Middle east news

An invasion is underway in Canada, but not in the way you think – opinion

Infiltrated via cyberspace, economic networks, data hacks and leaks, criminal middlemen, and powerful political figures, is this country going to continue letting its guard down?

|ByERFAN FARD
A Canadian flag flies along the waterfront of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Canada, in August.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds a press conference during NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8. Relations between Israel and Turkey have repeatedly deteriorated and recovered, but their competing interests in post-Assad Syria have introduced a new source of strategic friction.PremiumPremium

The Turkey trap: Israel has air superiority over Ankara, but no reason to fight - opinion

Israel’s strike in Syria risks turning tensions with Turkey into a confrontation that serves neither country

|ByANDREW FOX
TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, next to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, on August 7, 2026.

Mecca pact unites Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan - but what does it mean? - opinion

The significance of the Mecca pact will depend less on the language of the agreement than on its implementation.

|ByVAS SHENOY
Atef Najib, a brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Department in Daraa during Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule, who is accused of committing war crimes, attends a trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026.

Assad brothers summoned in absentia as Syria opens landmark trial of former security chief

The court’s summonses for Bashar and Maher Assad added symbolic weight to a proceeding targeting figures once considered untouchable

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE

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.

MARCH 17, 2025ByREUTERS
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.

MARCH 9, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
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.

FEBRUARY 27, 2025ByREUTERS
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.

FEBRUARY 27, 2025ByJOANIE MARGULIES, SHIR PERETS, CORINNE BAUM
Red Cross vehicles en route to receive the bodies of four slain hostages.

Qatar’s Emir visits Syria in historic first meeting with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa

The rapid shift in Syria’s political landscape has drawn mixed reactions from regional and international stakeholders.

JANUARY 31, 2025ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani meets Qatari cadets during his visit to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Camberley, Britain, December 4, 2024.

Sinai is the answer: The bold plan to solve Gaza’s crisis - opinion

Trump said the part of the world that encompasses Gaza has “had many, many conflicts” over centuries. He said resettling “could be temporary or long term.”

JANUARY 29, 2025ByYARON SCHWARTZ
THE BORDER fence cuts across the arid landscape. Looking north, Egypt and the Sinai Desert are to the left of the fence and Israel and the Negev Desert lie on its right.

Saudi-Israel talks nearing breakthrough, says new Israeli ambassador to US

Leiter, who officially began his role on Friday, described normalization with Saudi Arabia as part of a broader realignment in the MidEast.

JANUARY 28, 2025ByZVIKA KLEIN, AMICHAI STEIN
Israel's new ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter

At least 22 killed as IDF fires on suspects returning to southern Lebanon

If the Lebanese army deploys faster to the rest of southern Lebanon, the IDF might feel compelled to complete its withdrawal faster as well.

JANUARY 26, 2025ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
IDF operating in Lebanon, published January 16, 2024

War between Israel and Iran should be avoided, Saudi FM says

Saudi FM: "I don't see the incoming US administration as contributory to the risk of war, on the contrary, President Trump has been quite clear he does not favor conflict."

JANUARY 21, 2025ByJOANIE MARGULIES
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud seen in Tehran, Iran, June 17, 2023

Yemen vice-president says Trump return pivotal in fight against Iran backed-Houthis

The war in Yemen began in 2014, when Houthi fighters swept into the capital, Sanaa, and took over government institutions.

JANUARY 21, 2025ByREUTERS
Aidarous al-Zubaidi, VP of Yemen.