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

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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

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  UNRWA urges international community to protect training center after Israeli raid

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Tuesday called on the international community to act “immediately and decisively” to safeguard its Qalandia Training Center north of Jerusalem after Israeli security forces raided the facility, Anadolu reports. “Today at approximately 10:00, Israeli Security Forces forcibly entered” the center in occupied East Jerusalem, UNRWA said in a statement. At least four armored vehicles entered the premises, accompanied by more than 50 Israeli security personnel, it added. Approximately 20 UNRWA staff members were present at the site at the time of the incident, the agency noted. “The entry of armed security forces into a United Nations facility, without the authorization or consent of the United Nations, is unacceptable,” it added. Earlier Tuesday,

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  Genocide continues, on the pretext of kites

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Acting forcefully against kites is one of Israel’s latest purported security concerns. “My directive to the defence establishment and the IDF is to do everything against this lethal weapon – to strike it, to strike those operating it, to strike the place from which it was launched, to do everything in order to protect our citizens in the Gaza border communities and everywhere else,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Defence Minister Israel Katz echoed Netanyahu’s statement, saying he instructed the military “to act immediately and forcefully” against any launches from Gaza which, he said are “an act of war in every respect.” The kites which the Israeli military found in Gaza, however, had no explosive devices. Even Israeli media

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  Katz says Israeli forces will maintain permanent presence in northern West Bank refugee camps

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that the displacement of residents from refugee camps in the northern occupied West Bank and the establishment of a permanent Israeli military presence there had contributed to a sharp decline in Palestinian attacks. Katz made the remarks following a security assessment attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior security officials at the military’s Central Command headquarters. According to Katz, the meeting reviewed the security situation in the West Bank, ongoing Israeli military operations and what he described as the “dramatic growth of settlements.” The defence minister said figures presented during the assessment showed that Palestinian “attacks” had declined for a second consecutive year,

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  Football legends criticise FIFA leadership, demand greater voice for players and fans

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  A group of former international football stars has issued a joint statement criticizing FIFA’s current leadership and calling for structural changes to the way the sport is governed. Former players Emmanuel Petit, Robert Pires, Mikael Silvestre and Juan Sebastián Verón were among the signatories, who said players and supporters should have a greater and more direct role in decisions affecting the future of football. “We have witnessed the game we love stray from its fundamental values under the current FIFA leadership, and we will no longer remain silent,” the statement said. The former players stressed the importance of supporters to the sport, saying their own careers and achievements would not have been possible without the fans who sustain football. “As

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  Hamas says destruction of Gaza desalination plant undermines ceasefire

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Hamas on Monday condemned an Israeli airstrike that destroyed a desalination plant in Gaza City, describing the attack as a continuation of Israel’s campaign against the Palestinian population and accusing it of undermining the ceasefire agreement. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem issued the statement after Israeli warplanes struck the facility in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, northwest of Gaza City. “The targeting and destruction of a desalination plant in Gaza City by the occupation’s warplanes is a continuation of the genocide against the people of the Gaza Strip and a further erosion of all means of survival,” Qassem said. He also accused Israel of continuing to pursue the displacement of Palestinians, pointing to strikes in areas sheltering displaced families and damage to

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  Deprived at sea: The tribulations of the USS Abraham Lincoln

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  The conflict with Iran continues to deliver its mean shocks to an increasingly doddering US imperium.  Depleted munitions, depleted stocks of goodwill and, it would seem, a disruption in resupplying warships operating in the Middle East, have become dents in a struggling war machine. This month, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, lengthily stationed in the Arabian Sea, caught the attention of naval observers with reports of mental distress and sheer desperation on the part of members of the 5,000-strong crew of sailors and Marines.  Personnel had endured a nine-month deployment – a record – having made only one stop in Guam in mid-December since leaving San Diego.  (The previous record had been set by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

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

  by Mehdi Editor on August 25, 2026

  WATCH: Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Richard Dalton: The Escalation Trap: How Long Can It Go On?

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  Iranian security chief threatens to halt Gulf oil exports over US sanctions

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Iran’s newly appointed Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei has threatened to prevent oil exports through the Gulf if regional countries participate in a new US economic sanctions campaign against Tehran. Speaking to Iranian state media, Rezaei said any country joining Washington’s economic measures would be regarded by Tehran as an “enemy” and warned that Iran could respond by disrupting regional energy exports. “If they start such an action, we will not allow a single drop of oil to pass through the Gulf,” Rezaei was quoted as saying. “Oil will not leave through the Strait of Hormuz or the Persian Gulf.” According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Rezaei also warned that alternative routes used to transport oil outside the

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  Jerusalem: Israeli police block Al-Quds University graduation ceremony, detain Palestinian students, academics

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Israeli police on Monday prevented a graduation ceremony for students at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem and detained several students and academics. The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that an Israeli force raided Khan Tankiz in the Qattanin Market near Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevented a graduation ceremony for a number of Al-Quds University students. It said Israeli forces detained Dr Youssef al-Natsheh, director of the Al-Quds Studies Centre at Al-Quds University, Raed Saadeh, head of the Jerusalem Tourism Cluster, Jerusalem-based artist Hossam Abu Aisha, and Jerusalem resident Hassan al-Louzi. The governorate said they were taken to the intelligence service’s Room 4 for questioning. Since the outbreak of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the occupied West Bank,

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  Israeli airstrike destroys water desalination plant in northern Gaza

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Israeli warplanes struck and destroyed a water desalination plant in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of northern Gaza City on Monday, injuring several civilians, according to Palestinian local sources. The facility provided potable water to thousands of families and displaced Palestinians in Sheikh Radwan and surrounding areas. Local sources said its destruction would further exacerbate water shortages affecting residents of the Gaza Strip. The strike comes despite a ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since October 10, 2025, amid continuing Israeli military operations in the territory. According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israeli forces have committed 4,379 violations of the ceasefire since it took effect. The office said those actions have killed 1,286 Palestinians, wounded 4,257 and resulted in the

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  Tel Aviv raises concerns over Turkey’s new hypersonic missile as strategic threat to Israel

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Turkish media have reported that Ankara has a new Tayfun Block-4 ballistic missile with an estimated range of about 1,500 kilometres, putting all of Israel within its direct range. The missile, developed by state-owned defence company Roketsan, is a heavier version weighing 7.2 tonnes and measuring about 10 metres, making it larger than previous versions. It can manoeuvre during the final stage of flight, making it difficult for air defence systems to intercept, and has an estimated accuracy of less than five metres. Estimates suggest that its speed exceeds Mach 5.5, marking a significant development that would give Turkey an entirely independent strategic strike capability without requiring US or European approval. Although the missile’s theoretical range covers Israel, Israeli military

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  Bloodshed grips Egypt

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Rania, 27, travelled with her husband and two children to Alexandria, northern Egypt, for a holiday on the Mediterranean coast. She never returned home alive. She was killed by a beach worker in the El-Agami area after a dispute over a seat overlooking the sea. The incident, which took place on an Egyptian beach recently, was not a scene from a dramatic film. It was a real-life episode in a wave of violent killings that has shocked Egyptians throughout August. The country has been rocked by a series of family killings and bloody massacres that have claimed dozens of lives in the space of a single month. The spate of violence has raised questions about the increase in killings and

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  Israeli media claim Kushner warned Hamas during meeting with its leader

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Israeli media claimed that US envoy Jared Kushner issued a direct warning to Hamas during a meeting with the group’s leader, Khalil al-Hayya, in Cairo. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the warning was that any attempt to violate the understandings or conceal weapons would lead to the suspension of the political process and give Tel Aviv full freedom to take military action. It claimed that the meeting followed intelligence information received by the United States and mediators suggesting that some members of Hamas were planning not to honour their commitments to disarm and halt the rebuilding of its military capabilities. According to the Israeli channel, Kushner told Hamas that “The test of trust will be in the implementation, and if

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  Fewer than 20 cargo ships cross Strait of Hormuz despite Trump saying it is open

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Shipping data on Monday showed that fewer than 20 cargo ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz at the start of this week, amid restrictions on shipping through the vital energy route. Preliminary data from ship-tracking company Kpler, issued at 02:28 GMT, showed that four ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 on Saturday. The figures may be revised later, as some vessels switch off their transponders while passing through the strait, according to Reuters. The data compared with 16 vessels that crossed the strait on Friday. Two giant crude oil tankers entered the Gulf empty with their tracking systems switched off, one bound for Iraq and the other for Bahrain. US officials said on Saturday that

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  After 25 years, Egypt reintroduces Muhammad al-Durra to school history curriculum

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  Twenty-five years after the scene that shocked the world, an image of Palestinian child Muhammad al-Durra has moved from television screens to the pages of Egypt’s baccalaureate textbook, in a lesson covering the Second Palestinian Intifada in 2000. The image appears in the new curriculum in a lesson titled “The Second Palestinian Intifada 2000”, accompanied by a direct caption reading: “The moment Muhammad al-Durra was shot”. The image, which has remained in the memory of an entire generation, has thus become part of a history lesson for a new generation of Egyptian students in classrooms. The image is not presented in the textbook as a scene separate from the wider Palestinian issue, but as part of a historical sequence covering

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  Gaza Media Office: Israel has killed 21,500 children, targeted 1,244 mosques since October 2023

  by Marwa A on August 25, 2026

  The Israeli army has killed more than 21,500 children and targeted 1,244 out of 1,275 mosques in Gaza since the start of its military campaign in October 2023, the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip said in a statement released on Monday. The office reported that the Israeli occupation army continues to commit “the most heinous crimes against humanity” and violates international humanitarian law and international conventions. The statement highlighted that Israeli forces are “systematically and intentionally targeting defenseless civilians and their inhabited homes, disregarding all international and UN calls” to halt the aggressions. “The occupation continues to shed the blood of innocents, specifically children, as the number of child martyrs since the start of the genocidal war has

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  US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list

  by Marwa A on August 24, 2026

  The US State Department on Monday removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, fulfilling President Donald Trump’s commitment to provide sanctions relief to the post-Assad government, Anadolu reports. Syria is no longer subject to prohibitions under the Terrorism List Governments Sanctions Regulations, according to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Washington revoked the designation of the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization. The Treasury’s office also removed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list. Consequently, General License 25, which had authorized transactions otherwise prohibited because of the group’s involvement in the government, was revoked because it is “no longer necessary,” according

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  Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps calls economic war ‘main battlefield’ with US

  by Marwa A on August 24, 2026

  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday that economic warfare represents the “main battlefield” in confronting the “enemy,” referring to the US, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the IRGC accused Washington of seeking through a multilayered sanction regime to “spread despair among the people, put pressure on living conditions, and weaken social trust.” It said all government bodies, including those responsible for the economy, trade, oil, industry, agriculture, banking, and diplomacy, play a decisive role in neutralizing the effects of sanctions. These institutions also contribute to managing markets, securing essential goods, controlling inflation, and creating employment, it added. The IRGC declared its readiness for strategic cooperation with President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government, saying coordination between the two represents the

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  An unprecedented alliance challenges Palestine’s old political order

  by Marwa A on August 24, 2026

  After two decades without legislative elections, the Palestinian people may finally be called upon to renew their institutions. A presidential decree has set 28 November 2026 as the date for electing the 132 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, with voting due to take place in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The central question, however, is not simply whether the elections will take place, but whether Palestinians will be free to choose their representatives — including those who defend resistance — and whether the result will be respected. The last legislative election was held in January 2006. Hamas, standing as the Change and Reform list, won 74 seats and defeated Fatah. Rather than recognising the popular

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  Child among 3 Palestinians killed in Gaza amid persistent Israeli attacks on civilians

  by Marwa A on August 24, 2026

  Three Palestinians, including a child, were killed on Monday — and several others injured — in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire that ostensibly went into effect last October. A medical source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis told Anadolu that the body of 10-year-old Amal Nashat Abu Khater, along with two injured Palestinians, had been brought to the hospital after Israeli forces targeted local homes and displacement tents with gunfire. Witnesses also told Anadolu that Israeli military vehicles had fired on the city’s Satr area, injuring three Palestinians. In central Gaza, two Palestinian brothers were killed when an Israeli drone struck a tent sheltering displaced people near the Shuhadaa Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. An Anadolu

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  Israel blocks 2 Swedish European parliamentarians from entering country

  by Marwa A on August 24, 2026

  Two Swedish members of the European Parliament say they were prevented from travelling to Israel on Sunday, despite holding entry permits and supporting documentation, Anadolu reports. Left-wing MEPs Jonas Sjostedt and Hanna Gedin were stopped as they were preparing to board a flight from Athens to Tel Aviv. They had planned to travel on to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where they were due to meet representatives of the NGO Save the Children, visit refugee camps, and speak to Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups. The two MEPs said they wanted to hear testimonies about what they described as deteriorating conditions and apartheid in the West Bank. Sjostedt, of Sweden’s Left Party, said they had been barred for

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  Yemen’s Houthis claim strikes on Saudi oil tanker, troop concentrations

  by Marwa A on August 24, 2026

  The Houthi group said Monday that it had carried out three operations targeting a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea and Saudi troop concentrations in eastern Yemen, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the group said it had struck a Saudi oil tanker — the Amzan — with a ballistic missile in the northern Red Sea off the coast of Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia. A “direct” hit had caused a fire aboard the vessel, the group said, adding that several other ships had left the vicinity in the wake of the attack. The group also said it had conducted two other operations against Saudi troop concentrations in eastern Yemen using ballistic missiles and drones. The first, it said, had

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  Trump says Iran is ‘completely collapsing’

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran is “completely collapsing” amid ongoing hostilities between Washington and Tehran, Anadolu reports. “IRAN IS COMPLETELY COLLAPSING!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform without elaborating further, mirroring his earlier statements regarding Tehran’s economic and military condition. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the US was entering an “economic D-Day” against Iran following what he described as the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Islamic Republic’s military and nuclear capabilities. “President (Donald) Trump has dismantled Iran’s military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear program,” Bessent said in a post on the US social media platform X. Trump said Friday he still believes Iran

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  2 Palestinians killed in Gaza amid persistent Israeli attacks on civilians

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Two Palestinians were killed and a number of others injured Monday in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire that ostensibly went into effect last October, Anadolu reports. An Anadolu Agency  correspondent, citing a local medical source, said Mohammed Abdul Nasser Abu Asad, 27, had been killed — and a number of others injured, at least one of them seriously — when an Israeli drone struck a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians near the Shuhadaa Al-Aqsa Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Separately, another Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained in an Israeli drone strike on Sunday that also struck a tent for displaced people west of the city, according to a medical source

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  AIPAC brand turns toxic as pro-Israel Republican asks lobby to stay out of Michigan race

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  In a further sign that support for Israel is becoming politically toxic, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers’s team has asked the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) not to run advertisements backing his campaign in Michigan, amid fears that association with the pro-Israel lobby could cost him votes. The request, reported by Axios is the latest indication that AIPAC’s brand has become increasingly toxic in US politics as public support for Israel declines and candidates seek to distance themselves from the lobby. Rogers, the Republican nominee for the US Senate, is running against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, an outspoken critic of Israel and US military support for the occupation state. Rogers on the other hand has been a staunch supporter of