Pakistan vows to defend ally Saudi 'to any extent'
AFP, Islamabad
18 September 2026 Middle East
China presses Iran to help rein in Houthis after Saudi appeal
Reuters, Dubai
18 September 2026 Middle East
KSA says Houthis targeted Makkah
AFP, Riyadh
17 September 2026 Middle East
Bab el-Mandeb must be free
Agencies
16 September 2026 Middle East
Saudi civil defence issues brief alerts over attack threats in Makkah, Jeddah, Taif
AFP, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
15 September 2026 Middle East
Attacks shut down key Saudi oil pipeline
Reuters, Aden/Dubai
13 September 2026 Middle East
US strikes five Iranian oil tankers
Agencies
10 September 2026 Middle East
Iran-backed Houthis attack 4 Saudi cities
Agencies
9 September 2026 Middle East

Israeli air strike kills Hezbollah navy commander

Israel’s military said it killed a Hezbollah navy commander in an air strike Tuesday in south Lebanon, accusing the slain militant of violating a November ceasefire.
5 March 2025

Syria forces launch Latakia ops after deadly ambush

Syrian forces launched a security campaign in the coastal city of Latakia after “militia remnants” supporting ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad killed two personnel in an ambush, state media reported yesterday.
4 March 2025

Iran lawmakers sack minister over economic woes

Iran's parliament sacked the country's finance minister on Sunday after impeaching him over soaring inflation and a plunging currency, state television reported
3 March 2025

Uncertainty as first phase of Gaza truce due to expire

The first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce is drawing to a close yesterday, but negotiations on the next stage, which should secure a permanent ceasefire, have so far been inconclusive.
1 March 2025

Gaza ceasefire deal: Israel wants to extend 1st phase by 6 weeks

An Israeli delegation in Cairo aims to negotiate to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal by an additional 42 days, two Egyptian security sources said yesterday.
28 February 2025

Ramadan begins in Saudi Arabia on March 1

Saudi Arabia today announced that the holy month of Ramadan will commence on Saturday (March 1) after the Ramadan crescent moon was sighted in the Kingdom
28 February 2025

Israeli forces to stay in Lebanon ‘buffer zone’: minister

Defence Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that Israeli forces would indefinitely remain in what he called a “buffer zone”, in southern Lebanon.
27 February 2025

Iran significantly increased stocks of enriched uranium: IAEA

Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in recent months, according to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by AFP yesterday.
26 February 2025

Hamas frees 5 hostages

Palestinian militants yesterday freed five Israeli hostages, among the last living captives to be released under the first phase of a fragile truce that is also expected to see Palestinian prisoners released.
22 February 2025

Carry out West Bank operation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to carry out an “intensive” operation in the West Bank after explosions on buses close to Tel Aviv on Thursday, in what Netanyahu’s office described as an attempted mass attack.
21 February 2025

Hamas rejects Israeli PM’s ‘threats’

Hamas yesterday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “threats” to make the Palestinian group pay after he accused it of violating the ceasefire by not returning the hostage Shiri Bibas.
21 February 2025

Arab leaders gather in Saudi Arabia to hash out Gaza plan

A source close to the Saudi government told AFP that Arab leaders would discuss 'a reconstruction plan to counter Trump's plan for Gaza'
21 February 2025

Iran executed 975 in ‘horrifying’ 2024 escalation

Iran executed at least 975 people last year in a “horrifying escalation” of its use of capital punishment, two human rights groups said yesterday.
20 February 2025

Israeli fire kills 3 Palestinians

Three Palestinians were killed on Wednesday evening by Israeli forces in the al-Faraa camp near Tubas in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported.
20 February 2025

Jailed British couple charged with espionage: Iran

Iranian authorities said yesterday that a British couple arrested last month in the country’s southeast had been charged with espionage and accused of links to Western intelligence services.
18 February 2025

Israeli troops to remain at five positions

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz yesterday confirmed that troops remain at five positions in southern Lebanon past a pullout deadline, vowing action against any truce violation by militant group Hezbollah.
18 February 2025

US senators dismiss Trump’s Gaza plan

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham dismissed on Monday President Donald Trump’s proposal to seize Gaza and force out the Palestinians, while Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal said he expects Arab states to put forward a workable alternative.
18 February 2025

Saudi crown prince, US secretary discuss regional, global developments

Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier in the day from Israel where he began his first visit to the region as the top US diplomat
17 February 2025

Israel praises Trump’s Gaza ‘bold vision’

Israel and the United States have a common approach to Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday, praising President Donald Trump’s “bold vision” for the territory after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
16 February 2025

Hamas, Israel complete another prisoner swap

Palestinian militants released three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian inmates freed by Israel, completing the latest swap despite fears the Gaza truce deal was near collapse.
15 February 2025