Category: Middle East

Israel Inks Multi-Billion Dollar Submarine Deal With Germany

JERUSALEM—Israel signed a three billion euro ($3.4 billion) deal on Thursday to buy three cutting edge submarines from Germany, the defense ministry announced. The Dakar-class diesel-electric submarines will be produced by German manufacturer Thyssenkrupp and are expected to be delivered within nine years, the ministry said. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the procurement “will…


Pentagon Releases First Footage of Botched Kabul Airstrike

Department of Defense officials have made public for the first time footage of an airstrike that left 10 civilians dead in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 29, 2021. Military officials initially said the strike targeted a member of the ISIS terrorist group after the group was accused of having attacked the U.S.-held Kabul airport with suicide…


Afghans Who Worked Closely With Canada in Afghanistan Reach BC With Families

VANCOUVER—Over 200 Afghan refugees have arrived in Vancouver, the most to reach the province since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last August. Sean Fraser, Canada’s minister responsible for refugees, says the latest arrivals are among a total of 7,000 refugees that have now been airlifted to various parts of Canada. He says 161 of…


Oil Flow Resumes at Iraq-Turkey Pipeline Following Blast

ANKARA, Turkey—A pipeline that carries oil from Iraq to world markets resumed operating Wednesday after an explosion in southeastern Turkey forced it to shut down for several hours. No one was hurt in the explosion late Tuesday near the town of Pazarcik in Kahramanmaras Province. The blast caused a huge fire, and authorities also closed…


South Korea Signs Missile System Export Deal With UAE Amid Stronger Cooperation

South Korea on Sunday signed a preliminary deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to sell Seoul’s mid-range surface-to-air missiles worth 4 trillion won ($3.36 billion), as both countries seek to strengthen cooperation, according to local media. Seoul is set to export its Cheongung II missile system to the UAE in what is believed to…


More Than a Dozen Dead in Coalition Strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa

ADEN, Yemen—An air strike killed about 14 people in a building in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, residents said on Tuesday, during strikes across the city launched by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group. The alliance strikes on Houthi-held Sanaa followed an attack claimed by the Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday on coalition partner the…


5.3M Earthquake Kills at Least 26 in Afghanistan, Officials Say

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck western Afghanistan on Monday, killing at least 26 people, officials said. Baz Mohammad Sarwary, a spokesperson for the Qadis district in the western province of Badghis, told AFP that the victims were killed when the quake caused residential roofs to collapse. Four others were injured, he said. “Five women and…


Twin Earthquakes in Western Afghanistan Kill at Least 22

KABUL, Afghanistan—Two earthquakes rattled Afghanistan’s western Badghis province along the border with Turkmenistan on Monday afternoon, killing at least 22 people, a local official said. There were fears the death toll could rise further as the first rescuers reached some of the remote villages struck by the temblors in what is one of Afghanistan’s most…


Drone Attack in Abu Dhabi Claimed by Yemen’s Rebels Kills 3

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—A drone attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting a key oil facility in Abu Dhabi killed three people on Monday and sparked a fire at Abu Dhabi’s international airport. Emirati police identified the dead as two Indian nationals and one Pakistani. Six people were also wounded at an industrial area where…


Out of This World: 555.55-Carat Black Diamond Lands in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that’s literally from out of this world. Sotheby’s calls the 555.55-carat black diamond—believed to have come from outer space—“The Engima.” The rare gem was shown off on Monday to journalists as part of a tour in Dubai and Los Angeles before it is due…