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

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  Why Afghanistan is becoming a pressure point for Pakistan’s Middle East ambitions

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  When Russia convenes the Moscow Format on 5 October, the worsening confrontation between Pakistan and the Taliban will be among the issues on the table. Moscow says it hopes to encourage a “reasonable compromise”, bringing Afghanistan and Pakistan together with China, India, Iran, Russia and the Central Asian states. The immediate dispute concerns Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). But its significance is becoming larger than another Afghanistan–Pakistan crisis. Islamabad is undergoing two strategic transformations simultaneously: Taliban-controlled Afghanistan has become a growing source of insecurity on Pakistan’s western frontier, while Pakistan itself is becoming more consequential farther west through its expanding defence relationship with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The two developments were not caused by one another. Increasingly, however, they act upon the

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  US senator says AIPAC plans to spend $233M to defeat candidates critical of Netanyahu gov’t

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is set to spend $233 million to defeat candidates in this fall’s congressional midterm elections who speak out against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warned US Senator Bernie Sanders, Anadolu reports. The top pro-Israel lobbying firm in the US “plans to spend $233 million to defeat candidates who dare to speak out against Netanyahu’s extremist government,” Sanders said on US social media platform X on Friday. “They spent $33 million to defeat Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan primary. They lost. They are going to keep losing,” he said. El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate in this year’s senatorial race in the state of Michigan, strongly opposes unconditional US military aid for Israel

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  Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt: Is the US Strategy of Attrition Ill-Suited to Defeat Iran?

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  WATCH: Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Retired Col. Bill Keegan: How Are The Two Antagonist Using Time?

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  Trump’s national security team holds unannounced Camp David talks on Iran war, Yemen: Axios

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  US President Donald Trump’s senior national security officials gathered on Friday at Camp David for closed-door discussions on the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen, Axios reported. Citing three American officials, Axios said Vice President JD Vance presided over the undisclosed meeting, which ran for hours. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, special envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA chief John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine also took part. One official said issues were settled or discussed at length. READ: Trump willing to offer Iran sanctions relief for nuclear progress: Reports With talks stalled, Trump is weighing a return to large-scale combat operations against Iran. The Pentagon, according to the Wall Street Journal, is preparing

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  30 Palestinians killed in Israeli occupier attacks in West Bank since start of 2026

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  Thirty Palestinians have been killed in attacks by Israeli occupiers across the occupied West Bank since the beginning of 2026, official Palestinian figures showed on Friday, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said the number of Palestinians killed by occupiers had reached 30 as of Oct. 2, exceeding the annual toll recorded in any year since 2022. The 2026 toll, with the year still ongoing, is already more than double the total for all of 2025, an increase of around 114%, it said. The commission described the figures as “a dangerous escalation in the deadly consequences of attacks by occupiers.” According to the commission, the deaths were heavily concentrated in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh

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  Former Israeli premier accuses Netanyahu of preparing ground for war that could delay elections

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  Former Israeli Premier Ehud Barak accused on Friday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “laying the groundwork” for a war that could delay the general elections on Oct. 27. “Netanyahu is preparing the infrastructure to go to war in a way that would postpone the elections,” Barak told Channel 12. Barak sharply criticized Netanyahu, saying he “lies as he breathes, as he eats French fries, and as he leaves a restaurant without paying.” Barak said “we must do everything to remove him from power on Oct. 27, once and for all.” His remarks come amid an intensifying domestic debate about the use of security issues in the election campaign. Netanyahu warned earlier this week that Israel could face attacks ahead of

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  US senator urges Congress to cut off funding for Iran war

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  US Sen. Chris Van Hollen said on Friday that President Donald Trump is preparing to expand the country’s military presence in the Middle East, accusing the administration of concealing service member casualties and pursuing an “illegal war of choice” in Iran, Anadolu reports. “The President, who continues to hide service member casualties, is now sending up to another 10,000 troops to his illegal war of choice in Iran,” Van Hollen wrote on US social media company X. “When Trump says he’s planning on renewing his war next month, believe him. Congress must cut off funding.” The remarks came after reports said the Pentagon is preparing to deploy a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marine Corps ships to the

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  Israeli minister says entire West Bank ‘belongs to Israel,’ threatens to dismantle Palestinian Authority

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir claimed that all three administrative areas of the occupied West Bank “belong to Israel,” contradicting arrangements established under the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, Anadolu reports. Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. Area A is under full Palestinian control, Area B is under Palestinian civilian and Israeli security control. Area C, which accounts for around 60% of the territory, is under full Israeli control. “There is no difference between Areas A, B and C. The entire land is ours. This is our country,” Ben-Gvir told Israel’s right-wing Channel 14 on Thursday. Ben-Gvir also threatened to dismantle the Palestinian Authority,

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  Israel’s ‘arbitrary’ checkpoints ‘choking’ Palestinian life in West Bank: UN special rapporteur

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  Israel’s growing network of checkpoints and road barriers in the occupied West Bank is increasingly restricting the daily lives of Palestinians and dividing the territory, a UN special rapporteur said on Friday, Anadolu reports. “Arbitrariness itself becomes a form of torment when every journey, every appointment and every family visit depends on whether a gate is open or a soldier allows passage,” Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur on the situation of occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement. UN figures cited in the statement found that 925 checkpoints and other movement obstacles were in place in West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as of December 2025, affecting the movement of 3.4 million Palestinians. That was the highest number documented in two decades,

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  Ending the war requires accepting Iran in the Middle East

  by Mehdi Editor on October 3, 2026

  The hardest question about ending the war with Iran belongs in Washington. What place can Iran occupy after the fighting stops? A country left economically excluded, unable to rebuild and exposed to renewed attack has little reason to regard a ceasefire as a durable ending. The war cannot be politically settled while Iranian recovery remains an unacceptable outcome. The latest diplomacy leaves that question unresolved. Tehran has received US feedback, through Qatar, on a seven-day trust-building proposal. Yet on 1 October, the US Treasury expanded sanctions against Iran’s automotive and rail sectors, alongside manufacturing and steel networks. Talks about ending the confrontation are proceeding alongside measures that further restrict Iran’s capacity to sustain its economy. Behind this tension lies a

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  Türkiye denounces Houthi strike on infrastructure serving Prophet’s Mosque

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  Türkiye’s Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran on Friday condemned the attack by Yemen’s Houthi group targeting the civilian infrastructure serving the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, Anadolu reports. “Any attack targeting the sanctity, peace, and security of the Two Holy Mosques is an unacceptable affront directed at the shared sensitivities of the entire Islamic world,” Duran said on US social media company X. He expressed hope that such attacks, which threaten peace and stability in the region, will come to an end as soon as possible. “Under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye will continue to stand by Saudi Arabia,” Duran added. READ: Saudi security detains man after false claims of suicide bombing at Mecca Grand

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  UAE warns UK over potential fallout from Manchester City sanctions: Report

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  The United Arab Emirates has warned the UK government that sanctions facing Manchester City could affect its interest in future major investments in Britain, Bloomberg reported Friday, Anadolu reports. Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City was found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules following a four-year investigation. An independent commission’s findings, published Sept. 29, said the club artificially inflated its financial results by more than £900 million ($1.1 billion) and used “sham contracts.” Manchester City has denied wrongdoing. The dispute has also prompted calls from UK lawmakers and tax experts for further scrutiny. They said the club could owe more than £20 million and potentially face a criminal investigation. According to Bloomberg, British government

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  Israeli forces detain 2 Syrians during incursion into southern Syrian village

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  Israeli forces detained two Syrians during an incursion into Maariya village in the western countryside of Daraa province in southern Syria, later releasing one of them, according to Syrian Arab News Agency on Friday, Anadolu reports. An Israeli force comprising 12 military vehicles entered the village overnight through the northern road known as Wadi Road, coming from the direction of the plain, the news agency reported, citing local sources. The force entered several residential neighborhoods, raided and searched homes and detained two residents, the sources said. Israeli forces later released one of the detainees, while the fate of the other remains unknown, according to SANA. Syrian Alikhbariah TV had earlier reported that Israeli forces detained a young man during the

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  Iraq allows 40 daily flights by Iranian airlines to and from Najaf airport

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  Iraq on Friday announced an agreement allowing Iranian airlines to operate up to 40 flights daily to and from Najaf International Airport, except for Mahan Air, the Iraqi News Agency reported, Anadolu reports. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi welcomed what he described as the US government’s positive response to Iraqi efforts and its cooperation in granting the requested exemption. Zaidi said the measure would facilitate travel, particularly for patients, religious pilgrims and tourists. “Air travel does not merely represent transportation between two airports, but rather a bridge of communication between peoples,” he said. He said Iraq conducts its foreign relations based on the interests of its people and seeks balanced and positive ties with different countries. The announcement came a

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  3 Palestinians killed, 4 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza despite ceasefire

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  Three Palestinians were killed and four others, including a child, were injured Friday in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip amid continued violations of a ceasefire that took effect Oct. 10, 2025, Anadolu reports. In the latest attack, a Palestinian was killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting the courtyard of a residential home behind the Al-Razi Medical Complex in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Medical sources told Anadolu that the body of Ibrahim Abu Uwaimer was brought to Al-Awda Hospital in the camp following the strike. Earlier, a medical source told Anadolu that Ahmed al-Ramlawi was killed in an Israeli strike targeting a tent on the rooftop of a home near Palestine Stadium west of Gaza City.

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  Mecca pact strategic political defense committee to meet ‘soon’: Pakistan’s foreign minister

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Friday that the Strategic Political Defense Committee (SPDC) established under the joint defense pact between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia will meet “soon” in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Anadolu reports. Dar said the committee has three members from each country – the foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of General Staff. The three military chiefs met in Riyadh on Sept. 25 for a special meeting, while the foreign ministers met in New York on Sept. 24. “Very soon, a meeting of the whole SPDC … has been agreed to in principle, to take place in Riyadh,” Dar said amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Later, according to the daily Dawn, he said that the

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  Flydubai suspends Tel Aviv flights until further notice at authorities’ request: CEO

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  Dubai-based carrier Flydubai temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv at the request of authorities following this week’s cockpit incident aboard one of its aircraft, the airline’s chief executive said Friday, Anadolu reports. “At the request of the authorities, we have temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice,” CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said in a statement carried by the Dubai Media Office. He said the airline’s teams are working to assist passengers affected by the suspension and help them reach their final destinations. Al Ghaith also provided an update on flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30 when it was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following a “safety incident in the flight deck.”

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  Over 11,400 Israeli occupiers storm Al-Aqsa during Jewish holiday season

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  A total of 11,409 Israeli occupiers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday season between Sept. 12 and Oct. 1, Palestinian authorities said Friday, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate said the figure covered incursions from the start of the holiday season through Thursday. It said 593 occupiers entered the mosque compound on Sept. 13 after it was closed to incursions the previous day, a Saturday. Another 1,678 occupiers entered on Sept. 20 and 21, including 992 on the first day and 686 on the second, according to the statement. The governorate said 9,138 occupiers entered the compound during the first five days of “Sukkot,” from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1. It said incursions

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  From Barakah to Masdar: The architecture of the UAE’s new energy leverage

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  For decades, the United Arab Emirates’ energy standing was measured primarily by its capacity to produce and export oil. That baseline remains vital, but it no longer captures the multi-layered character of Abu Dhabi’s evolving energy strategy. ADNOC still plans to raise crude production capacity to five million barrels per day by 2027, while the country is simultaneously expanding nuclear generation, LNG, overseas renewables and the electricity infrastructure required by an increasingly digital economy. Rather than marking a conventional transition away from hydrocarbons, this strategy is widening the range of assets through which Abu Dhabi can exercise energy leverage. Oil remains the foundation, while technology, capital and cross-border infrastructure are being layered onto it. Barakah and the 24/7 Electricity Economy

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  Around 79,000 children displaced in western Yemen in less than a month: UNICEF

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Around 79,000 children have been displaced in western Yemen in less than a month amid escalating fighting between government forces and the Houthis, UNICEF said late Thursday, Anadolu reports. “Across western Yemen, renewed hostilities and shifting frontlines have deepened an already devastating humanitarian crisis,” the UN children’s agency said in a report. It said fighting in Taiz and Al Hudaydah provinces, the western coast and surrounding areas have forced families to flee once again, leaving behind their homes, belongings and livelihoods. “Between 3 September – 30 September, more than 145,000 people have been displaced, including an estimated 79,000 children,” UNICEF said. The agency warned that the latest escalation comes amid an already severe humanitarian situation in a country where needs

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  Top UAE adviser calls flydubai cockpit incident ‘terrorist act’

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday described an incident aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv as a “terrorist act,” praising the captain for his actions during the emergency, Anadolu reports. “Indian captain Smit Machchhar deserves every appreciation,” Gargash said on US social media platform X, describing him as a “true hero.” “In confronting a serious terrorist act and a potential disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility,” Gargash said. He also praised the pilot’s professionalism and “moral sense in the darkest circumstances.” READ: Israel’s airline El Al cancels Dubai evacuation flights after UAE withdraws landing permits Flydubai flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was granted permission to make an emergency

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  Israeli opposition leader says young Israelis backed killing ‘everyone’ in Gaza

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said he met a group of young Israelis who expressed support for killing all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including babies, Anadolu reports. Lapid made the remarks in a podcast interview, excerpts of which have circulated on social media platforms in recent days. “I had a painful meeting with a group of very young people, and I heard from them all those statements calling for killing everyone and claiming that there are no innocents,” Lapid said. He said he asked them: “Even babies?” According to Lapid, they replied: “Babies too, because eventually they will grow up and become terrorists.” Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israel, with US support, has carried out a genocide in the Gaza

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  Israel’s Supreme Court overturns ban on 2 Arab lists running in Knesset election

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday overturned a Central Elections Committee decision barring two Arab electoral lists from running in the Oct. 27 Knesset (parliament) election, Anadolu reports. The ruling came after the court heard appeals Thursday from the Joint List, led by Yusuf Jabareen, the United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas, and Joint List lawmaker Ofer Cassif. Israel’s Channel 12 said the court ruled by a majority that Cassif was eligible to run. “In addition, the judges unanimously decided to allow both the United Arab List and the Joint List to participate in the election,” the channel reported. READ: Israel’s Supreme Court hears appeals by Arab candidates barred from Knesset elections The ruling by Israel’s highest judicial body clears the

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  US Energy Department engineer arrested over alleged support for Houthis

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  A US Energy Department electrical engineer has been arrested for allegedly supporting Yemen’s Houthis by purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, US local media reported on Friday. “Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and is due to make his first court appearance Friday,” CBS News reported, citing the Justice Department. Ellaboudy sought to help the Houthis enhance their communications capabilities and traveled to Yemen last September, CBS News cited the FBI as saying. “Ellaboudy used a passport issued to him when he was working at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make his way to Oman, then bordering Yemen,” CBS News quoted the Justice Department as saying. READ: Yemeni army says

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  UAE spymaster who wants to ‘eliminate all threats’ seeks an iron grip on AI’s future

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  A Guardian investigation has revealed how Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser and the man at the top of a security apparatus that has spent years hacking, tracking and jailing critics of the ruling family, has become one of the most powerful financiers of artificial intelligence in the world. The long read by journalist Jack Shenker, published yesterday, warns that Tahnoon’s rise places critical parts of the world’s AI infrastructure in the hands of a man who commands the full surveillance machinery of an authoritarian state.  Tahnoon, the brother of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, oversees an economic empire estimated at around $1.5 trillion. As people increasingly hand their data, and even their private thoughts,

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  Large volumes of medical supplies for Gaza face wait times of 74 days for Israeli clearance: WHO

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Large volumes of medical supplies meant for Gaza wait a median of 74 days for clearance by Israeli authorities, the World Health Organization said Friday, urging “unimpeded and predictable” access for the much-needed aid, Anadolu reports. “Not one hospital in Gaza is fully functional,” Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, told reporters in Geneva. Van De Weerdt said chronic shortages of medicines and medical supplies remain a major obstacle to restoring health services, despite a year having passed since the ceasefire was announced. “Without those items, no hospital will ever be fully or even partially functional,” she said. According to the WHO’s latest analysis, large volumes of medical supplies wait a median of 74 days,

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  Netanyahu bloc projected to win 51 seats in Oct. 27 elections, opposition 53: Poll

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Israeli opposition parties would win 53 seats against 51 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc, said an opinion poll published Friday, less than a month before the Oct. 27 general election, Anadolu reports. The survey published by daily Maariv also projected 12 seats for Arab parties and four for the Reservists party led by Yoaz Hendel. Under the projections, neither Netanyahu’s camp nor the opposition would reach the 61-seat majority needed to form a government in the 120-member Knesset or parliament. Most opposition leaders say they will not rely on Arab parties’ support to form a government, leaving prospects for a governing coalition uncertain. Maariv said Netanyahu’s bloc gained two seats compared with the previous survey, while the opposition lost

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  Lebanon’s prime minister calls for full Israeli withdrawal, one army

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday called for efforts to secure Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanon and strengthen state authority, amid continued Israeli attacks in the south, Anadolu reports. “The real way forward is in mobilizing whatever resources and support we can to achieve a full Israeli withdrawal and rebuild a capable and effective state … with one army and one decision-making (authority),” Salam said at a news conference during a visit to the southern city of Nabatieh. “Such an approach would help spare Lebanon from new wars and remove pretexts for launching a new attack or expanding the current one,” he said. Salam said Lebanon’s immediate priorities were to stop Israeli attacks, secure Israel’s full withdrawal, allow displaced

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  Israel’s airline El Al cancels Dubai evacuation flights after UAE withdraws landing permits

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Israeli flag carrier El Al announced Friday that it had canceled flights scheduled to bring Israelis home from Dubai after the United Arab Emirates withdrew landing permits for Israeli carriers, Anadolu reports. “Due to the cancellation of approval for Israeli companies to land in Dubai, as was reported by the authorities in Israel, we are forced to cancel, at this stage, our rescue flights … for tomorrow, Friday, October 2,” the airline said on Facebook. El Al said it remains fully prepared to operate charter flights to Dubai to bring Israeli citizens home as soon as official approval is received. The airline added that flights set for next Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday remain on its timetable, but are fully

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  Iran’s new Hezbollah strategy is about survival, not victory

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  On 1 October, Iran sent a senior delegation to southern Lebanon that included Brigadier General Hossein Yekta, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer involved in recruitment and ideological indoctrination, and hardline cleric Alireza Panahian. Both men had served in the same battalion as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during the Iran-Iraq War. Their visit came at a revealing moment: Hezbollah is militarily weakened, politically pressured and increasingly dependent on Iranian guidance. The composition of the delegation matters. If Hezbollah merely needed more weapons, Tehran could have sent military technicians, logisticians or commanders. Instead, it dispatched figures associated with recruitment, ideological mobilisation and internal security. That does not prove that the delegation was tasked with rebuilding Hezbollah, but its timing and composition

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  Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia as tensions escalate

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Eritrea announced on Thursday that it was severing all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa decided to close its embassy in Asmara and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats personae non gratae. In a statement, the Eritrean Foreign Ministry said Ethiopia had ordered the closure of its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats, including the chargé d’affaires and diplomats accredited to the African Union. Asmara described the Ethiopian measures as “unjustified hostile acts” and rejected Addis Ababa’s accusations that Eritrea had engaged in “hostile acts and direct and indirect acts of war” against Ethiopia. The Eritrean Foreign Ministry accused Ethiopia of pursuing what it described as a “persistent hostile agenda” against Eritrea over the past three years, linking it

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  Turkey, Syria reject claims of meeting between Syrian government, Hezbollah officials

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Turkey and Syria on Thursday rejected claims that Syrian government officials and representatives of the Lebanese group Hezbollah had met in Turkey, describing the reports as false, Anadolu Agency reported. In a statement, the Turkish Communications Directorate’s Center for Combating Disinformation said claims that “Syrian government officials and Hezbollah officials met in Turkey, hosted by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT)” were entirely unfounded. It said allegations concerning the date, venue, content and participants of the purported meeting “do not reflect any reality and are entirely fabricated and speculative.” READ: Turkish defence ministry says Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa threaten regional stability The center urged the public to rely only on statements issued by official authorities and warned against claims circulating through unofficial

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  UN official says criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza cost him his job

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  A senior official at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said his criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza cost him his job, while the agency’s director-general warned staff against engaging in human rights-related campaigns within the organisation. Ben Davis, director of the FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, said in a media statement on Wednesday that he was informed in July that his contract would not be renewed after 26 years at the agency. He said the decision was attributed to concerns that he had violated rules on neutrality. “They accused me of organizing these silent vigils to protest the conditions of starvation and famine in Gaza,” Davis said, referring to weekly silent gatherings organised by employees at

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  Turkish defence ministry says Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa threaten regional stability

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  The Turkish Ministry of Defence said on Thursday that visits by extremist Israeli groups to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem were fuelling regional tensions and called on the international community to take measures against Israeli actions it said violate international law and international humanitarian law. Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk made the remarks during a weekly press conference held in the central Turkish province of Kayseri. Aktürk reiterated Turkey’s opposition to the entry of extremist Israeli groups into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, saying that violations and provocations involving holy sites increase regional tensions and undermine efforts to achieve peace and stability. He also accused Israel of causing the deaths of 74,000 Palestinians, including infants, children and women, and depriving

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  Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Retired Col. Bill Keegan: How Are The Two Antagonist Using Time?

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  WATCH: Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Larry Johnson: Why Do American Liberation Projects End in Disaster? 

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  Kushner faces conflict-of-interest questions over Gaza role

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Jared Kushner faces conflict-of-interest questions after a CNN investigation found that his investment firm has a major stake in an Israeli financial group that invests in defence companies supplying weapons to the Israeli military, while he plays a key role in talks to end the Gaza war.  According to the investigation, Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, owns a 7.4 per cent stake in Israeli financial group Phoenix Financial, which was worth more than $1 billion in July. Phoenix invests hundreds of millions of dollars in Elbit Systems, one of Israel’s largest defence companies, as well as stakes in other companies that supply the Israeli military with military equipment and services, according to Israeli

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  Saudi security detains man after false claims of suicide bombing at Mecca Grand Mosque

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Saudi security authorities in Mecca have arrested a man accused of harassing passers-by and causing panic, saying he was dealt with immediately and referred to the public prosecution. The Saudi Public Security agency said in a statement: “Security authorities in the Holy Capital have arrested a person for harassing passers-by and causing panic and fear among them. He was dealt with immediately at the time.” The authorities said claims circulating about the incident were false and urged people to obtain information from official sources. Earlier, social media users circulated a video accompanied by false claims that “security forces and police had foiled a suicide bombing at the Grand Mosque in Mecca”. The video actually dates back to February 2017. It

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  Tunisia: Ennahda condemns restrictions on prisoners’ access to media

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Tunisia’s Ennahda movement has expressed solidarity with Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, head of the National Salvation Front, who has begun an open-ended hunger strike to protest being denied, along with other political prisoners, access to media, with only newspapers and television channels that echo the authorities’ views being allowed. In a statement on Thursday, the movement said the measure “represents a blatant reversal of gains made by prisoners after the revolution” and was a new attempt by the authorities to withhold information from prisoners and isolate them from the outside world. The movement rejected the prison administration’s decision to restrict the media previously allowed to prisoners, saying it “violates laws and international conventions signed by the Tunisian state” and represents a

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  US exempts $320 million in military aid to Egypt from human rights conditions

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  The US State Department has exempted more than $320 million in military aid to Egypt from human rights-related conditions, Reuters reported on Thursday. Citing a letter to Congress, Reuters said the State Department had waived the human rights conditions on the aid in recognition of the “helpful role” played by Cairo since the United States launched its war on Iran. According to an accompanying memorandum justifying the decision, the aid was deemed “necessary for counterterrorism, border security or non-proliferation programmes, or otherwise important to US national security interests”. READ: US lifts policy of denying military export licenses for Syria The memorandum, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said: “Exercising this waiver authority is essential ​for the US-Egypt relationship and US

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  Sudan’s ousted president Omar al-Bashir moved to military hospital in Khartoum

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Sudan’s ousted President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to a military hospital in the capital Khartoum after suffering a health problem, while his family is calling for him to be treated abroad. Family sources told Anadolu on Thursday that al-Bashir, 82, was transferred from Merowe Hospital in Northern State to Alia Specialist Hospital, run by the Sudanese army in Khartoum, where he is receiving medical care. The sources did not say when he was moved to the military hospital. On Wednesday, local media, including Sudan Tribune, quoted Mohammed al-Hassan al-Amin, al-Bashir’s lawyer, as saying that the military authorities had given initial approval for the former president to travel abroad for treatment, but that the decision had not yet been implemented.

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  Egypt and Ethiopia expel diplomats in reciprocal move

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Egypt and Ethiopia have each ordered a diplomat from the other country to leave within 48 hours, in a reciprocal diplomatic move on Thursday and Friday. Ethiopia declared an Egyptian diplomat persona non grata and ordered him to leave, without giving a reason, while Egypt responded by declaring an Ethiopian Embassy counsellor in Cairo persona non grata and giving him 48 hours to leave, according to Egypt’s state-owned Al Ahram. An informed Egyptian source described Ethiopia’s move as “unfortunate and unjustified” and said Egypt acted in accordance with the principle of reciprocity. The expulsions come amid strained relations between the two countries, particularly over Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile. Egypt, which relies heavily on the

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  Türkiye’s message to the Middle East: Security requires peace

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The Middle East needs a future in which security is shared and disputes are settled through diplomacy. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s address to the Turkish Parliament on 1 October offered an important starting point: Türkiye’s ability to contribute to regional peace rests partly on the strength of its own society. Erdoğan linked regional threats to domestic divisions and placed the goal of a terrorism-free Türkiye within a wider discussion of national strength. My reading of his message is straightforward: a country that builds trust among its citizens gains greater freedom to act beyond its borders. For Türkiye, lasting progress against terrorism would protect lives, free resources for education and development and give diplomacy greater room to work. Success must be

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  Withdrawal and non-withdrawal: The naivete of comparing Iraq to Afghanistan

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The prevailing media tendency to draw parallels between the exit of U.S. forces from Iraq and the humiliating, chaotic collapse in Afghanistan reveals a profound analytical naivete—one that is perhaps intentionally cultivated. Such comparisons overlook a crucial structural distinction: the difference between a shattered military campaign and the institutionalization of indirect hegemony. Years ago, Paul Bremer, the former U.S. civilian administrator of Iraq, offered an almost grotesque counterpoint to the Afghan tragedy when he flatly rejected any comparison between the two conflicts, insisting that Iraq was making “steady political progress.” Yet the harsh reality remains as the British analyst Matthew Parris once framed it: Washington’s strategy in Afghanistan failed catastrophically, wasting countless American and allied lives in a war that

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  Over 200 organisations across more than 60 countries unite in Global Mobilisation for Palestine on 10 October

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  LONDON — More than 200 civil society organisations, trade unions, student federations, human rights networks and grassroots groups across six continents will mobilise for Palestine on Saturday, 10 October, in a coordinated day of action spanning more than 60 countries. Convened by the Global Alliance for Palestine, with the support of the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) and the Global Coalition against Occupation of Palestine (SANED), this coordinated action seeks to create a unified, direct civil intervention intended to interrupt public complicity and demand systemic accountability against Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Global Day of Action brings together markedly different forms of mobilisation under a shared international framework. The scale of the mobilisation is reflected not only in the

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  Saudi-led coalition blames Houthis for drone attack on Medina power station

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Thursday blamed the Houthis for a drone attack earlier this week on an electricity distribution station in the Saudi city of Medina, Anadolu reports. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the attack targeted the Taibah electricity distribution station at 5.11 am local time on Tuesday. An operational review and examination of debris from the drone established Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out what he described as a “cowardly terrorist act,” Al-Maliki said. The attack knocked one transformer out of service but did not affect the electricity grid, he added. Al-Maliki said the facility provides electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. He accused the Houthis of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and attempting

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  Dual UK-Iranian national arrested over UK airbase incident, police say

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  A 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national was arrested as part of an investigation into last week’s security incident near a British air base, police said on Thursday, Anadolu reports. The man was arrested in Westminster under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, while a 26-year-old UK national was also questioned under caution, Counter Terrorism Policing said in a statement. The arrests came after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday there was a “strong indication” that Iran played a role in Sunday’s suspected terror plot near Royal Air Force Fairford in South West England. “The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry,” Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism

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  Lebanese army foils attempt to smuggle 540 pounds of TNT from Syria

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The Lebanese army said Thursday it foiled an attempt to smuggle about 245 kilograms (540 pounds) of TNT from Syria into Lebanon, Anadolu reports. The army said the seizure followed surveillance and monitoring operations along the northern and eastern borders. A military unit confiscated four explosive devices, eight detonators and electrical wires used for explosives, in addition to the TNT, during the attempt. The smugglers fled toward Syrian territory when an army patrol arrived, it said. The materials were handed to authorities, while follow-up and coordination efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved. The army said Aug. 4 it seized 122 mm Grad rockets that had been smuggled from Syria into the outskirts of Arsal in eastern Lebanon

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  Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon with airstrikes, home explosions, artillery fire

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The Israeli army continued attacks Thursday in southern Lebanon, carrying out airstrikes, blowing up homes, firing artillery and conducting machine-gun sweeps, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA), Anadolu reports. The attacks targeted the towns of Al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district; Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Nabatieh al-Fawqa in the Nabatieh district; Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district; and the Zahrani area in Sidon district. In the Tyre district, Israeli warplanes struck Al-Mansouri as Israeli forces carried out massive explosions in the town, according to the agency. The blasts caused powerful tremors and were heard in the city of Tyre and surrounding villages, it said. Israeli forces had earlier rigged several homes in Al-Mansouri with explosives before blowing

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  Iran summons British ambassador for claims linking Tehran to RAF Fairford plot

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  Iran summoned the British Ambassador to Tehran Hugo Shorter on Thursday to protest accusations linking the country to an alleged sabotage plot targeting RAF Fairford, a British military base used by US forces, state broadcaster IRIB reported, Anadolu reports. Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi conveyed Tehran’s “strong protest” at the “destructive approach” by the British government following remarks by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Takht-Ravanchi rejected the “false and ridiculous claims” by British officials linking Iran to the alleged plot targeting the military base. He demanded the British government officially clarify the matter and “correct its inappropriate approach” toward Iran, according to IRIB. Burnham said Wednesday there was a “strong indication” that Iran had played a role in

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  Japan calls for ‘momentum for diplomacy’ to end US-Iran war

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  Japan on Thursday urged Iran to show “maximum flexibility” and called for building “momentum for diplomacy” to end the US-Iran war, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Anadolu reports. This came in a phone call between Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, a ministry statement said. Motegi said that indirect talks between Washington and Tehran had been “underway since last week,” according to the statement. The US and Iran held indirect talks through Qatar in New York last week on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Japan has “made consistent efforts toward an early de-escalation and stabilization of the situation and a diplomatic resolution,” Motegi said. He added that Japan