Friday, January 16, 2026

Middle East

Aide to Iranian FM: Iran wants good relations with neighbors including Saudi Arabia

An aide to Iran’s foreign minister has said Iran is open the normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia.

Thousands of Palestinians detained by Israeli soldiers in 2022: Report

A Palestinian rights advocacy group has reported that the Israeli forces arrested a total of 7,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of women and children, in 2022.

Damascus Airport shut down following Israel attack on Syrian capital, two soldiers killed

Syria’s military has announced that Israeli raids have killed at least two Syrian soldiers and put the country’s main international airport out of service.

Turkey says troops withdrawal from Syria requires Damascus political steps

The withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria requires steps in the political process, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated.

Saudi-led coalition seizes four Yemeni oil ships

The Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) has announced that the Saudi-led coalition has confiscated 4 fuel ships and prevented them from reaching the Red Sea port of Hudaydah. The port city is a lifeline for millions of Yemenis and has been tightly controlled by Saudi Arabia.

4 killed, many wounded in attack on police station in Suez Canal city

At least four people have been killed and 12 others wounded in an attack on a police checkpoint in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, according to Egyptian officials and medical sources.

UN asks ICJ to give opinion on Israel’s occupation

The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to give an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

2022 worst year in terms of occupation, violations of al-Aqsa: Report

The Islamic organization running the al-Aqsa Mosque compound's affairs has reported a record number of Israeli settlers storming the Muslim holy site in 2022.

Turkish FM says Erdogan, Assad to meet soon

A meeting between the Turkish, Syrian and Russian presidents has been scheduled, but not for January, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said.

Netanyahu’s new government takes office, says stopping Iran nuclear program top priority

Benjamin Netanyahu is sworn in as Israel's new prime minister. This is the most far-right, religiously conservative government in the history of Israel with Bibi saying settlement expansion and stopping Iran's nuclear program being among his top priorities.

Thousands of civilians killed or injured in Saudi raids on Yemen’s Sa’ada in 2022: Report

A Yemeni health official says nearly 3,000 civilians, including African refugees, lost their lives or sustained injuries this year as a result of artillery and missile strikes by Saudi military forces in Yemen’s northwestern province of Sa’ada.

Netanyahu says West Bank settlement expansion top priority

Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu says settlement expansion in the West Bank will be among his government's prioritieies.

Syria, Russia, Turkey defence chiefs hold meeting in Moscow

Defence ministers of Syria, Russia and Turkey have held talks in Moscow in a clear sign of normalisation between Ankara and Damascus in the decade-long Syrian war.

US military families sue French firm over Daesh payments: Report

Families of the US soldiers who were killed by the Daesh terror group in the Middle East, have sued French cement giant Lafarge, which had earlier pleaded guilty for supporting terrorists in Syria, reported local media, citing lawsuit documents.

Israel kept hundreds of  Palestinian children under house arrest this year: Report

Israel has so far this year placed more than 600 Palestinian children under house arrest, a Palestinian prisoners' commission reports.

Israel grounds F-35 fighters after US crash

The Israeli army says it has decided to ground 11 of its F-35A fighter jets, following an incident in Texas last week that saw a US Air Force F-35B Lightning II crash during an attempted landing.

Israelis protest against Netanyahu-led administration

A large number of people have staged a mass demonstration in the northern port city of Haifa in the Israeli-occupied territories against the regime's incoming right-wing administration led by Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.

Saudi Arabia plans to use Christmas as cover to carry out mass execution: Report

The UK Government has been informed that Riyadh is preparing a Christmas execution spree while the western countries are preoccupied with festivities in a cynical effort to avoid diplomatic "blowback".

Only 1% of Israeli army troops face trial for misconduct against Palestinians: Report

A rights group has revealed that Israel is involved in whitewashing its crimes against Palestinians as only less than one percent of its army forces, who are accused of harming Palestinian civilians, are charged and put on trial.

Flash floods hit Saudi Arabia’s Mecca

Streets in the holy city of Mecca have been engulfed by rushing waters following torrential rains across several governorates of Saudi Arabia.

Israli army “mistakenly” calls up thousands of reservists

Tens of thousands of Israeli army reservists received obscure phone calls and messages via an automated emergency call-up system in what the Israel Defense Forces called a technical “malfunction” during a planned maintenance.

Palestinian youth killed in Israeli raid in WB

Israeli forces have killed a 23-year-old Palestinian soccer player, while accompanying Israeli settlers on a tour of a holy site in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

Final communiqué of Baghdad Conference urges increased efforts to fight regional challenges 

The Baghdad Conference in the Jordanian capital Amman wraps up its second meeting with a final communiqué in which participants call for boosting efforts to tackle regional challenges.

Houthis warn terrible fate awaits Saudi Arabia over Yemen war

A top-ranking Yemeni official has warned that terrifying future awaits Saudi Arabia and its regional allies, which have been waging a bloody war and siege against Yemen.

Syria says two soldiers injured in Israeli airstrikes near capital

Two soldiers were injured by Israeli air raids in the vicinity of the Syrian capital of Damascus early Tuesday, the first such an attack in more than a month, according to a Syrian military statement.

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