By Orhan Qereman, Khalil Ashawi and Feras Maqdisi QAMISHLI, Syria, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Syrian government security forces entered the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Tuesday, security sources and witnesses said, implementing a U.S.-backed deal to bring
The United States is still planning talks with Iranian officials this week, the White House said Tuesday, even after a US warplane shot down an Iranian drone that approached an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. "I just spoke with special envoy (Steve) Witkoff, and
Bloomberg reported that the United Arab Emirates-based airline is 'working to restart' flights between Dubai and Ben-Gurion Airport. However, the outlet did not specify a timeframe for the resumption of flights
By Simon Lewis WASHINGTON, Feb 3 - The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday pledged to donate $500 million to a U.N. fund for humanitarian aid for Sudan, amid a U.S. push to renew efforts towards a truce in the conflict that has devastated the country. Sudan has accused the UAE of
By Parisa Hafezi, Humeyra Pamuk and Idrees Ali DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Feb 3 - Iran is demanding that talks with the U.S. this week be held in Oman not Turkey, and that the scope be narrowed to two-way talks on nuclear issues only, a regional source said on Tuesday, casting doubt on
Iran’s push for a bilateral, nuclear-only format and a possible shift to Oman has frustrated mediators.
ANKARA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday and told him Turkey was determined to take relations to a higher level in areas including renewable energy and defence industry, Erdogan's office
Feb 3 (Reuters) - Iraq's former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, nominated by a powerful alliance of Shi'ite political parties to return to the premiership, said on Tuesday that he would welcome a decision to replace his candidacy. On January 27, U.S. President Donald Trump said
DUBAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A group of Iranian gunboats approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman, maritime sources and a security consultancy said on Tuesday. The Iranian boats ordered the tanker, the Stena Imperative, to stop its engine and prepare
Six Iranian boats also approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, ordering it to stop, but the vessel instead increased its speed and was escorted to safety by a U.S. warship. The incident comes as Iran signals it may withdraw from upcoming nuclear talks with
Armed boats attempted to intercept a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the same day that major container lines also announced the resumption of limited transits through the Suez Canal.
Jewish Israelis turned out in droves in Sakhnin and Tel Aviv to protest skyrocketing murders in Arab society and the government's inaction. But can the momentum be sustained until elections in October?
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa CAIRO/GAZA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Palestinian women among the few people let back into Gaza after Israel's delayed reopening of the Rafah crossing under last year's ceasefire have described being blindfolded, handcuffed and interrogated by
Feb 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. military shot down on Tuesday an Iranian drone that approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, a U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday. The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying towards the carrier and was shot down by a F-35
The US military accused Iran of "unnecessary aggression" after shooting down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and IRGC approached a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Both run-ins came ahead of US-Iran talks expected later this week.
The US military accused Iran of "unnecessary aggression" after shooting down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and IRGC vessels approached a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz in run-ins ahead of US-Iran talks later this week.
The US military accused Iran of "unnecessary aggression" after shooting down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and IRGC vessels approached a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of US-Iran talks later this week.
Syrian government forces entered the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on Tuesday as part of a deal agreed last week to gradually integrate the Kurds' forces and institutions into the state. Their arrival in the stronghold of the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration came
By Nafisa Eltahir and Khalid Abdelaziz Feb 3 - The Sudanese army said it broke a years-long siege on the city of Kadugli on Tuesday, potentially providing tens of thousands of people a reprieve from famine and signaling a shift in the war's momentum. The conflict between the
MOSCOW, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, saying they had agreed to deepen cooperation in the political, economic, trade and humanitarian spheres. According to
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s security chiefs briefed US envoy Steve Witkoff on the country’s concerns ahead of Friday’s US-Iran talks.
By Emily Rose JERUSALEM, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to meet U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday amid efforts to revive diplomacy over a long-running dispute about Iran's nuclear programme. The meeting was scheduled for 1430
(Refiles to correct spelling of Janes in 22nd paragraph) By Alexander Dziadosz, Marine Delrue and Maria Paula Laguna CAIRO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The deployment of a powerful model of Turkish combat drone to a remote airstrip on Egypt’s southwestern border signals a sharp
By Steven Scheer JERUSALEM, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Somaliland expects to reach a trade agreement soon with Israel, the first country to recognise its independence, and is willing to offer rights to valuable mineral deposits as part of a deal, its leader said in an interview with
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, spoke at a panel discussion at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he discussed the latest developments in Gaza, Iran, Sudan and Yemen.
The Gulf country and OPEC member has made significant oil and gas discoveries since 2023.
Feb 3 (Reuters) - Syrian government security forces moved towards the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Tuesday, security sources and witnesses said, as they implement a U.S.-backed deal to bring Kurdish-run regions under the control of Damascus. The deal,
Gazans long-separated from their loved ones shed tears of joy after the limited reopening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt allowed a handful to finally return to the war-shattered territory. Jubilant crowds filmed on their phones as they flocked around a bus carrying returnees
Iran's president confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of talks with the United States, provided they were free of threats, after his counterpart Donald Trump suggested "bad things" would happen without a deal. There has been no official confirmation from Iran on
ATHENS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Greece is "very close" to announcing a social media ban for children aged under 15, a senior government source told Reuters on Tuesday. Spain said on Tuesday that it plans to ban social media for those aged under 16 and will create a law to hold social
KYIV, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The work of Ukraine's negotiating team will be adjusted after Russia's overnight attack on Ukrainian energy facilities, which involved a record number of ballistic missiles, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday. "It was a deliberate attack
GENEVA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A World Health Organization official said on Tuesday that the first five patients were transferred through Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt, which reopened on Monday. "On the second of February, WHO and partners supported the medical evacuation of five
By Maha El Dahan and Nayera Abdallah DUBAI, Feb 3 - Regional power United Arab Emirates urged Iran and the United States on Tuesday to strikea nuclear deal and reach a long-term solutionto tensions ahead of the resumption of talks between the foes and regional states,
By Tarek Amara TUNIS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A Tunisian appeal court on Tuesday upheld and increased lengthy prison sentences on high-profile politicians, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi and former security officials, as part of a crackdown on dissent. Among those
DUBAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The Middle East does not need another confrontation between the U.S. and Iran, and Tehran needs to reach a nuclear deal with Washington, the diplomatic adviser to the president of regional power United Arab Emirates said at a World Governments Summit
MADRID, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Spain will ban access to social media for minors under 16 and platforms will be required to implement age verification systems, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday at the World Government Summit in Dubai. "Our children are exposed to a space
DUBAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A large fire broke out in a shopping centre in the west of the Iranian capital, state media reported on Tuesday, adding that firefighting teams were at the scene to extinguish it. (Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alison Williams)
Settlers keep returning to the latest illegal West Bank outpost of Kol Mevaser – sometimes in less than an hour. They also keep violently attacking a nearby Bedouin community
By aligning itself with Trump's Gaza initiatives, Abu Dhabi is seeking to gain an edge over Saudi Arabia in Washington, a move that could translate into leverage over the future of the entire Palestinian arena and one Israel is unlikely to resist
The announcement marked a major turn for reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who previously took a more hardline stance, and signals the support of Supreme Leader Khamenei. The United States has yet to acknowledge that the talks will take place
MOSCOW, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Russia is ready for the new reality of a world with no nuclear arms control limits after the New START treaty expires later this week, Russia's point man for arms control said on Tuesday. Unless Moscow and Washington reach a last-minute bilateral
DUBAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday. "Taking into account demands from friendly regional countries to
Special envoy Steve Witkoff will try to convince Tehran that disaster awaits if it rejects the United States' demands. The talks' failure this time could begin a countdown to an American attack in Iran, despite uncertainty in Washington about whether that can bring about regime
DAKAR, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo will send its first team to monitor a ceasefire between Congo’s government and the AFC/M23 rebel group in the coming days, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Monday after hosting talks in Doha. Qatar said
Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that talks with Iran were ongoing amid high tensions. "We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones ... and we have talks going on with Iran," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We'll see how it works out."
Gen. Rodolphe Haykal is seeking US support for what is likely to be a cautious approach to expanding the geographic scope of the Lebanese army's efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have launched drone and artillery attacks in Dilling, just a week after the Sudanese army said it broke a nearly two-year siege on the town.
Iranian officials warned Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that public anger after last month's deadly crackdown has reached a tipping point, and that a limited U.S. strike could embolden protesters and threaten the regime's survival
