Latest in Region Highlight
Latest in Region
Fight continues 10 years after Israel ‘left’ Gaza
When Israel’s army withdrew from Gaza in 2005, many hoped that peace would follow. Ten years on, some say the move was a mistake, while others are asking if the occupation, as defined by international law, ever ended. On August 15, 2005, emotional images of Israeli soldiers made their way around the world as the …
‘Islamic State’ leader al-Baghdadi raped US hostage, Mueller family says
The leader of the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” group repeatedly raped a United States aid worker who was being held hostage, the woman’s family has been told. Kayla Mueller’s death was reported in February. The parents of Kayla Mueller (pictured), an aid worker who was killed aged 26 while being held by “Islamic State,” told media …
Egypt extends condolences to UAE over killed soldiers in Yemen
Three Emirati soldiers were killed Saturday, announced the UAE armed forces
IS executed thousands since taking over Mosul
“Islamic State” militants have executed over 2,000 people in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh, officials said. The jihadists reportedly created and circulated a list of the victims’ names. The latest figure applies only to the region around Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul, which was seized by IS in June 2014. “(Islamic State) assassinated in …
Jewish extremism leaves Duma village traumatized
The West Bank village of Duma is still struggling to come to terms with the arson attack by suspected Jewish extremists that left a baby dead. Daniella Cheslow talked to villagers about their fears. Jerusalem teacher Dallal Dawabsha walked her two sons through the charred door frames of two torched houses in the northern West …
Israel arrests second Jewish extremist
Israel has arrested a second Jewish extremist as part of its crackdown on ultra-nationalists. The arrests follow the death of a Palestinian baby in an arson attack in the West Bank. Authorities in Israel arrested Eviatar Slonim on Tuesday for belonging to an extremist organization, following the arrest of Meir Ettinger, leader of an ultra-nationalist …
Israel arrests most-wanted Jewish extremist
The leader of a Jewish extremist group has been arrested in Israel after a Palestinian baby died in a West Bank arson attack. The arrest follows a recent pledge by Israel to take a tougher stance on Jewish extremism. An ultra-nationalist group leader who topped Israel’s list of most-wanted Jewish extremists has been arrested after …
Syrian army warplane crashes in rebel-held town
At least a dozen people have died after a Syrian government fighter jet crashed into a busy market in the northwestern Idlib province. Activists have said scores of mostly civilians were injured. The Syrian military jet came down in a residential area in the rebel-held town of Ariha on Monday, killing at least 12 people …
Report: US to defend Syrian rebels from Assad with air power
US President Barack Obama has decided to allow airstrikes in Syria to defend US-backed rebels, claims a Wall Street Journal report. The move could bring the US military into direct conflict with the Syrian government. The president’s decision is aimed at protecting the rebels trained by US forces from attacks, including those from the forces …
US-Saudi alliance stays strong after Iran nuclear deal
Will the Iran nuclear deal strain ties between Saudi Arabia and the US? Hardly. The alliance between the world’s largest absolute monarchy and its oldest constitutional republic remains strong, Spencer Kimball reports. One is an officially Islamic nation ruled by the same family for 83 years, where religion dictates who drives (men) and what women …
German who fought for ‘IS’ in Syria denounces extremism
Back from Syria and charged with fighting for the “Islamic State,” the German Ebrahim B. no longer has illusions of “five-star jihad” and now advocates against extremism. His trial begins on Monday. Ebrahim B. wanted to be a hero. According to the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office, he was even willing to sacrifice his life as …
Saddam Hussein, the Gulf War and the new Middle East
Iraq invaded Kuwait at the beginning of August 1990. The international community responded by launching a military operation. The conflict was quickly resolved, but it had a transformative effect on the Middle East.
Dozens face trial for planning ‘terrorist acts’ in United Arab Emirates
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have ordered 41 people to stand trial on charges of setting up a terrorist group seeking to overthrow the government and establish an extremist state. The United Arab Emirates’ top prosecutor Salem Saeed Kubaish said in a statement Sunday that the suspects were part of a highly organized cell …
US Secretary of State Kerry begins Middle East tour
US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Egypt on the first leg of his Middle East tour. Kerry will also hold a meeting with his Russian and Saudi Arabian counterparts in Qatar and attend a Gulf summit. Ties between Washington and Cairo have been tumultuous since the popular revolt against former Egyptian President …
Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah arrives in Aden from Saudi exile
Prime Minister Khaled Bahah has returned to Yemen from exile in Saudi Arabia, according to airport officials in Aden. Bahah had fled to Riyadh with President Mansur Hadi after the rebels entered the port city last year. Bahah is the most senior official of the internationally recognized Yemeni government to have visited Aden since the …
Israel passes law sanctioning force-feeding prisoners
Israel’s Knesset on Thursday passed a law allowing for prison authorities to force feed hunger striking prisoners. The Israeli Medical Association has said they will not abide by the law. The extremely controversial law passed by a slim margin of 46 to 40 with 34 abstentions on Thursday in the 120-seat Knesset. A lengthy parliamentary …
Three Turkish soldiers killed in PKK attack: military
The Turkish military says three soldiers have been killed by militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in an attack in the southeast. The deaths come as Ankara steps up its campaign against the rebels. The three soldiers were killed when PKK militants attacked an army battalion in Turkey’s southeastern province of Sirnak on Thursday, …
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan calls off peace process with Kurds
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has called of a peace process with Kurdish militants. He also encouraged parliament to strip politicians with links to "terrorist groups" of immunity. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was impossible to continue a peace process with Kurdish militants. "It is not possible for us to continue the peace process with those who threaten…
US, Turkey plan for ‘IS’-free buffer zone along Syria-Turkey border
The US and Turkish government have agreed to create a strategic safe zone on the Syrian-Turkish border to combat "IS" militants. The move comes as Ankara makes a dramatic shift in its policy towards the terrorists. The plan foresees the creation of a buffer zone out of a 68-mile (109 kilometer) stretch of land still under IS control, a senior…
Turkish airstrikes ‘very damaging’ to Kurdish peace process
Turkish airstrikes against the PKK Kurdish minority have jeopardized a 2013 ceasefire with the group. EU lawmaker Kati Piri told DW the Turkish response has been "disproportionate." Martin Kuebler reports from Brussels. In the wake of last Monday's suicide attack in the town of Suruc, in which an "Islamic State" ("IS") militant killed 32 Turkish citizens, Ankara has stepped up…
Opinion: Erdogan on the warpath
Turkey is bombarding "IS" strongholds – but also those of the Kurdish PKK. That fact is endangering the peace process between Ankara and the Kurds, says Turkey correspondent Reinhard Baumgarten. The radicals are gaining the upper hand and the intra-Turkish peace process is hanging by a thread. Now everyone is waiting for a statement from Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader…
Shelling and gunfire reported in Yemen, despite truce
Violence has rumbled on in Yemen, even after a Saudi-announced "humanitarian" truce came into effect. Airstrikes by the Riyadh-led coalition appear to have stopped, but the rebels appeared unimpressed. Even before the truce deadline passed at 11.59 p.m. local time (1059 UTC) on Sunday, it had already been unclear to what extent it would be observed by either side. While…
Turkey launches second wave of airstrikes on PKK in Iraq
Turkish warplanes have bombed Kurdish camps in northern Iraq for a second night, threatening a fragile truce. The move comes as Ankara made a formal request to NATO for an extraordinary meeting. For a second night, Turkish warplanes bombarded Kurdish targets in northern Iraq. Turkey first conducted airstrikes on the Kurdistan Workers Party's (PKK) insurgent camps on late Friday into…
71 Egyptians arrested attempting to cross Salloum border
Hundreds of other Egyptians have already been arrested this month
In Tunisia, many young people heed the call of ‘IS’ and al Qaeda
More than 5,000 Tunisians are currently fighting for al Qaeda and the "Islamic State." Extremists have been especially successful at recruiting youth there. Sarah Mersch reports from Tunis. "He said he was going to spend the night at a friend's house. A day later we received a text message that he was in Syria." Iqbel Ben Rejeb's voice trembles as…
Nuclear deal will not stop Iranian support for Hezbollah, says Nasrallah
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said that the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 will not deter Iranian support for the Shiite group. Nasrallah said the group will continue to view the US as the "Great Satan." Iran will continue to support the Shiite militant group Hezbollah even in the wake of a nuclear deal between the Islamic republic…
Informal Yemeni delegation meets Egyptian officials
The delegation, representing former president Saleh’s regime, discussed ongoing conflict in Yemen
Report: Syria’s Assad grants amnesty to army deserters
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has announced a general amnesty for army deserters or those who have dodged conscription, state media report. The forgiveness will apply to thousands of men. The amnesty, the second in just over a year, gives military deserters who have fled the country two months to hand themselves in without incurring any legal penalty, while those still…
Iran deal seen as a threat to Middle Eastern countries: Researchers
JCPOA’s “historic” deal was signed in Vienna to curb nuclear enrichment in Iran, lift economic ban
Egyptian kidnapped in Libya
Thousands of Egyptian migrants have returned to Egypt, though most remain in Libya
