Middle East

Syria Tells Civilians to Leave Aleppo's Kurdish Areas
Syria Tells Civilians to Leave Aleppo's Kurdish Areas

Syria's military warned civilians in two besieged Kurdish neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo to leave on Thursday, as it prepared to conduct a fresh wave of strikes targeting Kurdish positions. Thousands have already fled the area following clashes between the army and Kurdish-led forces that have killed more than a dozen people. The violence ...

LAF Completes First Phase of Weapons Plan, Israel Deems Efforts “Insufficient”
LAF Completes First Phase of Weapons Plan, Israel Deems Efforts “Insufficient”

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced on Thursday the official end of the first phase of the weapons control plan, which aimed to bring all weapons south of the Litani River under state control by the end of 2025.  According to the statement, the first phase focused on “expanding the Army’s operational presence, securing vital areas, ...

Syria Settles Status of Top Businessman Under Assad
Syria Settles Status of Top Businessman Under Assad

Syrian authorities said Wednesday they had reached a settlement with Mohammad Hamsho, a prominent businessman accused of ties to Bashar al-Assad's rule and of profiting from the country's war, their first such announcement since taking power. Two sources told AFP that Hamsho, a former lawmaker, had benefited from links to Qatar, a key ...

Iraq-Based Kurdish Opposition Calls for Strike in Iran
Iraq-Based Kurdish Opposition Calls for Strike in Iran

Several Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish opposition parties have called for a general strike on Thursday in Iran in support of the protests in the Islamic republic, one of the exiled parties told AFP. The protests began on December 28 when shopkeepers in Tehran staged a strike over high prices and economic stagnation, but they have since spread to ...

Iran Police Officer Killed in Stabbing During Unrest Near Tehran: Local Media
Iran Police Officer Killed in Stabbing During Unrest Near Tehran: Local Media

An Iranian police officer was killed in a stabbing during unrest near the capital, local media reported on Thursday, as protests over the cost of living in the country entered a 12th day. Shahin Dehghan, a member of the police force in Malard county west of Tehran, "was martyred a few hours ago after being stabbed during efforts to control ...

Yemen Separatist Leader Fled to UAE: Saudi-Led Coalition
Yemen Separatist Leader Fled to UAE: Saudi-Led Coalition

Yemen's separatist leader Aidaros Alzubidi has fled to the United Arab Emirates, the Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday, after an attempt to seize swathes of territory and move towards independence. Alzubidi was accused of high treason and removed from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council on Wednesday, while the coalition bombed his ...

Israeli Media: Trump Gives Netanyahu ‘Green Light’ for War Against Hezbollah
Israeli Media: Trump Gives Netanyahu ‘Green Light’ for War Against Hezbollah

Israel’s public broadcaster reported Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told senior ministers he had received an American “green light” to carry out a military operation in Lebanon, amid a sharp uptick in Israeli strikes and renewed diplomatic pressure on Beirut to accelerate steps aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s ...

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 in which at least 35 protesters have reportedly been killed. "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the ...

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 ...