Middle East

Syrian State Media Say Israeli Strikes Kill Soldier
Syrian State Media Say Israeli Strikes Kill Soldier

Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes hit a residential area of Damascus and a military site in Homs on Thursday, killing one soldier and wounding seven others. The Israeli army "launched an attack from the occupied Syrian Golan and from northern Lebanon, targeting two sites" in the Kafr Sousa district of Damascus and a military ...

Blinken Heads to Qatar, a Key Mediator, to Push for Gaza Truce
Blinken Heads to Qatar, a Key Mediator, to Push for Gaza Truce

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to key Hamas mediator Qatar on Thursday, seeking momentum to end the Gaza war following Israel's killing of the group's leader. Two days after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Blinken flew from Saudi Arabia to the Qatari capital, Doha, to assess Hamas's position on a ...

Turkey Accuses PKK over Ankara Defense Firm Attack
Turkey Accuses PKK over Ankara Defense Firm Attack

Turkey's interior minister on Wednesday pointed the finger at the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the government, over a deadly attack on a defense firm near the capital Ankara. "The identification process and the search for fingerprints are continuing and we will say which terrorist ...

Putin Faces Calls for Peace at Flagship BRICS Summit
Putin Faces Calls for Peace at Flagship BRICS Summit

World leaders called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine at the BRICS summit in Russia on Wednesday, as President Vladimir Putin told them he welcomed offers to mediate in the Ukraine conflict. The Russian leader is casting the gathering as a sign that Western attempts to isolate Moscow have failed, but faced direct calls to end the Ukraine ...

'Dead and Wounded' in Attack on Ankara Aerospace Giant
'Dead and Wounded' in Attack on Ankara Aerospace Giant

Three people were killed and 14 others wounded in an attack on a top Turkish defense firm near Ankara, Turkey's interior minister said Wednesday. "We have three martyrs and 14 injured in the attack," wrote Ali Yerlikaya on X, also saying "two terrorists were neutralized" in the incident at the headquarters of state-run Turkish Aerospace ...

UK and Germany Sign 'Milestone' Defense Deal
UK and Germany Sign 'Milestone' Defense Deal

London and Berlin on Wednesday hailed a "milestone" in military cooperation, as they signed a new defense pact that would see German submarine-hunting planes operate from British bases and counter threats from Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Europe's two biggest defense spenders said the Trinity House Agreement, signed by defense ...

WHO Suspends Polio Vaccination in Northern Gaza Amid Escalating Violence
WHO Suspends Polio Vaccination in Northern Gaza Amid Escalating Violence

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that “intense bombardment” and “escalating violence” in northern Gaza have forced it to postpone the final phase of a child polio vaccination campaign. The necessary second round of vaccinations was completed in central and southern Gaza and was set to begin on Wednesday in the ...

Blinken Pushes for Saudi-Israel Deal Despite Regional Wars
Blinken Pushes for Saudi-Israel Deal Despite Regional Wars

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday to promote potential normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, ahead of a meeting in London on Friday with Arab foreign ministers regarding the wars in the Middle East. Before departing Tel Aviv for Riyadh, Blinken urged Israel to seize the “incredible opportunity” to ...

Putin Promotes 'Multipolar World Order' at BRICS Summit
Putin Promotes 'Multipolar World Order' at BRICS Summit

The meeting in the city of Kazan is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022, triggering a barrage of Western sanctions and international condemnation. Around 20 leaders, including those from China, India, Turkey, and Iran, are gathering in Kazan to address topics such as developing a BRICS-led ...

Guterres Stirs Controversy by Visiting Russia for BRICS Summit
Guterres Stirs Controversy by Visiting Russia for BRICS Summit

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Russia on Wednesday to attend the BRICS summit, marking his first visit to the country in over two years, which has drawn scorn from Ukraine. The gathering is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since the launch of its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, and President Vladimir ...

Turkey Eyeing BRICS Membership While Staying in NATO
WindowTurkey Eyeing BRICS Membership While Staying in NATO

Turkey's overtures towards BRICS may be a first for a NATO member, but experts say the move is economically driven and aligns with Ankara's desire for "strategic autonomy." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will join the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan on Wednesday at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. He will meet ...