middle east

Drone Attack Against Iraqi Intelligence Services Kills One in Baghdad

An Iraqi officer was killed on Saturday in a drone attack targeting an Iraqi intelligence services building in a residential Baghdad neighbourhood, the agency said, as the Middle East war reverberates across the country. Iraq has been unwillingly drawn into the Middle East conflict with strikes targeting Iran-backed groups, which in turn have ...

Israeli Reservist Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Iran

Israeli police said on Friday they had arrested an army reservist who served on the Iron Dome air defence system on suspicion of passing secrets to Iran. The arrest comes as Israel and the United States are locked in a war with Iran that has spread across the Middle East. “Raz Cohen, a 26‑year‑old resident of Jerusalem who served in the ...

Israel Says Struck Syrian Army Camps After Druze 'Attacked'

Israel's military said on Friday it had struck Syrian army camps in response to what it called attacks against the Druze community in the southern Sweida province. The latest flare-up between the neighbouring countries comes as war roils the Middle East after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. "Overnight, the IDF struck a ...

Facts About Strait of Hormuz War Blockage

Key facts and figures about the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route virtually paralyzed by the Middle East war. Around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through the waterway in peacetime. The war erupted on February 28 when the US and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting it to retaliate with ...

Ankara Says NATO Deploys New Patriot Battery as Strikes Continue

Turkey's defence ministry said Wednesday NATO was deploying a new Patriot missile battery at Incirlik air base, just days after a third ballistic missile from Iran was shot down. "Another Patriot system... is being deployed... in addition to the existing Spanish Patriot system stationed there," a ministry official told reporters at the Turkish ...

Iran Arrests Alleged 'Monarchist' Networks, Suspected Spies as War Rages

Iranian authorities said on Wednesday they had arrested more than 100 alleged "monarchist cells" plotting against the Islamic Republic, along with suspected spies and individuals accused of cooperating with an outlawed television channel. Forces from the Intelligence Ministry "have identified and arrested 111 monarchist cells across 26 provinces ...

Missile Debris Kills One in Abu Dhabi as Iran Presses Gulf Attacks

Falling debris from missile interceptions killed one person on Tuesday in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi and injured two medical staff in Kuwait, authorities said, as Iran pressed its attacks against Gulf countries. The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran's reprisals for US-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran ...

Drone, Rocket Attack Targets U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisors, security officials said, pulling Iraq deeper into the Middle East war. An AFP journalist reported seeing black smoke rising after an explosion in the embassy complex, as well as air defences ...

War in the Middle East: Casualty Figures from Across the Region

Since the United States and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on February 28, war has spread across the Middle East, with casualties reported in countries across the region. AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls. The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, health authorities and rescue ...

Hormuz Alternative Oil Routes Inadequate to Cope with Demand

Iran's threats against oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz -- a chokepoint through which some 20 percent of global exports pass in peacetime -- has forced countries in the region to seek alternative routes. But analysts warn those routes are not yet sufficient to deal fully with global oil demand. "Saudi Arabia and the UAE can reroute ...

Lebanon Launches Legal Action Against 4 Hezbollah Members Over Arms

A Lebanese judge has begun legal proceedings against four Hezbollah members for weapons offences, a judicial official told AFP on Monday, after authorities recently banned the Iran-backed group's military and security activities. Lebanese authorities have been seeking to pressure Hezbollah after Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on ...

Dubai Airport Flights Disrupted After Nearby Drone Fire, One Killed in Abu Dhabi

Missiles and drone attacks hit across the UAE on Monday, with a drone-related incident sparking a fuel tank fire near Dubai airport that disrupted travel, while a missile killed a civilian in Abu Dhabi. In the eastern emirate of Fujairah, a drone attack on oil infrastructure sparked a fire, just one day after an AFP journalist saw smoke rising ...