Israel military says controls 40 percent of Gaza City, the largest urban centre in the Palestinian territory
In a televised briefing, Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that "we hold 40 percent of the territory...Geostrategy
With Kim, Putin at his side, Xi says world “faced with a choice of peace or war”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin flanked Xi Jinping at a massive parade of military might...Geostrategy
Iran foreign minister, Hamas chief discuss Gaza developments
Tehran, Iran - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a phone conversation with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Friday night...During the call, Amir-Abdollahian praised the invocation of Article 99 of the UN Charter by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Iranian top diplomat told the Hamas chief that the crisis in Gaza had been a central feature of discussions between Iranian President and his Russian counterpart Putin
Three Lebanese soldiers wounded in Israeli attack
According to a medical source quoted by media, Israeli artillery fire targeted the " vicinity of a Lebanese army post...Soldiers were seen lying on stretchers, exhibiting signs of breathing difficulties but with no open wounds
Violence on Israel-Lebanon border has killed at least 120 people in Lebanon, mostly Hizbollah fighters
US vetoes Security Council resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire
Guterres had convened an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after weeks of fighting left more than 17,487 people...Washington dashed a growing clamor for an immediate ceasefire that had been led by UN chief Antonio Guterres and Arab nations
American envoy Robert Wood said the resolution was "divorced from reality" and "would have not moved the needle forward on the ground."
COP28 president Sultan Jaber pushes for rapid fossil fuels draft deal
Climate campaigners have viewed Jaber with deep suspicion due to his position as the head of UAE national oil firm...Despite disagreements over the future of fossil fuels, Jaber voiced optimism that the talks hosted by the oil-rich UAE can finish with a historic deal
A draft deal was released on Tuesday but negotiators failed to produce another text on Wednesday before heading into the break
Azerbaijan clears key hurdle to host UN climate summit in 2024
Dubai, UAE -- Petro-state Azerbaijan has cleared a key hurdle to host next year's UN climate summit despite the controversy over...Bulgaria, which had also sought to host COP29 but was opposed by Russia, also formally ended its bid and backed Azerbaijan.
COP, or the Conference of the Parties under the UN climate body, takes place each year in a different region, with Asia choosing Dubai.
Arab world to be center for global change in 2024, says Russian intelligence chief
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - The chief of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, or SVR, believes the Arab world will take center stage...The Russian official said that the change has manifested itself in strong, sovereign leaders coming to power in a number of Arab countries.
The rapid growth of anti-US and, more broadly, anti-Western sentiment in the region is one of the outcomes of this change, he said.
UN Security Council to consider urging Gaza ceasefire
In a letter to the council on Wednesday, Guterres took the extraordinary step of invoking the UN charter's Article 99,...Even though the civilian death toll in the Palestinian territory is mounting amid Israel's bombardment, the outcome of the session is up in the air
The bloodiest ever war between Israel and Hamas is now in its third month, with the death toll in Gaza soaring above 17,000
Israeli TV shows footage of stripped detainees in Gaza
Israel declared war on the Palestinian fighter group Hamas after its attack on October 7 in southern Israel, which killed...In the viral video filmed in Beit Lahia, a group of blindfolded men are seen sitting with their hands tied behind their backs
One clip showed the arm of a soldier in the foreground, suggesting it was filmed by a member of the military
No surprises in store as Egypt heads to polls
From Sunday through Tuesday, Egyptians aged 18 and above will be able to cast their ballots for one of four...Preparations for elections in the Arab world's most populous country are massive in scale
Sisi received over 96 percent of the vote in both the 2014 and 2018 elections.
Fighting rages in Gaza as war enters third month
Heavy urban combat raged in and around Gaza's biggest cities as the bloodiest-ever war between Israel and Hamas entered its...Israeli forces have encircled major urban centres as they seek to destroy Hamas over its unprecedented attack in October.
Backed by air power, tanks and armored bulldozers, Israeli troops were fighting Thursday in Khan Yunis, the biggest city in southern Gaza.
