Category: 2. Middle East

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are to settle Syria’s outstanding arrears of around $15 million to the World Bank, both countries said in a joint statement, paving the way for the approval of millions of dollars in grants for reconstruction and to support the country’s paralysed public sector, Reuters reports.

Reuters was first to report the news earlier this month. The plans would be the first known instance of Saudi Arabia providing financing for Syria since…

The Israeli army extended compulsory military service by four months amid a manpower shortage, local media said on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, soldiers will serve an additional four months to a full three-year term.

The army also decided to suspend pre-release leaves, requiring soldiers to serve a full three years before discharge.

There was no immediate confirmation from the army of the report.

The newspaper said the…

Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to meet with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, as well as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, during a visit to Qatar on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said, Anadolu reports.

According to the sources, talks are expected to focus on strengthening bilateral ties and coordination on regional developments.

A joint press conference with the Qatari prime…

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza announced Sunday that the death toll from the war had risen to more than 52,000 people, after hundreds previously listed as missing were confirmed dead.

“An additional 697 martyrs have been added to the cumulative statistics after their data was completed and verified by the committee monitoring missing persons,” the health ministry said in a statement, giving the overall toll of 52,243.

Several United Nations agencies that operate in Gaza have said the…

At least 52,243 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023, the Health Ministry said on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

A ministry statement said that 51 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the enclave in the last 24 hours, while 115 others were injured, taking the number of injuries to 117,639 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it…

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that American vessels should travel through the Panama and Suez canals without paying fees, claiming that these strategic passages owe their existence to the US, Anadolu reports.

“American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Those Canals would not exist without the United States of…

President Vladimir Putin has offered Iran Russian help in dealing with the aftermath of a blast that rocked the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and has expressed his condolences over the loss of life, the Kremlin said on Sunday,  Reuters reports.

Putin had coveyed his “words of sincere sympathy and support to the families of the victims, as well as his wishes for a recovery to all those injured,” a copy of his message published on the Kremlin website…

The Israeli army has announced the death of an officer and a soldier during battles on Friday in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports.

In a statement on Saturday, the army said Capt. Ido Voloch, a platoon commander in the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion, and Sgt. Neta Yitzhak Kahane of the Border Police’s Yamas covert unit were killed in the Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood.

Israel has killed more than 51,000 people in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

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News Source: www.middleeastmonitor.com