War in the Middle East

Pope Urges Immediate End to 'Barbarity' of Gaza War
Pope Urges Immediate End to 'Barbarity' of Gaza War

Pope Leo XIV slammed the "barbarity" of the war in Gaza on Sunday and urged against the "indiscriminate use of force," just days after a deadly strike by Israel's military on a Catholic church. "I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict," Leo ...

Calm Returns to South Syria after Violence that Killed 1,000
Calm Returns to South Syria after Violence that Killed 1,000

Calm returned to southern Syria's Sweida province on Sunday, a monitor and AFP correspondents reported, after a week of sectarian violence between Druze fighters and rival groups that killed more than 1,000 people. A ceasefire announced on Saturday appeared to be holding after earlier agreements failed to end fighting between longtime rivals ...

Israel Orders Civilians Out of Central Gaza Ahead of New Campaign
Israel Orders Civilians Out of Central Gaza Ahead of New Campaign

The Israeli military on Sunday issued an evacuation order for Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, warning of imminent action against Hamas militants in an area "where it has not operated before". The military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that residents and displaced Palestinians sheltering in ...

Ceasefire Order Fails to Halt Fighting in Syria's Druze Heartland
Ceasefire Order Fails to Halt Fighting in Syria's Druze Heartland

Syrian Bedouin and their allies fought Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day Saturday despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. AFP correspondents reported clashes in the west of the provincial capital as Druze fighters battled ...

Crisis in Sweida: Syrian President Denounces Foreign Interference
Crisis in Sweida: Syrian President Denounces Foreign Interference

In a televised address this morning, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa described the recent clashes in the Sweida province as "a dangerous turning point in Syria’s security and political situation," while accusing foreign powers of fueling instability. The president stated that "the violent clashes between armed groups nearly spiraled out of ...

Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Attacks Kill 26 Near Two Aid Centers
Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Attacks Kill 26 Near Two Aid Centers

Gaza's civil defense agency on Saturday said Israeli attacks killed 26 people and wounded more than 100 near two aid centers in the south of the Palestinian territory. Agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that 22 were killed near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and four near another center northwest of Rafah, blaming "Israeli ...

Hamas Armed Wing Says Israel Blocking Ceasefire and Hostage Release Talks
Hamas Armed Wing Says Israel Blocking Ceasefire and Hostage Release Talks

The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Friday accused Israel of blocking a deal in talks for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. Negotiators from both sides have been in indirect talks in Qatar since July 6 to try to agree on a 60-day truce in the conflict, which would see 10 captives freed. But after ...

Top Holy Land Clerics Visit Gaza after Deadly Church Strike
Top Holy Land Clerics Visit Gaza after Deadly Church Strike

Two of the most senior Christian leaders in Jerusalem made a rare visit to Gaza on Friday, a day after Israeli fire killed three at the Palestinian territory's only Catholic church, provoking international condemnation. The Roman Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, ...

Sweida: Druze and Sunni Religious Authorities in Lebanon Issue Joint Call for Unity and Restraint
Sweida: Druze and Sunni Religious Authorities in Lebanon Issue Joint Call for Unity and Restraint

In a joint appeal for unity and restraint, Sheikh Akl of the Druze community, Sheikh Sami Abi al-Mona, and Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, emphasized on Friday the importance of preserving national and intercommunal harmony amid the escalating violence in Syria’s Sweida region. In a phone conversation, the two ...

Lebanese Leaders Call for Calm Amid Syria’s Deepening Crisis
Lebanese Leaders Call for Calm Amid Syria’s Deepening Crisis

Lebanese leaders voiced out their concerns again on Thursday, in light of the ongoing developments in Syria between the Druze of Sweida and the Syrian regime forces. As they fear a spillover into Lebanon, they called for calm and caution to protect Lebanon from further instability. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke by phone with former Progressive ...

Israeli Drone Strikes in South Lebanon, Two Killed
Israeli Drone Strikes in South Lebanon, Two Killed

One man was killed on Thursday after an Israeli drone strike targeted his truck while he was working on the outskirts of Naqoura. The drone crashed in the area after the strike. Another drone attack earlier in the day struck a pickup vehicle between Kfour and Toula (Nabatiyeh District). The vehicle burst into flames, prompting an immediate ...