Category: Middle East

Turkey Freezes Assets of 770 People for Alleged Terror Links

ISTANBUL—Turkey froze the assets of 770 Turkish nationals and a Chicago-based foundation, according to a decision published Friday in the country’s official gazette. The list of targets includes 454 people with alleged links to Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States. The Turkish government accuses Gulen and his network of being behind…


Israeli Companies to be Indicted for Illegally Exporting Cruise Missiles to China: Report

Ten Israelis and three Israeli companies are set to be indicted for illegally exporting cruise missiles to China, according to reports. The financial department of  Israel’s state prosecutor’s office gave notice to the suspects that they would be indicted on serious security offenses after it was found that they exported cruise missiles to China without…


Israeli Hospital Reports First Death of Patient With Omicron Variant

JERUSALEM—An Israeli hospital on Tuesday confirmed the first known death in the country of a patient with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, but said he had suffered from a number of serious pre-existing conditions. The Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba said the man, in his sixties, died on Monday, two weeks after he was admitted…


US Treasury Creates Pathway to Send Aid to Afghanistan

The Treasury Department on Wednesday announced it was issuing special licenses to ensure that some international aid could flow to Afghanistan, where the economy collapsed following the Taliban takeover in August. The licenses will enable the U.S. government, international organizations such as the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations to operate in the country and offer…


State TV: Recalled Iranian Diplomat to Yemen Dies of COVID-19

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iran’s top diplomat to Yemen died Tuesday after reportedly contracting the coronavirus, Iranian state TV said, just days after he was abruptly recalled from his mission in the war-torn nation. State-run media in Iran said Ambassador Hassan Irloo had become infected with the coronavirus in Yemen, where a conflict between Iran-backed Houthi…


Since Taliban Gain Control, Over Half of Afghan Population Doesn’t Have ‘Enough to Eat’

NEW DELHI—Already stressed by continuous drought and conflict the number of Afghans needing humanitarian assistance increased from 18 million to 24 million after the Taliban took over the country on Aug, 15, according to Babar Baloch, the global spokesperson, for the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The 24 million in need account for over half of…


Russia Says Talks to Revive Iran Nuclear Deal May Resume Before Year-End

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said that the next round of talks aimed at salvaging Iran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal may resume before the end of this year. The seventh round of talks, which are being held in Vienna, had ended last week at Iran’s request. Those involved said some progress was made,…


Israeli Archaeologists Find Treasures in Ancient Shipwrecks

JERUSALEM—The Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday the discovery of remnants of two shipwrecks off the Mediterranean coast, replete with a sunken trove of hundreds of Roman and medieval silver coins. The finds made near the ancient city of Caesarea were dated to the Roman and Mamluk periods, around 1,700 and 600 years ago, archaeologists said….


Iran Fires Ballistic and Cruise Missiles in Gulf War Games

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic and cruise missiles on Tuesday during war games in the Gulf, state TV reported, amid heightened tensions with the United States and Israel over possible Israeli plans to target Iranian nuclear sites. “The use of ballistic missiles by the Revolutionary Guards’ navy is a new concept ……


Dubai Ruler Must Pay Ex-Wife $700M in Divorce Settlement

LONDON—A British court on Tuesday ordered the ruler of Dubai to pay his ex-wife and their children close to 550 million pounds ($730 million), in one of the most expensive divorce settlements in British history. The High Court said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum must pay 251.5 million pounds to his sixth wife, Princess…