Middle East
Latest stories
First Israel strike on new Syria security forces kills 3

An Israeli air strike for the first time hit a military target belonging to Syria's new Islamist-led authorities on Wednesday, killing three people, a war monitor and a medical source said.

"An Israeli drone launched an attack targeting a military convoy... killing two members of the Military Operations Department, and injuring another person" in southern Syria's Quneitra region, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A medical source told AFP a local official was among the three killed in the strike.

W140 Full Story
World must keep pressure on Israel after Gaza truce, Palestinian PM says

The Palestinian prime minister says it's unacceptable for any entity other than the Palestinian Authority to run the Gaza Strip in the future, as Israel and Hamas appear to be at the closest point yet to sealing a deal to end 15 months of war.

“While we’re waiting for the ceasefire, it’s important to stress that it will not be acceptable for any entity to govern Gaza Strip but the legitimate Palestinian leadership and the government of the State of Palestine,” Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said Wednesday. He was visiting Norway, one of three European countries that formally recognized a Palestinian state in May.

W140 Full Story
Israel supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives, top official says

Israel supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives for its nuclear enrichment program, a top Iranian official has acknowledged for the first time, underscoring the sophistication of sabotage programs targeting the Islamic Republic.

The comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif, a former foreign minister who serves as vice president for strategic affairs for reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, appear aimed at explaining to the country's disaffected public the challenges Iran's government faces under crushing Western sanctions over the program. The comments also acknowledged details previously reported in Israel about a 2021 attack on Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.

W140 Full Story
Blinken makes the case for post-war reconstruction, security and governance of Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalizingly close to completion.

Blinken touted the proposal, which has been in the works for a year, and discussed the importance of ensuring its success after the Biden administration leaves office in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.

W140 Full Story
Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza and the West Bank, killing dozens

Israeli airstrikes on two homes in central Gaza killed at least 17 Palestinians late Tuesday and wounded seven more, hospital officials said.

In the occupied West Bank, the Health Ministry said at least six people were killed by an Israeli airstrike in the Jenin refugee camp late Tuesday. The Israeli military confirmed a drone strike in the area but gave no further details. Israel has carried out months of raids in the camp in what it calls a crackdown against militants.

W140 Full Story
Mediators make final push for Gaza truce deal

Mediators were making a final push Wednesday to seal a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, after a Qatari official involved in the talks expressed hope an agreement could be reached "very soon".

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have intensified efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages taken during Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

W140 Full Story
Blinken to make case for post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalizingly close to completion.

Blinken will tout the proposal, which has been in the works for a year, and discuss the importance of ensuring its success after the Biden administration leaves office in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the speech.

W140 Full Story
Hamas hopes Gaza truce talks lead to 'clear and comprehensive agreement'

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Tuesday that it hopes for "clear and comprehensive agreement" at the conclusion of an ongoing round of indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital for a truce in Gaza.

Hamas said in a statement it had held consultations with leaders of other Palestinian factions "where it informed them of the progress made in the negotiations underway in Doha," adding that the completion of the agreement "has reached its final stages" and the movement "hoped that this round of negotiations will end with a clear and comprehensive agreement".

W140 Full Story
Hamas accepts draft agreement for Gaza deal, Qatar says talks in 'final stages'

Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said Tuesday. Mediator Qatar said the negotiations were at the "closest point" yet to sealing a deal.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposed agreement, and an Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed its authenticity. An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized. The plan would need to be submitted to the Israeli Cabinet for final approval.

W140 Full Story
Initial Gaza deal to free 33 Israelis, 1000 Palestinian prisoners

The first phase of a Gaza truce deal being negotiated in Qatar would see 33 Israeli hostages released, sources close to the talks and Israeli media said on Tuesday.

Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have intensified efforts to clinch a deal in recent days, with a source briefed on the negotiations telling AFP earlier on Tuesday that a "final round of talks" was due to begin in Doha.

W140 Full Story