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

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  Sudanese opposition groups reject Burhan-backed dialogue, propose alternative peace process

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  A group of Sudanese opposition political and civil forces on Sunday rejected a domestic dialogue initiative backed by Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, proposing instead a peace process combining humanitarian, security and political tracks. The position was announced at the conclusion of a two-day consultative meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, bringing together groups describing themselves as anti-war forces unaffiliated with either side of Sudan’s conflict. Participants included forces associated with the Sudanese Declaration of Principles, the Popular Congress Party, the Umma Party led by Mubarak al-Fadil, civil society organisations, women’s and youth networks, and independent public figures. At the meeting, participants adopted a joint position paper entitled “The Peace Process We Want,” which rejected the dialogue initiative

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  Turkey seeks Interpol red notice against Netanyahu over Gaza aid flotilla case

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Turkey’s recent request for an Interpol red notice against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, based on arrest warrants issued against him over the attack on activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, has raised questions about the significance of the move and the next steps following the request. Turkey’s Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said judicial proceedings in the case were still ongoing before the 11th High Criminal Court in Istanbul. He said the case involves 35 defendants, including Netanyahu. “We absolutely do not accept the understanding that the Netanyahu government, which is carrying out a policy of genocide in Gaza, is immune and cannot be held accountable,” Gurlek said. READ: Israeli security officials warn Netanyahu risks ‘unnecessary’ escalation with Turkiye: Israeli media

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  Mossad chief met Syrian foreign minister after Israeli strike

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Mossad chief Roman Gofman reportedly met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Sunday in an effort to reduce tensions between Israel and Syria following an Israeli airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northern Syria. Israeli media described the meeting as unusual given the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries and the recent military escalation. According to the Israeli website Kipa, the talks took place six days after the Israeli Air Force struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the Idlib countryside. READ: Syria warns continued Israeli attacks fuel regional tensions, demands UN action The report did not disclose where the meeting was held or provide details of the discussions. It said, however, that the talks were intended

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  Report: Israel monitoring Dahlan’s efforts to build broad Palestinian electoral alliance

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Israeli political and security officials are reportedly monitoring efforts led by Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan to establish a broad political and electoral alliance involving several Palestinian factions, including Hamas, ahead of planned legislative elections. According to a report attributed to the Spanish newspaper El Medio Oriente, recent months have seen intensified contacts between Hamas and the Democratic Reformist Current in Fatah, led by Dahlan, as well as other Palestinian factions and political figures. Palestinian sources cited in the report said the discussions are aimed at establishing a broader political partnership based on national consensus, overcoming longstanding Palestinian divisions and preparing for a potential restructuring of the Palestinian political landscape. The sources said contacts have included discussions about an electoral alliance

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  Gaza survivors recount executions and abuse in militia-controlled areas east of Yellow Line

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Palestinians who say they escaped areas controlled by Israeli- backed armed militias east of the so-called Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip have recounted severe abuses, including extrajudicial killings, physical mistreatment, drug distribution and exploitation of civilians, according to testimonies collected by Quds Press. The accounts describe tightly controlled areas where residents faced restrictions on movement and could leave only with authorization from militia members. Quds Press described the groups as receiving backing from the Israeli military. One survivor, identified only as Ahmed, 31, said he escaped with his two brothers after eight months in an area controlled by a militia allegedly headed by Shawqi Abu Nassira. Ahmed said that narcotics, including hashish and a substance he identified as “Rotana,”

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  Washington’s Iran war: Three tracks, one deadlock, and a revolution that never forgot 1953

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Six months into a war that began on 28 February 2026, with strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Washington has stopped choosing between diplomacy, economic siege, and military force. It runs all three at once. The Trump administration frames this as a sequential strategy. It is not. Diplomacy has collapsed twice. The naval blockade has hardened into policy. American warplanes have struck Iranian territory as recently as May. Tehran still refuses to move a single tanker through the Strait of Hormuz on Washington’s terms. This is not a menu of options. It is a stalemate with a body count. To understand why Tehran will not bend, look past this month’s headlines. Look to August 1953. The Ghost of Operation Ajax

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  Israeli forces target wells and water networks in Jordan Valley, threatening Palestinian agriculture

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Israeli forces have intensified operations targeting Palestinian wells, pipelines and other water infrastructure in the northern Jordan Valley, threatening agricultural livelihoods and access to water for local communities, according to residents and local officials. Farmers say the destruction of water infrastructure has increasingly affected their ability to irrigate crops, provide water for livestock and meet basic household needs in an area heavily dependent on agriculture. In the village of Atouf, farmer Abdul Majid Sa’aydeh, 55, said Israeli forces recently filled in his water well for the third time in less than five years. Sa’aydeh told Quds Press that the damage extended to the main water pipeline serving Atouf and nearby Ras al-Ahmar. He said settlers initially damaged sections of the

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  Israeli court extends detention of Palestinian doctor despite heart catheterisation

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  An Israeli military court on Sunday extended the detention of Palestinian doctor Dima Amin, 55, by an additional five days over social media posts, despite her suffering a severe heart attack and undergoing cardiac catheterisation while in detention. Israeli forces arrested Amin, a gynaecologist, early last Tuesday at her home in Ramallah in the central West Bank. Her family and lawyer were not informed of her whereabouts, and contact with her was cut off for 36 hours. According to her testimony, Amin was subjected to mistreatment during her detention after her hands were tightly restrained. The Israeli authorities refused to loosen the restraints despite her medical condition, causing her health to deteriorate and leading to a severe heart attack. READ: Hamas

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  The first Middle East alliance that doesn’t need Washington’s permission

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Sometime this past week, an Iranian parliamentary official told a Lebanese television channel that Tehran had received an invitation to join the Mecca Accord. No signature, no letterhead, no confirmation from Riyadh, Ankara, or Islamabad — and Iran’s own foreign ministry has responded with the kind of calculated ambiguity that neither confirms nor kills a story. In the same week, Iran’s foreign ministry announced that Field Marshal Asim Munir will travel to Tehran on Monday, August 24, for high-level talks framed around bilateral cooperation and “regional peace and security.” It is tempting, and wrong, to fuse those two stories into “Munir flew to Tehran to deliver the Mecca invitation.” He didn’t — the visit’s confirmed purpose sits inside Pakistan’s separate

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  Hamas says Israeli threats over kites in Gaza are justification for targeting children

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Hamas said on Sunday that Israeli threats over kites being flown in the Gaza Strip were an attempt to justify continued attacks and threats against children. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem made the remarks in a statement after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened on Sunday to step up assassination operations and displace Palestinians from areas of the Gaza Strip unless the launching of “balloons and kites” towards Israel stopped. Children in Gaza use kites for play and recreation, particularly in displacement camps. Some of the kites reach Israeli areas bordering the Gaza Strip after their strings break and they are carried by air currents. READ: Israeli drone strike kills Palestinian, injures others in latest Gaza ceasefire

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  Iran warns ships in Strait of Hormuz of fines, detention and confiscation

  by Mehdi Editor on August 24, 2026

  Iran warned on Sunday that some ships failing to comply with its transit regulations in the Strait of Hormuz could face penalties during subsequent passages, including fines, detention or confiscation. The warning came in a statement issued by Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority on the US social media platform X. The authority urged companies transporting goods to the Gulf or receiving shipments from it to check the updated list of vessels that have committed violations before chartering any ship. It added that, from the date of the statement, vessels cooperating with those already on the list would also be added to it when involved in ship-to-ship cargo transfers, transshipment or similar operations.  READ: Egypt, Iran discuss regional de-escalation, implementation of Tehran-Washington

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  2 Palestinians including child killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza despite ceasefire

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  Two Palestinians, including a child, were killed and 14 others injured in Israeli attacks in central and southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, marking another violation of a ceasefire in force since Oct. 10, 2025, Anadolu reports. A medical source at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital told Anadolu that the two victims were killed and seven others injured when Israeli forces struck areas in the town of Az-Zawayda. The warplane struck a site in the town shortly after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning. Civil defense crews rushed to the area to extinguish a fire caused by the attack. In southern Gaza, seven Palestinians were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a gathering of civilians near Al-Albani Mosque, west of Khan Younis,

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  Israeli newspaper slams Netanyahu over Syria strikes, warns of ‘pointless conflict’ with Türkiye

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  The Israeli newspaper Haaretz criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his decision to strike targets in Syria, warning that the escalation could drag Israel into a “pointless conflict” with Türkiye, Anadolu reports. “While we were wondering whether, ahead of the election, Benjamin Netanyahu would choose to wage war in Gaza or Lebanon, or perhaps ignite the West Bank, he decided to make a move in northern Syria, expanding a front with Türkiye,” the daily said in an editorial on Sunday. It said Israel’s anti-Türkiye rhetoric in recent months had evolved into an attack on a military airfield in northern Syria on Tuesday. The paper cited Netanyahu’s claim that the attack allegedly targeted the expansion of the Turkish presence in the

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  Pakistani army chief to visit Tehran on Monday

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, will visit the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei announced on Sunday, Anadolu reports. The visit by Munir and the accompanying delegation aims to bolster bilateral cooperation and build on “Pakistan’s efforts to help strengthen peace and security in the region,” Baqaei said in remarks carried by Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA. Munir will hold discussions with senior Iranian officials during the trip, he added. Pakistan has acted as a key mediator between Iran and the US throughout the war and has maintained close contact with both sides. The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 and launched negotiations toward a final agreement. However,

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  Israeli army arrests 13 Palestinians as occupiers escalate attacks in West Bank

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  The Israeli army on Sunday arrested 13 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in the occupied West Bank, amid attacks by occupiers that included the burning of property and the destruction of agricultural land, Anadolu reports. Occupiers burned a residential room belonging to a Palestinian in the northern part of the town of Osarin, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, local sources told Anadolu. They also set fire to a vehicle, partially burning it, and spray-painted racist slogans at the site, the sources added. In Bethlehem, Israeli occupiers attacked the Khala’il al-Louz area east of the city, damaging irrigation pipes used for crops, cutting down trees, and damaging Palestinian property and agricultural land. Occupiers also uprooted olive and

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  Iran threatens neighboring countries against joining US ‘economic war’

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  Iran warned neighbouring countries on Saturday against joining the US “economic war,” threatening to target their interests and prevent oil exports from the Gulf if they cooperate with Washington, Anadolu reports. “We tell all neighbouring countries not to participate in the economic war with the US; otherwise, we will consider them an enemy,” said Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaee, according to state broadcaster IRIB. “We are not seeking to expand the war, but if the countries surrounding Iran join the Americans in the economic war, we will strike their interests,” he added. Rezaee warned that if neighbouring countries cooperated with the US campaign, “not a single drop of oil will leave the Persian Gulf or the Strait of

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  Illegal Israeli settlements, outposts in West Bank reach 592, says Palestinian body

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  The number of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank has reached 592, with Israel controlling about 42% of the territory, a Palestinian government body said Saturday, Anadolu reports. The figures were published by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission in a briefing on key indicators of Israeli settlement expansion and control of Palestinian land. The commission said 780,000 Israeli occupiers were living in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, as of the end of July. Of those, around 333,600 live in illegal settlements in Jerusalem, and 446,400 elsewhere in the West Bank. Israeli occupiers are spread across 192 illegal settlements and 400 settlement outposts, including 231 pastoral outposts, according to the commission. Official Israeli orders

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  Netanyahu vows to block Palestinian state as polls put his bloc short of majority

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Saturday to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza or the occupied West Bank for as long as he remains in office, Anadolu reports. His remarks came in response to Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, who said Palestine already exists as a state and is recognized by most of the world. Abbas urged Israel and the US to recognize Palestine as well. “As long as I am prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state controlled by Iran, neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said, using the biblical term for the occupied territory. Speaking at his party’s general conference in the Arab city of Tayibe earlier

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  Iran in ‘full-scale war,’ says President Pezeshkian

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Tehran is in “a full-scale war,” stating that the government is seeking to overcome difficulties, Anadolu reports. “We are in a full-scale economic, military and security war,” Pezeshkian said in a televised speech carried by the state-run news agency IRNA. The government is “ashamed” that there are problems in the economy, he added. “(US President Donald) Trump easily says that they will impose the most crushing or the most terrible sanctions on Iran,” Pezeshkian stated, adding that Tehran is “standing firm” and striving to serve the Iranian people amid what he called an “unequal war.” “The enemy had assessed that if Iran falls, it will become Venezuela. Not only did it not

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  Saudi Arabia, Jordan condemn ‘terrorist attack’ on Syrian security bus near Damascus

  by Marwa A on August 23, 2026

  Saudi Arabia and Jordan on Saturday condemned a bombing that targeted a bus carrying Syrian security personnel near Damascus and left several people injured, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned the “terrorist attack” and expressed the kingdom’s “full solidarity” with Syria, backing measures taken by the Syrian government to combat extremism and terrorism. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the bombing as a “terrorist attack,” reaffirming its solidarity with Syria and its people, and rejecting “all forms of violence and terrorism” aimed at undermining the country’s security and stability. It also reiterated support for Syria’s security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity. On Saturday, a roadside bomb struck a bus transporting personnel from Syria’s Internal Security Forces on

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  Israeli activists protest mistreatment of Palestinian women at Damon Prison

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Israeli activists gathered outside Damon Prison in Haifa on Saturday, to show support for the Palestinian women who are being held at the facility, Anadolu reports. Protestors demanded the release of female detainees, acting on recent reports of mistreatment and rights violations. Commission of Detainees’ Affairs said in July that a Palestinian female detainee accused an Israeli interrogator of repeatedly sexually harassing her during detention. “I was subjected during interrogation to threats of assault against family members, repeated insults and attempts to extract confessions under pressure,” she said. Israel holds around 9,400 Palestinians in its prisons as of early July 2026, including 94 female detainees, more than 350 children, 3,244 administrative detainees and 1,320 people it classifies as “unlawful combatants,”

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  Sudanese anti-war groups meet in Ethiopia to discuss Burhan’s call for dialogue

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Anti-war forces opened a 2-day meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Saturday to discuss a call by Sudan’s Sovereignty Council chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for dialogue, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the National Umma Party said the meeting is organized by groups that are not affiliated with either the Sudanese army or the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It listed the Civil Democratic Alliance of Revolutionary Democratic Forces (Sumoud), headed by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, the Popular Congress Party, and the Umma Party as among the prominent participants in the meeting. The statement said the meeting would address developments in Sudan and national visions for achieving comprehensive peace. READ: 16 killed by heatstroke in Sudan’s Red Sea state

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  Egypt, Iran discuss regional de-escalation, implementation of Tehran-Washington memorandum

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  The top diplomats of Egypt and Iran on Saturday discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and implement a memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, Anadolu reports. A statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi reviewed over the phone the overall situation in the region and ongoing efforts “to create an environment conducive to de-escalation and a return to the diplomatic path – whether regarding the negotiation track between Oman and Iran or the resumption of the implementation of the US-Iran memorandum with the ultimate goal of reaching a comprehensive and sustainable agreement that addresses various concerns and enhances regional security and stability.” Abdelatty emphasized the importance of

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  Iran claims receiving ‘numerous messages’ from neighbors about new security arrangements despite US threat

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Saturday Tehran has received “numerous messages” from neighboring countries about shaping new security arrangements and economic cooperation in the region despite US threats of imposing sanctions against his country. “We’ve received numerous messages from neighboring countries about shaping new security arrangements and economic cooperation in the region,” Qalibaf said on the US social media company X. Qalibaf accused the US of putting “the security of every single one of its allies at such risk through bullying and pure disregard for their interests for the sake of Israel that they briefly saw their entire existence on the line.” READ: Trump says Iran still not ready for ‘right deal’ amid tightening economic pressure “A homegrown, independent

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  How Gulf investors could turn Indonesia’s Halmahera Island into a cleaner island, and out of Israel’s reach

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Halmahera is an island in Indonesia’s North Maluku province. It holds the country’s largest known reserve of nickel, a metal the world wants very much now because it is used in electric car batteries. For years, this reserve has been dug up as fast as possible, with little thought for the people who live there. Now a second problem has appeared on the same island. An Israeli-rooted company has just won a geothermal contract in Halmahera, in a country whose citizens have marched by the hundreds of thousands for Gaza, and whose government keeps saying, again and again, that it will never normalise relations with Israel. Both problems can be solved the same way. The Gulf states, not Beijing and

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  Tunisia recovers bodies of 4 migrants as boat capsizes off country’s coast

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Tunisian authorities recovered the bodies of four irregular migrants from Tunisia off the coast of Ben Guerdane in the country’s southeast after a boat carrying 15 people capsized, a rights group said Saturday, Anadolu reports. Mostafa Abdelkebir, the head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, told Anadolu Agency that 15 migrants had set off on Wednesday from the coasts of Ben Guerdane and Zarzis in the southeastern town of Medenine in an attempt to sail to Italy when their boat capsized. He said security forces had managed to rescue one of the missing migrants on Friday, while search operations for the remaining missing persons are still ongoing. Tunisia is a major departure point for irregular migrants seeking to cross

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  Tanzania inaugurates $2.9B hydropower project built by Egyptian consortium

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Tanzania on Saturday inaugurated the Julius Nyerere dam and hydropower plant, a $2.9 billion project built by an Egyptian consortium over five years, Anadolu reports. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the inauguration ceremony on behalf of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Located on Tanzania’s Rufiji River, the project has a generation capacity of 2,115 megawatts and is designed to meet the country’s energy needs, regulate water flows and reduce flood risks. In remarks broadcast by Egyptian media, Madbouly said the project “reflects the Tanzian will and extensive Egyptian expertise,” congratulating Tanzania on the dam inauguration. He said its completion demonstrated the ability of Egyptian companies to undertake major projects internationally, particularly in Africa. READ: Egypt renews opposition to new Ethiopian dams

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  Former French, British ambassadors urge halt to arms exports, ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  More than 100 former French and British diplomats have called on French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to take joint action to uphold international law in Palestine, Anadolu reports. “The United Kingdom and France share values and an international outlook,” the former diplomats said in an open letter obtained by Anadolu on Saturday. They stressed that both countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council and are committed to upholding international law. The letter was addressed to Burnham, with copies also sent to Macron and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. “Those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity must be held to account,” they said, adding that only such action would allow the two

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  Jordan’s energy diplomacy: The power of being in between

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Jordan does not have Saudi Arabia’s oil, Qatar’s gas or Iraq’s hydrocarbon wealth. It does, however, possess another asset that is becoming increasingly valuable on the Middle East’s energy map: location. Jordan’s 2025–2035 Energy Strategy, approved by the government on 3rd May 2026, is built around this reality. Its logic is simple but strategic: if a country cannot become a major energy producer, it can use geography, diversification and interconnection to reduce vulnerability and expand its room for manoeuvre.This is the power of being in between. Jordan sits at the intersection of the Levant, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula and the eastern Mediterranean. Geography alone does not generate power. But when electricity grids, pipelines and energy infrastructure connect across borders, location

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  Israeli drone strike kills Palestinian, injures others in latest Gaza ceasefire violation

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  One Palestinian was killed and others were injured Saturday in an Israeli drone strike targeting the courtyard of a home in the central Gaza Strip, in the latest violation of an ongoing ceasefire, a medical source said. Witnesses told Anadolu that an Israeli drone struck the courtyard in the Al-Bassa area of Deir al-Balah. A medical source told Anadolu Agency that the attack killed one Palestinian and injured several others. The strike was part of Israel’s continuing violations of a ceasefire agreement in effect in Gaza since Oct. 10, 2025. It came despite US President Donald Trump’s call for an end to Israeli strikes on the Palestinian enclave. ​​​​​​​The Israeli army has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over

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  Syria warns continued Israeli attacks fuel regional tensions, demands UN action

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Syria warned Saturday that continued Israeli attacks on its territory would fuel tensions and instability in the region and threaten the safety and security of civilians, calling on the UN Security Council and the international community to take action to halt the Israeli assaults, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned an Israeli drone strike on a civilian vehicle in the town of Beit Jinn in the western Damascus countryside, injuring several people. “This attack constitutes a flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a blatant breach of international law,” the ministry said. It added that the attack was the latest in repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory and held Israel “fully responsible”

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  Restoration of Iran’s South Pars Phase 14 refinery 70% complete after Israeli strike

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Iran has restored 70% of the production capacity at the Phase 14 refinery of the South Pars gas field, which was damaged in an Israeli strike last year, a senior energy official said Saturday, Anadolu reports. Touraj Dehghani, managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company, said reconstruction began immediately after the June 14, 2025 attack, according to state news agency IRNA. Dehghani said three damaged production trains were returned to operation in less than 10 days. He said restoration of the refinery’s capacity has reached 70%, with the remaining damaged production expected to return to service by the end of the Iranian calendar year in March 2027. Dehghani also said four South Pars refineries were damaged during the latest 40-day

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  Israeli military officials suspect Netanyahu may seek escalation to delay elections: Israeli media

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Senior Israeli military officials suspect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may seek to escalate the situation in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to disrupt or delay the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections, Israeli media reported. Israeli daily Maariv cited assessments within the upper ranks of the Israeli army that Netanyahu does not want the current conflicts to come to an end and could seek renewed escalation in Gaza as the election approaches. According to the report, senior military officials are increasingly concerned that political considerations could influence decisions on further military action. Officers have made clear that the army does not intend to be drawn into another conflict without a clear security necessity, saying: “We will not enter a new and

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  Israeli drone strike injures 1 in southwestern Syria

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  One person was injured Saturday in an Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle in southwestern Syria, according to Syrian media. Al-Ikhbariya TV said the drone hit the vehicle in the town of Beit Jinn in the western Damascus countryside, without providing details about the identity or condition of the injured person. Syrian authorities have not commented on the attack, while Israel has not announced its target or the reason for the strike. READ: Israeli opposition leader calls Syria attack ‘provocative and dangerous’, warns Israel will ‘pay the price’ The attack comes amid Syrian efforts to reach a security agreement with Israel. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on July 26 that Damascus was working with several countries to reach such an agreement,

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  Growing international pressure puts Israel under diplomatic strain: Israeli media

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Israel is facing mounting diplomatic pressure from several of its traditional partners over its policies in the occupied Palestinian territories and military actions in the region, with Israeli media describing the country’s international standing as increasingly strained. Israeli news outlet Ynet reported Friday that a series of statements and measures from Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany and other countries in recent days had highlighted Israel’s growing international isolation, particularly in its relations with Europe. The report pointed to criticism over Israel’s settlement plans in the occupied West Bank, its decision not to pursue a criminal investigation into the killing of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza, and its latest military action in Syria. Six European countries condemned Israel’s

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  Gaza ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ undermining support even in ‘pro-Israel’ nations: Poland

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and the failure to ensure accountability for the Israeli military’s “excessive use of force” were undermining public support even in nations supportive of Israel. “Partnership requires mutual respect,” Sikorski said Thursday on US social media company X. “The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as well as the failure of accountability for IDF’s excessive use of force are undermining public support in even pro-Israel nations,” he added. His comments came as Poland’s Foreign Ministry expressed “great disappointment” over Israeli military authorities’ decision to discontinue proceedings into the April 1, 2024 shelling of a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy in the Gaza Strip that killed Polish citizen Damian Sobol. READ: UN: 94

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  Iraqi president says some oil tankers being facilitated through Strait of Hormuz

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Iraq’s President Nizar Amidi said Saturday that some vessels carrying Iraqi oil are being facilitated through the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that developments in the strategic waterway affect not only Iraq but the entire world, Anadolu reports. Speaking during the eighth Baghdad Dialogue conference in the Iraqi capital, Amidi said Iraq faces difficulties transporting its oil due to the absence of a national tanker fleet, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA). “There is facilitation for some ships carrying Iraqi oil in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, without elaborating. Amidi stressed that developments in the strait have repercussions beyond Iraq. “The Strait of Hormuz has an impact on the entire world, not just Iraq,” he said. The Iraqi president

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  Iran claims health of pilots allegedly held in Qatar is deteriorating

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  An Iranian military official claimed Saturday that the health of Iranian pilots whom Tehran says are being held in Qatar is deteriorating, despite Doha’s denial that it has detained them, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency. Mohammad Bagherzadeh, commander of the Committee for the Search for Missing Persons of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, claimed that the pilots are being held “on the water” in conditions unsuitable for maintaining their health, Fars said. “The physical condition of the Iranian pilots in Qatar is not good,” Bagherzadeh claimed. He called on the Qatari government to transfer the pilots “as soon as possible” to land and to a properly equipped hospital. READ: Iran asks Qatar to allow military team to investigate fate

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  The Foundations of Zionism

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  A witness to the 1948 Nakba in the village of Fassouta in the Galilee at the age of 10, and one of 160,000 Palestinians who remained, Palestinian author and researcher Sabri Jiryis later became involved al-Ard which sought the return of Palestinians and their land. Expelled to Safad after attempting to run for the 1965 Knesset elections, Jiryis started reading about the Zionist movement. It was while working in Lebanon at the Palestinian Research Centre that Jiryis turned his attention to researching the Zionist movement; this time with the realisation that Palestinians with no knowledge of Hebrew had no way of learning about the colonial ideology that dispossessed them. The Foundations of Zionism (Ebb Books, 2025), translated to English by

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  Israeli premier turns to anti-Turkiye campaign as polls show Likud losing ground

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is running his election campaign on anti-Turkiye rhetoric after being forced under US pressure to stop attacks on Iran and Lebanon, Anadolu reports. Netanyahu, whose name has been linked to corruption allegations and whose party has fallen in public opinion polls, has long sought to avoid prison. He became the first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand trial for corruption. Netanyahu, the architect of the genocide in the Gaza Strip and responsible for the deaths of more than 73,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, has been criticized even in Israel for “setting the region on fire to protect his seat.” The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on Nov. 21, 2024,

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  Iraq says Sept. 30 coalition withdrawal will mark ‘historic transformation

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Iraq said Saturday that the Sept. 30 withdrawal of international coalition forces will represent a “strategic milestone and historic transformation” for the country, Anadolu reports. Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, said the date would mark “the culmination of a long period of sacrifices and a major shift in Iraq’s sovereignty and stability,” according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA). “The selection of this date for the withdrawal of coalition forces and the end of their mission was not an arbitrary decision,” al-Numan said. He said the decision was based on the readiness of Iraq’s armed forces and security agencies, which he said had demonstrated their ability to control territory, counter threats and manage the country’s

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  Kuwait, US review joint cooperation at annual military committee meeting

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Kuwait and the US held the annual meeting of their Joint Military Committee (JMC) at the Pentagon to review joint cooperation, the Kuwaiti military said Saturday, Anadolu reports. The meeting was co-chaired by Kuwaiti Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Khaled Daraj Saad Al-Shuraian and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Middle East and Central Asia Michael DiMino, the army added in a statement. The two sides held a series of workshops during the meeting and reviewed joint cooperation in maintenance and training. They also signed a memorandum of understanding on a strategic partnership with the Maryland National Guard, the statement said. Al-Shuraian was accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior Kuwaiti Army officers, the statement said. In a separate

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  US says intelligence behind Israeli strike on Syria air base was wrong

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack said Saturday intelligence behind an Israeli attack on a military air base in northern Syria was wrong, Anadolu reports. Barrack, who also serves as special envoy for Syria and Iraq, commented on Israel’s airstrike on the abandoned Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base in eastern Idlib province. Barrack said on social media that he did not know why the attack was carried out, but could share the answers given to him. He said Israel had received intelligence that Turkiye might be moving military assets to the air base in Syria and shared the information with Washington. The US investigated the intelligence, Barrack said. “We consulted our intelligence agencies, and the answer we received was that this

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  Pro-Palestine protesters hold demonstration outside Israeli Consulate in New York

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Protesters gathered outside the Israeli Consulate in New York City on Friday, with some anti-Zionist activists detained by police for disrupting traffic, Anadolu reports. Demonstrators gathered on Second Avenue in Manhattan’s Midtown area, where police detained several protesters as the demonstration disrupted traffic. Since the ceasefire deal was signed last October, the area occupied by Israeli forces in Gaza has increased from 53 percent to 70 percent, according to Israeli officials. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed across the coastal enclave, mostly women and children, since Israel launched its war in October 2023. READ: UK, Australia, Canada call Israel’s decision to close World Central Kitchen strike probe ‘shameful’

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  Exonerating murder: The IDF and the World Central Kitchen killings

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Being a resident in Gaza has proved lethal not merely for civilians eking out a wretched existence.  Mortality rates among journalists, medical staff, and aid workers have been egregiously high since Israel’s military opened its account after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.  (In truth, Israel’s account regarding striking, bombing and embargoing this little strip of territory has been open for decades.)  The regularity of killings, largely at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), negatives the claim that there isn’t a policy or approach in place that forgoes the rigours of international humanitarian law in favour of murderous resolution.  The IDF, and its foam flecked supporters, always insist that international law is something observed, though no one

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  Trump says Iran still not ready for ‘right deal’ amid tightening economic pressure

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  US President Donald Trump said Friday he still believes Iran was not ready to make “the right deal” with Washington as tightening economic measures have been deployed against Tehran, Anadolu reports. “They would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One for a trip to the state of South Carolina to attend a rally. Denying that the escalation of economic measures meant military options available to the US were limited, Trump said Washington intended to see “what happens” in terms of their effect on the already-strained Iranian economy after nearly six months of war with the US. “They have no money, they have no

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  Iran says new US sanctions violate sovereignty of other states

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Iran on Saturday condemned new US economic sanctions against Tehran, arguing that Washington’s use of secondary sanctions violates the sovereignty of other countries and international law, Anadolu reports. “The United States’ declaration of new economic sanctions on Iran is far more than continued unlawful ‘economic warfare’ against a single country,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on US social media company X. “It is an assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty over every independent Member State of the United Nations,” he added. Baghaei argued that no country can lawfully force foreign banks, companies or airports under the jurisdiction of other sovereign states to stop lawful trade with a third country. He said secondary sanctions have “no foundation in international law,” arguing that they

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  Fatah, Hamas set to meet in Cairo next week to resume Palestinian dialogue: Sources

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  The Palestinian Fatah and Hamas groups are preparing to hold a meeting in Cairo next week to resume national dialogue and discuss challenges facing the Palestinian cause, Palestinian sources familiar with the matter told Anadolu Agency on Friday. Delegations from the two groups are preparing for the meeting, which is expected to take place Monday following months of contacts aimed at reviving dialogue, said sources. The planned meeting comes days after Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Khalil al-Hayya led a delegation to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials and meetings with representatives of Palestinian factions on developments concerning the Palestinian cause. Sources said the talks come amid challenges affecting the broader Palestinian political system and the Palestinian cause, as efforts are

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  Israeli forces used phosphorus shells in southern Lebanon, reports Lebanese media

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Israeli forces used phosphorus shells and carried out airstrikes and heavy artillery fire across several areas of southern Lebanon overnight and early Saturday, Lebanese state media reported, Anadolu reports. Heavy Israeli artillery shelling targeted the town of Mansouri, the vicinity of Bayt al-Sayyad and the outskirts of Majdal Zoun early Saturday, according to National News Agency (NNA). Israeli forces also carried out extensive explosions overnight in Mansouri, Majdal Zoun and Bayt al-Sayyad, the agency said. NNA reported that homes in Bayt al-Sayyad had been extensively destroyed, saying that no house in the town had been left undamaged. READ: Israel preventing foreign support for Lebanese army, deputy PM says Similar explosions were reported in the towns of Hadatha, Beit Yahoun and Aita al-Jabal,

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  Lebanon’s president urges Italian premier to pressure Israel to uphold framework agreement

  by Mehdi Editor on August 22, 2026

  Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday to pressure Israel to implement a framework agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, which was reached under US auspices, Anadolu reports. Aoun made the remarks during a meeting with Meloni in Rome on the second day of his visit, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency. The two leaders discussed Lebanese-Italian relations and ways to develop cooperation across various fields, as well as regional developments, according to the statement. They also discussed the situation in Lebanon, particularly in the south, amid continued Israeli attacks and the need to pressure Israel to comply with the framework agreement. Aoun thanked Meloni for hosting the negotiations in Italy and for Rome’s