Middle East
Lebanon’s cabinet on Thursday named asset manager Karim Souaid as central bank governor, official media reported, a post crucial to implementing economic reforms demanded by the international community. He was appointed despite reservations of new reformist prime minister Nawaf Salam, who called on Souaid to commit to the government’
Middle East
Iraqi naval forces have seized an unidentified ship in Iraqi territorial waters in the Gulf suspected of smuggling fuel, the naval forces said in a statement. Fuel smuggling is common in Gulf waters, where heavily subsidised fuel from some countries is sold on the black market to buyers across the
Middle East
A Lebanese professor is back in her home country after she was expelled from the United States for attending the funeral of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah during a trip to Beirut, her family said Tuesday. Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist and professor at the Ivy League Brown University, was
Middle East
The US is weighing in with Lebanon’s government on the selection of the country’s next central bank governor in a bid to curtail corruption and illicit financing for armed group Hezbollah through Lebanon’s banking system, five sources familiar with the issue said. Washington’s feedback on the
Middle East
The Israeli military said it carried out an air strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday that killed a senior Hezbollah militant who was reportedly responsible for a drone and rocket arsenal. “Earlier today, the IAF (air force) conducted a precise intelligence-based strike in the area of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon,
Middle East
On a lush green hilltop on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, Carmela Keren Yakuti proudly shows off her home in Dovev, which she fled more than 16 months ago over fears of a Hezbollah attack. “Now that everyone is back, it’s an amazing feeling,” said Yakuti, 40, standing
Middle East
The trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of national security offenses is set to begin Tuesday, with rights groups denouncing the case as politically motivated. The around 40 high-profile defendants include former diplomats, politicians, lawyers and media figures, some of whom have been outspoken critics of President Kais
Middle East
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has traveled to Saudi Arabia on Monday for his first trip abroad since taking office earlier this year, the presidency said. “President Aoun left Rafic Hariri International Airport heading to Riyadh,” the presidency said on platform “X”. Aoun will be accompanied by his country’s foreign
Middle East
Forces fighting alongside Sudan’s army said on Friday they had intercepted a substantial quantity of military supplies from a convoy destined for the rival Rapid Support Forces in North Darfur. The RSF denied that a convoy had been attacked, telling Reuters the statement from the Joint Forces was “incorrect
Middle East
Security forces in Syria said on Monday that they arrested three people involved in the execution of hundreds of civilians by government forces in Damascus in 2013, two years after the country’s 13-year civil war began. Dozens of police and security trucks lined the streets of Tadamon, a Damascus
Middle East
As excitement swept through the Syrian community after Bashar Assad’s overthrow, businesses in Turkiye that rely on them for labor began quickly crunching the numbers. “The Syrians have made a big contribution to the textile sector here. If they leave, there will be a serious labor problem,” said Ali
Middle East
A Syrian whistleblower, who smuggled tens of thousands of pictures depicting torture under Bashar Assad, on Thursday revealed his identity for the first time, two months after the longtime ruler was toppled. “I am First Lt. Farid Al-Madhan, the (former) head of the forensic evidence department at the military police
Middle East
The charred remains of at least 26 victims of the Bashar Assad government were located Tuesday by Syrian civil defense workers in two separate basements in rural Damascus. The discovery adds to the growing tally of mass graves unearthed since the fall of the Assad government in December. The remains,
Middle East
The mother of US journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria in 2012, said on Monday in Damascus that the war-torn country's new leadership was committed to finding him. Tice was working as a freelance journalist for Agence France-Presse, McClatchy News, The Washington Post, CBS and other
Middle East
France’s President Emmanuel Macron Friday announced that Paris would in coming weeks host an international reconstruction conference after a war between militant group Hezbollah and Israel. After more than two years of a political vacuum at the top of the small Mediterranean country, Joseph Aoun was elected president on
Middle East
World figures hailed the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, urging them to stick to it and hurry aid to Gaza civilians. Here is a roundup of reactions from official statements, broadcast remarks and online messages. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was