Category: Middle East
Coverage of geopolitics, international relations, and current affairs from across the Middle East, including conflicts, alliances, energy politics, peace processes, and regional security issues.
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has addressed renewed speculation over a possible Israeli attack, warning that such claims form part of a broader campaign of psychological warfare aimed at generating fear and tension inside Iran. In an interview with Al Jazeera’s Hind Hassan, Araghchi said Iranian society has long been accustomed to threats from the…
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An Emirati-backed separatist force in southern Yemen has launched a new military advance, raising concerns over renewed instability in the country’s long-running conflict. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) said its armed wing, the Southern Armed Forces, has begun operations in Abyan province, a strategic area linking southern cities to Mahra on the Omani border. Key…
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Israel carried out a targeted strike in Gaza City on Saturday (Dec. 13) in one of the most significant incidents since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect two months ago. An Israeli military official said the strike killed Raed Saad, a key architect of Hamas’s 7 October attack and deputy head of its military wing. Hamas…
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A new militant umbrella group, the People’s Resistance Front, has announced its formation in Iran, claiming responsibility for an attack on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) convoy in Sistan-Baluchestan that reportedly killed four soldiers. State media say the group brings together marginal factions, including PADA Baluch, Harakat al-Nasr, and Jebhe Mohammad Rasoulallah, though early…
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Iran has expanded its cloud-seeding operations as the country faces its most severe water crisis in six decades, according to Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi. New rounds of weather-modification flights, drone missions and ground-based generators began this water year, running from October to September. Officials say cloud-seeding can increase rainfall by 15–20% under suitable conditions, and…
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Saudi Arabia and Qatar have agreed to build a high-speed electric railway linking Riyadh and Doha, signalling a major step in the deepening rapprochement between the two Gulf states. The project will connect King Salman International Airport with Hamad International Airport, with stops in Al-Hofuf and Dammam. The train is expected to exceed 300km/h and…
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Syrians on Monday (Dec. 8) marked one year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, as the country continues its slow recovery after more than a decade of war. Celebrations were held in Umayyad Square in Damascus, with military parades and public gatherings planned nationwide. President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel offensive that forced Assad…
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz underlined their commitment to strong bilateral ties during Merz’s first official visit to Israel, despite clear differences over Gaza and the two-state solution. Netanyahu said Israel and Hamas were expected to enter the second phase of the ceasefire “very shortly”, pending the return of the…
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Negotiations to consolidate the U.S.-backed truce in Gaza are at a “critical moment”, according to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Speaking at the Doha Forum, he said mediators are pushing to advance the next phase of the ceasefire, though full stability remains elusive. “We are at a critical moment. It’s not yet…
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy has carried out ballistic and cruise missile launches during a two-day exercise in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, signalling what officials described as strengthened readiness against foreign threats. The drills included Qadr-series cruise and ballistic missiles and simultaneous drone strikes on simulated targets. Iran also highlighted expanded…
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