Category: 2. Middle East

ANKARA — Istanbul police detained more than 400 people on Thursday during May Day demonstrations — the largest display of defiance since last month’s mass protests over Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest — held under sweeping restrictions.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced late Thursday that 407 people had been detained in Istanbul, raising the previous tally of 384 provided by the Istanbul Governor’s Office.

The statement did not give the locations of the detentions but most…

Israeli media reported today that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to order the Israeli occupation army to expand its operations in Gaza.

According to the Maariv newspaper, Netanyahu is expected to convene the State Security Cabinet at noon tomorrow for a situation assessment discussion ahead of a larger Cabinet meeting.

In light of the current stalemate in talks on a ceasefire and hostage return deal, the smaller Cabinet forum, which includes…

Chelsea Football Club has entered a new global partnership with Dubai-based developer DAMAC Properties, making the firm the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor for both men’s and women’s teams for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.

The sponsorship will debut during Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League semi-final clash with Djurgarden today. According to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol, “Chelsea have agreed a deal with Dubai property developers DAMAC to…

An Israeli media outlet has accused Egypt of spying on Israel with the help of the Chinese Air Force.

The Israeli website Natsiv.net claimed that Egypt has begun testing the capabilities of Israeli systems on the southern front after the arrival of Chinese aircraft in Upper Egypt as part of joint training exercises. Among the equipment which has arrived, is a Chinese early warning aircraft that landed in Beni Suef Military Airport.

According to the report,…

More than 1.4 million Syrians have returned to their home country after the collapse of President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime on 8 December 2024, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

In a statement published on X on Saturday, the UN refugee agency said: “Over 1.4 million Syrians are finding their way back home after years of displacement.”

Since December 2024, over 1.4 million Syrians, including about a million who were…

Calling Israel’s attacks on Syrian territory an attempt to undermine the positive climate that began with a new government in Damascus, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said Syria having a federal structure is nothing more than “a pipe dream” with no place in reality, Anadolu reported.

“As for the issue of a federal structure, it is nothing more than a pipe dream. It has no place in the reality of Syria. I advise them to make…

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) yesterday that Israel has inflicted the “worst humanitarian disaster” in this century in the Gaza Strip, as public hearings on Israeli obligations continued for a third day.

Speaking before the court, Sugiono said the court’s decision will serve as guidance to the UN General Assembly to preserve the Palestinian people’s rights, stressing that Israel must abide by…

The Jordanian State Security Court yesterday sentenced four Jordanians to 20 years in jail for transporting weapons and explosives to the Palestinian resistance in the occupied West Bank, Quds Press reported.

The defendants, Huthaifa and Ibrahim Jabr, Khaled Al-Majdalawi and Ahmed Ayesh were arrested during a security campaign carried out in July 2023 and in March 2024.

The prosecution charged the defendants with “committing acts that disturb public security…

The Sudanese army yesterday denied statements by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) about thwarting an attempt to smuggle illegal weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese army, Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported.

A spokesman for the Sudanese armed forces, Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah described the accusations as “ridiculous, untrue” and “very strange”.

He explained that Sudan is a fully sovereign state that has the right to obtain weapons…