While Lebanon is demanding a permanent truce and a halt to the destruction of border villages, Israel seeks to retain full freedom of operations in Lebanon until the Hezbollah issue is resolved. It is unclear how the United States will bridge these positions
By Joshua McElwee ROME, May 14 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Thursday decried rising European military spending, which grew last year by the highest amount since the end of the Cold War amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it was a betrayal of diplomacy. Leo, who
MOSCOW, May 14 (Reuters) - Russia is establishing a "full-fledged partnership" with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and is encouraging other countries in the region to expand cooperation with Kabul, a senior Russian security official was quoted on Thursday as saying. Russia last
NEW DELHI, May 14 (Reuters) - Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday that "safe, unimpeded maritime flows" through international waters, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, are vital for global economic well-being. "We must also address the
NEW DELHI, May 14 (Reuters) - Peace underpins global order and recent conflicts highlight the need for dialogue, India’s Foreign Minister SubrahmanyamJaishankar said on Thursday as the BRICS group began a two-day meeting overshadowed by tension between members Iran and the
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Andrea Shalal BEIJING/WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to ask China to help end the costly and unpopular Iran war in discussions with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, with peace talks stalled and the
Lebanon and Israel are to hold new peace talks in Washington starting Thursday, as their latest ceasefire -- considered to still be in place despite hundreds of deaths in Israeli strikes -- nears its end. Israel's military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon
SEOUL, May 14 (Reuters) - The possibility that an entity other than Iran was responsible for the attack against a South Korean cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz is low, a senior official in Seoul was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency on Thursday. South Korea is
From her home in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, Anna Sloutskin yearns to expand her country's borders and one day move to southern Lebanon. And she is not alone. With fighting between Israel and Hezbollah displacing more than a million Lebanese, a far-right
After months under a near-total internet blackout during the Middle East war, Iranian tech worker Amir-Hassan was finally able to get back online, but only through a privileged service that has sparked public criticism. Millions like the 39-year-old have been unable to access
By Karen Sloan May 13 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked U.S. sanctions against Francesca Albanese, a U.N. expert on the Palestinian territories, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights by imposing the measures
WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) - The United States hopes to convince China to play a more active role in trying to persuade Iran to walk away from what it is doing in the Gulf, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview aired on Fox News on Wednesday. Rubio made the
Lebanon's health ministry said 22 people including eight children were killed on Wednesday as Israel intensified strikes on the country, with several deadly raids hitting south of Beirut. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israeli airstrikes had pounded around 40
By Ayhan Uyanik and Erol Dogrudogan VIENNA, May 13 (Reuters) - Israel's contestant at the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final on Tuesday heard the boos of a small number of pro-Palestinian protesters as he took the stage even though many in the room could not, he told Reuters on
Iran held a send-off ceremony Wednesday for the national football team as it prepared to play in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The players, dressed in red and black tracksuits, were presented at a stage in the central Tehran square of
(corrects title of JD Vance to Vice President) WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday he believes progress is being made in negotiations with Iran to end hostilities, after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran's latest proposal as
The Prime Minister's Office called Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed a 'historic breakthrough' in ties between the countries. The visit came after reports Israel sent Iron Dome batteries and troops to help defend the Gulf state from Iranian
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked the latest Democratic-led effort to end the Iran war until it is authorized by Congress, but the measure edged closer to passage as a third Republican voted to advance the bill. The
By Andrea Shalal, Michael Martina and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON/BEIJING, May 13 (Reuters) - When U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping this week he is expected to ask for help resolving his costly and unpopular war with Iran. He is unlikely to get the
The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.
By Michael Holden LONDON, May 13 (Reuters) - London police said on Wednesday they would mount an "unprecedented" operation this weekend to prevent violence and serious disorder when two large protests - anti-immigration and pro-Palestinian - take place in the British capital.
JERUSALEM, May 13 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates and met with the Emirati president during the war with Iran, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said on Wednesday. According to the statement, the meeting resulted
JERUSALEM, May 13 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates and met with the Emirati president during the war with Iran, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said on Wednesday. According to the statement, the meeting resulted
By Timour Azhari, Ahmed Rasheed and Humeyra Pamuk RIYADH/BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) - Saudi fighter jets bombed targets linked to powerful Tehran-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq during the Iran war, while retaliatory strikes were also launched from Kuwait into Iraq,
DUBAI, May 13 (Reuters) - Iran has released on bail prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was arrested in early April in a crackdown during the conflict with the United States and Israel, Iranian news agencies and her daughter said on Wednesday. Nournews,
In Tunisia, May usually heralds the start of the summer tourism boom, but as the Middle East war wreaks havoc on the region, the season is opening on uneasy footing. Industry officials blame the fallout from the conflict, which has sent oil prices and travel costs
Iran said it downed two US helicopters last month as American forces use the aircraft for strikes in the Gulf.
LONDON, May 13 - The war that began on February 28 with a massive Israeli-U.S. bombing campaign against Iran has rocked the entire Middle East, wreaking damage to infrastructure and economies and overturning settled assumptions about regional security. On a second major front,
In this effort, the IDF leaves room for outposts by pushing Palestinians off areas it claims as firing zones. Seizure orders doubled in the space of a year
The move removes a decades-old reexport mechanism routed largely through Georgia as Ankara and Yerevan step up normalization efforts.
Analysts say China is cautiously looking to de-escalate the US-Iran war while limiting its direct involvement.
By Gabriel Stargardter and Raphael Satter PARIS, May 13 (Reuters) - French authorities are examining whether a foreign interference campaign aimed at a hard-left party ahead ofMarch's municipal elections was carried out at least in part by an obscure Israeli firm called
Stock markets were mixed Wednesday and oil prices steadied but remained above $100 a barrel as investors awaited a high-stakes summit between the United States and China, and Middle East peace talks stalled. Oil prices surged earlier this week on signs that no breakthrough was
Stock markets drifted higher Wednesday as investors awaited a high-stakes summit between the United States and China, while oil prices diverged as Middle East peace talks stalled. Oil prices surged earlier this week on signs that no breakthrough was in sight to resume crucial
ANKARA, May 13 (Reuters) - Turkey's attempt to finish its decades-old conflict with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group has stalled, with both sides waiting for the other to act in a peace bid complicated by the Iran war. The apparent stalemate has held up a
By Jonathan Spicer and Ahmed Rasheed ANKARA/BAGHDAD, May 13 (Reuters) - Just two weeks after Turkey's parliament made recommendations on how to advance the country's peace process with Kurdish militants, the Iran war broke out, plunging the Middle East into fresh instability
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - Netanyahu's UAE visit - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a "secret" meeting with the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during the war with Iran, his office said.
May 13 (Reuters) - The World Food Programme said on Wednesday it had halved emergency food assistance in Syria due to funding shortages, warning that millions remained vulnerable despite signs of stabilisation in parts of the country. The U.N. agency's biggest donor, the United
Four people were thrown out of the first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, which saw attempts to disrupt Israel's performance, organisers said Wednesday. As 28-year-old Israeli singer Noam Bettan began his performance of "Michelle" during Tuesday's live show, a protester
The move comes as relations between Iran and Lebanon continue to deteriorate in light of what is perceived as ongoing Iranian interference in Lebanese affairs via its proxy group, Hezbollah.
DUBAI, May 13 (Reuters) - A unit of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said on Wednesday that one of its tankers struck by Iranian drones last week has leaked a small amount of fuel off the coast of Oman, underscoring the ecological risks stemming from the Iran war.
By Alistair Smout LONDON, May 13 (Reuters) - Britain will legislate to strengthen its ability to deal with proxies for malign state actors, taking powers to make it possible to ban them in light of increased activity in Britain and a rise in antisemitic attacks. Prime Minister
By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Maayan Lubell and Dawoud Abu Alkas CAIRO/JERUSALEM/GAZA, May 13 (Reuters) - Israel has escalated its attacks in Gaza in the five weeks since halting its joint bombing with the U.S. in Iran, redirecting its fire back on the ruined Palestinian enclave where