Tag Archives: Middle East

The BBC reports: Israel has blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza as it demands Hamas agree to a US plan for a ceasefire extension. The first phase of the ceasefire expired on Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Hamas had so far refused to accept a temporary extension under a proposal by Donald Trump’s envoy, …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump has sent social media into an absolute tizzy as he dropped an AI-generated video depicting a surreal vision for Gaza, reimagining the war-torn territory as a glitzy, Dubai-style resort, complete with towering skyscrapers — and a golden statue of himself. Among the video’s more bizarre moments in the video Trump shared without comment on Tuesday: …

“I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back. There’s nothing to move back into. The …

Alex Isenstadt writes for Axios: Iran’s threat to assassinate Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign was far more serious than publicly known — and led to extraordinary precautions by his team that included using a decoy plane to avert a feared attempt on his life. My upcoming book, “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power,” reveals the depth …

The New York Times reports: A suggestion by President Trump to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and ask Egypt and Jordan to take in more Palestinians raised new questions on Sunday about United States policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and two of its most important allies in the Middle East. Mr. Trump’s comments appeared to echo the wishes of the …

The Washington Post reports: A ceasefire in Gaza has come into effect, putting a halt to more than 15 months of devastating war. The agreement was set to be enforced earlier Sunday but was delayed by almost three hours when Hamas failed to provide on time the list of three female hostages that it would release on the first day. …

The Guardian reports: Hamas has told multiple outlets that its delegation has handed its approval of the proposed ceasefire deal to mediators in Qatar and Egypt. A Hamas official said the group’s leader, Khalil al-Hayya, has delivered approval of the ceasefire agreement to mediators in Doha, Al Jazeera Arabic and Sky News are reporting. BBC is also reporting that a …

The Associated Press reports: Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. …

Axios reports: The U.S. is working with several other countries in the Middle East to prevent chemical weapons possessed by the Assad regime from falling into the wrong hands, a U.S. official told reporters. The U.S. and its allies are concerned that the collapse of the Syrian army and other security forces — and the chaos engulfing the country — …

The New York Times reports: President Bashar al-Assad has resigned and left Syria, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Sunday, hours after rebels stormed the Syrian capital without encountering any significant resistance from government forces. It did not offer details on Mr. al-Assad’s exact whereabouts, saying only that he had held talks with “several parties of the armed conflict.” There was …

The Times Of Israel reports: As Israel gears up to sign a US-brokered ceasefire with the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, these are the key points of the deal that have been revealed so far, according to officials who have briefed the media. The deal that would end the fighting on the northern front calls for an initial two-month ceasefire …

Axios reports: An explosive drone launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon hit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private home in the coastal town of Caesarea on Saturday. This is the first time since the beginning of the war that a target affiliated directly with Netanyahu has been hit. Netanyahu’s spokesperson confirmed his private residence was targeted on Saturday morning local time, …

The Washington Post reports: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, was killed by the Israeli military in Gaza after eluding their forces for more than a year. His body was identified after DNA testing in Israel, said an Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. Hamas did …

Axios reports: The Biden administration sent a letter to Israeli leaders on Monday demanding Israel take steps within 30 days to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza or risk the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel being affected, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios. Countries that receive U.S. military aid and are in an active …

Reuters reports: Gulf states are lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites because they are concerned their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates, three Gulf sources told Reuters. As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates …

The New York Times reports: Iran on Tuesday evening fired missiles on Israel, an attack that could spark a sharp escalation in the long-simmering conflict between Israel and Iran and tip the region further into turmoil and a widening war. “A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran to Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement. The salvo …

The Washington Post reports: Iran is preparing an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel, a White House official said Tuesday. The United States is “actively supporting” Israel’s “defensive preparations,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. “A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.” The warning of …

The Washington Post reports: The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it launched a strike on the Lebanese capital, although the target was unclear. Images from a southern Beirut suburb, where support for Hezbollah is strong, showed rubble in the streets and extensive damage to buildings and cars. Earlier, Israel’s military said it had launched airstrikes targeting what it described …

Reuters reports: Hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated late on Wednesday afternoon across Lebanon’s south and in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a security source and a witness said, further hiking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions launched via the group’s pagers. At least one of the blasts took place near a funeral organized by Iran-backed Hezbollah for those killed …

The New York Times reports: Israel carried out its operation against Hezbollah on Tuesday by hiding explosive material within a new batch of Taiwanese-made pagers imported into Lebanon, according to American and other officials briefed on the operation. The pagers, which Hezbollah had ordered from Gold Apollo in Taiwan, had been tampered with before they reached Lebanon, according to some …