Middle East

Jerusalem, Dec 18: Israeli aircraft targeted a Hamas facility in the northern Gaza Strip early Monday, claiming that two rockets fired from the Palestinian enclave struck southern Israel. “In response to the rockets launched toward southern Israel, IAF (Israel air force) aircraft targeted a Hamas training compound in the northern Gaza Strip,” a statement from the military said. On Sunday night

Doha, Dec 18: Oil-rich Qatar on Monday celebrated its National Day amid the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis, which appears to have created a greater sense unity among the nation’s 2.5 million residents. The annual holiday is observed on December 18 to mark the date in 1878 when Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani succeeded his father as the emir and led the country towards unity. Qatar's foreign

Heavy rains hit Dubai, Al Ain, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and some other parts of UAE on Sunday, flooding streets in Kalba areas. The weather department has sounded the alarm and asked residents to be cautious while out near the sea. "It is not advisable to go swimming or venture out to the mountains till Monday. The weather conditions are very unstable and we are closely monitoring the situation,"

GAZA, dec 17: Two days before he was killed, Ibrahim Abu Thurayyah filmed a message to the Israeli army. "I am passing a message to the Zionist occupation army," the 29-year-old double amputee, who lost both of his legs and a kidney in a 2008 Israeli air raid, said. "This land is our land. We are not going to give up. America has to withdraw the declaration it made." Before his death, the

Dec 15: The US ambassador to the UN has called for an international coalition to counter Iran's influence in the Middle East, while accusing the country of "fanning the flames of conflict" in the region. Nikki Haley, standing in front of what she said were the remnants of Iranian-made weapons, said the US has found evidence that Iranian ballistic missiles were transferred to, and used by, the

Dec 13: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has rejected the United States' decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the group's secretary general announced. Yousef al-Othaimeen, speaking on Wednesday at the opening of an OIC summit in Istanbul, urged Muslim leaders to work together to present a united response to the move. "The OIC rejects and condemns the American

LONDON, dec 12: International and Middle Eastern cinema chains are eager to expand into Saudi Arabia following the Kingdom’s decision to allow movie theaters to operate from early 2018. It will be the first time in 35 years that cinemas have been permitted to open in the Kingdom, and is a move likely to open up a whole new audience of cinema-goers hungry to watch the latest blockbusters without

Dec 12: The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah has said his group and its allies in the region would renew their focus on the Palestinian cause after what he called their victories elsewhere in the region. Hassan Nasrallah called on Hezbollah's allies on Monday to put in place a united strategy "in the field" to confront Israel. His speech came as thousands of Hezbollah supporters demonstrated in

A wave of anger against a US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital has spread from Asia, through the Middle East, to North Africa, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets to denounce the controversial move. Protesters filled central avenues and squares in a number of major international cities on Sunday, waving the flag of Palestine and shouting slogans to express

Cairo, Dec 10: Arab Foreign Ministers on Sunday demanded that United States President Donald Trump rescind his decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, calling it a “grave” development that puts Washington on the same side as “occupation” and the violation of international law. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, the Ministers also called for the United