Category: 3. Middle East
-
Syria’s new rulers appoint defense, foreign ministers
DAMASCUS, SYRIA — Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday. Abu Qasra, who is… Continue Reading
-
Pope describes Israeli airstrikes of Gaza as ‘cruelty’
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Saturday again condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting the global community should study whether the military offensive… Continue Reading
-
US military strikes Houthi targets in Yemen’s capital
CAIRO — The U.S. military said it conducted precision airstrikes on Saturday against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. In a statement, the U.S…. Continue Reading
-
Pope slams ‘cruelty’ of strike killing Gaza children
Pope Francis on Saturday condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as “cruelty”, sparking a sharp response from Israel which accused him of double standards. The pontiff made his remarks a day after the rescue agency in Gaza said an Israeli air… Continue Reading
-
Israel pushes for 34 hostages in deal with Hamas – report
Israel reportedly presented Hamas with a list of 34 hostages that it insists must be released as part of the first phase of a deal, including 11 names that do not meet Hamas’s criteria for a deal, Egyptian news channel Al-Ghad reported,… Continue Reading
-
Israel should strike Houthi leadership, anti-Houthi Yemeni figures say
A figure close to the anti-Houthi government told KAN on Saturday that Israel should go further than retaliatory strikes and should target the Houthi leadership as they did Hezbollah’s. Israel struck several Houthi-held parts of Yemen after… Continue Reading
-
Initial report: Strike attributed to Israel in Yemen’s Sana’a
The US is striking Houthi military targets in Yemen’s Sana’a, multiple arab news and media sources reported on Saturday. Reports state that military aircraft can be seen in the sky of Sana’a. Initially, reports attributed the attack to Israel… Continue Reading
-
When Damascus traffic cops fled, volunteers stepped in
At a Damascus intersection, young volunteers act as unofficial traffic cops after police assigned to the duty deserted their posts when president Bashar al-Assad fell to a rapid rebel advance. Some traffic officers abandoned their uniforms and… Continue Reading
-
Iran recruits minors for attacks on Jews, Israelis in Europe – Bloomberg
Iranian-linked operatives have been recruiting minors for attacks on Israeli and Jewish institutions across Europe, according to a Bloomberg report on Saturday. A troubling pattern of incidents in Sweden, Belgium, and Norway has exposed a… Continue Reading
-
HTS leader says Syria wants to rebuild as part of Arab world
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said that Syria will not be used to destabilize any other Arab nation in an interview with Arab-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday. “Syria is tired of wars and being used… Continue Reading
