Middle East

Hamas Says Search Resumes for Last Israeli Hostage Body in Gaza
Hamas Says Search Resumes for Last Israeli Hostage Body in Gaza

Hamas officials told AFP that search operations for the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza resumed on Wednesday after a two-week pause due to bad weather. Israel has previously said it is awaiting the return of Ran Gvili's body before beginning talks on the second phase of the fragile ceasefire agreement with Hamas which came ...

Iran Warns of Retaliation as President Orders Restraint on Protesters
Iran Warns of Retaliation as President Orders Restraint on Protesters

Iran's military chief warned on Wednesday that Iran will not stand by and allow itself to be threatened by outside powers, after the United States and Israel backed anti-government protests. "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation a threat and will not tolerate its continuation without ...

Yemen's Anti-Houthi Council Expels Separatist Leader
Yemen's Anti-Houthi Council Expels Separatist Leader

A council fighting against Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Wednesday it expelled the leader of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous al-Zubaidi, and charged him with treason after he reportedly declined to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks. The statement from SABA accused al-Zubaidi of “damaging the republic’s military, ...

Syria and Israel Agree on Permanent Security Arrangements in U.S.-Brokered Talks
Syria and Israel Agree on Permanent Security Arrangements in U.S.-Brokered Talks

Syria and Israel agreed to pursue permanent security and stability arrangements and to establish a joint coordination mechanism under U.S. supervision, according to a joint statement released on Monday by the U.S., Israel, and Syria. The announcement followed a high-level meeting in Paris between senior Israeli and Syrian officials, held under ...

Israel Strikes South Lebanon, Kills Two
Israel Strikes South Lebanon, Kills Two

Israel struck southern Lebanon on Tuesday, targeting a courtyard near a house in the town of Kafr Danin, hitting what it said was a Hezbollah terrorist.  According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), two people were killed in the strike and a house was destroyed. Reportedly, the Lebanese Army also recovered an Israeli drone that ...

Israeli Official Describes Israel-Syria Negotiations as \
Israeli Official Describes Israel-Syria Negotiations as "Positive"

An Israeli source on Tuesday described the atmosphere of negotiations between Israel and Syria in Paris as positive, though sources briefed on the talks said it would fall far short of a full peace treaty. Axios quoted an Israeli official as saying that Syria and Israel expressed their desire to reach a security agreement within the framework of ...

9 Killed: Syrian Forces and Kurdish Fighters Clash in Aleppo
9 Killed: Syrian Forces and Kurdish Fighters Clash in Aleppo

Clashes between government personnel and Kurdish-led forces in the north Syrian city of Aleppo killed nine people on Tuesday, with both sides trading blame over who started the fighting. State news agency SANA blames the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for “the death of one defense ministry member,” while state television ...

Yemen Separatists Set for Riyadh Talks After Fighting: Official
Yemen Separatists Set for Riyadh Talks After Fighting: Official

The leader of Yemen's separatists is heading to Riyadh on Tuesday for talks, a Yemeni official told AFP, after days of fighting between his UAE-backed forces and pro-Saudi rivals. The Saudi-organised talks indicate the beginning of de-escalation efforts after the clashes in Yemen's government-run areas that exposed a rift between Gulf powers ...

Israel Prepares for Possible Iranian “Mistake”
Israel Prepares for Possible Iranian “Mistake”

Israel’s security establishment is preparing for the possibility of a multi-front confrontation, operating on the assumption that any Iranian misstep would trigger a severe military response, carried out with U.S. approval, according to a report by the Israeli daily Maariv. In Tel Aviv, the prevailing question is no longer whether such an ...

Iran Protests: 35 Dead, Over 1,200 Arrested
Iran Protests: 35 Dead, Over 1,200 Arrested

About 35 people have been killed since the start of the protests against the regime in Iran, including four children, and law enforcement authorities in the country have arrested more than 1,200 protesters, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. The protests in the country are showing no signs of stopping, and they have spread to ...

Trump, Maduro, and Iran
Op-edTrump, Maduro, and Iran

America's dramatic capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro has set the stage for the conduct of America's national security strategy in 2026.  It has also raised questions. Was it legal?  Judging from precedents set with the 1990 capture, trial, conviction, and imprisonment of Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, the ...