Middle East

UK suspends aid to Syria over fears of money going to ‘extremists’

The UK government has suspended aid to a Syrian opposition policing project after a BBC investigation found that money ended up in the hands of a controversial militant group. An aid group involved in the project denies the claims. In a programme scheduled to air on Monday, BBC's Panorama

Middle East

The worst ever deal? Trump declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

Palestinians had hoped that 2017, the year that marked the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, 70 years since the Nakba and 50 years since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, would bring them an apology from the UK for Balfour and recognition by the world that the injustice which they have suffered for so long should come to an end

Middle East

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s survivor brought down by his own double-dealing

Ali Abdullah Saleh spent almost 40 years on top in a country either on the brink or at war with itself, surviving assassination attempts, six wars with the Houthis, wars with southern secessionists and a humiliating ejection in the so-called "Arab Spring". Ruling Yemen, he said, was like "dancing with snakes" – the secrets to such longevity were constant political twists

Middle East

‘The coming days will be more dangerous’: Chaos in Sanaa feared after Saleh killing

A man whose home is next to Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's looks out after clashes on Monday (Reuters) YEMEN – After nearly a week of heavy street fighting and air strikes, residents in Sanaa have survived some of the worst nights of Yemen's war, but said they fear the worst is to come after the killing of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh on

Middle East

Saleh’s killing throws Iran’s Yemen strategy into disarray

The surprise decision of Yemen's slain former leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to reach out to Saudi Arabia, was widely interpreted as heralding a major shift in the Yemen conflict. READ MORE ► Has Iran overreached itself in Yemen? Saleh's reported death comes on the heels of intensifying clashes in the capital Sanaa between the Ansar Allah movement (popularly

Middle East

Syrian, Russian jets kill 27 in residential areas in Eastern Ghouta: Monitor

Syrians make their way through debris after air strike in Eastern Ghouta region on outskirts of capital Damascus on Sunday (AFP) Jets believed to be Syrian and Russian struck heavily crowded residential areas in a besieged rebel enclave near Damascus, killing at least 27 people and wounding dozens in the third week of a stepped-up assault, residents, aid workers and a war

Middle East

Yemen shaken by air raids as fighting spreads beyond Sanaa

A wave of air raids rattled Yemen's crisis-hit capital on Monday, witnesses said, as clashes between rebels and supporters of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh also spread beyond Sanaa. The strikes appeared to hit targets near Sanaa International Airport and the interior ministry, both under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, according to residents and a

Middle East

Jared Kushner likens Palestine peace talks to ‘real-estate issue’ in debut speech

President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner on Sunday gave a public speech for the first time in Washington, outlining how the Trump administration plans to deliver its "ultimate-deal" to facilitate peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking at the Saban Forum, Kushner described Israel as a natural ally to Middle Eastern countries

Middle East

Witness alleges Turkey’s President helped Iran evade US sanctions

It's the first time Erdogan has been named in the closely-watched US criminal case over Iran's violations of international sanctions and movement of billions of dollars.The case's central figure, Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish gold trader, was arrested in Miami last year and has since been the case's top named defendant. There are eight other

Middle East

The arrest sparking Turkey-US tensions

The two NATO allies have engaged in a spiky tit-for-tat that began in early October — Washington responded to the arrest by freezing all of its non-immigrant visa services in the country, causing ire in Ankara, which then responded by doing the same. The deterioration in relations appears to have happened over a matter of days — but under the surface are several sticking