Middle east news

Trump, Netanyahu and the irony of Responsibility to Protect in Iran - opinion

Trump and Netanyahu may unintentionally act in line with the UN’s Responsibility to Protect principle.

US first lady Melania Trump presides over a United Nations Security Council meeting, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 2, 2026.
A woman in Tehran holds on to a picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he was killed in Israeli and US strikes on February 28.

Khamenei's hubris: The four failures that sealed the dictator's fate - analysis

US President Donald Trump seen in the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, DC, US, January 14, 2026

Iranian protests create a short window for change - opinion

‘JAVID SHAH’ (Long Live the Shah) has become the slogan of the ongoing Iranian protests. Here, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah of Iran, sits during an interview in Paris in June, after the Israel-Iran war.

Iranians trust Reza Pahlavi more than the regime’s 'moderates' - opinion


Arab media reacts to Israel-Iran ceasefire with cautious relief and lingering doubt

Across Arab outlets, relief over the ceasefire is tempered by concerns it excludes the conflict in Gaza and may serve foreign agendas.

 EMS services inspect the damage from an Iranian missile impact on a building in central Israel, June 13, 2025.

Trump’s Iran talks could backfire, strengthen regime, INSS expert warns

Senior Iran researcher: Premature optimism may encourage Tehran to accelerate its nuclear program or renege on a deal.

 What will happen to US, Iran relations?

Houthis claim new attacks on US, Israel amid rising tensions ahead of Iran talks - analysis

The US State Department officially designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on March 5.

 Houthi fighters take part in a parade for people who attended Houthi military training as part of a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen December 18, 2024.

OPCW estimates over 100 chemical weapons sites still active in Syria

In the Syrian civil war’s earliest days, Assad’s government only disclosed the locations of 27 sites to the OPCW.

CHILDREN HOLD flags next to a sculpture of Druze warrior Sultan Pasha al-Atrash after Syrian rebels announced the ousting of president Bashar Assad, in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, earlier this month.

Baby boom: Birth rates in Israel are on the rise, primarily in Jewish families

134,000 births Compared to 131,000 in 2023. Despite war and hardships, Israelis are choosing to expand their families, contrary to trends in the West.

 Medical staff and nurses roaming the halls of Ichilov Hospital.

'We are entering a centuries-long War of Independence,' retired IDF general says

"If the Shin Bet chief can't show discreet loyalty to the prime minister, their paths should separate."

A helicopter carrying released Israeli hostage, Agam Berger, a soldier who was seized from her army base in southern Israel during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, arrives at at Beilinson Schneider complex in Petah Tikva, Israel, January 30, 2025.

Syrian troops exchange fire with Lebanese army, armed groups in northeast Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he ordered the army to respond to sources of fire from northern and eastern borders with Syria.

 Drone view of a towed Syrian tank as they head towards the Syrian-Lebanese border following clashes with Lebanese soldiers and armed groups, in Qusayr, Syria, March 17, 2025.

Iran says it didn't get Trump's letter on nuclear talks - so who is bluffing? - analysis

Iranian officials say they haven’t received any correspondence from Trump. This may be two sides talking at each other and both bluffing.

US President Donald Trump seen over an Iranian flag (illustrative)

Abdullah Ocalan calls on PKK to dissolve, regional leaders react

Regional leaders welcome calls for the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve.

 Syrian Kurds hold flags as they gather after Turkey's jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms on Thursday, a move that could end its 40-year conflict with Ankara and have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region,

Night unfolds as slain hostages transferred to IDF custody from Gaza

This handover marks the completion of the phase one list of abductees slated for return.

 Red Cross vehicles en route to receive the bodies of four slain hostages.