By Ali Hankir and Mohamed Azakir BEIRUT, June 25 (Reuters) - A long-awaited ceasefire has brought relative calm to Lebanon, but it hasn't brought peace of mind to Hussein Merhi. He is among tens of thousands who remain displaced because their homes were destroyed in Israeli
By Mohammad Yunus Yawar KABUL, June 25 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban government has ordered a nationwide ban on civil servants' smartphone use, a military court order showed, prompting warnings from rights activists that the move could further restrict access to
By Tala Ramadan, David Morgan and Patricia Zengerle DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to pre-war levels on Thursday as the United States said flows through the Strait of Hormuz were nearing normal and its top diplomat completed a Gulf tour aimed at shoring
Tunisia's humiliating exit from the 2026 World Cup after two heavy losses against Sweden and Japan delt a blow to Eagles of Carthage fans, who say it laid bare years of dysfunction within the football federation. The team, which had made history in 1978 by becoming the first
DUBAI, June 25 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Iran and Oman stressed the need for continued bilateral coordination on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call on Thursday, Iranian state media reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his
Inside a Gaza City culinary academy that has been bombed and rebuilt twice during the war, students chop, whisk, and plate dishes with quiet determination, committed to mastering their craft despite the hardships that surround them. At Smile Kitchen Culinary Academy, men and
The denial followed a report citing a U.S. State Department official saying Israeli forces pulled back from some of the territory occupied in southern Lebanon as a 'gesture of good faith' toward the Lebanese government
Almost a million Lebanese remain displaced over fears of continued fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military. Those who have returned found neighborhoods wiped out and homes in ruins. 'It's the beginning of a new struggle,' one said
By Ali Sawafta SEBASTIA, West Bank, June 25 (Reuters) - An Israeli bill that would extend civil control over ancient sites in the West Bank has drawn criticism from Palestinians and Israeli rights groups who say it is tantamount to annexation of occupied land and would expand
BEIRUT, June 25 (Reuters) - Senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday that there had been any Israeli withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon, after a U.S. official said Israel had pulled some of its troops back in a good faith gesture toward Lebanon's
On Wednesday, the IDF said a Bedouin Israeli civilian contractor working with the country's Defense Ministry was killed in an operational accident in Gaza. Last week, five Israeli soldiers were killed in separate incidents in Lebanon and were laid to rest on Sunday
BAGHDAD, June 25 (Reuters) - Iraq will be compelled to consider all available options if its OPEC quota is not significantly increased, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official told Reuters on Thursday. Separate sources told Reuters Iraqi officials had considered leaving OPEC, but
By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir June 25 (Reuters) - Newly issued Sudanese pounds have begun circulating in territory controlled by a paramilitary group fighting the national army, raising questions about the source of the notes and potentially deepening the country's de
By Gram Slattery MANAMA, June 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Bahrain officials on Thursday on the final leg of a trip to the Middle East where he has sought to sell the Trump administration's preliminary Iran accord to skeptical Gulf Arab
From being shepherded out of Iraq as a baby to growing up on the mean streets of Toxteth in Liverpool, Iraqi striker Ali al-Hamadi's journey to the World Cup has been challenging. The 24-year-old will draw on all the qualities he has accrued from his tough upbringing when he
With even the Strait of Hormuz deal open to conflicting interpretations, Gulf states are forging closer ties with Iran, weakening the united front Washington sought to build. Once again, Iran stands to gain diplomatic leverage
By Renju Jose SYDNEY, June 25 (Reuters) - Australia faces multi-faceted threats from autocratic regimes, hackers and antisemitic extremists that present a systemic challenge to national security and are degrading the security environment, the country's spy chief said. While
The last Australian woman stranded in the Middle East over suspected links to the Islamic State group will be allowed to return home, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Thursday. Dozens of women and children have been returning to Australian from squalid Syrian detention
By Humeyra Pamuk and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday it may never be known who was at fault for a deadly strike on a girls' school in Iran on February 28, the first day of the Iran war, that killed scores of children.
By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using a mix of flattery and gentle pushback to argue that examples of allies' reluctance to support the U.S.
WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance indicated on Wednesday that a review was under way to see how the United States could sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets given Ankara's 2019 acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defense systems. "Pete and the entire team
Israel's top defense official said his country would not withdraw from Lebanon despite diplomatic pressure from Washington as it seeks rapprochement with Iran.
By Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Three International Criminal Court judges on Wednesday sued U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration over sanctions imposed on themlast year, arguing the measures were unlawful. In the lawsuit filed in the federal
General Chris Donahue -- the last American soldier to depart Afghanistan and the current commander of US Army forces in Europe and Africa -- will leave his position early next month, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. Donahue "will relinquish command on July 2, 2026," Army
BERLIN, June 24 (Reuters) - European leaders reaffirmed on Wednesday their commitment to a stronger defence partnership ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankara, following a series of spats with U.S. President Donald Trump and tensions among the main European members. They
June 24 (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for the early restoration of normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to help ensure the stability of global industrial and supply chains, state media Xinhua reported on Wednesday. Here are some more details: •
The country's leaders are seeking to translate a flurry of oil and gas agreements into concrete investments and rebuild an industry devastated by more than a decade of war, sanctions and isolation.
According to a recent survey, 80% of Democrats expressed an unfavorable view of Israel, yet party leadership in the House and Senate has remained largely aligned with longstanding US support for Israel.
KUWAIT CITY, June 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday vowed that the United States will not do anything that would undermine the security of U.S. allies in the Gulf region when it comes to Washington's dealings with Iran. "We're going to be
By Humeyra Pamuk and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration is planning to push ahead with the sale of dozens of jet engines to Turkey worth hundreds of millions of dollars despite objections from the U.S. Congress, four sources
KUWAIT CITY, June 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait resumed operations on Wednesday during a visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, months after services were suspended in March by Iranian attacks. The embassy, located in Kuwait City, will immediately resume
Cracked bones, humiliation, sexual assault: Pro-Palestinian activists recounted the abuse they say they suffered from Israeli authorities for taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month, which has sparked multiple investigations and international outcry. France, Italy
ROME, June 24 (Reuters) - Italy on Wednesday pushed back against remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that hundreds of U.S. aircraft had taken off from American bases in Italy to support military operations against Iran, saying Rome had authorised only technical and
By Alexander Cornwell, Tala Ramadan and Jana Choukeir TEL AVIV/DUBAI June 24 (Reuters) - Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as the top U.S. diplomat tours the Middle
By Samia Nakhoul BEIRUT, June 24 (Reuters) - The biggest casualty of the U.S.-Iran deal may not be Israel's Iran strategy, but the political brand Benjamin Netanyahu spent decades constructing as the Israeli leader who could uniquely bend Washington to his will on Iran,
Defense Minister Israel Katz also said Israel will not withdraw from the territories the IDF captured in Syria either. 'This is the security doctrine. The IDF must be on the enemy's turf and protect the communities from within the territory itself,' he said
ZURICH, June 24 (Reuters) - Switzerland has started contract negotiations with manufacturers from France, Israel and South Korea for a second air defence system following delays to its order of U.S. Patriot missile systems, the government said on Wednesday. Switzerland in 2022
ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he would "most likely" hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump when the U.S. leader comes to Ankara for a NATO summit next month. Turkey will host 32 NATO leaders, as well as
Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, was trading at $73.81 a barrel at 10:40 a.m. EDT, down 4.2% from Tuesday's close.