Middle East

Israel Arrests Citizen Suspected of Spying for Iran
Israel Arrests Citizen Suspected of Spying for Iran

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offenses under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents, days after Tehran executed an Iranian accused of spying for Israel. The arrest is the latest in a series of cases in which Israel has charged its own citizens with spying for its ...

Turkey Detains 115 Alleged IS Members
Turkey Detains 115 Alleged IS Members

Some 115 alleged members of the Islamic State group suspected of planning attacks during the end of year holidays have been arrested in Turkey, Istanbul's prosecutor general said Thursday. "Following intelligence indicating that the IS terrorist organization was planning attacks during Christmas and New Year celebrations," the prosecutor's office ...

Syria Says Killed Senior IS Leader
Syria Says Killed Senior IS Leader

Syrian authorities on Thursday said they killed a senior leader in the Islamic State group in coordination with the US-led coalition, hours after the arrest near Damascus of another leader. Syrian security and intelligence forces, working in coordination with the international coalition, conducted what the interior ministry described as a ...

Syria State TV Reports Jordanian Strikes Targeting Drug Trafficking Networks
Syria State TV Reports Jordanian Strikes Targeting Drug Trafficking Networks

The Jordanian army launched air strikes targeting drug smuggling networks in southern Syria on Wednesday, Syrian state media said. State broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya reported on Telegram that the Jordanian army targeted "drug smuggling networks and storage farms in the southern and eastern countryside" of Sweida. In a statement, the Jordanian army ...

Yemen Warring Parties to Exchange Bodies as Part of Major Prisoner Swap
Yemen Warring Parties to Exchange Bodies as Part of Major Prisoner Swap

Yemen's Houthi rebels and its internationally recognised government said they agreed on Wednesday to recover and exchange bodies as part of a major prisoner swap, sparking hope for families of those missing in the war. A day earlier, the warring sides had agreed to a prisoner swap of nearly 3,000 people -- the largest such exchange in 11 years of ...

Syria State Media Says 3 Dead in Clashes in Latakia Province
Syria State Media Says 3 Dead in Clashes in Latakia Province

Syrian state media said three people were killed Wednesday in clashes with security forces in coastal Latakia province, the heartland of the country's Alawite community. "Three members of remnants of the former regime were killed after clashes with internal security forces on the outskirts of the city of Jableh," state television ...

Festive Lights, Security Tight for Christmas in Damascus
Festive Lights, Security Tight for Christmas in Damascus

Christmas lights illuminate Damascus's Old City while government forces patrol its shadows as security fears haunt Syria's Christian community. They recall the shooting and suicide attack in June at the Saint Elias church in the Syrian capital that killed 25 people and wounded dozens more. "People are going home early, and are afraid," said Tala ...

How Syria Can Begin Integrating the SDF
How Syria Can Begin Integrating the SDF

Clashes erupted December 22 in Aleppo between Syrian government troops and the local Kurdish security forces (Asayish), killing at least three people and underscoring the challenges facing efforts to unify armed factions under the Syrian transitional government. Even as Damascus seeks to consolidate nationwide security and integrate armed ...

Libya's Top Military Chief Killed in Plane Crash in Turkey
Libya's Top Military Chief Killed in Plane Crash in Turkey

The head of Libya's armed forces and four other passengers died on Tuesday when their business jet crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara, officials in Turkey's capital and Tripoli said. The wreckage of their Falcon 50 aircraft was located by Turkish security personnel in the Haymana district near Ankara, Turkish Interior Minister ...

Over 400 Prominent Women Urge Iran to Halt Execution of Woman Activist
Over 400 Prominent Women Urge Iran to Halt Execution of Woman Activist

More than 400 prominent women, including four Nobel laureates and several former presidents and prime ministers, demanded Tuesday that Iran immediately release engineer and activist Zahra Tabari, fearing she faces imminent execution. The urgent public appeal charged that Tabari, a 67-year-old mother, was handed a death sentence in October ...

Greta Thunberg Arrested at Pro-Palestinian Protest in London
Greta Thunberg Arrested at Pro-Palestinian Protest in London

London police on Tuesday arrested Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg during a demonstration held in support of pro-Palestinian hunger strikers, according to Palestinian activist groups. The group Prisoners for Palestine said in a statement that Thunberg was detained under the UK’s Terrorism Act while attending what it described as a ...

Houthis, Yemen Government to Exchange Nearly 3,000 Prisoners: Officials
Houthis, Yemen Government to Exchange Nearly 3,000 Prisoners: Officials

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and its internationally-recognised government have agreed to a prisoner swap that includes nearly 3,000 people in total, including seven Saudis, officials from both sides said Tuesday. The deal came after nearly a fortnight of discussions between Yemeni officials from both sides in Muscat, the capital of ...