Middle East

Militia targets attacked by US as Biden sends warning he will be tough on Iran

independent.ie- A US airstrike targeting facilities used by Iran-backed militias in Syria looks like a message to Tehran from President Joe Biden’s administration as he assesses his policies in the Middle East. It appeared to be a response to rocket attacks by groups based in Iraq that

Asia Middle East

UN Gives Green Light To Fund Lebanon Tribunal For 2021

republicworld– The U.N. Security Council has given a green light to keep the U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister Rafik Hariri operating and funded for at least this year. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to the council circulated Friday that the president of the Special Tribunal for […]

Asia Middle East

Blast visible from space as 500 oil tankers destroyed on Afghan border

independent.ie– A catastrophic explosion and fire at an Afghan customs depot has destroyed hundreds of fuel tankers and caused traders tens of millions of dollars of losses. A series of blasts hurled lorries hundreds of yards into the air and deposited the crumpled remains of fuel tanks as far as half a mile from the […]

Middle East

Gazans Hope For Vote After Years Of Hamas Rule, Isolation

republicworld– Palestinian poll workers fanned out across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, where they found voters eager to register ahead of elections that could serve as the first referendum on Hamas’ rule since the militant group seized power more than a decade ago. The outreach came a day after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party […]

Middle East

Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim shot dead in southern Lebanon

independent.ie- Lebanese activist Lokman Slim was found fatally shot in a car yesterday morning, a killing that fellow activists took as a warning from Iran-backed Hezbollah, of whom Mr Slim was a sharp critic. Mr Slim, a political activist and commentator in his late 50s, was a Shiite Lebanese who had been vociferously against Hezbollah – originally […]

Middle East

10,000 mourners defy Covid-19 restrictions at rabbi’s funeral in Jerusalem

independent.ie– Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis flouted the ban on public gatherings to attend the funeral of a prominent rabbi in Jerusalem. The funeral procession for Rabbi Meshulam Soloveitchik, who died aged 99, wended its way through the streets of Jerusalem in the latest display of ultra-Orthodox Israelis’ refusal to honour coronavirus restrictions. Police

Middle East

Israeli Military Chief Warns Of New Plans To Strike Iran

republicworld– Israel’s military chief Tuesday warned the Biden administration against rejoining the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, even if it toughens its terms, adding he’s ordered his forces to step up preparations for possible offensive action against Iran during the coming year. The comments by Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi came as Israel and Iran both seek […]

Middle East

Iran crypto miners cry foul over electricity backlash

aljazeera– An Iranian newspaper this week shamed government authorities for allowing cryptocurrency farms – especially those belonging to the Chinese – to mine bitcoin in Iran. “Burning away public trust is even more dangerous than burning the people’s money in Chinese cryptocurrency farms,” read the Jomhouri-e Eslami editorial titled “Red farms!” The accusations are

Asia Middle East

Kuwait Cabinet Quits After Lawmakers Back No-confidence Motion Against Government

republicworld– Kuwait’s cabinet submitted its resignation after a cycle of clashes between the government and lawmakers on Tuesday, January 12. This came after 30 lawmakers backed a no-confidence motion against the government this month, revealing the instability within the country. The ministers decided to quit after recently elected members of parliament grilled

Middle East

Syrian Army Says It Intercepted Israeli Missiles

republicworld– The Syrian army’s air defences responded to an Israeli missile attack on several targets south of the capital Damascus late Wednesday, Syria’s military said .A military official said the air defences shot down several missiles before they hit their targets.   There was no immediate word from the Israeli side. In the past few […]