Israel eyes spyware export curbs; Macron, Merkel troubled by abuse reports
An Israeli parliamentary panel may seek changes to defence export policy over reports that software sold by Israel’s NSO Group was used to spy on...
Middle East
Syrian air defences intercept Israeli attack over Homs
Syria’s air defences intercepted an Israeli attack on the al Qusair area in Homs early on Thursday, Syrian state media reported. A Syrian military source...
Israel PM warns Unilever boss over Ben & Jerry’s boycott
By Dan Williams and Siddharth Cavale Israel warned consumer goods giant Unilever Plc on Tuesday of “severe consequences” from a decision by subsidiary Ben &...
Israel reacts to spyware scandal after journalists are hacked
Israel’s Defence Ministry said on Monday that the export of cyber products, like spyware sold by NSO Group, was for lawful use and with the...
Two rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel, no damage – Israeli army
Two rockets were launched at Israel from Lebanon overnight on Tuesday setting off sirens but causing no damage or injuries, and the Israeli military said...
Libyan conflict has cost $580bn; EU plans military mission
The EU is firming up plans for a military mission to Libya in order to compete for influence with foreign powers there, the EUobserver reported...
Ben & Jerry’s to end ice-cream sales in occupied Palestinian territories
American ice-cream brand Ben & Jerry’s on Monday said it will stop marketing its products in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying that selling there was...
Syria’s Assad says $60bn frozen in Lebanon’s banks; 80% of Syrians below poverty line
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Saturday the main impediment to investment in the country was money stuck in ailing Lebanese banks. In a speech...
UAE’s Abu Dhabi announces partial lockdown effective July 19
The United Arab Emirate’s Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee announced on Thursday a partial lockdown and new entry requirements in the emirate starting...
Hariri abandons cabinet formation, plunging Lebanon deeper into crisis
Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri abandoned his effort to form a new government on Thursday, saying it was clear he would not be able to reach...
Anger mounts after 92 die in fire on Iraq COVID ward
The death toll from a fire that tore through a coronavirus hospital in southern Iraq rose to 92, health officials said on Tuesday, as authorities...
Living with COVID-19: Israel changes strategy as Delta variant hits
Four weeks ago, Israel was celebrating a return to normal life in its battle with COVID-19. After a rapid vaccination drive that had driven down coronavirus infections...
At least 44 killed in hospital fire in Iraq, China hotel collapse kills eight
At least 44 people were killed and over 67 injured in a fire likely caused by an oxygen tank explosion at a coronavirus hospital in Iraq‘s...
Israel offers third shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to adults at risk
By Maayan Lubell Israel said on Sunday it will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer Inc’s vaccine to adults with weak immune systems but...
Lebanon interior minister rejects request to question security chief over Beirut blast
Lebanon’s caretaker interior minister has rejected a request by the lead investigator into the Beirut port explosion to question one of its top security chiefs,...
Israel’s new government dealt blow in controversial citizenship vote (Update)
Israel‘s parliament failed on Tuesday to renew a disputed law that bars granting citizenship or residency to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank or Gaza...
Lebanon is ‘days away’ from social explosion, PM Diab warns
Lebanon is a few days away from a social explosion, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab warned on Tuesday, calling on the international community to save...
How Hezbollah controls the economy in Lebanon
The Iran-backed militia group Hezbollah has done everything it can do to create a parallel state in Lebanon. A ‘state within a state,’ many call...
Turkish inflation hits 2-yr high with surprise jump to 17.5 per cent
Turkish annual inflation jumped to a two-year high of 17.53 per cent in June, exceeding a forecast of 17 per cent and continuing an extended...
Era ends, war looms as US forces quit main base in Afghanistan
American troops pulled out of their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, leaving behind a piece of the World Trade Center they buried 20 years ago...