MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Russia's central bank held interest rates unchanged on Friday as Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine has led to stubbornly high inflation and labor shortages. The central bank raised rates to 16 percent in a series of hikes last year to cool the pace of price rises. Analysts are...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates--The US military said Thursday it had destroyed nine anti-ship ballistic missiles and two drones in Yemen after Houthi rebels fired on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two missiles fired by the Houthi rebels towards the Red Sea and...

A diplomatic source said the food aid has arrived at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv before being transferred to the Palestinian Red Crescent at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza. Morocco is the first country to transport its humanitarian aid via "this unprecedented land route".

President Joe Biden will tell Congress that he has ordered the US military to set up a port in Gaza to get more humanitarian aid by sea, senior US officials said. The announcement will not involve any US boots on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, as military personnel will...

The US military command said that its forces shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile and three one-way attack unmanned aerial systems launched from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Carney in the Red Sea. Houthis have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea for months over Israel's war on...

WASHINGTON, US – A small balloon floating at a high altitude over the US state of Utah was intercepted by fighter aircraft on Friday but deemed to pose no national security or flight risk, a US-Canada military agency said, according to US media. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said...

According to a statement from CENTCOM, the five strikes included targeting "the first observed Huthi employment of a UUV (unmanned underwater vessel) since attacks began" in October. The strikes were carried out between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm Saturday Sanaa time, the US Central Command said.

Speaking at a televised news conference, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that critics exhorting Israel not to lauch offensive in Rafah were telling the Jewish country to "lose the war" against Hamas. He suggested that troops would go in regardless of whether a hostage release is reached.

BEIRUT, LEBANON -  A Hizbollah commander, two other fighters and seven civilians were killed in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon, a security source said Thursday, raising the death toll from a raid a day earlier. The same Hizbollah commander had previously been targeted and wounded in an Israeli strike in...

According to the military spokesman for Iraq's prime minister, the discussions aim to schedule a timeline for a pullout of coalition forces from Iraq, leading to the end of its mission. He said the meetings will take place on a regular basis in order to achieve the commission's works as...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) has attracted new investments worth US$34 million (SAR130 million). This will be used to localize military aircraft industries, including drones and provide repair, maintenance and overhaul services for ships. Securing funding is one of the authority's...

The United Arab Emirates' defense ministry said that the soldiers were "exposed to a terrorist act" while "performing their work duties in training and qualifying the Somali Armed Forces". The ministry, without giving further details, said that two others were wounded in the incident.

New defense technologies including artificial intelligence-powered gunsights and robotic drones form a bright spot in an otherwise dire period for Israel's tech industry. Over 150 countries in December backed a UN resolution identifying "serious challenges and concerns" in new military tech, including "artificial intelligence and autonomy in weapons systems."

The US forces targeted many positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three US soldiers. The strikes, which targeted elite Iranian units and pro-Iranian militant groups, have led to fears that the ongoing war in Gaza could spiral into...

For EU leaders, it is their way or the highway as the wealthy, powerful bloc seeks to tame opposition and browbeat defiant countries and individuals into submission.

With inflation up at 35 percent, and amid a severe foreign currency crunch, the Egyptian pound is plunging and the US dollar has become hard to come by. The country's highly import-reliant economy, dominated by military-linked enterprises and with a fondness for infrastructure mega-projects, has been hit hard by a...

"WHO refutes Israel's accusation at the executive board meeting yesterday that WHO is in 'collusion' with Hamas and is 'turning a blind eye' to the suffering of hostages being held in Gaza," WHO chief Tedros said on X. "Such false claims are harmful and can endanger our staff who are...

The top UN court said Israel should do everything it could to prevent any acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip, in a highly anticipated ruling. Israel must do everything to "prevent the commission of all acts within the scope" of the Genocide Convention, said the International Court of Justice.

DUBAI, UAE - Yemen's Houthi rebels, who vowed to retaliate against US and British strikes early on Friday against key military sites, have built up a significant arsenal, including cruise missiles and drones. Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, the Iran-backed Houthis have carried out a spate of...

The US Central Command said the missiles were fired from the area controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, describing it as the "23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping" since November 19. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the Red Sea with strikes they say are in...

A massive air attack targeted schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades, blocks of flats, and many other sites, according to Ukrainian officials. The assault triggered international condemnation and fresh promises of military support to Ukraine, which has been fighting off invading Russian troops since late February 2022.

The army said that one of its soldiers injured by an anti-tank missile along with other troopers was in a serious condition. The army blamed Hizbollah for constant firing at Israeli "civilian and religious sites". Hizbollah, which on Tuesday announced the death of two of its fighters, says it is acting...

GAZA, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES-  A relentless Israeli military campaign, in response to deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, has upset the lives of most, if not all, residents of the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have launched a bombardment campaign and ground invasion of Gaza ever since Hamas launched its attack --...

NEW YORK, US - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that 136 United Nations employees in Gaza Strip had died in 75 days, something the global organization had "never seen" in its history. "Most of our staff have been forced from their homes," the UN chief added in a...

The Chinese president called for deeper bilateral cooperation during a meeting with Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing. The strong relationship between the two nations, which has endured despite Russia's military invasion of its neighbour Ukraine in early 2022, has faced pointed criticism from Western leaders in recent years.

The Qatari network had first reported that cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa and Gaza bureau chief Wael Al-Dahdouh were wounded in a school in Khan Yunis, where they were hit by "shrapnel from an Israeli missile attack". In a subsequent statement condemning the Israeli military, Al Jazeera attributed the injuries to...

Tokyo, Japan--A US Osprey military aircraft with eight crew on board crashed on Wednesday off a Japanese island, the coastguard said, in the latest accident involving the tilt-rotor military aircraft. It was unclear whether there were any survivors, but the coastguard said one unconscious person had been found at the scene...

Dubai, UAE -- UAE defense conglomerate EDGE Group has inked deals worth at least $1.8 billion during the Dubai Airshow, with the Emirati military as a key customer, media reports said. A $1.1 billion deal with UAE Ministry of Defense for aircraft munitions was the biggest of the deals. This...

Dubai, UAE--The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said Monday 12 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a hospital in the north of the Palestinian territory. The 12, including wounded patients and their companions, "were killed and dozens wounded as a result of the Israeli occupation targeting...

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that his country's forces carried out precision strikes on facilities in Syria used by Iran's IRGC and Iran-affiliated groups in response to continued attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria. It is the third time in three weeks that the US targeted locations...

Amman, Jordan - Jordan has stated that it is considering "all options" in response to what it perceives as Israel's failure to distinguish between military and civilian targets in its escalating offensive and incursion into the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported on Monday. Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh refrained from specifying...

Russia called for "collective action" to end fighting between Israel and Hamas, including an international conference, almost a month into the war that has left thousands dead. Russia, which has been waging a large-scale military operation in Ukraine for over 20 months, has also repeatedly criticized Western policies in the...

The first aid trucks arrived in the war-torn Gaza Strip from Egypt, AFP journalists said, bringing desperately needed humanitarian relief to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave under Israeli siege. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the group carried out the deadliest attack in the country's history on October 7.

Jerusalem - The Israeli military said on Saturday that Gaza City residents must not delay their departure before a military offensive starts, as people leaving the north of the territory again jammed roads south. Ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive against Hamas, which attacked southern Israel on October 7,...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia--Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned an attack on its territory that killed two Bahraini military personnel near the border with war-torn Yemen. Bahrain's military said late Monday that one officer and one enlisted soldier had been killed in what it described as a drone attack perpetrated by Yemen's Houthi...

Defending his country's enrichment of uranium to 60 percent purity level, noting that it was a response to European states failing to live up to the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has categorically rejected the Western states' claim that Tehran intends to build nuclear weapons, in an interview...

With a prolonged internal conflict anticipated and both the military and economy showing signs of strain, Israel's regional standing is being affected, say experts.

Tehran, Iran--Iran and Russia are independent countries whose military cooperation is not subject to the dictates of the United States and its allies, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister says. Russia's military cooperation with Iran will not succumb to geopolitical pressure, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. Ryabkov said in response...

Tehran, Iran-- Iran will boost military cooperation with Russia as the two countries look to strengthen strategic partnership. According to the commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari, "the Iranian army is ready to boost military cooperation with Russia." Heidari made the remark in a meeting...

Videos circulated on social media on Wednesday night showed Mahmoud Hamza dressed in military fatigues and surrounded by his fighters at the Tekbali barracks south of the Libyan capital.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - The 11th Moscow Conference on International Security, held at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center here, saw high-level discussions between Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and military representatives from Saudi Arabia and Iran. In a meeting with Talal Abdullah Al-Otaibi, military adviser to the Saudi defense...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--Black Cobra Military Supplies (BCMS) and the National Factory for Safety and Security Products (NFFSP) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to design and manufacture military footwear for the MENA region. Facilitated and supported by the Emirates Defence Companies Council (EDCC), the agreement aims to offer a...

Tehran, Iran-- In a defiant posture toward the West, Russia has declared that it will continue to enhance military cooperation with Iran, despite what it termed as enemies' opposition to the ties between the two countries. Deputy Foreign Minister of Russian Federation Sergei Alexeyevich Ryabkov said that the military cooperation...

Jakarta, Indonesia-- Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have discussed defense and military cooperation in a meeting between Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.  According to SPA, the two officials discussed bilateral relations and military and defense cooperation, as well as other...

The African Union demanded Niger's military "return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority" within 15 days as the EU intensified pressure on the coup leaders by suspending security cooperation with the country. General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, appeared on state television to declare himself...

Tehran, Iran-- Hectic efforts are underway for the restoration of ties between Syria and Turkey and also to pave way for a meeting between the Syrian and Turkish presidents. According to the Special envoy of the Russian president in Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, intense work is underway to normalize relations between...

Crude is the main revenue source for Libya, which has been torn by more than a decade of stop-start conflict, involving foreign powers and a myriad of militias, since a NATO-backed revolt toppled strongman Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Citing a military source, Syrian state news agency SANA said that Israel carried out air strikes near the government-held city of Homs. The air strikes hit "some points in the vicinity of the city". Israel, during more than a decade of war in Syria, has launched hundreds of air strikes,...

Tehran, Iran--Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations has rejected the claim by the United States and its allies about Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war. The mission in a statement on Friday said the "anti-Iran claims" are aimed to influence the six-month periodic report of UN...

In a rare acknowledgment, the Israeli army said that it "failed" to prevent an attack by Jewish settlers on a Palestinian village in the West Bank in which one villager was killed. Revenge attacks on Turmus Ayya and other villages followed the killing of four Israelis by Palestinian gunmen on...