker executive and legislative institutions than Moody's previously assessed," the ratings agency said Friday in the...
  • US lawmakers reject US$17.6 billion Israel aid bill

    Republicans in the House of Representatives scheduled the vote after the Democratic-led Senate released a bipartisan bill Sunday pairing billions of dollars for Israel and Ukraine with some of the strictest immigration curbs in decades. But support for that $118bn package has dwindled, with Donald Trump pressuring Republicans to avoid handing President Joe...
  • Blinken heads to Egypt to seek ‘enduring end’ to Gaza war

    Palestinian Territories - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to fly to Egypt on Tuesday as part of a Middle East crisis tour seeking a new truce and "an enduring end" to the Israel-Palestine war. In Cairo, Blinken is scheduled to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the...
  • Yemeni Houthis claim missile strike on Israel

    The attack was the latest in a series of drone and missile strikes launched by the Houthis since the start of the Gaza war between Israel and Palestinian fighters group Hamas nearly four months ago. The Houthis have also repeatedly targeted vessels in the Red Sea with strikes they say...
  • North Korea prepares for conflict as Kim inspects warships

    The North Korean leader has in recent weeks declared South Korea his country's "principal enemy", jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war as he hailed the test launch of a new strategic cruise missile from a submarine, calling it a key moment in the development of the...
  • Shell annual profit drops to US$19.4bn

    Its revenue dived almost a fifth percent to US$316.6 billion.
  • Efforts to pause Israel-Palestine war gain pace amid fierce fighting

    Palestinian Territories - International efforts towards a new pause in the devastating Gaza war gathered pace Wednesday, as Israel bombarded the Palestinian territory during fierce fighting with Palestinian fighters. Hamas was reviewing a proposal for a six-week truce in its war with Israel, a source told AFP, after mediators gathered...
  • US vows to respond after troops killed in Jordan

    US President Joe Biden held Iran-backed fighters responsible for the killing of US troops and vowed to hold the perpetrators to account. It is the first time American soldiers have been killed by hostile fire in the region since Israel launched its war on Gaza, and the incident will further...
  • Pakistan strikes ‘terrorist hideouts’ inside Iran

    Iran and Pakistan routinely blame each other for allowing militants to operate from the other's territory to launch attacks, but it is rare that official forces on either side engage. China, close partner of both countries, urged restraint, with foreign ministry spokeswoman saying both should "avoid actions that would lead...
  • China looks to woo back global elites at Davos forum

    Prime Minister Li Qiang, who will make a special address on Tuesday, will be the most senior Chinese official to attend Davos since President Xi Jinping in 2017. The Prime Minister will be joined by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, the governor of the People's Bank of China and high-ranking...
  • Turkey bombs ‘terrorist targets’ in Iraq and Syria

    The Turkish ministry said the strikes had targeted 29 locations including "caves, bunkers, shelters and oil installations" belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the YPG (People's Protection Units), a Syrian Kurdish militia which is a central element of US-allied forces in a coalition against Islamic State. Meanwhile, 113...
  • China implores all sides to prevent Yemen conflict expanding

    Beijing, China--China called Friday for all sides to prevent the Yemen conflict from expanding, after strikes by the United States and United Kingdom on Houthi rebel targets. Heavy US and British air strikes pounded targets in rebel-held Yemen early on Friday after weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by...
  • Iraq PM says determined to end presence of US-led coalition

    Sudani, whose government relies on support from Tehran-aligned parties, has repeatedly said in recent weeks he would like to see foreign troops leave Iraq. But the latest remarks came amid soaring regional tensions, with the repercussions of the Israel-Hamas war, raging for nearly three months, increasingly felt in Iraq and...
  • Sudan paramilitary leader Daglo holds talks in Pretoria

    The commander of Sudanese paramilitary forces Mohamed Hamdan Daglo wrote on X, previously Twitter, that he had apprised South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in a meeting in Pretoria about "the root causes of the war and the factors contributing to its persistence." Daglo has also met regional leaders in Kenya,...
  • Macron asks Netanyahu for ‘lasting ceasefire’ in Gaza

    Macron told the Israeli premier of his "deepest concern" about civilian deaths and the humanitarian emergency in Gaza. He also insisted on the importance of measures to end violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank and prevent new planned settlements.
  • Number of journalists killed in Israel’s war on Gaza rises to 100

    Dubai, UAE-- At least 100 journalists have been killed since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, according to new figures released by the government media office in Gaza. Palestinian journalist Muhammed Abu Hweidy was the latest to be killed in an Israeli air raid on his home in...
  • UN expresses ‘alarm’ at spreading violence in Sudan

    The Council in a joint statement denounced attacks on civilians and the spread of the violence "into areas hosting large populations of internally displaced persons, refugees, and asylum seekers." The statement added that the members of the Security Council expressed alarm at the spreading violence and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan."
  • Eight civilians killed by Syria army in rebel bastion: monitor

    The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six other people were injured in the attacks. Earlier, five government soldiers were killed by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, formerly the local branch of Al-Qaeda, in the north of Latakia province, according to the Observatory.
  • Syria strikes kill 6 civilians in rebel bastion: monitor

    On Friday, it said 11 pro-government forces and five HTS fighters had been killed after the jihadists launched an attack in neighboring Aleppo province a day earlier. Late last month, Syrian government bombardment killed nine civilians including six children as they harvested olives in Idlib province, reported the Observatory, which...
  • Yemeni rebels attack British ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait: report

    Dubai, UAE - Rebels from the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement (the Houthi) have staged a drone attack on a British commercial vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Al Hadath television channel reported, citing sources. According to Al Hadath, the ship with the British crew was flying the British flag. According to...
  • ICC pledges to intensify war crime investigations in Israel and Gaza

    ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has vowed to ramp up efforts in investigating war crimes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, highlighting the importance of adherence to international humanitarian law amidst the complexities of the densely populated conflict zones. Khan urges unimpeded aid delivery to Gaza, emphasizing legal compliance.
  • IMF to revise regional outlook over Israel-Hamas conflict

    Dubai, UAE--The IMF announced Friday that it will revise its economic outlook for the Middle East and North Africa region due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The conflict will have wide-ranging consequences for "both people and economies" in the region, although the extent of the impact remains "highly uncertain," the...
  • Israel resumes military operations in Gaza as truce expires

    The resumption of fighting dashed hopes for an extension of a seven-day truce that had seen dozens of hostages freed in exchange for Palestinian civilian releases by Israel. On Thursday, US top diplomat Antony Blinken, meeting Israeli and Palestinian officials, called for the pause in hostilities to be extended, and...
  • China FM to visit New York for UN talks on Israel-Hamas conflict

    Beijing, China--China's top diplomat Wang Yi will visit New York this week to hold a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Beijing's foreign ministry said on Monday. "As it holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month, China will hold a high-level meeting on...
  • Iraqis haunted by war battle mental health issues

    Ravaged by war and rocked by Islamic State group attacks, Iraq's demand for mental health professionals is great, but help is hard to come by. Baghdad's Al-Rashad psychiatric hospital receives patients suffering from serious psychological illnesses, such as schizophrenia, and offers outpatient treatment for depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • War in Gaza represents serious setback for efforts to reduce tension: Gargash

    Manama, Bahrain-- The ongoing war in Gaza represents a serious setback for the efforts to reduce tension in the region as a whole, said Dr. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President. Speaking at the 19th Manama Dialogue, he warned: “Prolonging the war would only amplify its associated risks,...
  • Israel agrees pauses in fighting but rules out ceasefire

    Tens of thousands of civilians have streamed out of devastated northern Gaza in recent days, with men, women and children clutching meagre possessions as they emerge from the devastated warzone. They have fled close-quarter fighting, with Hamas militants using rocket-propelled grenades against Israeli troops backed by armoured vehicles and heavy...
  • Participants in Middle East conflict commit war crimes: UN official

    Geneva, Switzerland - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has described hostage-taking by Palestinian armed groups and Israel's "collective punishment" of Palestinian civilians as war crimes. "The atrocities perpetrated by Palestinian armed groups on October 7 were heinous, brutal and shocking, they were war crimes - as is...
  • 18 hospitals forced to close their doors in Gaza: report

    Dubai, UAE - Eighteen hospitals in the Gaza Strip were forced to end their work in the Gaza Strip amid heavy Israeli shelling and air raids, the healthcare authority of the Palestinian exclave has told Al Jazeera. "A total of 18 hospitals, including eight state-run facilities, had to stop their...
  • In Ankara, Blinken tries to soothe strategic ally Turkey’s anger

    Blinken's first visit since Israel went to war with Hamas in reprisal for the militants' October 7 attack comes with fury at both Israel and the West boiling over on the streets of Turkey and in the palace of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Police used tear gas and water cannon...
  • UAE and China urge UN Security Council meeting on Gaza

    Dubai, UAE-- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China have called for a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for Monday. The UN Security Council will discuss, in particular, the strikes on the Palestinian refugee camp Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip and...
  • Gaza suffers critical food shortages amid conflict

    Gaza faces a dire humanitarian crisis as food supplies near exhaustion and the financial sector falls into chaos amid the ongoing conflict, a WFP report points out.
  • US uses unarmed Pentagon assets to locate hostages in Gaza: US official

    Washington, United States - The US is using unarmed assets of the Department of Defense to help locate hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a senior US official said at a news conference. "We are using unarmed DoD assets to try to help locate some of the American...
  • Blinken’s visit to Israel to focus on minimizing civilian casualties

    Washington, United States - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who arrived in Israel today on a diplomatic visit will address the pressing issue of minimizing harm to civilians in Gaza amid growing concern over casualties resulting from Israel's bombardment of the region, Reuters reported. During his visit, Blinken will...
  • Hizbollah chief to break silence on Israel-Hamas war

    The border tensions have revived memories of Hizbollah's devastating 2006 war with Israel that killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 in Israel, largely soldiers. Hizbollah receives financial support as well as weapons and equipment from Iran, and has built up its powerful arsenal since 2006....
  • Investors eye gold as safe haven amid Gaza tensions

    The ongoing Gaza conflict has driven gold prices over $2,000/oz, highlighting the deep connection between geopolitical tensions and global financial market reactions.
  • Politics in fashion: Luxury brands react to Gaza crisis

    From L'Oréal's controversy involving model Amena Khan to Chanel's significant financial pledge, the fashion industry is deeply entwined in political discourse amid Gaza conflict.
  • Iran’s President says Israeli actions ‘may force everyone’ to act

    TEHRAN, IRAN - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday said Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza "may force everyone" to act in the latest warning issued by the Islamic republic since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Israel has been pounding the tiny Palestinian territory since Hamas fighters stormed across the border...
  • Oil prices surge 3 percent amid Middle East tensions

    New York, United States - Oil prices experienced a 3% surge on Friday, reaching a one-week high, driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East, raising concerns about potential disruptions in global crude supplies, Reuters reported. Brent crude futures increased by $2.55, or 2.9%, settling at $90.48 a barrel, while...
  • US supports ‘humanitarian pauses’ to let aid into Gaza

    White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US supports pauses in Israel's war against Hamas in order to let aid to flow into the Gaza Strip. He said the aid can include fuel needed for the restoration of electrical power, medical care, water purification and "so many...
  • Turkey ready to act as guarantor for Palestine to resolve conflict with Israel: Erdogan

    Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey is ready to act as a guarantor country for Palestine in the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his address to a parliamentary session on Wednesday, Russian agency TASS reported. Erdogan also proposed to convene an international peace conference aimed...