Category: Middle East

2 Russian Embassy Staff Dead, 4 Others Killed in Suicide Bomb Blast in Kabul

KABUL—Two Russian embassy staff in Kabul were among six people killed when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the entrance of the embassy, in a blast that injured at least 10 others, the Russian Foreign Ministry and Afghan officials said on Monday. Police said the attacker was shot dead by armed guards as he approached…


Hamas Authorities Execute 5 Palestinians in Gaza

GAZA—Gaza’s ruling Hamas Islamist extremists executed five Palestinians on Sunday, two of them on charges of espionage for Israel that dated back to 2015 and 2009, the enclave’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry said. The dawn executions, by hanging or firing squad, were the first in the Palestinian territories since 2017. Past cases of capital punishment being…


Hamas Terrorist Group Executes 5 Palestinians in Gaza

GAZA—Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist group executed five Palestinians on Sunday, two of them on charges of espionage for Israel that dated back to 2015 and 2009, the enclave’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry said. The dawn executions, by hanging or firing squad, were the first in the territories since 2017. Past cases of capital punishment being carried…


Iran Briefly Seizes 2 US Sea Drones in Red Sea Amid Tensions

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iran’s navy seized two American sea drones in the Red Sea before letting them go Friday as U.S. warships neared, officials said, in the latest maritime incident involving the Navy’s new drone fleet in the Mideast. Iranian state television aired footage it said came from the deck of the Iranian navy’s Jamaran…


Saudi Arabian Woman Gets 45 Years in Prison for Sharing Opinions Online: Human Rights Advocates

A Saudia Arabian woman has been sentenced to almost half a century in prison for sharing her opinions online, a human rights organization has reported. Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani was sentenced to 45 years in prison in August by the Appellate Division of the Specialized Criminal Court in Saudi Arabia, according to Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN),…


Oil Tanker Blocks Suez Canal for Several Hours

An oil tanker ran aground in Egypt’s Suez Canal on Wednesday, blocking the global waterway for several hours before it was refloated, according to the Suez Canal Authority. The canal is the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia and is accountable for about 15 percent of world shipping traffic. George Safwat, a spokesman for Suez…


Small Plane Crashes in Abu Dhabi, Injuring Pilot

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—A small plane crashed in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, police said, injuring the pilot but causing no other casualties. Instead of landing at the capital’s private jet airport, the glider hurtled into the parking lot of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, police said. They…


India-Arab-Israel-Mediterranean Corridor to Europe: A Historical Idea That’s Ripe for Implementation Again

Commentary As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its seventh month, and the war in Donbas and Kherson turns into a prolonged meatgrinder, the world is waking up to a costly reality. For the first time in many decades, a multipolar world order is emerging with a Moscow–Beijing alliance. This is leaving the rest of…


Pentagon Announces Iran Tried to Capture US Drone Ship

U.S. military officials on Tuesday confirmed Iran was caught trying to capture an unmanned U.S. drone ship in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet at around 11 p.m. on Monday discovered an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ship towing a Navy Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel to detain it. A coastal ship, the USS Thunderbolt,…


Iran Tried to Capture US Drone Ship, Pentagon Says

The U.S. Navy has foiled an attempt by Iran to capture an unmanned U.S. drone ship in the Persian Gulf, U.S. military officials confirmed on Aug. 30. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet late on Aug. 29 discovered that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ship was towing a Navy Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel (USV) to detain it….