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

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  Yemen orders closure of ports operating outside government law amid efforts to cut Houthi arms supplies

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi on Wednesday ordered the closure of any port or border crossing operating outside government law as part of measures to combat smuggling and disrupt arms and financing networks supporting the Houthis, according to Yemen’s official Saba news agency, Anadolu reports. Al-Alimi issued the order while chairing a meeting of the Supreme Committee for Combating Smuggling, headed by Prime Minister Shaia al-Zindani, in the Saudi capital. “The era of leniency toward smuggling is over,” said al-Alimi, vowing to protect legitimate trade and the private sector, and take action against smuggling networks that drain state resources, finance adversaries or threaten national security. He said the measures form part of broader efforts to secure sovereign ports

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  Hamas agrees to surrender arms, relinquish governance, Peace Board says

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza have agreed — for the first time — to surrender their weapons and transfer full civilian and security authority to a UN-recognized transitional administration, Nikolay Mladenov, the Gaza Peace Board’s high representative, said Wednesday, Anadolu reports. Mladenov made the remarks at a UN Security Council briefing on implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan, according to statements made by the board on US social-media company X. “For the first time, Hamas and the armed factions in Gaza have agreed to hand over their weapons and to transfer full governing authority — civilian and security — to a transitional administration recognized by the United Nations,” Mladenov said. He claimed the move could “dramatically improve

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  US sanctions UK-based Palestine Action group

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  The US Treasury Department on Wednesday designated the British group Palestine Action as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), Anadolu reports. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the agency responsible for administering US economic sanctions, added the group to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN). The designation was made pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886. Originally signed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the legal authority targets US-designated terrorists and those providing financial, material or technological support to them. It allows for secondary sanctions against those providing support to the organization. The US accused the group of supporting “numerous acts of terrorism since” its establishment. Palestine Action co-founder

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  Israeli authorities detain Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs near Al-Aqsa

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  Israeli authorities on Wednesday detained Ashraf al-Aawar, the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, while he was attending a family gathering near Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Jerusalem Governorate, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the governorate said al-Aawar had been attending a mourning gathering for his family in the Silwan neighborhood when he was arrested. It did not provide additional details. The reported arrest comes a week after al-Aawar was temporarily detained by Israeli authorities from his home in Silwan. After being held for several hours, he was released without being given a reason for his detention. Last year, Israeli authorities banned al-Aawar from entering the occupied West Bank for six months, a period that was later extended. READ: Israel

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  Bahrain re-arrests human rights defender Naji Fateel two years after royal pardon

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Bahraini authorities have re-arrested prominent human rights defender Naji Fateel more than two years after he was freed under a royal pardon following over 11 years in prison, according to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR).  Plainclothes police officers raided Fateel’s flat at around 5:45am on 18 August while he and his family were asleep, the rights group reported. Fateel later told a colleague from detention that officers did not present an arrest warrant or explain why they were taking him into custody. Bahraini authorities have re-arrested prominent human rights defender Naji Fateel more than two years after he was freed under a royal pardon following over 11 years in prison, according to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights

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  Russian, Syrian presidents discuss plans to reorganize Hmeimim, Tartus military bases

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday highlighted the importance of a memorandum of understanding on reorganizing Moscow’s military presence at the Hmeimim and Tartus bases during a phone call, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Kremlin said the two presidents discussed the current state and prospects for further developing Moscow-Damascus ties and expressed their commitment to deepening political dialogue and cooperation in trade, economic, humanitarian and other areas. The statement said that during an exchange of views on the situation in Syria, Putin reaffirmed his “principled position in support of the unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty” of the country, as well as the “creation of conditions for long-term normalization and post-conflict reconstruction.” “Both sides noted

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  Syrian Kurds offer the region a lesson in nationhood

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  When I look back at my university years—sharing a dorm room with a Kurdish colleague—I am reminded of a country that once understood unity not as a slogan but as a lived experience. Iraq, despite its flaws, carried an instinctive sense of cohesion before its maps began to fracture. That memory returned to me this week as I watched Mazloum Abdi announce the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and their full integration into the institutions of the Syrian state. It was a reminder that belonging can be larger than geography, and that identity, when protected rather than weaponized, becomes a bridge rather than a trench. I have never harbored negative feelings toward the Kurds. Not because memory is

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  Israel exports 6 times more arms per capita than US, 19 times more than Russia

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Israeli arms exports per capita in 2025 were roughly six times greater than the United States and 19 times greater than Russia, a new study has found, revealing the extraordinary scale of Israel’s weapons industry relative to its population. The latest study by Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa found that Israel exported arms at a rate equivalent to roughly $263 per citizen in 2025, compared with $41 per person in the US and $14 in Russia. Calculated against Israel’s Jewish population alone, the figure rises to $340 per person, around eight times the US rate and 25 times Russia’s.   The findings are based primarily on figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), whose Arms Transfers Database tracks major conventional

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  Turkiye, Syria discuss $10B trade target in Damascus

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat arrived in Damascus with a business delegation on Wednesday for the 63rd Damascus International Fair, meeting with Nidal al-Shaar, the Syrian economy and industry minister, to discuss steps to reach a $10 billion bilateral trade volume target, Anadolu reports. The officials evaluated cooperation to ease trade, particularly regarding transportation and customs gates, alongside the potential role of the Turkish private sector in the reconstruction of Syria, Bolat said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal on Wednesday. Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the agreements reached during the Turkiye-Syria Joint Economic and Trade Commission meeting in April. READ: Arab countries welcome Syria’s removal from US terrorism list Bolat later met with Ahmad Rawad Ramadan, the newly appointed

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  Israeli army arrests 7 Palestinians, assaults 2 in occupied West Bank raids

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  The Israeli army arrested seven Palestinians and assaulted two others Wednesday during raids across the occupied West Bank, while installing a gate on the only road leading to three Palestinian homes under siege by Israeli forces and occupiers in Qusra, according to Palestinian sources, Anadolu reports. The Palestinian Prisoner Society, a non-governmental organization, said in a statement that Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians in Jenin province, including a woman and a man with a disability resulting from a previous Israeli gunshot wound, after raiding and searching their homes. In Qalqilya province, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian from the town of Azzun after raiding the town and searching his home. Israeli forces also arrested a young Palestinian man from the Dheisheh refugee

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  Remains of 20 Palestinians recovered from rubble in Gaza City

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Gaza Civil Defense teams recovered the remains of 20 Palestinians from beneath rubble in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood Wednesday, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Anadolu reports. The victims, from the Selmi and Al-Haddad families, were killed in an earlier Israeli bombardment during the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, Wafa reported. The recovery came as Civil Defense teams continued efforts across the enclave to retrieve the remains of Palestinians trapped beneath the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli attacks. Thousands of Palestinians remain missing and are believed to be buried beneath the rubble following Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip. READ: Gaza aid group says nutritional supplies destroyed in Israeli strike

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  Israel bolsters forces at seized UNRWA training center in occupied Jerusalem

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Israel reinforced its forces Wednesday at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees’ (UNRWA) Qalandia Vocational Training Center in occupied East Jerusalem, a day after seizing the facility, according to the Jerusalem Governorate, Anadolu reports. The governorate said in a statement that Israeli forces continued their takeover and deployment inside the institute, rotating soldiers and reinforcing the forces stationed there overnight and early Wednesday. It added that the Israeli Jerusalem municipality sent technical crews into the institute Wednesday and began “maintenance and renovation” work in preparation for receiving students as part of plans to establish a municipal educational complex at the site. The developments came a day after Israeli forces evacuated staff from the UNRWA facility, seized the compound and raised the

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  Qatari Prime Minister set to visit Tehran in bid to reduce regional tensions

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, is expected to visit Tehran, very likely tomorrow (Thursday), Iran Nuances learned. The anticipated trip falls within the framework of ongoing efforts to reduce tensions and strengthen regional security and stability, alongside discussions on bilateral relations between Doha and Tehran. Yesterday, the Qatari Premier held separate phone consultations with the Foreign Ministers of both Iran and Oman, discussing the latest and laying the groundwork for the trip. Al Thani’s expected arrival marks the latest in a succession of high-stakes mediation efforts by regional actors scrambling to avert a regional escalation. Over the past few days, Tehran has hosted a flurry of top-tier diplomatic envoys, including Oman’s Foreign

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  US cannot achieve its goals through economic pressure: Iranian president

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  The US cannot achieve its objectives through economic pressure on Tehran, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday, days after Washington launched a sweeping new sanctions campaign against Iran, Anadolu reports. Pezeshkian made the remarks during a three-hour meeting at the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran with Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati and a group of economists, according to the Iranian presidency. The meeting reviewed Iran’s monetary, foreign exchange and financial indicators amid what Pezeshkian described as conditions created by war, an economic blockade and external pressure. He stressed the need to maintain economic stability and contain inflation expectations. Pezeshkian said managing key markets, particularly currency and monetary markets, required close coordination between the government, Central Bank

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  ‘Possible future war’ with US could spread across region, target energy infrastructure: Iranian army

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  “A possible future war” with the US could spread across the region and bring energy and communications infrastructure into the conflict, an Iranian army spokesman warned Wednesday, Anadolu reports. Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia told the semi-official Mehr News Agency that Iran had previously warned that any “miscalculation” by its adversaries would draw an immediate response and could expand the geographical scope of the conflict. “A possible future war could encompass new arenas,” Akraminia said. He pointed to the Bab al-Mandab Strait and a US base in Syria, saying both had become part of the conflict despite previously being outside its geographical scope. “Today, threats exist across the entire region, and we have the capabilities to confront and deal with them,” he

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  UN committee raises racial discrimination concerns over Israeli threats of Gaza-level destruction in Lebanon

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Wednesday expressed alarm over statements by Israeli officials threatening to impose on Lebanon the “same level of destruction” as inflicted in Gaza and called for an end to rhetoric that dehumanizes the Lebanese population, Anadolu reports. Acting under its Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure, CERD stressed that the prohibition of racial discrimination cannot be suspended during armed conflict. CERD said it was alarmed by civilian deaths, mass displacement, and widespread destruction resulting from Israeli military operations in Lebanon, including airstrikes, shelling, and the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas. The committee also cited a statement by the Israeli defense minister characterizing “the Shia inhabitants of 24

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  The Ottoman World of Sports: Refashioning Bodies, Men, and Communities in Late Imperial Istanbul

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  A black and white still featuring a shirtless muscular man appeared in an Ottoman magazine in 1910. The man, who is well chiseled, is demonstrating his own physical excellence that was achieved through a regime of exercise and gymnasiums. However, Selim Sirri is not merely showing off the fruits of his efforts, he is part of a reformist movement that sees physical education, disciplining the human body and exercise as being at the heart of a modernising empire. Newspapers and magazines were using Sirri to underscore the idea that physical education, ‘carried a symbolic meaning-the Ottoman Empire had joined a global community of physical education.’ Elsewhere, a letter dated to 1906, complaining about the referee in Galatasaray’s football match as

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  Axios: Rubio rules out new strikes on Iran for now

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told several counterparts from allied countries that the United States does not currently plan to launch new military strikes against Iran, in a sign that President Donald Trump’s administration is shifting its focus towards tighter economic pressure and sanctions, according to US officials familiar with the matter. Rubio said in calls with several allied foreign ministers that Washington is currently focusing on “other means of pressure”, primarily sanctions announced by the Trump administration this week, as well as the naval blockade imposed on Iran, Axios reported. READ: Iran responds to US threats, says it is ready for any scenario The shift comes as Washington says the naval blockade and the removal of mines from

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  Ben-Gvir says Israel is “making history” by expelling UNRWA

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Tuesday that Israel was “making history” by removing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from its facilities, following an Israeli operation at the agency’s Qalandia training centre. In a video posted on X from inside the facility, Ben-Gvir accused UNRWA of supporting “terrorism” and declared that the agency would not be allowed to return to the site. “The director of the UNRWA institute used to sit here, and now I am sitting in his place,” Ben-Gvir said. “Under my watch, there is no UNRWA and no director. They will not return here.” He said Israeli police, the military, the prison service and other security agencies had participated

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  Report: US offers Iran sanctions relief in exchange for reopening Strait of Hormuz

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  The United States has reportedly offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks by Tehran-aligned groups in the region, according to a Saudi media report. A senior source cited by Al Arabiya said Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, conveyed the US proposal to Iranian officials during talks in Tehran. According to the report, the proposal calls for Iran to restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and halt attacks by allied armed groups in exchange for Washington ending its latest economic campaign and lifting sanctions against Tehran. The reported offer comes as the United States intensifies economic pressure on Iran. The US Treasury Department recently announced sanctions targeting approximately 60 individuals,

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  Damascus decries Israeli defence chief’s visit to occupied buffer zone

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the illegal entry of Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz into Syrian territory, calling it a “clear provocation”, Anadolu agency reported.  The ministry’s assertion came in a statement issued after Katz visited a buffer zone in Syrian territory that Israeli forces occupied last year. Katz’s visit comes two days after a meeting in Jordan — ostensibly aimed at reducing tensions — between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and Israeli intelligence chief Roman Gofman. In its statement, the ministry condemned the “illegal entry of the Israeli defense minister … in flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The move, it added, constitutes a “clear provocation, a violation of international law and the UN

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  Gaza aid group says nutritional supplies destroyed in Israeli strike

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Warehouses belonging to the Palestinian Land of Man Association in Deir al-Balah were almost completely destroyed following an Israeli strike on an adjacent residential building, burying nutritional supplements intended for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women beneath the rubble, the organization said on Tuesday. The warehouses, locally known as the Fayyad Barracks, are located on 17th Street in Deir al-Balah, near Rashid Street. According to the association, a residential building immediately southeast of the facility was struck on Monday night, with the blast and collapsing debris causing extensive damage to the warehouses. The association said it was notified of the strike by the property owner late Monday but was unable to send personnel to the site immediately because of security

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  Hamas condemns Israeli raid on UNRWA training centre near Jerusalem

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Hamas condemned an Israeli raid on a UNRWA vocational training centre north of Jerusalem on Tuesday, describing the operation as an escalation of Israeli measures against the UN agency and a challenge to the international community. In a statement, Hamas said Israeli forces accompanied by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Qalandia Vocational Training Institute, detained and questioned staff members and raised an Israeli flag inside the compound. The movement said the raid came one day after representatives of 28 diplomatic missions visited the facility to examine the pressures and threats facing it. Hamas argued that the timing demonstrated disregard for international opposition to Israeli measures targeting UNRWA. READ: UNRWA urges international community to protect training center after Israeli raid

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  Iran responds to US threats, says it is ready for any scenario

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran has ways to respond to any US scenario, including confrontation, escalation and sanctions. Gharibabadi, according to Iranian media reports, said implementing US commitments was not complicated and that Washington should be the one to begin fulfilling its obligations. He said Iran would begin fulfilling its commitments if the United States first implemented its own obligations, adding that the process could take no more than a day. He also said this was the first time that security issues and preventing threats in the Strait of Hormuz had been raised as part of understandings with Oman. Gharibabadi stressed that the United States should understand that Iran would harm US interests if Iranian interests were

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  US delegation rebukes senior Israeli official over ‘escalating and serious’ settler violence in West Bank

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  An American delegation visiting Tel Aviv on Tuesday strongly reprimanded a senior Israeli official during a meeting on settler violence in the occupied West Bank, Israel’s Channel 12 reported. The delegation includes members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, advisers to senior US officials and professional teams, the channel said. The delegation members told a senior official in Israel’s security establishment, whom they did not name: “We are defending you in every way and under difficult conditions, when the entire world is against you,” but stressed that “your response cannot be acts of violence, looting, and attempts to harm the Palestinians.” READ: Attacks on West Bank Palestinians by Israeli occupiers surge in 2026: Commission During the meeting, which focused

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  Schadenfreude: From hidden gas chambers to Israel’s viewing gallows

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  What’s the difference between Auschwitz-Birkenau complex and the Israeli Zionist gallows? Auschwitz-Birkenau did not come with a special “viewing chamber.” That is not a metaphor. It is what Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced on camera on 19th August. He waved his hand and heralded to his Instagram followers the gallows Israel plans to use to execute Palestinian prisoners. Like a serial killer, a diabolical smirk on his face, he gloated as he described his 21st-century damnatio ad bestias.  Israeli culture didn’t need a climate-controlled stage to derive pleasure from watching Palestinian pain. For years, they did it at “Sderot Cinema.” Residents of Jewish-only colonies along the Gaza boundary have hauled lawn chairs and snacks and huddled on

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  Israel expels Dutch officials from Gaza coordination centre over settlement boycott

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday ordered the immediate expulsion of Dutch representatives from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat, following a recommendation by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The move came in response to what Israel described as a series of anti-Israel measures by the Dutch government, the latest being a law banning trade in Israeli products from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The law is due to take effect next month. Sa’ar said: “Our message is clear: Those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region. Israel will not allow measures to be taken against it without a response.”  READ: Israel blocks 2 Swedish European parliamentarians from entering country The

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  Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Scott Uehlinger: A Snap of The ME: Sanctions, Alliances, and Rising Tensions

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  WATCH: Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Dr. Paolo von Schirach: Why is the US-Europe relationship deteriorating?

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  Syria: After SDF dissolution, al-Sharaa discusses integration steps with Mazloum Abdi

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed steps for integrating the dissolved Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into state institutions with its commander, Mazloum Abdi, on Tuesday, after Abdi announced the group’s dissolution and its “full” integration into state institutions. The talks took place during a meeting between al-Sharaa and Abdi at the People’s Palace in the capital Damascus, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency. The presidency said al-Sharaa received Abdi and his accompanying delegation at the People’s Palace, in the presence of Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Deir Ezzor Governor Ziad al-Ayesh. The meeting covered “a number of issues related to integration into Syrian state institutions and steps for the next phase, in a way that strengthens the state’s presence

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  Qatar, Iran discuss proposal for temporary shipping corridor through Strait of Hormuz

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday a proposal to establish a joint temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, along with a project to clear mines from the strait. The two officials discussed the latest regional developments during a phone call, according to a statement from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. The statement said the talks covered ongoing discussions between Oman and Iran on a proposed interim framework that includes establishing a “joint temporary shipping corridor” through the Strait of Hormuz and agreeing to implement a joint project to clear mines from the strait. READ: Trump says Strait of Hormuz cleared of mines, warns Iran of ‘zero

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  US lawmakers demand release of American student held in Israel

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  A group of 40 US lawmakers, including six senators, demanded the immediate release of a 20-year-old American on Tuesday who is being held in an Israeli military prison, Anadolu reports. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the legislators demanded the release of Sama Safi, citing her “severe chronic health condition.” Safi, a student at Birzeit University, was reportedly taken from her family’s home in the occupied West Bank during late-night military raids June 2. “You have a duty to secure the safety and security of US citizens abroad,” the lawmakers wrote, urging the State Department to prevent “further irreparable harm.” They emphasized that it is Washington’s responsibility to ensure the safety of all Americans overseas, asserting that

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  Another 6 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes across beleaguered Gaza Strip

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Six Palestinians were killed Tuesday by Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip, a local medical source said, as Israel continues to violate a ceasefire that ostensibly went into effect last October, Anadolu reports. The latest casualties included two people who succumbed to injuries sustained in earlier Israeli strikes. A medical source at the Al-Shifa Hospital told Anadolu that the bodies of three Palestinians had been brought to the hospital following an Israeli strike on a home in Beit Lahia. Local eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the targeted home was located near the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Beit Lahia Project area. The strike killed three Palestinians and injured a number of others. What kind of munitions were used in the strike

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  Omani FM says shipping route through Hormuz Strait may soon be announced

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Oman is “hopeful” that a temporary shipping corridor through the Hormuz Strait will soon be announced, Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said Tuesday after meeting his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Tehran. “I am hopeful we will soon announce a temporary corridor for the Strait of Hormuz and practical arrangements to restore safe navigation,” al-Busaidi wrote in a social-media post. “Future management of the strait and a permanent solution will follow in due course, as per Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum,” he said. READ: Trump says Strait of Hormuz cleared of mines, warns Iran of ‘zero tolerance’ “Discussions with regional partners will be held to promote peace, cooperation, and freedom of navigation,” al-Busaidi added. Earlier Tuesday, the state-run Oman News Agency

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  Turkish Red Crescent continues aid efforts in Gaza

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  The Turkish Red Crescent is continuing humanitarian aid operations for the Gaza Strip, working to ensure assistance sent from Turkiye reaches the territory, its president said Tuesday, Anadolu reports. Speaking at Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses in Egypt’s El-Arish, Fatma Meric Yilmaz said the Turkish organization has carried out various humanitarian aid operations for Gaza since 2023. Yilmaz said the organization is closely monitoring the delivery of aid sent from Turkiye. She said the latest vessel, dispatched during the first week of Ramadan, carried enough supplies to fill about 400 trucks for delivery to Gaza. The aid was turned back at border crossings for various reasons and subsequently unloaded at warehouses in El-Arish, she said. Currently, about 15 trucks carrying aid

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  Israel issues demolition notices in refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Israeli forces on Tuesday evening issued demolition notices in a refugee camp north of occupied Jerusalem amid ongoing raids by Israeli forces, Palestinian authorities said. “Occupation forces are issuing demolition notices on Matar Street in the Qalandia camp,” the Jerusalem Governorate said in a brief statement without providing additional details. Earlier Tuesday, Israeli forces carried out raids in the Kafr Aqab neighborhood and the Qalandia refugee camp north of Jerusalem, forcing UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) staff to vacate the Qalandia Training Center and issuing demolition notices for Palestinian structures in the area. Palestine’s Wafa news agency reported that Israeli forces had carried out raids in Kafr Aqab and the Qalandia camp – amid a heavy deployment of troops

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  ‘Shameful milestone’: UN chief on dual famines in Sudan, Gaza

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday characterized the confirmation of famines in Sudan and the Gaza Strip as a “shameful milestone” during a Security Council session on global food insecurity, Anadolu reports. Guterres reported that 2025 has seen not only the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II but also record levels of global hunger, with at least 266 million people facing acute instability. He noted that violence remains the primary driver in 12 out of the 13 most critical hunger hotspots. “An oil tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz can mean one less meal a day for a child in Sudan,” Carl Skau, acting executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), said as he illustrated

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  Dozens killed in attacks by RSF-aligned group in Sudan’s South Kordofan: Local medical group

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Twenty-seven people, including four children, were killed in attacks by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), an ally of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in two areas of Sudan’s South Kordofan state, a local medical group said Tuesday, Anadolu reports. “The attacks resulted in a large wave of displacement among citizens towards the Abu Hitan area and Kadugli,” the Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement. Targeting unarmed civilians on ethnic grounds, it added, constitutes a “clear violation of international humanitarian law,” warning that continued violations threatened to turn “the conflict in South Kordofan into a broader ethnic conflict.” The network urged rights groups and the international community to pressure the SPLM-N to halt its attacks. It also called

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  Trump says Strait of Hormuz cleared of mines, warns Iran of ‘zero tolerance’

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that all mines have been successfully removed or detonated in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz. “Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. He emphasized a “zero tolerance policy” on mine placement, asserting that Washington is using Space Force technology to monitor “every square inch” of the strategic waterway, as well as Pickaxe Mountain and “the already destroyed three other nuclear sites.” READ: Trump says Iran ‘is not paying large segments of their military’

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  When a kite becomes a threat: What Gaza’s children reveal about the politics of fear

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  There is something profoundly unsettling about a military power becoming alarmed by children flying kites: In Gaza, where childhood has already been stripped of so many of its ordinary meanings, even a kite has now entered the vocabulary of warfare. In August 2026, several kites drifted from Gaza toward Israeli communities near the border. Israel’s own military reported that the kites it recovered carried no suspicious material and posed no danger. Yet Israeli leaders responded by treating their appearance as a potential act of war. Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that a balloon would be treated like a kite and a kite like a drone, “with or without explosives.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz subsequently warned that those responsible

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  Israel will not leave Mount Hermon, Syrian buffer zone: Defence minister

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Israel will not withdraw from Mount Hermon or a buffer zone inside Syrian territory as long as there are “threats” to Israel there, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, Anadolu reports. He made the remarks while visiting the buffer zone, according to a statement released by his office. “We will not leave Mount Hermon or the security zone as long as there are jihadist threats to the State of Israel,” Katz said, according to the statement. Addressing Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, he added: “The message to the president of Syria is clear — when you wake up in the morning in the palace in Damascus and look up at Mount Hermon and see the IDF (army), you know

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  Head of Russian nuclear firm Rosatom says Moscow, Cairo discuss expanding El Dabaa plant

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom is discussing the possible construction of two additional reactors at Egypt’s El Dabaa nuclear power plant, its head Alexey Likhachev said on Monday, Anadolu reports. Speaking at a news conference in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod following a meeting with Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Mostafa Esmat, Likhachev said they would report to the leadership of both countries if an agreement on the project’s terms is reached. “Today we are beginning discussions on a possible second phase of expanding the plant by another two reactors, and we are discussing the financial and economic model for the fifth and sixth reactors,” Likhachev said. OPINION: Egypt’s energy paradox: Importing LNG, exporting influence The

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  Trump ignored top-level warnings before launching Iran war: Report

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  US President Donald Trump launched the February offensive against Iran despite explicit warnings from his intelligence chief, vice president and senior military advisers that the conflict could trigger a global energy crisis and lead to a more hard-line Iranian leadership, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to people familiar with pre-war meetings, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Trump that killing Iran’s supreme leader would likely “usher in a more hard-line” successor and force the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which one-fifth of global oil and gas trade passes. US Vice President JD Vance also advocated a more “cautious,” negotiation-first approach, arguing that a diplomatic deal would be less costly than a war with

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  UN decries ‘outrageous’ Israeli threat to expel Gazans over kite-flying

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday described as “outrageous” an Israeli threat to expel Palestinians from areas of the besieged Gaza Strip in which kites were being flown by children, Anadolu reports. “On the threat of expulsion due to children’s kite flying, I hope we can all agree that this is outrageous,” rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said at a weekly press briefing. Shamdasani said the Israeli warning was only the latest in a series of threats. “We continue to see unacceptable rhetoric coming from the highest level of the Israeli authorities, showing utter contempt for international human rights and humanitarian law, and advocating and inciting violence amounting to atrocity crimes,” she said. READ: Gaza Media Office: Israel has killed

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  US to return diplomats to Middle East embassies: Report

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  The US is preparing to return diplomats to several embassies in the Middle East that were partially evacuated during its war with Iran, The New York Times reported Tuesday, suggesting Washington does not expect an immediate return to full-scale hostilities. According to an internal State Department document obtained by the newspaper, the redeployment of Foreign Service officers and easing of emergency measures could begin this week. The move comes despite stalled US-Iran talks and renewed threats by Washington to impose economic sanctions. Embassies in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait are among those expected to restore higher staffing levels. The State Department said it “continuously reviews the security posture at our diplomatic missions around the world.

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  Qatar says new US sanctions on Iran ‘unilateral’

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Qatar said Tuesday that the new US sanctions on Iran are “unilateral,” stressing that Doha continues its mediation efforts to resolve the conflict between Tehran and Washington through negotiations, Anadolu reports. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a weekly news briefing that Qatar remains supportive of mediation efforts to resolve the conflict and bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table. He said Qatar’s contacts with the parties have continued in recent weeks, but there have been no new developments in the mediation process. Ansari stressed that all Gulf countries support reaching a peaceful solution to the US-Iran conflict, saying there is full coordination among Gulf states to deal with different scenarios arising from any escalation. He warned

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  Iranian, Omani foreign ministers discuss bilateral ties, regional developments in Tehran

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi in Tehran on Tuesday for talks on bilateral and regional issues. Albusaidi arrived in the Iranian capital as part of ongoing political consultations between the two countries, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. Ahead of the visit, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the talks would address bilateral relations and regional issues. Baqaei said the visit was aimed at strengthening Iran-Oman cooperation and continuing sustained political consultations between the two countries as littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the consultations were intended to contribute to peace and stability in the region. ​​​​​​​The visit comes amid ongoing consultations between Tehran and Muscat over

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  Children in Gaza protest at Gaza against the occupation for threatening to bomb them for their kites

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  WATCH: Gaza’s children suffer as they fetch water amid soaring summer temperatures

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  Trump says Iran ‘is not paying large segments of their military’

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran “is not paying large segments of their military,” adding that it is also facing a huge humanitarian crisis. “The failing Islamic Republic of Iran is not paying large segments of their military, while at the same time killing protesters, even when they are not protesting, at levels not seen before. It is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, and must be stopped, NOW,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement in June calling for a cessation of hostilities and the restoration of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the deal later fell through amid disputes over the terms of its implementation and the future

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  Arab countries welcome Syria’s removal from US terrorism list

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Tuesday welcomed a US decision to remove Syria from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying the move would support stability, reconstruction and recovery efforts in the country, Anadolu reports. In a statement, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the step represents “a positive development” that contributes to efforts aimed at achieving stability in Syria and the region. “The decision also supports the path of a political settlement in line with international legitimacy resolutions and the aspirations of the Syrian people,” it added. The ministry reiterated Qatar’s support for Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and independence, and its backing for the Syrian people in achieving security, stability and prosperity. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry

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  Palestinian journalists rally for protection of media workers in Gaza City

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  Palestinian journalists gathered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Tuesday, to protest attacks on media workers and commemorate five colleagues killed in Israeli strikes a year ago, Anadolu reports. The journalists carried photographs of the five colleagues and called for an end to attacks on media workers and greater protection for journalists operating in the Gaza Strip. The group said Israel has escalated its violations against Palestinian journalists since the Gaza war, arresting 245 journalists since October 2023. READ: Hamas says destruction of Gaza desalination plant undermines ceasefire Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israeli escalation by the army and settlers in the West Bank has killed 1,173 Palestinians, wounded 12,666, led to the arrest of about 23,000 and