Middle East Monitor Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

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  Hezbollah says it hit 6 Israeli tanks amid drone, missile attacks in southern Lebanon

  by MI on May 30, 2026

  Hezbollah said early Saturday that it had carried out 22 attacks against Israeli troops, vehicles and military positions in the previous 24 hours, including drone and missile strikes that hit six Israeli Merkava tanks across southern Lebanon, Anadolu reports. The group said the attacks were in response to Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement and attacks on civilians and villages in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said its fighters targeted five Merkava tanks in the town of Yahmar al-Shaqif in Nabatieh province using attack drones, a guided missile and other weapons, and that the tanks were seen burning after the attacks. It said a sixth Merkava tank was targeted near the town of Dibbine in Marjayoun district, where it was also seen burning. Hezbollah

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  Israel rejects Lebanese demand to withdraw from southern Lebanon: Report

  by MI on May 30, 2026

  Israel rejected a Lebanese demand for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon during US-mediated talks between the two sides, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported Friday. The broadcaster, citing Israeli officials, said Lebanon raised the issue during discussions involving military representatives from both countries under US sponsorship. Israel informed mediators that it would not withdraw, according to the report. KAN said the talks also addressed the possibility of reaching a broader ceasefire arrangement that would include discussions on Hezbollah’s weapons. The broadcaster, citing Lebanese media reports, said Israeli and Lebanese military delegations are not holding direct talks, with all messages relayed through the US mediator. Lebanon requested clarifications regarding terms used by Israel to justify its military operations, including

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  Hamas urges Board of Peace to condemn Israeli plans to expand control over Gaza

  by MI on May 30, 2026

  The Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, urged the international Board of Peace to take a clear position Friday on Israeli plans to expand control over the Gaza Strip, criticizing what it described as the body’s silence over the issue, Anadolu reports. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem denounced what he described as the silence of the Board of Peace and its high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, regarding Israeli plans to control 70% of Gaza and continue efforts to displace Palestinians. Qassem said the plans constitute a clear violation of the ceasefire framework and understandings regarding Gaza. He added that failing to condemn Israeli expansionist policies and displacement plans raises serious questions about the commitment of sponsoring parties to hold Israel accountable for its obligations

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  US top diplomat thanks Pakistan for efforts to mediate with Iran

  by MI on May 30, 2026

  Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday for Islamabad’s efforts to mediate an end to the US war against Iran, Anadolu reports. During a meeting in the US capital, Rubio “thanked the minister for the constructive role Pakistan continues to play in realizing President Trump’s vision for peace in the Middle East and its mediation efforts with Iran,” spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. “The secretary and deputy prime minister agreed upon the importance of working together to further strengthen a meaningful partnership that fosters security and prosperity for both Americans and Pakistanis,” he added. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry separately said the top diplomats “appreciated the positive trajectory of Pak-U.S. bilateral relations over the past year.

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  Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Mustafa Barghouti: What ‘s Netanyahu’s Imperial Ambition?

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026
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  China’s Treasury gambit: A decade in the making

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  When China reduced its holdings of US Treasury securities in the spring of 2026, mainstream Washington commentators reflexively reached for the word “routine.” They should not have. What is unfolding is the culmination of a decade-long strategy, methodically engineered to give China the option to weaponize US borrowing costs at a moment of geopolitical maximum pressure. The numbers are striking. China’s Treasury holdings, which topped $1.3 trillion in 2013, had fallen to $693.3 billion by February 2026, and slid further to $652.3 billion the following month. In March 2026 alone, overall foreign holdings of US. Treasuries fell by $138.4 billion, with seven of the top ten foreign holders, including Japan, China, Belgium, Canada, and France,  trimming their exposure simultaneously. Acclaimed economist Mohamed

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  When rights are sold back as concessions

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  Wars do not always continue through explosions. Sometimes the more dangerous phase begins when the noise falls, markets steady and governments hurry to turn a ceasefire into proof of victory. Iran is entering that phase. The danger is not only another round of fighting, but the quieter possibility that war is reorganised into a diplomatic architecture of pressure, in which the return to normal life is sold back to Iran as a concession. The world wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened, oil risk reduced, shipping routes predictable and energy prices controlled. Iran’s question is different: will the world simply pass through Iran’s neighbourhood again, or will Iran itself be reconnected to finance, trade, insurance and credible security guarantees? The concession

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  Beyond Gaza: The expanding geography of displacement

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  The War on Gaza continues and has not stopped. It is even expanding to wider geography of displacement and has been unfolding across the Eastern Mediterranean. The Zionists are empowered to widen their gradual restructuring of the land: depopulating borderlands, fragmenting societies, erasing cultural landscapes, and normalising permanent instability across the whole of Palestine, southern Lebanon, and southern Syria. This week, the Israeli military ordered the immediate evacuation of the ancient Lebanese city of Tyre. Tyre A city that carries thousands of years of Mediterranean history, Phoenician heritage, trade, memory, and civilization was suddenly reduced to a military target. Residents were ordered to move north of the Zahrani River as Israeli bombardment intensified across southern Lebanon despite the language of

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  What Abraham refused: The Ishmaels of the modern world

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  Millions of Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Adha. Once again, the story of Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael is remembered as a narrative about faith, submission, and ultimately the refusal to sacrifice a child. At the heart of this story lies a profound moral turning point: a child was not meant to be sacrificed. Yet today, across different parts of the world, millions of children continue to die in wars, under occupation, and within the violent structures of global political conflict. In Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, and many other places, children are no longer treated merely as unintended victims of war. They are becoming bodies abandoned to death before the silence of the international system. The

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  Hezbollah warns of possible Israeli attack on Lebanon’s Qaraoun Dam

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  Lebanon’s Hezbollah group warned on Thursday that Israeli claims about detecting movements by its members near the Qaraoun Dam in western Bekaa could be a pretext for targeting the dam or its surroundings. The warning came in response to an earlier statement by the Israeli military, which claimed it had detected Hezbollah members near the area of the dam. In a statement, Hezbollah said: “We warn that these fabricated allegations and pretexts could be paving the way for a new Israeli attack targeting the Qaraoun Dam or its surroundings, or targeting civilian and vital facilities in Lebanon.” The group added: “We place these threats before the international community and human rights and humanitarian organisations, which are now required to break

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  Iranian state TV: US aircraft destroyed near Bushehr

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  Iranian state television, citing a local official, reported that a US aircraft had been destroyed in Iran’s Jam ‌governorate ⁠in Bushehr, although there has been no confirmation from the United States. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday that the Iranian armed forces had launched missiles from southern parts of the country towards specified targets. The agency said “the Iranian armed forces launched missiles minutes ago from the south of the country towards certain targets”, adding that the exact targets remained unclear, while some sources suggested there may have been clashes in Gulf waters. It added that reports circulating about explosions being heard in the Gulf coastal provinces of Bushehr and Hormozgan had not yet been confirmed. Separately, the

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  Israeli spy Pollard says Turkiye and Egypt could be Israel’s next targets as Ankara is cast as ‘new Iran’

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard has suggested that Turkiye and Egypt could be Israel’s next military targets, echoing a growing Israeli narrative that increasingly casts Ankara as the “new Iran” and a future strategic enemy. Speaking on an Arutz Sheva podcast, Pollard said Israel should prepare for wider regional wars following its confrontation with Iran. “I’m not so sure that we will have as easy a time with the Turks as we’ve had with the Iranians,” he said. “We have to be prepared for the next war, which will probably be against Turkiye and Egypt. The storm is coming.” Pollard also warned Israel against allowing the Turkish-backed transitional government in Syria to regain control of southern areas occupied by Israeli forces,

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  Gaza resistance security arrests alleged Israeli army agent linked to killings of senior leaders

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  The security apparatus of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip said it had arrested an alleged informant working for the Israeli army who was directly involved in providing intelligence that led to the targeting of senior resistance leaders. A source said the suspect was arrested while attempting to flee beyond the Yellow Line after receiving urgent instructions from an Israeli military intelligence officer. According to the source, the suspect admitted during questioning, after being confronted with information and technical evidence, to monitoring the movements of several resistance leaders and identifying their locations under direct instructions from Israeli military intelligence, which facilitated attacks against them. Investigations are continuing to obtain further information that could lead to the identification of other

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  Israeli outlet owned by top Trump donor reveals Mossad influence operations inside Iran

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  An Israeli newspaper owned by Miriam Adelson, one of Donald Trump’s most powerful financial backers, has revealed new details about a secret Mossad branch set up to conduct influence operations inside Iran, including media leaks, fake social media accounts, artificial intelligence-generated influencers and efforts to force senior Iranian officials from power. The report was published by Israel Hayom, an Israeli newspaper owned by Adelson. Trump has credited the family with helping secure some of his most consequential decisions on Israel, including recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Read: “Real men go to Tehran” — The Zion-Con fantasy of regime change in Iran

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  Hamas warns of collapse of Gaza agreement after Israel kills 20 Palestinians in 48 hours

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  The Palestinian group Hamas warned on Thursday that the Gaza ceasefire agreement was at risk of collapse, and called on the US administration and guarantor countries to take “serious and urgent” steps to force Israel to comply with the deal. In a statement, Hamas urged the US administration to announce a clear position “condemning the Israel’s violations”, pointing to an escalation in Israeli air strikes that it said had killed 20 Palestinians over the past 48 hours. The statement said the ceasefire agreement was “facing the risk of collapse as a result of the Israeli occupation’s crimes and its ongoing brutal violations”. An Israeli air strike targeting a residential flat on Wednesday evening killed 10 Palestinians, including two children and

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  Israel launches electronic system for registering Palestinian land in West Bank ahead of annexation push

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  Israel on Thursday launched a new electronic system called the “Land Registry and Settlement of Rights” in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a move specialists described as part of a legal and administrative annexation project in the West Bank, particularly Area C. They said the move marks a shift from what they described as “silent gradual annexation to declared annexation through digital and administrative tools”. The launch follows a decision by Israel’s security cabinet in May 2025 to begin a comprehensive settlement of land ownership across the West Bank, with the aim of completing land registration under Israeli administration. According to available information, the project officially began on 15 February 2026 after powers related to land registration were transferred to

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  The ceasefire illusion: Managing genocide under the “Board of Peace”

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  For two years, images of dead Palestinian children, flattened neighbourhoods and starving civilians flooded television screens and social media feeds around the world. What once shocked global audiences gradually risked becoming routine. The war in Gaza — from October 2023 until the ceasefire of October 2025 — left behind extraordinary destruction and an uncomfortable question: had mass suffering itself become normalized? Is the world now witnessing, in near silence, the live-streamed genocide of the Palestinian nation simply because it feels powerless to stop it? Or because global attention has shifted elsewhere, particularly toward the US-Israeli confrontation with Iran? Whatever the answer, one disturbing reality has emerged: many governments appear willing to believe that Washington has genuinely pursued peace and reconstruction

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  Israel freezes ties with UN chief Guterres after inclusion on conflict-related sexual violence blacklist

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, announced the suspension of relations with UN Secretary-General António Guterres after Israel was added to a UN blacklist of parties accused of committing sexual violence in conflict zones. In a post on X on Thursday, Danon described the UN decision as “political decision! Disconnected from the facts and reality!”, and announced a halt to cooperation with Guterres, saying: “Israel has decided to sever all ties with the Secretary-General’s Office.” He added that Israel would work to “correct this mistake” once a new UN secretary-general is elected in the coming months. “Israel will wait until a new UN Secretary-General is appointed,” he said. Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Israel was added to

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  Stop blaming Netanyahu, stupid . . .

  by Marwa A on May 29, 2026

  Benjamin Netanyahu and his partners in the Israeli government, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich among others, did not descend from Mars. They are the product of the same earthly Zionist ideology. By blaming Netanyahu et al., the Zionist-managed Western media and liberals in the US and Europe want you to believe that there is a moral daylight between the politics of the Israeli governing coalition and the state they lead. The European Union is a study in cognitive dissonance. It threatens Netanyahu with arrest. It bans Ben Gvir and Smotrich from entering European soil. Yet it continues to uphold preferential trade relations with Israel itself. It sanctions individual Israeli leaders but shields and sustains the state apparatus and political

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  Wars may end, but displacement persists: Where is humanitarianism in the US-Iran war?

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  The eruption of the Middle East war in 2026, which began with strikes led by the US and Israel against Iran under Operation Epic Fury, carries devastating consequences for recovery, development and regional stability. The assassination of senior Iranian figures, most notably Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the involvement of Hezbollah and Houthis in support of Iran, alongside Iranian attacks on neighbouring countries, further escalated the crisis. The war transformed from a military confrontation into a broader regional political, diplomatic and economic crisis. While global attention focused on military escalation, oil markets and the Strait of Hormuz, far less attention was given to the war’s humanitarian consequences, despite the massive and irreversible impacts.

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  Electricity diplomacy: The new power in the Middle East

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  From the geopolitics of oil to the geopolitics of electricity For decades, Oil and Gas have been the primary instruments of power in the Middle East. Regional states have exercised political and economic influence largely through fossil fuel exports and control over strategic energy routes. However, technological transformation, the expansion of renewable energy and changes in the global economic structure indicate that the Middle East is gradually entering a new phase of geopolitical competition — one in which electricity and power transmission infrastructure may become among the region’s most important tools of influence. Today, many Middle Eastern countries are rapidly investing in solar energy, wind power and smart electricity infrastructure. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and several North

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  The man who defeated nobody: Netanyahu’s theatre of ruin

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  Benjamin Netanyahu has defeated nobody. Not one enemy. Not one objective. After Gaza, after Lebanon, after Syria, after Iran, after all the airstrikes and the assassinations and the pager operations and the ground incursions and the flag-waving declarations of historic triumph, he has defeated absolutely nobody. Strip away the propaganda. Set aside the theatrical press conferences in which this man, indicted for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, wraps himself in the flag of the Jewish people and declares himself the guardian of Western civilization. What you are left with is a leader who expanded a war he could not win to survive a trial he cannot escape. A man who gambled his nation’s military strength, its economic stability, its

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  Funeral held for seven killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  Images: Médecins Sans Frontières step up efforts to address facial injuries in Gaza

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  Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ in collapse as fund receives ‘zero dollars’ from donors

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  Donald Trump’s self-styled Board of Peace for Gaza is facing a deepening crisis after its official reconstruction fund failed to receive any donor money, despite $17 billion in pledged support, raising fresh questions over whether the US-backed body is little more than a hollow political project. According to the Financial Times, the World Bank-administered fund established for the board has received no donor contributions four months after its creation. One person familiar with the matter said: “Zero dollars have been deposited.” The failure comes despite member states pledging $7 billion for a Gaza “relief package”, while Trump promised a further $10 billion in US funding. Gaza vanishing: Trump’s Board of Peace Instead of using the World Bank mechanism, which is

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  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted US airbase in Kuwait

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Thursday that it targeted a US airbase in Kuwait in response to an American aerial strike near Bandar Abbas Airport in southern Iran, Anadolu reports. According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC said the retaliatory strike came at 4.50 am (0120GMT), hours after what it described as a US assault on a point near the port city’s airport using aerial projectiles. “This response is a serious warning so that the enemy knows that aggression will not go unanswered, and if repeated, our response will be more decisive,” it said. Later, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday through US social media company X that Iran launched “a ballistic missile toward

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  The ceasefire framework is exposing Lebanon’s institutional collapse

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  On 16th April, the United States announced a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon. Extensions followed. Frameworks were negotiated. International mediators declared progress. But the ceasefire was never real. It was announced on the day it ceased to be true. For six weeks, the south has been struck continuously. Evacuation orders have intensified, not declined. On 26th May 2026, the Israeli military declared all areas south of Lebanon’s Zahrani River, roughly 25 miles from the border, as “combat zones” and ordered mass evacuation. This is not an enforcement failure. This is the framework itself being false from inception. The 16th April ceasefire assigned the Lebanese government three concrete obligations. Prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel. Disarm all non-state armed groups.

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  The EU’s fragmented focus rewards colonial violence

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  The EU focus on sanctioning Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir tells only a fragment of the story. Ben Gvir may be the face of Israel’s colonial dehumanisation at the moment, but Israel is the structure in which colonial dehumanisation is embedded. In a letter sent to the European Council President Antonio Costa and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas last week, MEPs called upon the EU to institute a travel ban against Ben Gvir. “The recent horrifying video footage … represents a level of ruthlessness and inhumanity that the European Union can no longer ignore.” Ben Gvir’s actions in the context of the Global Sumud Flotilla activists are certainly degrading and despicable. However,

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  Pro-Israel cash goes undercover as US voters turn against Israel

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  Pro-Israel donors linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) are reportedly using new, innocuous-sounding fundraising vehicles to direct money to favoured candidates in high-stakes Democratic primaries, as support for Israel becomes increasingly toxic in US politics. According to details reviewed by The Lever, a newly formed joint fundraising committee, Better Blue Fund is one of the groups using weakened campaign finance rules to act as a “one-stop shop” for contributions from some of the pro-Israel lobby’s largest longtime donors. More than $250,000 has been raised by the fund in under two months for Democratic candidates who have faced scrutiny over their support for military aid to Israel or past links to pro-Israel groups. The committee is currently supporting

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  Israel plans to expand control over Gaza in coming months

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  Israel is planning, in coordination with the United States, to expand its occupation of the Gaza Strip. According to Israel’s Channel 14, the plan includes a major expansion of the so-called Yellow Line in Gaza, alongside continued bombardment and targeted killings outside the area controlled by the Israeli army, which currently occupies more than 60 per cent of the territory. As part of the new strategy, the Hebrew-language channel said Israel, in coordination with the United States, will work to significantly expand the Yellow Line area across the Gaza Strip over the coming months. READ: Ireland to ban imports from Israeli settlements by mid-July

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  Sudan: Survivors of Al-Fasher attack recount difficult escape from Sudan

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  They could do nothing but watch as militia fighters shot and killed their loved ones. The survivors said they were held captive, beaten, robbed of their phones and stripped of the savings they had collected over a lifetime. The fighters even took their shoes. In early November 2025, survivors of a three-day attack by paramilitary forces in western Sudan began arriving in the desert town of Tina on the Chad-Sudan border. There, a team of Reuters journalists spoke to some of the survivors about the atrocities they said they experienced while fleeing the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Al-Fasher, a major city in Sudan’s Darfur region. The city, which had a population of about one million people

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  Dr Swee Ang, founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians, deplatformed by the BMA

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  Introduction and summary This article sets out to rectify a long-standing wrong done to a co-founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians, Dr Swee Ang and to call out the cynical and malicious abuse of accusations of antisemitism, and the moral panic they can engender, to defame and above all cancel advocates of the Palestinians. In 2014 the Daily Telegraph published an article accusing her of antisemitism for forwarding to a small group of friends and colleagues a troubling video which unbeknownst to her was published by a notorious antisemite. As soon as she discovered her mistake, she withdrew the post and apologised, though her apology was not included in the Telegraph article. ​Nevertheless, the accusation stuck and has dogged her

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  Self-engineered decay: Why Israel’s political collapse cannot be separated from its war crimes

  by Marwa A on May 28, 2026

  For those unfamiliar with the intricate machinery of Israeli politics, the unanimous 110-0 vote to dissolve the Knesset on May 20 appears to be an earth-shattering event. On the surface, it looks as if the days of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition of far-right extremists are numbered. The reality, however, is far more complex. Israel’s current political implosion is fundamentally tied to its failure to escape the ghosts of October 7. When the country’s military defenses collapsed on that day, Israel was transformed from a state with a formidable reputation as an invincible regional superpower into one trapped with a struggling army, structurally incapable of decisively winning a single war. Since the launch of the devastating genocide in

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  Why does Muqtada al‑Sadr expect us to believe him?

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Muqtada al‑Sadr’s latest announcement—that his militia, Saraya al‑Salam, will be “integrated” into the Iraqi security forces—has been received with a mixture of skepticism and déjà vu inside Iraq. For many Iraqis, this is not a reformist gesture but another attempt by a political cleric to reinvent himself at a moment of shifting power balances. The question that imposes itself is simple: why does Sadr expect Iraqis, or the international community, to believe him now? The answer begins with the nature of the movement he leads. Few episodes illustrate the contradictions of the Sadrist current more clearly than the trajectory of one of the former commanders of the Mahdi Army who defected years ago and sought asylum in Britain. Once a

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  Can Kuwait really be Indonesia’s defence ally?

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Indonesia’s Defense Ministry says it wants closer military cooperation with Kuwait through training, military education, and strategic dialogue. Officials presented the initiative as part of a long-standing bilateral relationship dating back to 1968. But Kuwait is unlikely to become a central pillar of Indonesia’s defense strategy, and the recent meeting also reflects Jakarta’s lack of clear prioritization in how it engages countries across the Middle East and North Africa region. Indonesia’s main security concerns are in the Indo-Pacific: maritime security, Chinese pressure around the Natuna waters, and military modernization. Those challenges require naval capability, surveillance systems, defense technology, and industrial cooperation. Kuwait contributes little in those areas. It is not an Indo-Pacific military power and does not have a major

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  Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Dr Rory Miller: What thread connects Iran, Cuba, and energy?

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  WATCH: Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Col. Wilkerson: Is Pax American in decline?

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  The Hajj ceasefire the Middle East never expected

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  As missiles crossed the Gulf and oil traders braced for another regional inferno, an altogether different procession unfolded in Mecca. More than 1.5 million Muslims arrived for the 2026 Hajj under the shadow of a US–Israeli war against Iran, a conflict that had already rattled shipping lanes, shaken energy markets, and revived fears of a region-wide sectarian rupture. Yet inside Islam’s holiest sanctuary, another logic prevailed — one that neither drones nor deterrence theory could fully explain. The striking reality was not simply that the Hajj continued. It was that the pilgrimage quietly imposed limits on war itself. In an era where global diplomacy increasingly appears exhausted, transactional, and militarised, the Hajj revealed an overlooked truth about Middle Eastern order:

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  Ireland to ban imports from Israeli settlements by mid-July

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said Ireland is moving ahead with legislation aimed at banning trade in goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. McEntee said the government hopes to pass the law by mid-July, in a move reflecting growing Irish criticism of Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories. The Irish move comes despite strong opposition from the Israeli government, lawmakers in the US Congress and pressure from international business groups. Ireland has been one of the leading European critics of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Since late 2024, Dublin has warned it could impose economic measures targeting settlements over continued settlement expansion. The Irish foreign minister said the tougher approach was driven by what she

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  360 Palestinian children, 84 female prisoners spend Eid al-Adha in Israeli jails

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Eid al-Adha begins on Wednesday while 360 Palestinian children and 84 female prisoners remain held in Israeli prisons, away from their families, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society. In a statement issued for the holiday, the head of the non-governmental organisation, Abdullah Al-Zaghari, said the detainees were among around 9,400 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Al-Zaghari said the child detainees included three girls, while the female prisoners included dozens of mothers who were “taken away from their children and families”, depriving their children of “warmth and their natural right to a safe life”. He added that Israel continued to deprive more than 9,400 Palestinian and Arab prisoners and detainees of “their freedom and human life” inside prisons and detention camps,

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  Hezbollah says it carried out 32 attacks on Israeli troops, positions on Tuesday

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had carried out 32 attacks targeting Israeli troops, military vehicles and positions in different areas of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. The figures were compiled by Anadolu Agency based on statements issued by the group until 2100 GMT. In a series of statements, the group said the attacks were carried out “in defence of Lebanon and its people and in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire and attacks on villages in southern Lebanon”, as well as to confront an Israeli army incursion towards the town of Eastern Zoutar. The attacks included 13 strikes targeting concentrations of Israeli troops and vehicles in Eastern Zoutar, particularly near the water reservoir and riverbed area, as well as

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  Iran is quietly turning Hormuz into a political checkpoint

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Iran is no longer using the Strait of Hormuz only as a crisis weapon. Tehran is trying to turn the waterway into a lasting source of political and economic leverage. That shift should concern Washington and its Gulf partners. The Strait of Hormuz remains the world’s most important oil chokepoint. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that about 21 million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products moved through the strait in 2022, equal to roughly 21 percent of global petroleum liquids consumption. Around one-fifth of global LNG trade also passed through Hormuz.  For decades, Iran threatened to close Hormuz during confrontations with the United States. Yet Tehran usually avoided full closure because the strait also serves Iran’s

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  Saudi Arabia says 1.7 million pilgrims performed Hajj this year

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics said on Tuesday that the total number of pilgrims during the 1447 AH Hajj season reached 1,707,301. The authority said 1,546,655 pilgrims arrived from outside the kingdom through various entry points, while 160,646 pilgrims performed Hajj from inside Saudi Arabia, including citizens and residents. According to the authority’s statistics, the number of male pilgrims reached 893,396, while the number of female pilgrims stood at 813,905. The authority added that 1,485,729 pilgrims arrived through air entry points, while 54,429 entered by land and 6,497 arrived by sea. READ: Saudi Arabia deploys drones, AI to enhance security during 2026 Hajj pilgrimage

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  Qatari mediation leads to Iran-US understanding on frozen funds

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Iran’s Tasnim news agency on Tuesday reported that Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf discussed in Qatar how Iran could obtain $12 billion as a first step in an agreement between Tehran and the United States. The Associated Press also reported that the United States and Iran reached an understanding on Tuesday over the issue of Iran’s frozen funds. The agency said Qatari mediation had succeeded in securing a common understanding between the two sides on the matter. According to the report, both parties are expected to announce an agreement on the funds later on Wednesday. A source close to the Iranian negotiating team told Tasnim that, under the understandings, around $24 billion in Iranian funds would be released. Iran

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  US ‘Suicidal Empathy’ for Israel as Gaza Faces Apocalypse | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  In this episode of Palestine This Week, we discuss Mouin Rabbani’s Gaza Apocalypse, a real-time account of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the decades of policy, international complicity and failed diplomacy that preceded it. We also examine Israel’s plan for the occupied West Bank, described as a staged process of ethnic cleansing: first entrenching apartheid, then emptying rural areas, forcing Palestinians into cities and creating the conditions for mass expulsion. The episode also covers Mladenov’s Gaza plan, Ben-Gvir’s humiliation of flotilla activists, the normalisation of Israel’s far-right politics, US’ “suicidal empathy for Israel”, Trump’s efforts to link Iran negotiations to the Abraham Accords and reported US-Israeli moves to strip Jordan of its custodianship over Al-Aqsa. Get your copy of ‘Gaza

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  Israeli strike kills new Qassam commander, family sources confirm

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Family sources in the Gaza Strip said Mohammed Ali Ouda, known as Abu Omar and described as the new commander of Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed along with his wife in an Israeli air strike targeting Gaza City. The announcement came after Israel said it had carried out an assassination operation targeting Ouda, whom it described as “the new commander of Hamas’ military wing”. Local sources said funeral prayers for Ouda would be held at Al-Nour Mosque west of Gaza City on Wednesday afternoon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the defence minister said in a joint statement that the Israeli military had carried out an attack on Mohammed Ouda in Gaza, describing him as the new commander

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  Palestinians mark Eid al-Adha at Ibrahimi Mosque under Israeli restrictions

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  A limited number of Palestinians performed on Wednesday Eid al-Adha prayers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, amid tight Israeli restrictions. The Israeli army closed the gates of the mosque and searched worshippers at entrances, forcing some to head to other mosques after delays in entering, an Anadolu correspondent reported. Israeli forces also fired stun grenades near the mosque, causing panic among worshippers, as attendance is estimated at around 300. “Eid al-Adha is the greatest holiday for Muslims, but the occupation forces closed the gates of the Ibrahimi Mosque and fired stun grenades at worshippers,” Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin told Anadolu. Dudin said the number of worshippers did not exceed 30% of the usual attendance,

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  Iran announces reopening of Tabriz airport

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  Tabriz International Airport in northwestern Iran is set to reopen on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the country’s Civil Aviation Organization announced, Anadolu reports. “Tabriz Airport, which was attacked during the recent war, has now been restored to activity by Iranian specialists and will reopen on Wednesday,” Iran’s public broadcaster IRIB cited the official as saying. The airport will join other terminals that have resumed operations following disruptions caused by the war with the US and Israel. Earlier this week, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, also citing the organization, reported that the number of reopened airports had reached 20. Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel, as well as

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  Three killed and a number of injuries reported after Israel shelling residential areas in Gaza City

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  According to the Israeli occupation, the target of the assassination was Mohammed Awda, reportedly part of the new leadership within the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. However, there has been no confirmation so far. It is likely that the operation failed, but up to this moment there is still no official confirmation on whether it succeeded or failed, unlike what happened previously with former leader Izz al-Din Haddad. A joint statement from Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Katz read: “At the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, the army carried out an airstrike in Gaza a short while ago targeting Mohammed Awda, the new commander of the military wing of Hamas and

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  Muslims pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque to mark 1st day of Eid al-Adha

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  The courtyards surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday – the first day of the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday – were packed with Muslim worshipers performing Eid prayers, Anadolu reports. Eid-al-Adha commemorates the readiness of Prophet Ibrahim — also known as Abraham to Christians and Jews — to sacrifice his son on God’s command. Muslims on this day sacrifice animals to remember Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice, and the meat from those animals is distributed to the poor in the community. This year’s Eid al-Adha holiday — one of the most important holidays in the Muslim calendar — comes amid continued Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement in force since October 2025. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 880 people have been

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  Israeli airstrikes kill 31, wound 40 in southern Lebanon

  by MI on May 27, 2026

  At least 31 people were killed and 40 injured in Israeli airstrikes Tuesday in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Anadolu reports. The strikes targeted the towns of Burj al-Shamali, Kawthariyet El Riz, Habboush, Maarakeh and Selaa. Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported that at least 10 people were killed, including women and children, in a single strike on Burj al-Shamali. The outlet also reported at least three airstrikes near the Qaraoun Dam in eastern Lebanon, home to the country’s largest water reservoir. The strikes came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to intensify attacks against Hezbollah over the group’s drone strikes against Israeli forces. Since March 2, Israel has been conducting an expanded offensive on Lebanon, killing

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  Iran restores global internet access after months of restrictions

  by Marwa A on May 26, 2026

  Iran has restored international internet access following months of restrictions imposed after nationwide protests in January and later intensified during the war with the US and Israel, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on Tuesday, Anadolu reports. Tasnim reported that the process of lifting restrictions had begun following an order by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to return internet access to conditions that existed before January 2026. According to the report, users once again have access to international websites, while fixed broadband services, including FTTH, VDSL and ADSL, as well as mobile internet services, are now available without restrictions. Iran had imposed a near-total internet shutdown during protests on Jan. 8 and 9, severely disrupting both domestic and international connectivity