Lebanon says dismantled ‘more than 500’ Hezbollah installations in south
Under a November ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group was required to pull its fighters out...Geostrategy
Saudis use AI, drones and thousands of cameras to keep hajj pilgrims safe
Makkah, Saudi Arabia -- Working day and night in front of maps, screens and seemingly endless data, Saudi officials have...Geostrategy
US military begins dropping aid into war-torn Gaza
Israel's top ally the United States said it began air-dropping aid into war-ravaged Gaza, as the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry...It also comes as negotiations continue for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
US Central Command said the operation was conducted together with Jordan and saw planes drop “over 38,000 meals along the coastline of Gaza.”
Hamas team heads to Cairo for new truce talks
Palestinian Territories - A Hamas delegation was expected to fly to Cairo on Saturday for talks on a truce in...The source said the delegation would submit Hamas's "official answer" to a proposal thrashed out with Israeli negotiators in Paris late last month.
A Hamas source told AFP that under the proposal, a truce would last for six weeks, with Hamas releasing 42 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Conservatives tipped to win in Iranian elections as counting begins
Tehran, Iran - Iran began counting ballots on Saturday after a vote for parliament and a key clerical body, with local...State TV reported early Saturday the "start of vote counting" after polling stations closed at midnight.
The present parliament is dominated by conservatives and ultra-conservatives
Three Hizbollah fighters killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon
An Israeli strike on a car in south Lebanon killed three Hizbollah fighters, a security source said, the latest in...Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that "an enemy drone targeted a car this morning on the road to Naqura".
The cross-border violence has raised fears of all-out conflict between Hizbollah and Israel, which last went to war in 2006.
AU head seeks probe into massacre of Gazans waiting for aid
Nairobi, Kenya - African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat on Saturday accused Israel of "the mass killing of Palestinians" and urged..."Mahamat strongly condemns an attack by Israeli forces, that killed and wounded more than 100 Palestinians seeking life-saving humanitarian aid," the bloc said.
"The Chairperson calls for an international investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to account," the statement by the African Union said.
Gaza officials report 4 more child malnutrition deaths
Global attention turned to the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza on Thursday, when the health ministry said more than 100...Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement, noting that the number of child "malnutrition and dehydration" deaths now totaled 10
Earlier Friday, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA told reporters that "if something doesn't change, a famine is almost inevitable" in Gaza
US forces destroy Houthi surface-to-air missile: CENTCOM
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea since November in...On Friday afternoon, US "forces conducted a self-defense strike against one Houthi surface-to-air missile that was prepared to launch," CENTCOM said
The United States is spearheading a naval coalition to protect vessels in the vital waterway, and has conducted air strikes in Houthi territory, alongside Britain
Biden announces US aid air drops in Gaza
Biden had been planning air drops for some time but Thursday's incident "certainly underscored for the president" the need to...US president said that he would "insist" that Israel let in more aid trucks, while it would also look at a possible "marine corridor" to deliver large amounts of aid into Gaza
Biden said later he was "hoping" for a deal on a six-week ceasefire by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which will start on March 10 or 11, depending on the lunar calendar
OIC to hold extraordinary meeting on Israeli aggression on March 5
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting of its Council of Foreign...OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha is expected to address the opening session, which will be preceded by a preparatory senior officials' meeting
On October 11, 2023, Saudi Arabia hosted the extraordinary Joint Arab and Islamic Summit in Riyadh, organized by the OIC and the Arab League
EU queries Meta about ad-free subscriptions, shadow banning
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - The EU on Friday used new regulatory powers to query Meta about ad-free subscriptions to Facebook and Instagram as...The European Commission made a request for information under the mammoth content moderation law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The EU has launched probes under the DSA to quiz platforms on how they are addressing concerns from consumer protection to children's activity online.
