Middle East

Lebanon Begins Repatriation of Syrian Prisoners
Lebanon Begins Repatriation of Syrian Prisoners

Lebanon began releasing Syrian detainees from Roumieh prison on Tuesday as part of a bilateral agreement to deport them back to Syria, marking the first concrete implementation of a long-debated repatriation process that carries significant political, judicial, and diplomatic implications. The process remains partial and fragile. The move, ...

Ali Larijani, Iran’s strategic mastermind and de Facto Ruler
PortraitAli Larijani, Iran’s strategic mastermind and de Facto Ruler

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Tuesday that the Israeli army had killed Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an airstrike in Tehran as part of its operation against Iran. Larijani’s death comes amid an open war following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February—an event that ...

Time for Lebanon to Partner with Israel Against Hezbollah
Op-edTime for Lebanon to Partner with Israel Against Hezbollah

Now that Lebanon and Israel’s interests are so clearly aligned in disarming Hezbollah, the time has come for the two states to cooperate toward this shared goal and lay the groundwork for peace. On March 2, Lebanon’s cabinet convened an emergency meeting and declared Hezbollah’s military and security activities illegal, ordered it to ...

Three Lebanese Soldiers Killed by Israeli Strikes in Southern Lebanon
Three Lebanese Soldiers Killed by Israeli Strikes in Southern Lebanon

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced on Tuesday that one of its soldiers was killed, and four were wounded, after an Israeli strike struck a military vehicle in southern Lebanon, marking the first direct hit on the national army since this round of fighting began on March 2. According to an official statement published by the Lebanese Army ...

UAE's Fujairah Struck Again, Suspends Oil Loadings
UAE's Fujairah Struck Again, Suspends Oil Loadings

A new drone strike hit the Fujairah oil complex on the UAE's east coast on Tuesday causing a fire but no injuries, and leading to the temporary suspension of all oil loading operations, according to Bloomerg. "Civil defence teams from the emirate intervened immediately on site and are continuing their efforts to bring the situation under ...

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

Fire at Hotel near U.S. Embassy in Baghdad After Drone Attack
Fire at Hotel near U.S. Embassy in Baghdad After Drone Attack

A fire broke out late Monday on the roof of a hotel in Baghdad's Green Zone, witnesses told AFP, with the interior ministry saying there were no casualties or damage after a "projectile" landed on the building. Two Iraqi security sources said a drone attack had targeted the U.S. embassy, located in the same area as the al-Rasheed ...

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

One Man Wounded in Northern Israel Following Hezbollah Rocket Launch
One Man Wounded in Northern Israel Following Hezbollah Rocket Launch

Lebanon's Hezbollah said it launched an attack on Monday targeting the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, where first responders reported a man was wounded. The Iran-backed militant group said in a statement that its fighters targeted Nahariya "with a barrage of rockets and a swarm of attack drones". Israel's Magen David Adom ...

Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah Says Security Spokesperson Killed
Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah Says Security Spokesperson Killed

Iraq's powerful Kataeb Hezbollah on Monday said its senior commander and security spokesperson Abu Ali al-Askari had been killed. The group's leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi, also known as Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, said on Monday in a statement "we announce the martyrdom of Haj Abu Ali al-Askari", without providing any details on how ...