Middle east news

Trump’s Iran talks could backfire, strengthen regime, INSS expert warns

Senior Iran researcher: Premature optimism may encourage Tehran to accelerate its nuclear program or renege on a deal.

 What will happen to US, Iran relations?
 Houthi fighters take part in a parade for people who attended Houthi military training as part of a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen December 18, 2024.

Houthis claim new attacks on US, Israel amid rising tensions ahead of Iran talks - analysis

CHILDREN HOLD flags next to a sculpture of Druze warrior Sultan Pasha al-Atrash after Syrian rebels announced the ousting of president Bashar Assad, in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, earlier this month.

OPCW estimates over 100 chemical weapons sites still active in Syria

 Medical staff and nurses roaming the halls of Ichilov Hospital.

Baby boom: Birth rates in Israel are on the rise, primarily in Jewish families


'We are entering a centuries-long War of Independence,' retired IDF general says

"If the Shin Bet chief can't show discreet loyalty to the prime minister, their paths should separate."

A helicopter carrying released Israeli hostage, Agam Berger, a soldier who was seized from her army base in southern Israel during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, arrives at at Beilinson Schneider complex in Petah Tikva, Israel, January 30, 2025.

Syrian troops exchange fire with Lebanese army, armed groups in northeast Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he ordered the army to respond to sources of fire from northern and eastern borders with Syria.

 Drone view of a towed Syrian tank as they head towards the Syrian-Lebanese border following clashes with Lebanese soldiers and armed groups, in Qusayr, Syria, March 17, 2025.

Iran says it didn't get Trump's letter on nuclear talks - so who is bluffing? - analysis

Iranian officials say they haven’t received any correspondence from Trump. This may be two sides talking at each other and both bluffing.

US President Donald Trump seen over an Iranian flag (illustrative)

Abdullah Ocalan calls on PKK to dissolve, regional leaders react

Regional leaders welcome calls for the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve.

 Syrian Kurds hold flags as they gather after Turkey's jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms on Thursday, a move that could end its 40-year conflict with Ankara and have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region,

Night unfolds as slain hostages transferred to IDF custody from Gaza

This handover marks the completion of the phase one list of abductees slated for return.

 Red Cross vehicles en route to receive the bodies of four slain hostages.

Qatar’s Emir visits Syria in historic first meeting with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa

The rapid shift in Syria’s political landscape has drawn mixed reactions from regional and international stakeholders.

 Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani meets Qatari cadets during his visit to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Camberley, Britain, December 4, 2024.

Sinai is the answer: The bold plan to solve Gaza’s crisis - opinion

Trump said the part of the world that encompasses Gaza has “had many, many conflicts” over centuries. He said resettling “could be temporary or long term.”

THE BORDER fence cuts across the arid landscape. Looking north, Egypt and the Sinai Desert are to the left of the fence and Israel and the Negev Desert lie on its right.

Saudi-Israel talks nearing breakthrough, says new Israeli ambassador to US

Leiter, who officially began his role on Friday, described normalization with Saudi Arabia as part of a broader realignment in the MidEast.

 Israel's new ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter

At least 22 killed as IDF fires on suspects returning to southern Lebanon

If the Lebanese army deploys faster to the rest of southern Lebanon, the IDF might feel compelled to complete its withdrawal faster as well.

 IDF operating in Lebanon, published January 16, 2024

War between Israel and Iran should be avoided, Saudi FM says

Saudi FM: "I don't see the incoming US administration as contributory to the risk of war, on the contrary, President Trump has been quite clear he does not favor conflict."

 Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud seen in Tehran, Iran, June 17, 2023

Yemen vice-president says Trump return pivotal in fight against Iran backed-Houthis

The war in Yemen began in 2014, when Houthi fighters swept into the capital, Sanaa, and took over government institutions.

 Aidarous al-Zubaidi, VP of Yemen.