MIDDLE EAST - WORLD

Iran's deputy health minister says he has coronavirus

Feb 25, 2020

Iran's deputy health minister confirmed on Tuesday that he has tested positive for the new coronavirus, amid a major outbreak in the Islamic republic.

World

Israel, Islamic Jihad exchange fire for second day

Feb 24, 2020

Israel and Islamic Jihad exchanged fire in the Gaza Strip for a second day Monday, a week before the Jewish state's March 2 election.

World

Netanyahu Seeks 300,000 Lost Votes From Vote-Weary Public

Feb 24, 2020

(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading into Israel’s third back-to-back election struggling to recoup the hundreds of thousands of votes his party has lost since the country descended into political gridlock a year ago.

World

Iran announces low poll turnout, blames coronavirus 'propaganda'

Feb 23, 2020

Iran on Sunday announced a 42% turnout in its parliamentary election, the lowest rate since the 1979 Islamic revolution, while its top leader said Tehran's enemies played up the new coronavirus threat to dissuade people from voting.

World

Syrian war pulls in major foreign actors, increasing tension

Feb 21, 2020

In northern Syria, heavy exchanges between Syrian and Turkish troops are erupting with more frequency, threatening to escalate into full-blown conflict.

World

US sanctions Iranian officials for barring candidates

Feb 20, 2020

The United States on Thursday slapped sanctions on five Iranian officials in charge of vetting candidates for the Islamic republic's parliamentary elections, in which thousands, predominantly moderates, have been barred from running.

World

Turkey and Russia exchange warnings against operation in Syria

Feb 19, 2020

Turkey and Russia exchanged warnings on Wednesday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened an "imminent" operation in Syria to end the regime's brutal assault on the last rebel enclave.

World

Turkey reveals new plan to buy drones, helicopters and air defense systems

Feb 18, 2020

Turkey’s defense procurement agency has unveiled an ambitious procurement plan for 2020, even as its economy seeks to recover from a recession and the government spends money fighting wars in multiple theaters, including Iraq and Syria.

World

Suicide bomber in SW Pakistan kills 8 at Islamist rally

Feb 17, 2020

A powerful suicide bombing killed eight people and wounded 16 others in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province on Monday, local police said, when it struck an Islamist rally in the regional capital.

World

Israel strikes Gaza, cancels easing of restrictions

Feb 16, 2020

The Israeli air force attacked Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in retaliation to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave into Israel, a military statement said.

World

Iran's president: Trump doesn't want war ahead of 2020 vote

Feb 16, 2020

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that he doesn't believe the U.S. will pursue war with his country, because it will harm President Donald Trump's 2020 reelection bid.

World

Israeli army: Hamas hackers tried to 'seduce' soldiers

Feb 16, 2020

The Israeli military on Sunday said it has thwarted an attempt by the Hamas militant group to hack soldiers' phones by posing as young, attractive women on social media, striking up friendships and persuading them into downloading malware.

World

U.S. announces partial Taliban truce amid signs that deal is near

Feb 13, 2020

The United States has secured a seven-day reduction in violence in Afghanistan that it hopes will allow it to strike a deal with the Taliban, officials said Thursday.

World

Rocket hits Iraq base hosting US troops: military

Feb 13, 2020

A rocket slammed into an Iraqi base where American troops are stationed in the remote province of Kirkuk, Iraq's military and a US security source told AFP on Thursday night.

World

Iran says it will strike U.S. and Israel if they make the 'slightest error'

Feb 13, 2020

Iran is ready to strike the United States and Israel if they give it any reason to do so, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards said in a live broadcast on state television on Thursday.

World

Trump’s Iran Man Met With a Former Terror Group’s Rep After Soleimani Strike

Feb 11, 2020

The Trump administration’s top official overseeing Iran policy met with a representative of a controversial Iranian dissident group weeks after a U.

World

US-led coalition clashes with Syria regime loyalists

Feb 11, 2020

The US-led coalition said its forces in northeast Syria Wednesday confronted gunmen with live fire after one of its patrols came under attack near the city of Qamishli.

World

Widowed, imprisoned, detained: remnants of Islamic State in limbo in Syria

Feb 12, 2020

In northeastern Syria, prisons and detention camps hold thousands of men, women and children whose lives are in limbo nearly a year after the final defeat of Islamic State to which they once belonged.

World

Turkey, Russia trade accusations as Syria tensions rise

Feb 12, 2020

Turkey's president accused Russia of committing "massacres" in its support of the Syrian government on Wednesday, escalating a war of words as more Turkish reinforcements arrived on the ground.

World

Syria: US troops open fire on locals in northeast, killing 1

Feb 12, 2020

A Syrian was killed and another was wounded in a rare clash Wednesday between American troops and a group of government supporters who tried to block a U.S. convoy driving through a village in northeastern Syria, state media and activists reported.

World

Officials say more than 100 U.S. troops diagnosed with brain injuries from Iran attack

Feb 10, 2020

Officials say more than 100 U.S. troops diagnosed with brain injuries from Iran attack

World

Iraqis wake up to snow for first time in over a decade

Feb 11, 2020

Iraq's capital of Baghdad awoke on Tuesday to a sight not seen in over a decade — their city covered in snow.

World

How Iran's millennials are grappling with crippling sanctions

Feb 10, 2020

In early January, after tensions between Iran and the United States escalated to the brink of war, President Donald Trump announced a detente of sorts, stating, “The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it.” It may have sounded like a conciliatory gesture, but the Trump administration went on to levy additional economic sanctions against the country only two days later.

World

Afghanistan, U.S. Probe Attack That Killed Two U.S. Soldiers

Feb 09, 2020

(Bloomberg) -- A delegation led by Afghanistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Bismillah Waziri, is investigating together with the U.

World

After fleeing war, Syrian families say 'nowhere to go'

Feb 08, 2020

Exhausted from days of driving in search of shelter in northwest Syria, 38-year-old Ghossoon has no idea where her family will go after fleeing regime and Russian bombardment.

World

Syrian troops gain territory in push to control key highway

Feb 08, 2020

Syrian government forces captured new areas from insurgents in their efforts to control a key highway in the northwest Saturday, as Turkey sent more reinforcements into the war-torn country, state media and opposition activists said.

World

US, Afghan forces come under 'direct fire' in eastern Afghanistan: US official

Feb 08, 2020

US and Afghan troops came under "direct fire" in eastern Afghanistan late Saturday, a US military official said, in an incident that apparently caused multiple casualties.

World

Israeli strikes kill 23 Syrian, foreign fighters in Syria

Feb 06, 2020

Israeli air strikes killed 23 Syrian and foreign fighters in Syria Thursday, a monitor said, the latest in a spate of raids Israel has said targeted an Iranian presence on its doorstep.

World

3 dead, 157 injured in Istanbul after jet has 'rough landing' in rainy weather

Feb 05, 2020

Officials said a plane broke into three pieces after it slammed into a runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport while attempting to land on Wednesday evening.

World

The Kurdish Tragedy: What America Can Learn From Its Foreign Policy Fumbles in Iraq

Feb 05, 2020

As bitter of a pill it is to swallow in watching a good and reliable partner fall under the thumb of hostile actors, policymakers and foreign policy experts can avoid future calamities by developing realistic and deliberative long-term strategies that support America’s diplomats and armed forces serving as the instruments of that policy.

World

Passenger jet breaks apart after 'rough landing' in rainy weather at Istanbul airport, killing at least 1

Feb 05, 2020

Officials said a plane broke into three pieces after it slammed into a runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport while attempting to land on Wednesday evening.

World

Recording shows Iran knew immediately it had shot down plane: Zelenskiy

Feb 03, 2020

KIEV/DUBAI (Reuters) - A leaked audio recording of an Iranian pilot talking to the control tower in Tehran shows that Iran knew immediately it had shot down a Ukrainian airliner last month, despite denying it for days, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

World

US general slips into Iraq for talks to salvage relations

Feb 04, 2020

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East slipped quietly into Iraq Tuesday, as the Trump administration works to salvage relations with Iraqi leaders and shut down the government's push for an American troop withdrawal.

World

Japan destroyer heads to Middle East as Iran-US tension lingers

Feb 01, 2020

Japan sent a naval destroyer to the Middle East on Sunday for a rare overseas mission to ensure the safety of its ships amid lingering tension between Iran and the US.

World

Yemen's Huthi rebels in possession of new arms: UN report

Jan 31, 2020

Yemen's Huthi rebels are in possession of new weapons similar to those produced in Iran, according to a UN report obtained by AFP on Friday, in potential violation of a UN arms embargo.

World

Jihadist car bomb attacks target Syrian pro-government forces in Aleppo

Feb 01, 2020

AZAZ, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian insurgents carried out two suicide car bomb attacks in an assault on pro-government forces in Aleppo on Saturday and opened a new front northeast of the city, an attempted fightback after territorial gains for President Bashar al-Assad.

World

Erdogan says Turkey may launch Syria offensive if Idlib attacks continue

Jan 31, 2020

Turkey may launch a military operation in Syria's northwestern Idlib region unless fighting there is quickly halted, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday as attacks by Syrian government forces risked a new wave of refugees.

World

Arab League rejects Trump administration's Middle East peace plan

Feb 01, 2020

The foreign ministers of the 22 member states of Arab League unanimously rejected the Trump administration's proposal to end the Israeli-Palestine conflict unveiled last week.

World

U.N. aid agency fears U.S. Middle East plan will spark violence

Jan 31, 2020

The U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees voiced concern on Friday that the U.S. administration's Middle East peace plan will spark further violence and said it had contingency measures in place to boost protection and assistance in the occupied territories.

World

Palestinians face uphill battle against Trump's Middle East plan

Jan 31, 2020

When Palestinian leaders learned that the release of U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East plan was imminent, they swiftly announced a "day of rage" - a gritty, oft-used call for resistance against Israel.

World

U.S. seeks Iraqi nod to bring in air defenses after Iran attack

Jan 30, 2020

The United States is trying to secure permission from Iraq to take Patriot missile defenses into the country to better defend U.S. forces after Iran's Jan. 8 missile attack, which wounded 50 American troops, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Thursday.

World

US hits Iran with new sanctions, keeps some waivers in place

Jan 30, 2020

The Trump administration said Thursday that it will continue — at least for now — its policy of not sanctioning foreign companies that work with Iran's civilian nuclear program.

World

U.S. says first shipments of medicine to Iran delivered via Swiss humanitarian channel

Jan 30, 2020

ZURICH/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A humanitarian channel to bring food and medicine to Iran has started trial operations, the Swiss and U.S. governments said on Thursday, helping supply Swiss goods to the struggling population without tripping over U.S. sanctions.

World

Arabs prioritize key ties with U.S. against Iran in reacting to Trump peace plan

Jan 29, 2020

RIYADH/CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab powers appear to be prioritizing close ties with the United States that are vital to countering Iran over traditional unswerving support for the Palestinians in their reaction to President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan.

World

Iranian factory makes U.S. and Israeli flags to burn

Jan 29, 2020

Business is booming at Iran's largest flag factory which makes U.S., British and Israeli flags for Iranian protesters to burn.

World

U.S. military recovers remains from Afghanistan plane crash

Jan 28, 2020

WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday recovered the remains of two personnel from a U.S. military aircraft that crashed in Afghanistan, American and Afghan officials told Reuters.

World

'Don't talk about history': how Jared Kushner crafted his Middle East 'peace' plan

Jan 28, 2020

Trump calls his son-in-law’s proposals – which will be presented Tuesday – the ‘ultimate deal’ for Israel and PalestineWhen Jared Kushner took on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict alongside his many other official duties – promoting American innovation, arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the US opioid crisis – he decided to begin with a blank slate.

World

Former U.S. diplomat thinks Trump's Middle East peace plan will 'deepen' Israel-Palestine conflict

Jan 28, 2020

President Trump unveiled his administration's Middle East peace plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, just hours after Netanyahu was indicted on corruption charges.

World

Remains of 2 US troops recovered from Afghanistan crash site

Jan 28, 2020

U.S. forces on Tuesday recovered the remains of two American service members killed in the crash of an Air Force plane in Afghanistan, the U.S. military command in Kabul said.

World

Syrian troops enter key rebel-held town amid airstrikes

Jan 28, 2020

Syrian government forces Tuesday entered a key rebel-held town in the country's northwest after surrounding it on three sides, sending thousands of people fleeing to safety in areas farther north, opposition activists and pro-government media said.

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