Sunday, January 18, 2026

Middle East

US lawmakers cast doubt on continued security coordination with Palestinian Authority

US lawmakers have questioned whether Washington should continue security coordination with the Palestinian Authority (PA). Some politicians have blamed it on the deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank.

Palestine says ties with US at lowest level as Washington fails to pressure Israel

Palestine's ties with the United States are at the lowest level as Washington fails to pressure Israel to stop its actions against Palestine, a senior official has said.

UK acknowledges Daesh committed genocide against Yazidis in Iraq

The UK government has formally acknowledged that the Daesh terror group committed acts of genocide against Yazidi people in northern Iraq in 2014.

Shooting at Swedish consulate in Turkey injures one

A Turkish employee was seriously wounded in an armed attack at Sweden’s honorary consulate in Turkey’s western province of Izmir, officials have confirmed.

Israeli police kill Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli police have shot and killed a young Palestinian man in the West Bank amid heightened tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Iranian security chief: US, Israel use terrorism as a tool to create crises in region

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian has warned of the US plots to revive terror cells in the region.

US think tank: Support for normalisation deals with Israel plummets in Persian Gulf states

Support for the controversial normalisation agreements with Israel has plummeted among Persian Gulf countries, according to opinion polls commissioned by the Washington Institute, a US-based think tank.

Poll shows Americans’ trust in US military lowest in two decades, citing poor pull-out from Iraq and Afghanistan

Public confidence in the US military has been constantly in decline over the past five years and it is now at its lowest level in two decades, a recent opinion poll shows. Gallup has linked the decline to the United States' poorly executed withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan.

UN to suspend Yemen malnutrition prevention program due to lack of funds

The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that the lack of funds, combined with the continuous disruptions in supplies, has left it with no choice but to halt malnutrition prevention activities in war-torn Yemen.

Israeli official says road to normalising relations with Saudi Arabia ‘still long’

Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi has stated that the road to normalising ties with Saudi Arabia is “still long” as Israel's cabinet members rule out concessions to Palestinians as part of any deal.

China, UAE to hold first joint aerial drills

The air forces of China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will conduct a joint training exercise in China's Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in August, Beijing announced Monday.

Israel plans to build $27bn rail expansion, eyes future link to Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday Israel will build a 100 billion shekel ($27 billion) rail expansion that will connect its outlying areas to Tel Aviv and, in the future, could provide overland links to Saudi Arabia.

Iraq’s electric grid hit by fire, blasts amid scorching heat

A fire at a power station in southern Iraq and several explosions have affected the country’s ailing national electricity grid as temperatures rise. The incidents led to power blackouts in a country that sees them regularly during summer heat.

Russia does not want military clash with US, but ready for any scenario: Putin

Russia is ready for any scenario, but does not want a direct military clash with the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin said when asked about the US's provocations in Syria.

Israelis keep pressure on PM over judicial overhaul

Tens of thousands of  Israelis have staged new rallies across occupied territories after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed through a highly-contested law to limit some Supreme Court powers.

UN says forced to cut food aid to millions globally over funding crisis

The United Nations has been forced to cut food, cash payments and assistance to millions of people in several countries — including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen — because of “a crippling funding crisis” that has seen its donations plummet by about half as acute hunger is hitting record levels, a top official has confirmed.

Israeli court orders removal of Palestinian village to build Jewish neighbourhood

An Israeli court has ordered Palestinian families in the Negev to destroy their homes and leave the area by next March to make way for the expansion of a nearby Israeli town.

Deal may be in offing between Saudi Arabia and Israel: Biden

US President Joe Biden has stated that an agreement may be on the way with Riyadh after talks that his national security adviser had with Saudi officials in Jeddah aimed at reaching a normalization in relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

US lawmakers, rights groups urge Biden to withhold military aid to Egypt

A group of US senators and rights activists has urged the Biden administration to withhold a larger portion of US military aid to Egypt, saying the North African country’s human rights record “has continued to deteriorate” over the past year under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Daesh claims responsibility for attack on shrine near Syria’s Damascus

The Daesh terror group has claimed responsibility for an attack on the Sayeda Zeinab shrine south of the Syrian capital, Damascus, that killed several people and wounded others.

8 killed in fire, blast at textile warehouses in Iraq’s Karbala

As many as eight people have been killed after a fire broke out triggering the explosion of fuel tanks at textile warehouses on a street leading to the holy shrine of Imam Hussain (AS) in the Iraqi city of Karbala.

Israeli soldiers kill 14-year-old Palestinian boy in West Bank

A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city Qalqilya on Thursday morning.

Rights groups say Saudi Arabia arrested 5 relatives of US citizen over failed lawsuit

Saudi Arabia has detained five relatives of an American citizen, rights groups say, arguing that the detentions were made in retaliation for his family's failed lawsuit against the Saudi government in the United States.

Israeli forces fatally shoot Palestinian youth in WB

Israeli troops have shot dead a young Palestinian man in the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus. It comes only a day after they fatally shot three youths in the area.

Saudi Arabia spent $6bn on ‘sportswashing’: Report

Saudi Arabia has spent at least $6.3bn (£4.9bn) in sports deals since early 2021, more than quadruple the previous amount spent over a six-year period. Critics have labelled this an effort by Riyadh to distract attention from its human rights record, according to an exclusive report by the Guardian.

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