Middle East

US Congress Ends Syria Sanctions
US Congress Ends Syria Sanctions

The US Congress on Wednesday permanently ended sanctions imposed on Syria under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation. President Donald Trump had already twice suspended the implementation of sanctions in response to pleas from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, allies of the new government ...

From Rockets to Reels: Iran and Hezbollah’s Fight for Survival through Propaganda
AnalysisFrom Rockets to Reels: Iran and Hezbollah’s Fight for Survival through Propaganda

After the 2024 Israel–Hezbollah war, Iran and its main regional proxy faced a grim reality. Hezbollah survived the war, but its top leadership had been assassinated, much of its arsenal destroyed, thousands of its fighters killed, and it was forced to retreat from south of the Litani. In response, Iran and Hezbollah have shifted from kinetic ...

Iran Refusing to Allow Independent Medical Examination of Nobel Winner
Iran Refusing to Allow Independent Medical Examination of Nobel Winner

Iranian authorities are refusing to allow an independent medical examination of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi after she was beaten during her arrest last week, her family said on Tuesday. Her brother Hamid Reza Mohammadi, who lives in Norway, told reporters in Paris via video link that she had informed her other brother in Iran in a ...

Hezbollah or Iran: Who Will Fall First?
AnalysisHezbollah or Iran: Who Will Fall First?

Repeated Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, increasingly explicit warnings of war, signals exchanged between Tel Aviv, Tehran, and Hezbollah, and seemingly peripheral events, such as the Sydney terrorist attack and renewed scrutiny of Iran, may appear disconnected. Viewed together, they form a coherent sequence. The real issue is not escalation ...

Iran’s Female Bikers Push Limits
VideosIran’s Female Bikers Push Limits

Once riding at night to avoid scrutiny, Maryam Ghelich now teaches motorcycle riding to hundreds of Iranian women. Despite legal and social barriers, female motorcyclists are becoming increasingly visible on the streets of Tehran.

Iran Nobel Winner Narges Mohammadi Unwell after 'Violent' Arrest
Iran Nobel Winner Narges Mohammadi Unwell after 'Violent' Arrest

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was taken to hospital twice after being violently arrested last week, her supporters said Monday, following a telephone call with the campaigner that raised concerns about her physical condition. Mohammadi, who won the 2023 Nobel Prize, was detained Friday after addressing a memorial ceremony in ...

Syrian Who Killed Americans Was Part of Security Forces
Syrian Who Killed Americans Was Part of Security Forces

Syria's interior ministry said Sunday the gunman who killed three Americans in the central Palmyra region the previous day was a member of the security forces who was to have been fired for extremism. Two U.S. troops and a civilian interpreter died in what the Syrian government described as a "terrorist attack" on Saturday, while Washington said ...

Hamas Says Weapons Are 'Legitimate Right', Open to Proposals That Preserve It
Hamas Says Weapons Are 'Legitimate Right', Open to Proposals That Preserve It

Hamas's Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said on Sunday that the militant group had a "legitimate right" to hold weapons and that any proposal for the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire must uphold that right. "Resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right guaranteed by international law and are linked to the establishment of a Palestinian state," ...

U.S. and Syrian Soldiers Wounded as Shots Fired at Delegation
U.S. and Syrian Soldiers Wounded as Shots Fired at Delegation

Two American troops and an interpreter were killed in central Syria on Saturday after an alleged member of the Islamic State group opened fire on a joint US-Syrian patrol, officials said. US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the deaths on X after Syria's state media earlier reported that an attack in the city of Palmyra had wounded American ...

Senior Hamas  Military Leader Raed Saad Killed in Israeli Airstrike
Senior Hamas Military Leader Raed Saad Killed in Israeli Airstrike

Israel said it killed the head of weapons production in Hamas's military wing in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. "In response to the activation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today... Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the elimination of the terrorist Raad Saad, ...