Monday, January 19, 2026

Middle East

Israeli settler kills Palestinian youth in WB

A Palestinian teenage has been killed when a group of Israeli settlers attacked the town of Huwara amid a surge in settler violence across the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Pentagon planning major cuts to US special forces in pivot away from Middle East: Report

The US Department of Defense is planning to make large cuts to the country's special operation forces, as it shifts its “focus from counterterrorism in the Middle East to threats from China”, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Israeli police seeking to ‘legitimize’ killing of Palestinian citizens in new open-fire rules

Israeli authorities are seeking to allow the use of live fire by police to disperse mass protests held by Palestinian citizens, the regime's national security minister has announced.

Iran FM raps deadly terrorist attack in Syria, offers condolences

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a Thursday phone call with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Syria, which resulted in the killing and injury of dozens of Syrian military and civilian people.

Drone attack on Syria military academy causes large number of casualties

An "armed terrorist organisation" targeted "the graduation ceremony for officers of the military academy in Homs" in central Syria, according to a military statement carried by official news agency SANA.

Israeli soldiers kill two Palestinians in WB

Israeli soldiers have opened fire on a vehicle near the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm, killing two Palestinian youths.

Baghdad won’t allow ‘robust’ relations with Tehran to be damaged: Iraq president

Iraq’s President Abdul-Latif Rashid has stated his country regards its relationship with Iran as “very important”, stressing that Baghdad will not allow any harm to its “robust relations” with Tehran.

UK Labour party blocks Palestinian group from using ‘apartheid’ in conference brochure

The UK Labour Party has told the largest Palestinian advocacy organisation in the the country that it cannot refer to Israel as an apartheid state in publicity material ahead of next week's party conference.

U.S. senators lay out conditions for Israel, Saudi Arabia peace

20 U.S. Senate Democrats have laid out their conditions to support President Joe Biden’s push to establish a peaceful relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia, raising concerns about human rights and Riyadh demands of Washington.

Russia and Saudi Arabia extend oil supply cuts

Moscow and Riyadh have announced the extension of their voluntary oil output and export cuts until the end of the year, as tightening supply and rising demand drive oil prices up.

Iraqi PM to visit Moscow in mid-October to meet Russian president

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a two-day visit on October 10 and 11, a government source and another person familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

Turkey says Ankara bombers came from Syria, threaten more cross-border air raids

Turkey has announced all Kurdish facilities in Syria and Iraq are valid military targets after finding the two attackers who detonated a bomb in front of government buildings in Ankara at the weekend had come from Syria.

Israelis spitting in direction of Christians: Report

Israelis were spotted spitting in the direction of Christians in occupied East Jerusalem again on Wednesday. It came days after similar moves, defended by the national security minister as "not criminal", led to widespread condemnation.

Israel prevents UK foreign secretary from visiting Palestinian village terrorised by settlers

Israeli authorities have blocked British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly from visiting a Palestinian village that was recently emptied of its residents after years of Israeli settler violence, Middle East Eye has reported.

Turkey conducts new airstrikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq

Turkish forces have launched new air raids in northern Iraq and destroyed 16 targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Turkish Ministry of National Defence has confirmed.

Turkey captures dozens over suspected PKK links after Ankara bomb attack

Turkish police have launched a wide security crackdown following a suicide bomb attack in Ankara. Thousands of police officers took part in the operations in dozens of provinces after blast in the Turkey’s capital, with scores nabbed as suspects.

Egypt Elections: Sisi to run for third term, opposition decry pressure

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi confirmed that he will stand for a third term in office at an election scheduled for December.

Israeli air raids near Syria’s Deir Ezzor leaves two soldiers wounded

Two Syrian soldiers were injured following an Israeli strike on and area close to Deir Ezzor late Monday night, Syrian state media reported on Tuesday.

Iran’s Leader: Normalization with Israel is ‘betting on wrong horse’

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei lashed out at the countries seeking to normalize ties with the Israeli regime, warning they are betting on the losing side.

Hezbollah chief cautions normalization with Israel amounts to abandoning Palestine

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has called on Muslims across the world to strongly condemn any step taken by any country toward normalization of relations with Israel.

Iraq raps sovereignty violation after Turkish raids in Kurdistan region

Turkey has carried out an "air operation" in northern Iraq following a blast in the Turkish capital. Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Rashid says Baghdad rejects repeated airstrikes or the presence of Turkish bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Syria-Turkey normalization impossible until Ankara pulls out troops: Top diplomat

Turkey has to withdraw its military forces from the Syrian Arab Republic or else it will decimate all efforts towards any kind of relations, Syrian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Bassam Sabbagh has stressed.

Fire engulfs police facility in Egypt, dozens injured

A huge fire erupted at a police facility in the Egyptian Suez Canal city of Ismailia early on Monday, injuring at least 38 people before firefighters contained the blaze after several hours, according to emergency services and media.

Probe finds Iraq wedding fire caused by ‘gross negligence’, ‘lack of safety measures’

A recent fire at a wedding in northern Iraq, which killed more than 100 people, was caused by "gross negligence" and a lack of safety measures, the results of a government investigation show.

20 PKK targets in Iraq destroyed after Ankara attack: Turkey

Turkey says its fighter jets have carried out raids on Kurdish targets in northern Iraq following a suicide attack on a government building in capital Ankara, hitting positions of the terror Kurdish group, PKK.

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