6 mins read

Explosions heard in Saudi capital and Riyadh airport, and other Mideast developments

Several explosions were heard in the Saudi capital on Thursday, including one at the Riyadh airport that halted flights, a witness said. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claimed the blast came from one of their ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, Britain says it demoted its consulate in east Jerusalem to a mission and that 20 diplomats will leave the […]

4 mins read

Residents of southern Lebanon gather to watch Israeli drones drop explosives on their village

HANNIYEH, Lebanon | A group of men and children gathered Friday at a vantage point overlooking their village in southern Lebanon, watching from a distance as Israeli drones descended, carrying boxes laden with explosives to be dropped on houses. It has become a daily ritual for residents of Mansouri, who fled the village weeks ago […]

3 mins read

Israeli airstrikes on a village in southern Lebanon kill 9 people, wound 13

KFAR RUMMAN, Lebanon | Israel’s air force carried out two airstrikes early Monday on a southern Lebanese village, killing at least nine people and wounding others, including women and children, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. Monday’s strikes came amid a new round of escalation between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group despite a truce reached more […]

4 mins read

2 soldiers killed in Lebanon in the first Israeli deaths since June truce with Hezbollah

BEIRUT | Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion in southern Lebanon, Israel’s military said Thursday, the first Israeli deaths since a shaky truce between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began nearly two months ago. Four other soldiers were seriously wounded, the military said. An Israeli military official, who spoke on condition […]

8 mins read

A former prime minister who led Israel out of Lebanon fears mistakes are being repeated

JERUSALEM | It was just before sunrise when the last columns of Israeli tanks crossed from Lebanon back into Israel and then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who ordered the withdrawal, said the homecoming of Israeli troops sent “shivers down his spine.” That was May 24, 2000, the day Israel ended its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon. […]

5 mins read

Anissa Helou’s new book of recipes from Lebanon spotlights villages scarred by war

BALLOUNEH, Lebanon | Before becoming one of the Middle East’s most acclaimed cooks and food writers, Anissa Helou had no intention of either path. She entered the world of cooking and writing almost by accident when she was in her late 30s. Now 74, Helou has a wide following in the region and elsewhere and […]

7 mins read

Gaza faces uncertain future as Palestinians and Israelis mark 1,000 days of war

It’s the 1,000th day since a Hamas-led attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza. Other conflicts have emerged in the region, and fragile ceasefires show scars of persistent attacks. Both Israelis and Palestinians are weary of the strain. The fate of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, largely displaced and living amid ruins, remains […]

6 mins read

Ship runs aground in Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV reports

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | A ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz while using a route not approved by Iran, state television in Tehran reported Wednesday. The vessel was identified as a foreign container ship, with no other details. The report appeared aimed at underlining Tehran’s claims to control the strait, which the […]

6 mins read

Iran says this. The US says that. A look at the trickiest issues in the unresolved conflict

The United States and Iran have less than 60 days to negotiate a permanent end to the war, but they still seem to be at odds over the interim deal they reached this month. It’s not even clear when the two sides will meet again. “The situation is sensitive and complex,” a senior Iranian negotiator, […]

4 mins read

Massive Shiite crowds mark Ashoura amid fresh Iran-Israel-US war fallout

NABATIYEH, Lebanon | Shiite Muslims marked one of the most important days on their calendar Friday with large gatherings in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other parts of the world to remember the seventh-century killing of Hussein, the grand son of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. The annual commemoration, known as Ashoura, is marked on the 10th day […]