Middle East

Saudi Arabia rejects Trump’s claim, says no normalization with Israel without Palestinian state

Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its stance that it will not normalize relations with Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, refuting a claim by US President Donald Trump that Riyadh had dropped the demand.

Trump claims US will ‘take over’ and ‘own’ Gaza

United States President Donald Trump has stated that Washington will “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip after resettling Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

Trump says he would love to make an agreement with Iran

US President Donald Trump has stressed that he would love to make a deal with Tehran to improve bilateral relations, but added that Iran should not develop a nuclear weapon.

Trump floats new $1 billion weapons sale to Israel: WSJ

US President Donald Trump’s administration has asked congressional leaders to approve new transfers of roughly $1bn worth of bombs and other military hardware to Israel, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The planned weapons sales include 4,700 1,000-pound bombs, and armored bulldozers built by Caterpillar CAT.N, the report added, citing sources.

Trump plans to target UN Human Rights Council, UNRWA

US President Donald Trump is expected to stop Washington’s engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and continue a halt to funding for the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, a White House official has stated.

Trump, Netanyahu expected to announce progress on Saudi-Israeli normalization: Report

A potential normalization agreement between Tel Aviv and the Kingdom of Saudi Arania is moving forward, US President Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to announce after their meeting in Washington, DC.

At least five Palestinians killed in Jenin by Israel

A teenager was among five people killed in Israeli strikes in Jenin as the Israeli army’s deadly raids continued across the occupied West Bank.

Arab countries reject Trump’s Gaza displacement plan

A six-nation Arab ministerial meeting in Egypt's Cairo firmly refuted the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and reiterated a demand for the implementation of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.​​​​​​​

At least two killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon

At least two people were killed after Israel launched a wave of attacks on Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in its latest breach of a fragile ceasefire accord with Hezbollah.

Netanyahu to visit White House Tuesday, first foreign leader since Trump assumed office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on Tuesday, marking the first visit by a foreign leader since US President Donald Trump assumed office.

Trump vows to deport foreign Hamas sympathisers on college campuses in crackdown on ‘anti-Semitism’

US President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign university students involved in pro-Palestinian rallies, prompting an outcry from free speech and Muslim advocacy organisations.

US says Israel “model ally”, fully supports right to defend itself

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held an introductory call Wednesday with his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz to discuss bilateral ties, according to a spokesman.

Syria’s de facto leader asks Russia to hand over Assad and close aides: Reuters

Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa requested that Russia hand over former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his close aides during discussions with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, according to sources close to the talks.

US transfers dozens of Patriot missiles from Israel to Ukraine: Axios

The United States has transferred around 90 Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel to Poland for delivery to Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter have told Axios.

US Senate blocks bill sanctioning ICC over arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

Democrats in the US Senate have blocked the passage of a bill that would sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for Israel's war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah chief refutes extension of Israel’s withdrawal deadline from south Lebanon

Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem has pointed out that there is no justification for extending Israel's deadline to withdraw from southern Lebanon.

IRIB Chief: Iranian State TV Reporter Captured by Zionists in Gaza

The head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) announced that one of the organization's reporters in Gaza has been captured by the Zionist regime and is now in an Israeli prison.

UK, Germany reject Trump’s proposal of relocating Gazans in neighboring countries

The United Kingdom and Germany have refuted US President Donald Trump’s idea to “clean out” Gaza and relocate its population to other Arab nations.

France says to suspend some Syria’s sanctions

France has announced that it will lift or suspend certain sanctions on Syria’s energy, transportation, and financial sectors to support the country’s economic stabilization and reconstruction efforts.

Israel-Lebanon truce extended until February 18: White House

The White House has announced that the ceasefire accord between Lebanon and Israel has been extended until February 18, as Israel missed a previous deadline to pull troops out.

Trump proposes relocating Gazans to Egypt, Jordan

US President Donald Trump has proposed relocating Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan -- an unusual proposal that was opposed by the former administration of Joe Biden.

Trump lifts hold on heavy bombs to Israel: Axios

US President Donald Trump has approved the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Tel Aviv, overturning a suspension imposed by the administration of former President Joe Biden last year, Axios has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

President Rashid: Iraq’s relations with Iran ‘normal, friendly’

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid has described Iran as a significant and important neighbor to Iraq, emphasizing that the relations between Baghdad and Tehran are normal and friendly.

Rights groups raising alarm over Trump ‘Muslim ban’

Civil rights advocates in the United States have raised the alarm over a directive signed by American President Donald Trump that they say lays the groundwork for another travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries.

President Pezeshkian Emphasizes Ikran-Russia Security Interactions

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that based on the comprehensive cooperation agreement between Tehran and Moscow, in the event of an attack by another country on Iran or Russia, both sides are committed to not cooperating in any way with the aggressor country.

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