Middle Orient

Ten al-Qaida inmates escape from prison in eastern Yemen

Ten jailed al-Qaida militants have escaped from prison in Yemen’s eastern province of Hadramawt, security officials said on Friday. The inmates staged a quarrel among themselves late Thursday at the prison in the city of Seiyun, forcing guards to intervene. But when they did, the prisoners overpowered them, seizing their …

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11 Iraqis, Including 9 Teachers, Killed in Head-on Crash After Iftar Meal in Karbala

At least 11 people, including nine schoolteachers, were killed in a head-on crash south of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The crash on Saturday occurred as the group was returning home in a mini-van from an Iftar meal in the Shiite holy city of Karbala. The accident occurred due to …

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Iran Confirms It Moved Centrifuge Facility To Underground Natanz Nuclear Site

Iran has confirmed that it relocated a facility housing centrifuges used for uranium enrichment to its underground Natanz nuclear site. The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, said in an interview with Iran’s al-Alam TV on late on Saturday that the “centrifuge machines were moved …

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Israeli Security Forces, Arab Worshippers Continue To Clash on Temple Mount

Israeli security forces and Arab worshippers clashed on Sunday morning at the Temple Mount, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is located, as some of the Arab worshippers prepared to throw stones and block entrances to the site to prevent Jewish pilgrims from visiting for the first intermediary day of Passover. …

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Iran Capitalizes On Central Asian Vacuum Created By The Ukraine War – Analysis

Anti-Iranian protests in Afghanistan and the stabbing of three clerics in Iran threaten to cast a shadow over Iranian efforts to capitalise on the fallout in Central Asia of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The protests at Iran’s diplomatic representations in Kabul and Herat erupted after videos went viral on …

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Attacks Escalate Amid Baghdad’s Political Deadlock

Iran and the militias to which it provides backing and support have escalated attacks in an effort to influence the formation of a new national government in Iraq. Iraq’s Kurdish leaders are at odds over which faction will control Iraq’s presidency. Iraqi factions aligned with Iran have blocked efforts by …

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Is MBS Looking for an Exit Ramp in Yemen?

A ceasefire and a restructuring of the Yemen government suggest that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) is looking for an off-ramp for the conflict. Houthi missile attacks on the Kingdom and the UAE, coupled with strains in U.S. relations with the two Gulf states, may have shifted MBS’ …

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Suweida: Faction Ready for Military Confrontation with Regime

The Ahrar Jabal al-Arab Gathering has pledged to stand with the people of the Suweida governorate, in southern Syria, to reach a just and democratic Syrian nation, which is founded on the principle of separation of powers — without partisan, ethnic, or sectarian discrimination. In a statement, the gathering said …

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Recap: Bloody Times the for Regime and its Allies in Syria

Frontlines might not be moving in Syria, but that does not mean that the fighting is over. Various factions and foreign states involved in the 11 years old conflict are still resorting to targeted attacks or assassinations, and the Syrian regime and its allies are paying a heavy price. On …

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