Middle Orient

What Happened? Twelve people* were killed and nearly 3,000 injured as thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, overwhelming the country’s hospitals. Explosions also took place in Syria. Most of those targeted were Hezbollah members. While Israeli officials did not admit Israel’s responsibility for the operation, news outlets such as the …

Israel is refocusing its operations in the Gaza Strip to prioritize “destroying the pillars of Hamas’ civil rule. . . especially the distribution of humanitarian aid,” according to an anonymous Israeli official.[1] The official told Israeli media that controlling aid distribution enables Hamas to project the image that it still …

Shia blocs, holding a majority in the parliament, are determined to push forward the legislation despite the increasing outcry. Despite fierce opposition from Iraqi lawmakers, civil society groups, human rights organisations, and foreign diplomats, the Iraqi parliament is set to hold the second reading of amendments to the highly controversial …

Iraqi forces and American troops have killed a senior commander with the Islamic State group who was wanted by the United States, as well as several other prominent militants, Iraq’s military said on Friday. The operation in Iraq’s western Anbar province began in late August, the Iraqi military said, and …

Russia’s top diplomat Lavrov teases a possible high-level four-way meeting to tackle Turkish-Syrian normalization, which he says requires many specific parameters to achieve, such as troops’ presence and the YPG problem Russia, Türkiye, Syria and Iran plan to hold a meeting soon to discuss the normalization efforts between Ankara and …

The story: Apparent Russian support for a controversial corridor linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave has triggered outrage in Tehran. The proposed route has long been opposed by Iran as it would sever the country’s land connection to Armenia. The flare-up between Moscow and Tehran highlights lingering points of contention, …

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Hamas no longer exists as an organized military force and is now engaged only in “guerrilla warfare.” Gallant claims that Israeli forces are still fighting against individual pockets of Hamas fighters and are in the process of searching for the group’s leadership. His …

Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar thanked the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, for his group’s support in the conflict with Israel, Hezbollah announced on Friday. This was Sinwar’s first public message since he became Hamas leader in August. Iran-backed Hezbollah has been carrying out attacks on Israel for nearly …

Military spokesperson for the Yemeni Houthi group, Yahya Saree, held a press conference discussing the missile attack that earlier today breached Israeli defenses, announcing further strikes. The Israeli military stated that the missile landed in an open area and there were no casualties. Saree said the Houthis targeted a “military …

The Palestinian-run Jerusalem Governorate has warned that Al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger, and the world must intervene before it’s too late, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. Violations by the Israeli occupation authority and its settlers in Jerusalem and at the Sacred Mosque are a precursor to the spatial division …