Colombia's hard-right president-elect plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem as he seeks to restore and strengthen ties with Israel, his office said Thursday. The incoming government is moving forward with "the opening of the Colombian Embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of
By Maya Gebeily BEIRUT, July 16 (Reuters) - Lebanon and Syria will in the coming months begin revising decades-old trade agreements torevive their economic relationship following the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in 2024, Lebanon's economy minister told Reuters on
July 16 (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that all Saudi oil and other vital facilities would be targets for the group's missiles and drones if Riyadh escalated its involvement in the conflict. The warning came after the Houthis fired
Sources say the group has deployed missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening to disrupt the Middle East's two main energy export routes as U.S.-Iran fighting escalates
For Oman, recalibrating its ties with Washington after the Iran war means diversifying its partnerships — leaning more on European allies like France and deepening its relationship with China.
By Rick Noack, Mubasher Bukhari and Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, July 16 (Reuters) - Attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis this week have frustrated Pakistan and threaten to draw Islamabad into the conflict, complicating any future role it may have as a mediator
ALGIERS, July 16 (Reuters) - Eleven people, including children, were killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage close to the Algerian capital Algiers early on Thursday, authorities said. Locals and emergency crews rushed to the building in the Mohammadia district of the
By Parisa Hafezi, Samia Nakhoul and Jonathan Saul DUBAI, July 16 (Reuters) - Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a potent
The operation comes as part of the Syrian authorities' efforts to curb illicit arms smuggling through its territory, namely intended for Hezbollah.
By Nidal al-Mughrabi CAIRO, July 16 (Reuters) - Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian health officials said, as a U.S.-based research group reported a surge in Israeli attacks to levels not seen since the latest truce took
US Vice President JD Vance said some members of the Israeli government had tried to influence US public opinion to oppose a deal by the US to end the war with Iran, in a podcast episode with host Joe Rogan posted on Wednesday.The comments echoed earlier criticism of Israeli
July 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has called the release of a U.S. citizen held in Iran a "gesture of goodwill", even as conflict raged for a fifth night across the Middle East. Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that an American who was "wrongfully
Eleven people, including children, were killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage close to the Algerian capital Algiers early on Thursday, authorities said.Locals and emergency crews rushed to the building in the Mohammadia district of the province of Algiers, where
The United States struck Iran and Tehran hit back at Gulf states on Thursday, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East war.The key oil and gas artery, which Iran insists it controls, is central to the rekindled fighting that has entered its
By Nayera Abdallah, Jana Choukeir and Eman Abouhassira DUBAI, July 16 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States exchanged intensified fire on Thursday in a week-long escalation that has all but torn up last month's truce, though Iran's release of a U.S. citizen pointed towards a
By Nayera Abdallah and Jana Choukeir DUBAI, July 16 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States exchanged intensified fire on Thursday in a week-long escalation that has all but torn up last month's truce, but Iran's release of a U.S. citizen was seen as signalling a path to avert
By Jana Choukeir and Nayera Abdallah DUBAI, July 16 (Reuters) - Iran said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz was an inviolable "red line", warning that if U.S. President Donald Trump carried out his threat to attack Iran's infrastructure, it would strike all infrastructure
Syrian authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle in a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles over the border from Iraq, the state news agency SANA reported on Thursday, citing an Interior Ministry source, who said preliminary investigations showed the shipment was intended
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke with his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth overnight, his office said, Israeli media reported on Thursday.Katz’s office says that Hegseth updated him “on the American military’s activities in Iran, and the two agreed to
Fewer vessels traveled through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the first day after the US reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports with both countries escalating strikes across the Gulf, shipping data showed.Seven vessels crossed the strait on Wednesday, mostly on the
Pakistan said on Thursday it would encourage the United States and Iran to stop violence and resume talks under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) it helped mediate last month.“While the implementation of the MoU is facing challenges, Pakistan will continue to encourage all
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi condemned a “drone attack” that violated the airspace of Erbil in the northern Kurdistan region, his office said Thursday, after several drones were shot down.“We have directed the relevant security agencies... in coordination with the Region’s
President Donald Trump urged top defense executives on Wednesday to accelerate weapons production and expand manufacturing capacity as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East strain US stockpiles and expose bottlenecks in the nation’s industrial base.Speaking at Pennsylvania
NEW DELHI, July 16 (Reuters) - India has ordered shipowners, ship managers and recruitment companies not to deploy the country's seafarers on vessels undertaking trips through the Strait of Hormuz amid renewed fighting in the region. India is the world's third-largest supplier
NEW DELHI, July 16 (Reuters) - India has ordered shipowners, ship managers and recruitment companies not to deploy the country's seafarers on vessels undertaking trips through the Strait of Hormuz amid renewed fighting in the region. India is the world's third-largest supplier
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Iran badly wants to settle with the United States, adding that Washington would decide whether or not to take such a step.Upon arriving in Pennsylvania for the Defense and Innovation Summit, Trump said he does not “like giving
President Donald Trump is considering expanding military operations in Iran following briefings from top aides, U.S. officials reportedly said, as American forces launched two waves of attacks on Iran's coastal defenses and missile sites
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that arch foe Iran has freed an American citizen detained since December 2024 and allowed her to leave the country.“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding: “The United
The US military said in a statement on Thursday that it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran that it carried out at President Donald Trump’s direction, with targets including Bandar Abbas, Iran’s principal port city on the Strait of Hormuz.“US forces struck Iranian
The United States struck Iran and Tehran hit back at US allies in the Gulf, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East war. Pakistan calls for new Iran-US talks Pakistan said it would encourage the United States and Iran to stop attacks and
Iran's latest attacks on shipping underscore the gap between Trump's declarations and reality. As Saudi Arabia and the Houthis trade fire for the first time since 2022, Washington still lacks a clear strategy for securing one of the world's most vital waterways
SINGAPORE, July 16 (Reuters) - Fewer vessels travelled through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the first day after the U.S. reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports with both countries escalating strikes across the Gulf, shipping data showed. Nine vessels crossed the
US envoy Massad Boulos has spent the past year shuttling between Libya's rival leaders to bridge their political divide. Authorities in Tripoli and the UN mission in Libya, which has spent months leading political talks to resolve the divide, did not respond to AFP requests for
Armed with paintbrushes and wearing surgical gloves, volunteers inside a large tent in Gaza delicately brushed dust from a stone mosaic before placing it into storage, part of an effort to preserve cultural heritage hit by war. "Several mosaic artworks have been lost or
By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives defeated an amendment to cut off aid to Israel on Wednesday, despite nearly half of Democrats supporting it, reflecting a growing rupture between U.S. progressives and
The US approved the possible sale of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth $1.96 billion, the State Department said on Wednesday.According to the State Department, Saudi Arabia had requested to purchase up to 10,000 APKWS-II air-to-air guidance
The U.S. military launches a second wave of strikes against Iran, targeting what U.S. Central Command said were Iranian military capabilities used to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - Recent waves of U.S. strikes on Iran aimed at forcing open the Strait of Hormuz are also targeting Iranian military capabilities the U.S. would want to destroy before executing more complex operations against Iran,
A fresh round of American strikes against Iran were underway on Wednesday afternoon, the US military said.The strikes started at 1900 GMT, the second wave of attacks on Wednesday.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The strikes are
The Israeli military said it killed three Hezbollah members in south Lebanon on Wednesday, shortly after US-sponsored Israel-Lebanon negotiations were held in Rome.“Earlier today (Wednesday), [Israeli] soldiers identified three armed Hezbollah terrorists in the area of Beit
Shipping companies are avoiding using a US military-guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz after a wave of Iranian attacks on vessels sparked safety concerns, seven maritime security and shipping industry sources said.For decades ships sailed into and out of the
Recent waves of US strikes on Iran aimed at forcing open the Strait of Hormuz are also targeting Iranian military capabilities the US would want to destroy before executing more complex operations against Iran, three US officials said.The officials, who were granted anonymity
Several explosions were heard Wednesday near the US consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region.Air defenses were activated near the consulate, which was a target of repeated drone and rocket attacks during the Middle East war.For all the latest
