Arab World

Russian Strikes Continue in Ukraine Despite Trump’s Ultimatum
Russian Strikes Continue in Ukraine Despite Trump’s Ultimatum

A Russian strike on a commercial area in eastern Ukraine killed at least two people and injured around twenty others on Wednesday, local authorities reported, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Moscow to end the war. On Monday, President Trump gave Russia 50 days to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine or face ...

Trump Says Not Firing Fed Chair, but Not Ruling Out
Trump Says Not Firing Fed Chair, but Not Ruling Out

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was not currently planning to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell but added that he did not rule it out. Trump's mixed messaging, after months of escalating attacks on the independent central bank chief, sent the yield on the 30-year US Treasury bond surging above five percent. Asked about ...

Israel Strikes Near Syrian Army HQ: State TV
Israel Strikes Near Syrian Army HQ: State TV

An Israeli strike on Wednesday hit near the Syrian army and defense ministry headquarters in Damascus, the state-run Alekhbariya channel reported on Telegram, after Israel's military said it had struck there. AFP correspondents heard a loud explosion echoing throughout much of the capital shortly after a first air strike had targeted the same ...

Syria: Israeli Strikes Hit Presidential Palace and Syrian Army HQ in Damascus
Syria: Israeli Strikes Hit Presidential Palace and Syrian Army HQ in Damascus

Israel bombed the Syrian army's headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the country's Druze minority alone, as authorities announced a ceasefire in the community's southern heartland after deadly sectarian clashes. Syrian government forces entered the majority-Druze city of Sweida on ...

Sweida Caught Between Damascus and Israel
Sweida Caught Between Damascus and Israel

The majority-Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria has been thrust into an unprecedented spiral of violence since Sunday, as fierce clashes between the Syrian army, backed by Bedouin militias, and local Druze armed groups have escalated dramatically. The fighting has been marked by intense combat, summary executions, a deepening humanitarian ...

Astronomers Observe Birth of a Solar System for First Time
Astronomers Observe Birth of a Solar System for First Time

Astronomers said Wednesday they had observed the moment when planets start forming around a distant star for the first time, revealing a process that sheds light on the birth of our own solar system. The new planetary system is forming around the baby star HOPS-315, which resembles our own Sun in its youth, 1,300 light years from Earth in the ...

Erdogan Rival Gets Jail Term for 'Threatening' Prosecutor
Erdogan Rival Gets Jail Term for 'Threatening' Prosecutor

Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Turkey's leading opposition figure, got a 20-month prison sentence for insulting and threatening the city's public prosecutor Wednesday, according to a court document obtained by AFP. The case is one of a number lined up against Imamoglu, the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is already ...

Khamenei Says Israel War Meant to 'Overthrow System' in Iran
Khamenei Says Israel War Meant to 'Overthrow System' in Iran

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Israel's attacks during last month's 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic republic's system and spark unrest to topple it. "The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in ...

Syria Promises to Punish those who Committed Abuses in Sweida
Syria Promises to Punish those who Committed Abuses in Sweida

The Syrian presidency vowed to punish those who committed violations against Druze-majority Sweida's residents, as government forces were accused of summary executions and other abuses by right groups, witnesses and local factions. In a statement, the presidency said they "strongly condemn these heinous acts and affirm our full commitment to ...

Renewed Violence in Sweida Raises Concerns for Druze Civilians
VideosRenewed Violence in Sweida Raises Concerns for Druze Civilians

In southern Syria, the city of Sweida has descended into chaos. An NGO accuses government forces of executing Druze civilians following their deployment in the region. Fighting broke out after intercommunal violence that left over 200 people dead. Israel responded with airstrikes on Syrian forces, claiming to protect the Druze population. Despite ...