Middle Orient

Blackened smoke in the background, the raging inferno ripped through tents long after Israel had bombed another designated “safe” zone for evacuated civilians from north of Gaza. A charred body, of a boy or a girl, pulled from the wreckage, still burning. It’s the “bigger shoah,” the bigger Holocaust, Matan …

Iran-backed Shi’ite armed groups in Iraq have ramped up rocket and missile attacks on Israel in recent weeks, raising concerns in Washington and among some Iranian allies of potential Israeli retaliation and regional escalation should they draw blood. Though the attacks, often from hundreds of miles (kms) away, are not …

On the same scorching day last month, Israeli troops fought street battles with Hamas militants in Gaza, its fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and soldiers exchanged fire with Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank. As the war in the Gaza Strip nears its ninth month, Israel’s military …

Iran seized control of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs several decades ago, though the United Arab Emirates has long claimed sovereignty over the islands, a claim backed by Gulf states and Russia. China reiterated on Monday its support for the United Arab Emirates regarding its dispute with …

Analysis: Upcoming elections and the succession race for Supreme Leader could deepen infighting among Iran’s conservative political camp. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, 63, died in a helicopter crash in the north-western province of East Azerbaijan province on 19 May, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others. To demonstrate …

Israel’s extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque during a far-right ‘Flag March’ on Wednesday. Israel’s extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to storm the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, during a provocative ‘Flag March’ through Jerusalem. Israeli settlers are due to …

Abu Obeida attracts a wide audience of Palestinians and Arabs due to his eloquence in the Arabic language and his creativity when he speaks. When a new recording of Abu Obeida, the official spokesperson for Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, is aired, millions of people pay attention and …

Separately speaking to The New Arab, Palestinians in Gaza expressed differing points of view, moving between optimism and pessimism, about the new initiative. Between hope, fear, and anxiety, Palestinians in Gaza are following the news about US President Joe Biden’s initiative that was announced on Friday and which could potentially …

This past Memorial Day, as Americans honoured their war dead, the Biden administration was running interference for an Iranian regime whose Supreme Leader has described “death to America” as his official state policy. A report in the day’s Wall Street Journal described how the US was “pressing European allies to …

Hardliners overwhelmingly dominate the candidate pool for the upcoming Iranian presidential election. The registration period for the election ended on June 3, and 80 individuals registered to compete in the election.[i] The Guardian Council—a regime body responsible for supervising elections and approving candidates—will vet candidates between June 4 and 10, …