Middle East

Bahrain says to restore full diplomatic relations with Lebanon

Bahrain has announced it will restore full diplomatic relations with Lebanon following a row over the Saudi-led war against Yemen that saw the two countries break ties for a year and a half.

Israelis hold mass rallies against PM’s judicial reform for 20th week

Tens of thousands of Israelis joined demonstrations, now entering their 20th week, on Saturday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contested plans to tighten controls on the Supreme Court.

Arab League members deplore “foreign meddling” in their domestic affairs

The League of Arab States members have condemned “foreign interference in their internal affairs”, the final declaration of the LAS summit said.

Syria’s Assad gets warm welcome at Arab League summit

After more than a decade of isolation, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been welcomed back into the Arab League. He attended the regional bloc summit in Saudi Arabia, the first since the break-out of war in Syria.

Ukraine, Syria leaders Zelensky and Assad attending Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are attending the Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia on Friday. 

US walks back claim Syria attack killed senior al-Qaeda leader

A man killed in a US strike in northwestern Syria earlier this month may not have been a senior Al-Qaeda leader as the Pentagon previously claimed, the Washington Post reported, citing US officials.

Israeli soldiers attack Palestinians protesting against ‘flag march’ in Gaza

Israeli soldiers have used live fire and tear gas against Palestinians who joined a demonstration along the Gaza-Israel border against the so-called "flag march", injuring several Palestinians. It comes as far-right Israelis held a so-called ‘flag march’ in occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City.

Sources say Ukraine’s Zelensky to attend Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to participate in the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, according to an informed source.

Turkey election: Erdogan rival pledges to send all migrants back home

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's challenger in Turkey's presidential race has sharpened his tone on migrants, vowing to send all asylum seekers back to their countries once elected in a May 28 runoff vote.

Syria’s president in Saudi Arabia in first visit since war

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has arrived in the Saudi port city of Jeddah, according to Al-Arabiya TV and Syrian state television. He will attend the Arab League summit on Friday after Syria was reinstated to the regional organisation this month, more than 11 years after its suspension.

Turkey vote: Kilicdaroglu accuses Erdogan of allowing unchecked migration

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rival in Turkey's presidential race has accused the government of allowing 10 million "irregular" migrants to enter the country, marking a nationalist turn in his rhetoric ahead of a May 28 runoff vote.

UN chief holds phone talks with Iranian FM over JCPOA

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian to discuss the 2015 nuclear deal, as well as regional developments including those in Yemen and Afghanistan, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says.

Turkey says to soon begin developing roadmap to normalize relations with Syria

Ankara will soon create a committee and start developing a roadmap for the normalization of ties with Damascus, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

Post-9/11 wars contributed to 4.5 million deaths: Report

A new report has revealed that the wars initiated by the United States in the Middle East and North Africa following the September 11 attacks have directly or indirectly killed at least 4.5 million people and displaced millions of others worldwide.

Security beefed up in Jerusalem ahead of “flag day” march amid violence

Israeli authorities have beefed up security in Jerusalem ahead of the annual “flag day” march by Orthodox Jews and settlers amid an already tense situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

US says working on normalization of relations between S. Arabia and Israel

The White House wants to make a diplomatic push for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal in the next six to seven months before the US presidential election campaign consumes President Joe Biden’s agenda, two US officials with knowledge of the issue told Axios.

Syrian, Saudi FMs hold meeting ahead of Arab summit

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, have met on the sidelines of preparatory meetings for the Arab League summit in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Turkey’s opposition says filed complaints over suspected irregularities at ballot boxes

Turkey's main opposition party announced on Wednesday it had filed complaints over suspected irregularities at thousands of ballot boxes in Sunday's landmark elections, in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan performed better than expected.

Syria’s presence in Jeddah summit ‘a new phase’ in Arab world: Arab League

The Arab League has welcomed Syria’s readmission to the 22-member organization. It has said that the presence of Damascus in ongoing meetings in the Saudi port city of Jeddah is a new era in the Arab world.

French judge issues arrest warrant for Lebanon’s central bank governor; he vows to appeal

French prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Lebanon’s central bank governor, Riad Salameh. The governor has slammed the move and promised that he would appeal against the decision.

Erdogan calls on Turkish voters to support him in runoff vote

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has called on Turkish voters to support him in a May 28 election runoff “to maintain stability and security” in the country. Erdogan stood ahead of his main rival in Sunday election, but could not win 50 percent of the votes to secure a third term in office.

Turkey presidential election goes to run-off: Council

Turkey’s presidential election is headed for a runoff vote, the country's electoral chief Ahmet Yener has said citing official results from the country’s Supreme Election Council. The results for both frontrunners remained just below the threshold of 50% mark after 100% of ballot boxes were opened.

Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian youth in WB refuge camp

Israeli soldiers killed a young Palestinian man and wounded another during a raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Monday.

UAE says has invited Syrian president to UN climate conference

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has invited Syrian President Bashar al- Assad to take part in the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled to take place in Dubai later this year, according to the Abu Dhabi Embassy in Damascus.

Polls show Palestinians opposed to Arab-Israel normalization

A new survey shows that the majority of Palestinians are adamantly opposed to the US-sponsored normalization agreements between Israel and some Arab countries. They say the deal have made Tel Aviv more aggressive.

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