War in the Middle East

Netanyahu Affirms Strikes on Hezbollah as Southern Ground Incursions Continue
Netanyahu Affirms Strikes on Hezbollah as Southern Ground Incursions Continue

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel will keep hitting Iran-backed Hezbollah "wherever necessary,” the day after Israeli strikes pummelled Lebanon. "We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination," Netanyahu said on his personal X account. "Our message is clear: ...

World Bank Calls for Stronger Economies as US-Iran Ceasefire Fragile, Oil Rises
World Bank Calls for Stronger Economies as US-Iran Ceasefire Fragile, Oil Rises

The World Bank on Thursday called on countries in the Middle East and North Africa to strengthen economic resilience and governance in the wake of ongoing regional crises. “The current crisis is a stark reminder of the work ahead for the region: not only to weather shocks but also to rebuild more resilient economies with stronger macroeconomic ...

Israeli Minister Calls Iran Ceasefire a ‘Mistake,’ Questions Its Durability
Israeli Minister Calls Iran Ceasefire a ‘Mistake,’ Questions Its Durability

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli has criticized the ceasefire with Iran as a “mistake,” casting doubt on its durability while defending Israel’s military gains in the conflict. Chikli, a member of the ruling Likud party, said, “I think it was a mistake to go to a ceasefire at this time,” arguing that adversaries like ...

Iran Announces Alternative Routes in Hormuz Strait
Iran Announces Alternative Routes in Hormuz Strait

Iran announced alternative routes on Thursday for ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the risk of sea mines in the main zone of the vital waterway. Tehran has agreed to temporarily reopen the strait, through which one-fifth of the world's oil usually passes, as part of a two-week truce. "All ships intending to transit ...

Hegseth Hails Iran Victory as U.S. Military Presence Continues
Hegseth Hails Iran Victory as U.S. Military Presence Continues

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that American forces have achieved a “historic and overwhelming victory” against Iran, while stressing that U.S. troops will remain deployed in the region to ensure compliance with a tentative peace agreement. Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Hegseth underscored that despite President ...

Trump Agrees to Ceasefire Following Day of Threats and Diplomatic Oscillation
Trump Agrees to Ceasefire Following Day of Threats and Diplomatic Oscillation

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran on Tuesday evening following a day marked by sharp escalation, stalled diplomacy, and last-minute re-engagement. Earlier in the day, Trump dramatically escalated his rhetoric, warning on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die ...

Trump Announces Two-Week Pause on Iran Strikes
Trump Announces Two-Week Pause on Iran Strikes

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week suspension of planned military strikes on Iran on Wednesday, citing direct appeals from the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir.  “Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal ...

Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah Says Will Release U.S. Journalist Shelly Kittleson
Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah Says Will Release U.S. Journalist Shelly Kittleson

Iraq's powerful Kataeb Hezbollah armed group announced on Tuesday that it would release U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson, a week after she was kidnapped in Baghdad. "In recognition of the national stances of the outgoing prime minister, we have decided to release the American defendant Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leaves ...

Netanyahu Says Israel Struck Railways, Bridges in Iran
Netanyahu Says Israel Struck Railways, Bridges in Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck on Tuesday railways and bridges in Iran "used by the Revolutionary Guards", after Iranian officials reported damage to at least two bridges and railway infrastructure. "We are crushing the terror regime in Iran... with even greater vigour and with increasing force," ...

U.S.-Israeli Strikes Hit Iran's Kharg Island
U.S.-Israeli Strikes Hit Iran's Kharg Island

U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran expand to new targets on Tuesday, hitting economic and transportation infrastructure across the country. The U.S. and Israel hit the key Iranian oil export terminal of Kharg island, media reported Tuesday. "The American-Zionist enemy has carried out several attacks on Kharg island, and several explosions have ...

How the Iran War Can Help Reorient Shia Identity
Op-edHow the Iran War Can Help Reorient Shia Identity

As the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran nears the limits of its original target bank, the contours of a new phase are beginning to emerge, one defined by the search for a political exit from the war. Discussions are no longer confined to closed-door deliberations but are now unfolding in public. Fundamental questions are emerging about ...