Category: Middle East

Israel, Egypt Meet in Effort to Solidify Gaza Truce

JERUSALEM—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted Egypt’s intelligence chief and sent Israel’s foreign minister to Cairo on Sunday, amid efforts to build on a ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas a week ago that ended the worst violence in years. Egypt helped broker the truce that has held since May 21, a diplomatic success that thrust…


Roadside Bomb Kills 3 University Teachers in Afghanistan: Police

KABUL—A roadside bomb hit a bus carrying university staff in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing three teachers and wounding 15 others, police said on Saturday. The incident took place in Charikar, the provincial capital of Parwan. The bus was carrying teachers from Al-Biruni university, said a spokesman for the provincial police, Salim Noori. Some of…


Iranian Tanker Seized by Indonesia Is Released After 4 Months

JAKARTA—An Iranian-flagged tanker seized by Indonesia in January over the suspected illegal transfer of oil has been released, an Indonesian official and Iranian state media said on Saturday. Wisnu Pramandita, a spokesman for the Indonesian coastguard, said the Iranian-flagged tanker, the MT Horse, was released on Friday after a court decision earlier in the week….


Syria’s Assad Wins 4th Term With 95 Percent of Vote in Election Critics Calls Fraudulent

BEIRUT—Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won a fourth term in office with 95.1 percent of the votes in an election that will extend his rule over a country ruined by war but which opponents and the West say was marked by fraud. Assad’s regime, the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, says the election on Wednesday shows Syria is…


Blinken Meets Egypt’s Sisi as US Seeks to Secure Gaza Ceasefire

CAIRO—U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met top officials in Cairo on Wednesday during a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up a ceasefire that ended the worst fighting in years between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. Egypt has longstanding relations with both sides in the conflict and played a key role…


Blinken Announces US Aid to Gaza and Pledges to Reopen Jerusalem Consulate

Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged on a Middle East mission on Tuesday that Washington would provide new aid to help rebuild Gaza as part of efforts to bolster a ceasefire between the Hamas terrorist group and Israel. Hoping to reverse a move taken by former President Donald Trump that angered Palestinians, Blinken said the…


Australian Kabul Embassy to Close Amid Violence in Afghanistan

Australia will shut its Kabul embassy on May 28 following the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan and increased violence in the country over the past month. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the change on Tuesday, stating that it does not lessen Australia’s commitment to Afghanistan or its people. “The departure of the international forces…


Michael Doran on the Hamas–Israeli Conflict and Communist China’s Ambitions in the Middle East

“When I started to think about what the Middle East looked like from Beijing, the place suddenly looked very different.” The Chinese Communist Party is seeking to, step by step, dominate the Middle East, says Hudson Institute senior fellow Michael Doran—from building ports in strategic locations to expanding its naval presence in the region. “They’re…


Blinken Pledges US Support to Rebuild Gaza, Prevent Return to War

JERUSALEM—U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged on a Middle East mission on Tuesday that Washington would rally support to rebuild Gaza as part of efforts to bolster a ceasefire between its Hamas terrorist rulers and Israel. But Blinken made clear that the United States intended to ensure that Hamas, which it regards as a…


Biden Sends Secretary of State to Middle East to Speak to Israel, Palestinian Leaders

President Joe Biden’s secretary of state will travel to the Middle East this week to speak with leaders in Israel and other partners in the region, the White House announced Monday. Biden, a Democrat, credited America’s “quiet, intensive diplomacy” with helping bring about the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist group that operates out…