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

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  Lebanese president, top Iranian diplomat stress diplomatic solutions to regional conflicts

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a phone call Wednesday from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss the situation in the region amid recent developments, the Lebanese presidency said, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the presidency said both sides agreed on the need to support diplomatic solutions as the best means of ending conflicts in the region. Later, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Araghchi stressed during the call the need to halt Israeli attacks on Lebanon and end the occupation of areas in the country’s south. Araghchi also briefed Aoun on Iran’s diplomatic efforts in recent weeks and days, while the two sides discussed expanding bilateral relations and continuing contacts and consultations between officials of the two countries, the ministry added.

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  Yemeni army claims 1,250 Houthis ‘neutralized’ in ‘Dawn of Yemen’ operation

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Yemeni government forces said Wednesday that 1,250 Houthi fighters had been “neutralized” during the “Dawn of Yemen” military operation on several fronts, Anadolu reports. Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said in a statement that government forces conducted 2,309 “precise and direct” strikes using warplanes, drones, field artillery, rocket launchers and sniper units. He claimed the operations disrupted Houthi defensive lines, command-and-control centers, frontline positions and supply routes, allowing government forces to advance. The spokesman said more than 460 military vehicles and other pieces of equipment had also been destroyed or damaged. In the southwestern province of Taiz, government forces continued airstrikes and ambush operations targeting Houthi forces and reinforcements, according to the statement. Al-Nazili urged residents in Houthi-controlled

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  Palestine says Colombia’s opening of embassy in West Jerusalem violates international law

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Palestine said Wednesday that Colombia’s opening of an embassy in West Jerusalem violates international law and UN resolutions, Anadolu reports. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said the opening constituted “a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions, and an assault on the Palestinian people and their just and legitimate national rights.” It stressed that all measures and decisions to change the legal and historical status of Jerusalem are “null and void and have no legal effect.” It said that “opening an embassy to Israel in occupied Jerusalem violates international legitimacy resolutions, particularly UN Security Council Resolutions 476 and 478.” The two resolutions that were adopted in 1980 affirm the illegality and invalidity of Israeli measures intended to alter the

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  Pakistan reiterates ‘unwavering’ commitment to Saudi Arabia’s protection under Makkah defense pact

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday characterized the Makkah Defense Alliance as a “historic” milestone for peace, unity and stability in the region as he reaffirmed Islamabad’s “unwavering commitment” to the protection of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, Anadolu reports. Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with the newly appointed Makkah Defense Alliance Secretary General, retired Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood, who briefed him on the strategy to promote defense and strategic cooperation under the pact, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. Mahmood was appointed as the first secretary general of the defense alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in August. The pact allows member states to treat an attack on one as

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  Iran says container ship sank after striking naval mine in Strait of Hormuz

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

   Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Wednesday that a ship carrying more than 2,500 containers sank after striking a naval mine while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through “an unauthorized” route, Anadolu reports. In a statement carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC Navy said the vessel struck a mine and caught fire while attempting to navigate “a dangerous and unauthorized” passage through the strategic waterway. The ship sank in waters south of the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning after the fire intensified, the statement said. The IRGC Navy urged local vessels and fishermen to exercise extreme caution when navigating the area, warning that containers from the sunken ship were floating on the water’s

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  Israel’s elections: Netanyahu wants more than victory; he wants to stop others from governing

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Opinion polls in Israel tell us many things, but they do not tell the whole story. Sometimes Netanyahu’s bloc appears close to returning to power. At other times, the “change” bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot moves ahead.  But behind these changing numbers lies a more important reality: neither Netanyahu nor his opponents have an easy path to forming a government. This is where the crisis begins. The problem is not just the number of seats. It is who can turn those seats into a government. Netanyahu knows that his bloc may not reach 61 seats. So his goal is no longer simply to win a clear majority. It is also to stop his opponents from building a majority that can

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  Israeli army opens fire on water tanker, drives away shepherds in southwestern Syria

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Israeli army forces opened fire on a water tanker and drove away shepherds during an incursion into southwestern Syria’s Quneitra province on Wednesday, Syrian media reported. Syrian Alikhbaria TV said an Israeli military patrol advanced west of Saida al-Golan village in the southern Quneitra countryside, where troops expelled shepherds from the area and fired at a water tanker. The patrol subsequently withdrew from the area, the broadcaster added. No immediate reports of casualties were available, and the Israeli army had not commented on the incident. READ: Israeli army enters Syria’s Quneitra countryside, blocks construction work The latest incursion came amid repeated Israeli military operations in southern Syria, particularly in Quneitra and Daraa provinces, involving raids, searches, detentions and artillery attacks. The

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  3 seriously injured in explosion at Intel factory in southern Israel

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  At least three people were seriously injured Wednesday in an explosion at an Intel semiconductor factory in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, Israeli media reported. The Jerusalem Post, citing Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service, said three people sustained serious injuries in the blast. Israeli police said “the explosion was suspected to have been caused by the detonation of a gas cylinder,” according to the newspaper. Hazardous chemicals possibly leaked as a result of the explosion, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority reported. Teams are currently working to locate the source of the chemicals and extinguish the ensuing fire, the report added. READ: Israel raises alert levels amid fears of renewed war with Iran Israeli news website Ynet reported that

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  5,500-year-old olive tree continues to thrive in Bethlehem despite drought, conflict

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  An ancient olive tree in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, estimated to be 5,500 years old, continues to bear fruit despite years of drought and water shortages, standing as a testament to its resilience in harsh environmental conditions. The tree produces between 500 and 600 kilograms of olives in a good season, said Salah Abu Ali, who cares for it. However, drought and water shortages have reduced its yield in recent years, he added. At 13 meters tall and 25 meters wide, the tree has been passed down through generations and continues to bring the family together for the annual olive harvest. “We all gather beneath it because it is like a mother: a mother brings everyone together,” Abu

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  French viewers shocked by Israeli soldiers’ accounts of Gaza in ‘NAZA’ documentary

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  French viewers who attended screenings of “NAZA,” a documentary exposing Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza, said they were shocked by Israeli soldiers’ accounts that reduced Palestinian victims to numbers rather than recognizing them as human beings, Anadolu reports. Produced by British newspaper The Guardian and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the documentary was screened in French cinemas on Oct. 12-13. The film drew considerable interest in Paris on its opening day, with most tickets sold. French viewers who watched “NAZA” at two cinemas in the capital shared their reactions with Anadolu. ‘I think the filmmakers are very courageous’ A French viewer, Kenzi, said the documentary explained the meaning of NAZA, a term referring to civilian

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  Colombia opens embassy in West Jerusalem despite city’s disputed international status

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Colombia opened an embassy in West Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the 10th country to establish an embassy in the contested city despite widespread international opposition to moves recognizing it as Israel’s capital, Anadolu reports. The opening ceremony was attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar and Moshe Lion, mayor of West Jerusalem, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Lion said Colombia had become the 10th country to relocate its embassy to West Jerusalem. The move follows the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries in August 2026, after Colombia severed ties with Israel in May 2024 under its previous government. Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is widely regarded

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  Iraqi premier arrives in Saudi Arabia on 1st official visit

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday for his first official visit to the kingdom since taking office in May, according to an official statement, Anadolu reports. “The prime minister arrived in the capital Riyadh on a visit to Saudi Arabia,” his media office said in a brief statement. No further details were immediately provided on the agenda of the visit. READ: Iraq cannot restore its sovereignty by disarming militias alone

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  Yemen’s Houthi rebels threaten further attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Yemen’s Houthi rebels said on Wednesday they would continue targeting Saudi airports and oil facilities in the coming days, after claiming similar attacks, Anadolu reports. In a statement, Yahya Saree, military spokesman of the Houthis, said the group carried out a military operation targeting Aramco facilities in Dhahran, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, an Aramco refinery in Riyadh, and King Khalid International Airport. Saree said the group would continue its operations against Saudi airports and oil facilities in the coming days, warning of “severe consequences” for the kingdom. He also called on international shipping companies and workers at the targeted airports and facilities, to “stay away” from the sites, declaring them “legitimate targets” for the group. The statement came as

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  Israeli occupiers burn prayer room, car, scrawl racist slogans in occupied Jerusalem

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Israeli occupiers set fire to a prayer room and a car and scrawled racist slogans in the town of Mukhmas, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, early Wednesday, according to a local official. Mohammed Kanaan, a member of Mukhmas’ municipal council, told Anadolu that a group of Israeli occupiers attacked the area at around 2 am local time (2300GMT Tuesday) and set fire to the prayer room and a car. The occupiers also scrawled racist slogans at the site, Kanaan said, adding that local residents promptly notified the relevant authorities and requested the intervention of firefighting crews to extinguish the blaze. The attack comes amid ongoing violence by Israeli occupiers against Palestinians and their property across the occupied West Bank, including East

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  Israeli settlers pick olives from Palestinian-owned trees in West Bank

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Israeli settlers entered Palestinian-owned olive groves in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, and stole olives from trees on Wednesday, according to local sources. The settlers reportedly raided the Tel Main area of Masafer Yatta and picked olives from trees belonging to Palestinian farmers. The incident comes amid reports of repeated settler attacks on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season. On Oct. 10, the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported 12 attacks against Palestinian farmers by shortly before noon that day. READ: 3 Palestinians injured in illegal settler attacks on olive pickers in occupied West Bank According to the commission, the incidents included physical assaults, detentions, beatings, pepper spray attacks, property theft, attacks

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  Bishop calls for international action after settlers attack West Bank centre for disabled children

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  The head of the Lutheran Church in the Holy Land has called on international governments and faith leaders to take “immediate and decisive action” after illegal Israeli settlers twice broke into a centre for children and young people with intellectual disabilities near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. In a statement issued from Jerusalem yesterday, Bishop Dr Imad Haddad of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land said his church was “very disturbed” by the attacks on the Starmountain (Sternberg) Support Center. The centre is run by the Moravian Church and serves about 100 children and young people. Statement from Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad on the Attack on Starmountain (Sternberg) Support Center by Israeli Settlers This week

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  Returning to Gaza after two years

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  When I entered Gaza through the crossing, I was shocked and stunned by what I saw. Looking to my right and left, all the houses were destroyed, leaving no trace. The streets were unrecognizable. Every street had a name, but I couldn’t identify them, there were no landmarks. The destruction was utter and unnatural. I returned to Gaza in May after two years of living in Egypt. I don’t regret going back to Gaza. But I’m still in shock, unable to accept life and the situation people are living in. The situation is terrible, unnatural. Since the genocide began in October 2023, things have been extremely difficult. We were deeply shocked by the reality of what was happening in Gaza: the destruction, the displacement, and the killing of people. This war, of course,

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  Israel now treats US as ‘declining power’ and war as permanent condition, says former intelligence chief

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  A former head of Israeli military intelligence has said that since 7 October 2023, Israel has been run by an unwritten security doctrine that writes off the US as a declining power, rejects peace as a strategic goal and makes war a permanent feature of national life. Major General (res.) Tamir Hayman, who now heads Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), sets out the doctrine in a paper the think tank published this week. Hayman says the new concept has never been written down or presented to the public. Even so, it now “inform[s] decision-making and dictate[s] Israel’s approach to security”. He argues the shift goes beyond military planning and points to “a change in Israel’s national identity”.

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  Axios: Netanyahu discussed joint strike on Iran with Trump before Israeli election

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed US President Donald Trump on what he described as dangerous recent developments in Iran’s nuclear programme, amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, the US news website Axios reported, citing informed sources. Trump and Netanyahu discussed the possibility of launching a joint military strike on Iran before Israel’s election, according to the sources. The US and Israeli militaries have also stepped up their alert levels and military preparations in recent weeks. The developments come as uncertainty continues over Washington’s next move towards Iran, amid reports of military preparations for a possible resumption of operations. It remains unclear whether Trump and Netanyahu have made a final decision to launch a joint attack or set a

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  Netanyahu acknowledges former Egyptian intelligence chief visited Israel before 7 October attack

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Tuesday that former Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Israel 11 days before the 7th October 2023 attack, amid previous reports that Cairo had warned Israel that Hamas was preparing a large-scale assault from the Gaza Strip. Speaking to HaPatriotim, a programme on Israel’s Channel 14, which is close to Netanyahu, he confirmed that an Egyptian aircraft had landed in Israel before the attack and called for an investigation into whom Kamel had met. “I want to know who he met, because there are people who want to pin this on me,” Netanyahu said, adding that he was attending a memorial ceremony for Israeli soldiers at the time. He urged security and law

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  Spain’s king reasserts sovereignty over Ceuta, Melilla as Morocco remains silent

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Spain’s King Felipe VI said on Tuesday that Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa were “an integral part” of Spain and that its sovereignty and territorial integrity “are not up for negotiation”, during a historic visit to the two cities claimed by Morocco. The Spanish monarch also stressed the importance of maintaining good neighbourly relations with Morocco, amid tensions between the two countries following a large influx of migrants into Ceuta last July. The visit marks the first time a Spanish king has travelled to the two cities since Felipe VI’s father, Juan Carlos, visited them in 2007, triggering a diplomatic crisis with Rabat. Speaking during his visit to Ceuta alongside his wife, Queen Letizia, Felipe VI said the two

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  Israel raises alert levels amid fears of renewed war with Iran

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Israel has raised its security alert levels to the highest possible level amid growing fears of a renewed military confrontation with Iran and the possibility of a large-scale pre-emptive Iranian attack, Israeli Channel 14 reported. According to the report, the Israeli security establishment fears that Iran may seek to change the rules of engagement after being twice surprised by previous Israeli operations. There is concern that Iran might choose to launch a large-scale preemptive strike instead of waiting for a new Israeli move, which could ignite a new round of direct confrontation between the two countries. The report said Israeli concerns were growing despite Iran’s severe economic crisis. According to Israeli assessments, the Iranian government continues to allocate substantial resources

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  Netanyahu labels Tulkarm camp residents ‘terrorists,’ vows to prevent their return

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday rejected the return of residents displaced from Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank during Israel’s “Iron Wall” military operation launched in January, after an Israeli court ordered a timetable to be set for their return. Netanyahu described the camp as a “terror stronghold” and praised the Israeli military for carrying out what he called its “cleansing”, in line with his instructions.  In a video filmed near the camp, Netanyahu said: “I heard that someone in the High Court of Justice says a way must be found to return the residents here. These are not residents, they are terrorists.” On 21 January, the Israeli military launched an operation that displaced tens of

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  Palestinian prisoners’ office says detained doctor beaten in presence of Ben Gvir

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  The Palestinian Prisoners’ Information Office said on Tuesday that detained physician Marwan al-Hams was beaten and physically restrained at Israel’s Ganot detention facility on 7th October in the presence of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leaving him with fractures and severe back pain. In a statement, the office said Al-Hams had been subjected to physical assault and intimidation during Ben Gvir’s visit to the detention facility. It said the physician had resisted provocations by the minister and remained committed to his professional and humanitarian responsibilities toward sick and injured detainees despite the mistreatment he faced. According to the office, Al-Hams is suffering from fractures and severe back pain resulting from the assault and urgently requires medical examination and

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  Israel seeks security personnel at UAE airports as condition for resuming Flydubai flights

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Israeli officials have demanded the deployment of Israeli security personnel at airports in the United Arab Emirates as a condition for allowing Flydubai to resume flights to Tel Aviv, according to a report by Israeli business newspaper Globes. The newspaper reported that Israel was seeking permission to station security personnel on Emirati territory, as it does in several other countries, and to establish security checkpoints at Dubai airports to inspect aircraft baggage. According to the report, an Israeli delegation led by Transportation Minister Miri Regev, accompanied by security officials, had been scheduled to visit the UAE to discuss aviation arrangements between the two countries. READ: Israel bars crew members holding 29 nationalities from flights to Ben Gurion Airport The planned talks

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  Australia, Canada, France and UK urge Abbas to reconsider postponement of Palestinian elections

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom have expressed deep regret over Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to postpone presidential and legislative elections until September 2027, urging the Palestinian Authority to reverse the decision and organize elections without further delay. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the ministers noted that nearly two decades had passed since the last Palestinian Legislative Council elections and five years since the postponement of elections scheduled for 2021. They said an entire generation of Palestinians had reached adulthood without an opportunity to elect their political representatives. The ministers described the latest postponement as a major disappointment that further denied Palestinians the exercise of their electoral rights and risked undermining public

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  IMF forecasts 3.3% contraction of Saudi economy amid regional conflict and Houthi attacks

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Saudi Arabia’s economy is projected to contract by 3.3 percent in 2026, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook report, as escalating Houthi attacks and disruptions to regional shipping routes place increasing pressure on the world’s largest oil exporter. The IMF also forecast an economic contraction across the region, citing restrictions imposed by Iran on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil exports. Saudi Arabia has faced mounting economic pressures since Iran restricted navigation through the strait following the US-Israeli attacks on 28th February. The situation has been further complicated by the resumption of fighting in Yemen in July, following a prolonged period of relative calm between the Iran-backed Houthi movement and

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  Hamas condemns Israeli raids on Ramallah rights groups and arrests in Nablus

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  Hamas on Tuesday condemned Israeli military raids on human rights and women’s organisations in Ramallah and the arrest of dozens of Palestinians in Nablus, describing the operations as part of a broader campaign of repression in the occupied West Bank. In a statement received by Quds Press, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said the raids and arrests reflected what he described as Israel’s efforts to weaken Palestinian institutions and undermine Palestinians’ determination to remain on their land. Mardawi accused Israeli forces of targeting human rights and women’s organisations in Ramallah while conducting a large-scale arrest campaign in Nablus. He specifically cited the raid on the headquarters of Al-Dameer, a Palestinian human rights organization, saying Israeli forces had confiscated property and

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  America’s broken promises, Iran’s resolve, and the dangerous game over the Strait of Hormuz

  by EditorMehdi on October 14, 2026

  The latest diplomatic deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz exposes the central problem in the US–Iran confrontation: Washington wants concessions from Iran, but Tehran is demanding clear commitments, credible guarantees, and an end to what it sees as a pattern of pressure, shifting demands, and broken trust. On 11th October 11, 2026, Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, described the US response to Iran’s seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz as insufficient. Tehran says Washington has accepted some conditions while leaving others unclear. The two sides also disagree over the sequence of implementation, particularly whether Iran’s nuclear programme should be addressed at the outset or whether the immediate priority should be restoring maritime security and resolving the conflict. Qatar

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  Saudi-led coalition intercepts 2 Houthi ballistic missiles targeting eastern Saudi Arabia

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  The Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Dhahran and Haradh in eastern Saudi Arabia, Anadolu reports. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki announced in separate posts on the US social media company X that forces intercepted onw missile heading toward Haradh and another toward Dhahran. The coalition said debris from the interception had fallen in a residential area in Dhahran and authorities are responding to the site. It did not provide details on casualties or damage. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued a warning earlier Tuesday of “potential danger” in the Eastern Province before announcing minutes later that the danger had passed. READ: Trump says Houthis acting ‘very badly’ amid intensifying

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  Israeli forces raid Ramallah, shut down offices of several organizations

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  Israeli forces raided the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, shutting down the offices of several organizations, Anadolu reports. During the raid, Israeli soldiers reportedly confiscated furniture and other belongings from the offices. Israeli army raids and attacks by occupiers against Palestinians and their property have intensified across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. Palestinians say illegal settlement expansion and attacks threaten the possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian state in line with relevant international resolutions. READ: Israeli army arrests 30 Palestinians as occupiers assault family in occupied West Bank

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  Iran’s IRGC Navy threatens to sink US warships approaching Strait of Hormuz

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  A senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy threatened to sink US warships on Tuesday if they approach the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. “We are waiting for American warships to approach the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz so that we can sink them,” Rear Adm. Ali Azmaei said in televised remarks, adding that Iranian forces are “counting down” for the encounter. Azmaei claimed US warships “do not dare” approach the strategic waterway because of their vulnerability, saying a US aircraft carrier worth $13 billion had moved 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the strait. “If the Americans want to see whether the Strait of Hormuz is open or closed, let them

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  UN experts urge food agency to uphold human rights amid concerns about Gaza-related work

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  UN experts on Tuesday urged the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to uphold human rights and protect staff following concerns about the treatment of officials who worked on food insecurity and starvation in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports. The experts expressed concern about remarks by the FAO director-general that appeared to link the departure of senior officials to their engagement with human rights issues. “Human rights principles are not peripheral to the FAO’s mandate; they are central to it,” said the experts. They said documenting starvation in Gaza was consistent with the agency’s mandate to combat hunger and did not constitute a breach of impartiality. The experts warned that potential reprisals could create a climate of fear among staff and

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  If You Cannot Say Genocide: Essays on Conscience and Witness

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  “What task is left to art when words are turned into weapons?” Yahia Lababidi’s If you Cannot Say Genocide: Essays of Conscience and Witness explores the depth of this question impressed upon the reader in the preface. For the author, who is a Muslim of Palestinian descent, the question is pondered from a position of distance as an “inheritor of family dispossession”.  Written between 2023 and 2026, this collection of essays leans upon memory, literature, experiences, observation and reflection, through which disillusion exposes reality. While there is no chronology in Lababidi’s reflections, the preoccupation with words and meaning is persistent. For example, Lababidi writes of his posting as a speechwriter for the UN office in Cairo, where he encounters the

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  2 Palestinians killed, others injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza despite ceasefire

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  Two Palestinians were killed and several others, including a woman, were injured on Tuesday in Israeli airstrikes and gunfire in the Gaza Strip, while the army demolished residential buildings, Anadolu reports. The attacks came amid continued Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement in force since Oct. 10, 2025, and more than three years after the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. One Palestinian was killed and others were injured when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle in the Al-Mashahara area of the Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, a medical source told Anadolu Agency. Another Palestinian was killed when Israeli gunboats opened fire toward the coast of the al-Sudaniya area in northwestern Gaza, said a medical source at Al-Shifa Hospital.

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  Syria accuses Israel of arming, funding militias in Suwayda to sow ‘chaos’

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Tuesday accused Israel of supporting armed militias operating outside state authority in the southern city of Suwayda, providing them with weapons and money to carry out an “agenda of chaos” in the region. Al-Shaibani made the remarks at a joint news conference in Damascus with Sabrina Dallafior, director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). He accused Israel of seeking to destabilize Syria since December 2024, when the Assad regime was toppled, through attacks on infrastructure and the occupation of additional Syrian territory. The minister also accused Israeli forces of forcibly displacing Syrians and carrying out arbitrary arrests, saying the fate of dozens

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  Global day of action for Palestine: Millions mobilise across 60 countries in synchronised worldwide solidarity

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  WATCH: Global Alliance for Palestine to launch worldwide day of action on 10 October

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  Trump says Houthis acting ‘very badly’ amid intensifying attacks

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  US President Donald Trump on Tuesday denounced continued attacks by Houthis against Saudi Arabia, Anadolu reports. Asked if the US had made a decision to strike Houthi targets, Trump avoided a direct response when speaking to reporters before departing on a campaign trip to Alaska. “They’re behaving very badly,” he said. Trump later posted on his Truth Social repeating his comments about Houthis and said: “The Houthis are behaving very badly.” “I thought they learned their lesson a year ago when we bombed the HELL out of them and, at their request, stopped,” he said. Trump said the group had been “silent for a long time” but has “emerged again, probably at the behest of Iran,” which he described as

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  One year since the ceasefire, the UN commemorates its failures

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  Nothing spells hypocrisy more accurately than the UN commemorating its failures. In a press release titled One year after ceasefire announcement, killings continue across Gaza, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator’s Office expresses its purported concern “about continued crimes under international law, including war crimes.” That is to be expected when, instead of halting genocide, a ceasefire is announced so belatedly that it holds no value except in international rhetoric. Since the so-called ceasefire, which did nothing but give the international community respite from having to face global outrage at Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, over 1,400 Palestinians have been killed, 1,076 of which have been identified by UN personnel. The press release also notes that

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  Americans urged to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia over Iranian, Houthi attack threats

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  The US Mission in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday urged Americans to reconsider travel to the kingdom, citing risks from Iranian and Houthi missile and drone attacks, armed conflict and terrorism, Anadolu reports. In a post on US social media company X, the mission shared a travel advisory maintaining Saudi Arabia at Level 3, or reconsider travel, while designating the area along the Yemen border Level 4, or do not travel. The US travel advisory system has two lower levels: Level 1, which calls for normal precautions and Level 2 for increased caution. Under the advisory, US government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization to use any airport in the country and are prohibited from traveling within 20 miles

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  Saudi-led coalition launches airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen’s Sanaa

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  The Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Tuesday against Houthi positions in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, according to a Yemeni government official and the Houthis, Anadolu reports. Fayyad Alnoman, a Yemeni government official, said coalition aircraft began carrying out airstrikes on Houthi positions in Sanaa within an area that the joint forces had previously ordered evacuated. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi forces were targeting Sanaa and that Houthi forces were responding to the attacks. The Houthis said a strike targeted the Yemen Petroleum Company facility in al-Sabahah, west of Sanaa. Earlier Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition ordered civilians to evacuate the company’s central al-Sabahah station ahead of a planned military operation. The strikes come amid escalating hostilities between the Saudi-led

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  IsDB chief in Jakarta: A US$2.56 billion plan with a missing climate pillar

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  Dr Muhammad Al Jasser, chairman of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, spent four days in Jakarta, from 7 to 10 October 2026. The IsDB is a development bank owned by 57 mostly Muslim countries. It pays for roads, hospitals and farms using Islamic finance rules, which avoid interest. He left behind a five-year plan worth billions of dollars. It is a useful plan with one large hole. In a country that is among the most exposed to climate change, the plan has no climate pillar. On 8 October, Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara launched the partnership strategy for 2026 to 2030, the fourth of its kind. The bank attached an “indicative” figure of about US$2.56 billion. Indicative means a target,

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  ‘Peace Requires Justice’: Why Washington and Tel Aviv Want Neither | Palestine This Week

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  In this episode of Palestine This Week, we examine why Palestinian elections have been postponed again, plans for AI surveillance in Gaza’s classrooms and CNN’s findings linking a majority of hostage deaths in captivity to Israeli military actions. We also discuss the suppression of US diplomatic reports critical of Israel, the backlash against Navi Pillay, US sanctions on the ICC and a leading rabbi’s challenge to Zionism, alongside divisions within the Palestine solidarity movement and the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia.     WATCH: Three Years of Genocide: What Gaza Has Exposed | Palestine This Week

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  Israel elections: Palestinian state caught between Netanyahu’s incitement, Eisenkot’s rejection

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  a warning splashed across large campaign billboards hanging over bridges and roads across Israel ahead of the Oct. 27 election. The slogan urges Israelis to vote for right-wing parties by portraying an opposition victory as opening the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state, Anadolu reports. Yet, the Palestinian state that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies repeatedly invoke as an election threat is largely absent from the political programs of the main opposition parties in Israel. Those parties broadly agree that a political settlement with the Palestinians is currently unattainable, although their positions range from maintaining the status quo while providing Palestinians with certain measures of relief to restoring relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA). The

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  Iranian attacks target 6 ships near Strait of Hormuz in 1 day, highest since war with US began

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  Iranian attacks on vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz have reached their highest pace since the war with the US began on Feb. 28, with six ships targeted in a single day, according to data from the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) and international maritime security sources, Anadolu reports. Data from UKMTO and maritime security sources showed that more than 18 commercial vessels were targeted by Iran during the first 12 days of October, including six on Monday. Between Oct. 5 and 12 alone, at least 14 attacks, attempted attacks and interceptions involving vessels were recorded in and around the strait, according to the same sources. UKMTO data and statements by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

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  On the universality of Gazan resistance: A century-long struggle for human rights

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  The struggle of Gaza’s people is frequently interpreted through the competing languages of security, nationalism, religion and geopolitics. Each illuminates part of the conflict, yet each can obscure its most fundamental question: are Palestinians entitled to the rights every human being possesses simply by being human? Viewed through the history of human rights, Gazan resistance acquires a significance extending beyond one people or territory. It exposes the distance between humanity’s proclaimed commitment to universal dignity and its willingness to protect those whose rights are repeatedly denied. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, rejects hierarchies of human worth. Rights belong to people regardless of nationality, religion, political allegiance or recognition by a sovereign state. Palestinians therefore need no

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  UAE, Russian presidents discuss Middle East developments, strategic partnership

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed bilateral cooperation and developments in the Middle East during a phone call Tuesday, Anadolu reports. The two leaders reviewed various aspects of cooperation and joint efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership between their countries in a way that serves their mutual interests, according to the UAE’s state news agency WAM. They also exchanged views on several regional and international issues of common concern, particularly developments in the Middle East and ongoing efforts to address them. Both leaders stressed the importance of strengthening regional security and stability for the benefit of countries and peoples across the region. READ: Russia pledges continued humanitarian aid to Lebanon

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  Israeli army arrests 30 Palestinians as occupiers assault family in occupied West Bank

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  The Israeli army rounded up 30 Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, while occupiers assaulted a Palestinian family near Nablus, leaving several people injured, Anadolu reports. The Prisoners’ Media Office said Israeli forces carried out widespread raids involving searches of homes and the conversion of one house into an interrogation center. The arrests were concentrated in the northern Nablus province, where 15 Palestinians were detained in the village of Tell, 12 in Asira al-Shamaliya and another in Talfit, the office said. Israeli forces also raided several homes in Asira al-Shamaliya and turned one into an interrogation center. Another Palestinian was arrested in Tubas in the northeastern West Bank and one more in Hebron in the

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  Qatar emir calls for accountability over Gaza genocide perpetrators

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday called for accountability for Israel’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, Anadolu reports. “What happened in the Gaza Strip is unquestionably genocide, and its perpetrators must not be allowed to escape accountability,” Tamim said during an address opening the 55th annual session of Qatar’s Shura Council in Doha. Qatar has played a mediating role in efforts to end the Israeli war in Gaza. Israel has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 in Gaza since October 2023, most of them women and children, while around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to Palestinian authorities. In November 2024, the International Criminal

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  Egypt vows ‘any kind’ of support for Saudi Arabia after Houthi attacks

  by EditorMehdi on October 13, 2026

  Egypt is prepared to provide Saudi Arabia with “any kind” of support, as the kingdom faces intensified Houthi attacks, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Tuesday, Anadolu reports. “Whatever is being asked by the Saudis, of course we will respond,” Abdelatty told Bloomberg Television when asked whether Egypt could provide military support to Saudi Arabia. “Without any reservation, we provide all kinds of support,” he added in an interview on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund in Bangkok on October 12-18. Abdelatty also said Egypt is seriously considering joining the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which currently brings together Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan. “The issue is under serious consideration by the Egyptian side,” he added. The