Middle East Monitor Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

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  Mecca pact strategic political defense committee to meet ‘soon’: Pakistan’s foreign minister

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Friday that the Strategic Political Defense Committee (SPDC) established under the joint defense pact between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia will meet “soon” in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Anadolu reports. Dar said the committee has three members from each country – the foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of General Staff. The three military chiefs met in Riyadh on Sept. 25 for a special meeting, while the foreign ministers met in New York on Sept. 24. “Very soon, a meeting of the whole SPDC … has been agreed to in principle, to take place in Riyadh,” Dar said amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Later, according to the daily Dawn, he said that the

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  Flydubai suspends Tel Aviv flights until further notice at authorities’ request: CEO

  by Marwa A on October 2, 2026

  Dubai-based carrier Flydubai temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv at the request of authorities following this week’s cockpit incident aboard one of its aircraft, the airline’s chief executive said Friday, Anadolu reports. “At the request of the authorities, we have temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice,” CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said in a statement carried by the Dubai Media Office. He said the airline’s teams are working to assist passengers affected by the suspension and help them reach their final destinations. Al Ghaith also provided an update on flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30 when it was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following a “safety incident in the flight deck.”

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  Over 11,400 Israeli occupiers storm Al-Aqsa during Jewish holiday season

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  A total of 11,409 Israeli occupiers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday season between Sept. 12 and Oct. 1, Palestinian authorities said Friday, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate said the figure covered incursions from the start of the holiday season through Thursday. It said 593 occupiers entered the mosque compound on Sept. 13 after it was closed to incursions the previous day, a Saturday. Another 1,678 occupiers entered on Sept. 20 and 21, including 992 on the first day and 686 on the second, according to the statement. The governorate said 9,138 occupiers entered the compound during the first five days of “Sukkot,” from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1. It said incursions

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  From Barakah to Masdar: The architecture of the UAE’s new energy leverage

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  For decades, the United Arab Emirates’ energy standing was measured primarily by its capacity to produce and export oil. That baseline remains vital, but it no longer captures the multi-layered character of Abu Dhabi’s evolving energy strategy. ADNOC still plans to raise crude production capacity to five million barrels per day by 2027, while the country is simultaneously expanding nuclear generation, LNG, overseas renewables and the electricity infrastructure required by an increasingly digital economy. Rather than marking a conventional transition away from hydrocarbons, this strategy is widening the range of assets through which Abu Dhabi can exercise energy leverage. Oil remains the foundation, while technology, capital and cross-border infrastructure are being layered onto it. Barakah and the 24/7 Electricity Economy

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  Around 79,000 children displaced in western Yemen in less than a month: UNICEF

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Around 79,000 children have been displaced in western Yemen in less than a month amid escalating fighting between government forces and the Houthis, UNICEF said late Thursday, Anadolu reports. “Across western Yemen, renewed hostilities and shifting frontlines have deepened an already devastating humanitarian crisis,” the UN children’s agency said in a report. It said fighting in Taiz and Al Hudaydah provinces, the western coast and surrounding areas have forced families to flee once again, leaving behind their homes, belongings and livelihoods. “Between 3 September – 30 September, more than 145,000 people have been displaced, including an estimated 79,000 children,” UNICEF said. The agency warned that the latest escalation comes amid an already severe humanitarian situation in a country where needs

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  Top UAE adviser calls flydubai cockpit incident ‘terrorist act’

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday described an incident aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv as a “terrorist act,” praising the captain for his actions during the emergency, Anadolu reports. “Indian captain Smit Machchhar deserves every appreciation,” Gargash said on US social media platform X, describing him as a “true hero.” “In confronting a serious terrorist act and a potential disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility,” Gargash said. He also praised the pilot’s professionalism and “moral sense in the darkest circumstances.” READ: Israel’s airline El Al cancels Dubai evacuation flights after UAE withdraws landing permits Flydubai flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was granted permission to make an emergency

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  Israeli opposition leader says young Israelis backed killing ‘everyone’ in Gaza

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said he met a group of young Israelis who expressed support for killing all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including babies, Anadolu reports. Lapid made the remarks in a podcast interview, excerpts of which have circulated on social media platforms in recent days. “I had a painful meeting with a group of very young people, and I heard from them all those statements calling for killing everyone and claiming that there are no innocents,” Lapid said. He said he asked them: “Even babies?” According to Lapid, they replied: “Babies too, because eventually they will grow up and become terrorists.” Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israel, with US support, has carried out a genocide in the Gaza

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  Israel’s Supreme Court overturns ban on 2 Arab lists running in Knesset election

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday overturned a Central Elections Committee decision barring two Arab electoral lists from running in the Oct. 27 Knesset (parliament) election, Anadolu reports. The ruling came after the court heard appeals Thursday from the Joint List, led by Yusuf Jabareen, the United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas, and Joint List lawmaker Ofer Cassif. Israel’s Channel 12 said the court ruled by a majority that Cassif was eligible to run. “In addition, the judges unanimously decided to allow both the United Arab List and the Joint List to participate in the election,” the channel reported. READ: Israel’s Supreme Court hears appeals by Arab candidates barred from Knesset elections The ruling by Israel’s highest judicial body clears the

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  US Energy Department engineer arrested over alleged support for Houthis

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  A US Energy Department electrical engineer has been arrested for allegedly supporting Yemen’s Houthis by purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, US local media reported on Friday. “Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and is due to make his first court appearance Friday,” CBS News reported, citing the Justice Department. Ellaboudy sought to help the Houthis enhance their communications capabilities and traveled to Yemen last September, CBS News cited the FBI as saying. “Ellaboudy used a passport issued to him when he was working at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make his way to Oman, then bordering Yemen,” CBS News quoted the Justice Department as saying. READ: Yemeni army says

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  UAE spymaster who wants to ‘eliminate all threats’ seeks an iron grip on AI’s future

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  A Guardian investigation has revealed how Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser and the man at the top of a security apparatus that has spent years hacking, tracking and jailing critics of the ruling family, has become one of the most powerful financiers of artificial intelligence in the world. The long read by journalist Jack Shenker, published yesterday, warns that Tahnoon’s rise places critical parts of the world’s AI infrastructure in the hands of a man who commands the full surveillance machinery of an authoritarian state.  Tahnoon, the brother of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, oversees an economic empire estimated at around $1.5 trillion. As people increasingly hand their data, and even their private thoughts,

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  Large volumes of medical supplies for Gaza face wait times of 74 days for Israeli clearance: WHO

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Large volumes of medical supplies meant for Gaza wait a median of 74 days for clearance by Israeli authorities, the World Health Organization said Friday, urging “unimpeded and predictable” access for the much-needed aid, Anadolu reports. “Not one hospital in Gaza is fully functional,” Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, told reporters in Geneva. Van De Weerdt said chronic shortages of medicines and medical supplies remain a major obstacle to restoring health services, despite a year having passed since the ceasefire was announced. “Without those items, no hospital will ever be fully or even partially functional,” she said. According to the WHO’s latest analysis, large volumes of medical supplies wait a median of 74 days,

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  Netanyahu bloc projected to win 51 seats in Oct. 27 elections, opposition 53: Poll

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Israeli opposition parties would win 53 seats against 51 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc, said an opinion poll published Friday, less than a month before the Oct. 27 general election, Anadolu reports. The survey published by daily Maariv also projected 12 seats for Arab parties and four for the Reservists party led by Yoaz Hendel. Under the projections, neither Netanyahu’s camp nor the opposition would reach the 61-seat majority needed to form a government in the 120-member Knesset or parliament. Most opposition leaders say they will not rely on Arab parties’ support to form a government, leaving prospects for a governing coalition uncertain. Maariv said Netanyahu’s bloc gained two seats compared with the previous survey, while the opposition lost

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  Lebanon’s prime minister calls for full Israeli withdrawal, one army

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday called for efforts to secure Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanon and strengthen state authority, amid continued Israeli attacks in the south, Anadolu reports. “The real way forward is in mobilizing whatever resources and support we can to achieve a full Israeli withdrawal and rebuild a capable and effective state … with one army and one decision-making (authority),” Salam said at a news conference during a visit to the southern city of Nabatieh. “Such an approach would help spare Lebanon from new wars and remove pretexts for launching a new attack or expanding the current one,” he said. Salam said Lebanon’s immediate priorities were to stop Israeli attacks, secure Israel’s full withdrawal, allow displaced

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  Israel’s airline El Al cancels Dubai evacuation flights after UAE withdraws landing permits

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Israeli flag carrier El Al announced Friday that it had canceled flights scheduled to bring Israelis home from Dubai after the United Arab Emirates withdrew landing permits for Israeli carriers, Anadolu reports. “Due to the cancellation of approval for Israeli companies to land in Dubai, as was reported by the authorities in Israel, we are forced to cancel, at this stage, our rescue flights … for tomorrow, Friday, October 2,” the airline said on Facebook. El Al said it remains fully prepared to operate charter flights to Dubai to bring Israeli citizens home as soon as official approval is received. The airline added that flights set for next Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday remain on its timetable, but are fully

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  Iran’s new Hezbollah strategy is about survival, not victory

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  On 1 October, Iran sent a senior delegation to southern Lebanon that included Brigadier General Hossein Yekta, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer involved in recruitment and ideological indoctrination, and hardline cleric Alireza Panahian. Both men had served in the same battalion as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during the Iran-Iraq War. Their visit came at a revealing moment: Hezbollah is militarily weakened, politically pressured and increasingly dependent on Iranian guidance. The composition of the delegation matters. If Hezbollah merely needed more weapons, Tehran could have sent military technicians, logisticians or commanders. Instead, it dispatched figures associated with recruitment, ideological mobilisation and internal security. That does not prove that the delegation was tasked with rebuilding Hezbollah, but its timing and composition

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  Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia as tensions escalate

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Eritrea announced on Thursday that it was severing all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa decided to close its embassy in Asmara and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats personae non gratae. In a statement, the Eritrean Foreign Ministry said Ethiopia had ordered the closure of its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats, including the chargé d’affaires and diplomats accredited to the African Union. Asmara described the Ethiopian measures as “unjustified hostile acts” and rejected Addis Ababa’s accusations that Eritrea had engaged in “hostile acts and direct and indirect acts of war” against Ethiopia. The Eritrean Foreign Ministry accused Ethiopia of pursuing what it described as a “persistent hostile agenda” against Eritrea over the past three years, linking it

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  Turkey, Syria reject claims of meeting between Syrian government, Hezbollah officials

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Turkey and Syria on Thursday rejected claims that Syrian government officials and representatives of the Lebanese group Hezbollah had met in Turkey, describing the reports as false, Anadolu Agency reported. In a statement, the Turkish Communications Directorate’s Center for Combating Disinformation said claims that “Syrian government officials and Hezbollah officials met in Turkey, hosted by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT)” were entirely unfounded. It said allegations concerning the date, venue, content and participants of the purported meeting “do not reflect any reality and are entirely fabricated and speculative.” READ: Turkish defence ministry says Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa threaten regional stability The center urged the public to rely only on statements issued by official authorities and warned against claims circulating through unofficial

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  UN official says criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza cost him his job

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  A senior official at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said his criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza cost him his job, while the agency’s director-general warned staff against engaging in human rights-related campaigns within the organisation. Ben Davis, director of the FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, said in a media statement on Wednesday that he was informed in July that his contract would not be renewed after 26 years at the agency. He said the decision was attributed to concerns that he had violated rules on neutrality. “They accused me of organizing these silent vigils to protest the conditions of starvation and famine in Gaza,” Davis said, referring to weekly silent gatherings organised by employees at

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  Turkish defence ministry says Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa threaten regional stability

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  The Turkish Ministry of Defence said on Thursday that visits by extremist Israeli groups to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem were fuelling regional tensions and called on the international community to take measures against Israeli actions it said violate international law and international humanitarian law. Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk made the remarks during a weekly press conference held in the central Turkish province of Kayseri. Aktürk reiterated Turkey’s opposition to the entry of extremist Israeli groups into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, saying that violations and provocations involving holy sites increase regional tensions and undermine efforts to achieve peace and stability. He also accused Israel of causing the deaths of 74,000 Palestinians, including infants, children and women, and depriving

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  Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Retired Col. Bill Keegan: How Are The Two Antagonist Using Time?

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  WATCH: Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Larry Johnson: Why Do American Liberation Projects End in Disaster? 

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  Kushner faces conflict-of-interest questions over Gaza role

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Jared Kushner faces conflict-of-interest questions after a CNN investigation found that his investment firm has a major stake in an Israeli financial group that invests in defence companies supplying weapons to the Israeli military, while he plays a key role in talks to end the Gaza war.  According to the investigation, Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, owns a 7.4 per cent stake in Israeli financial group Phoenix Financial, which was worth more than $1 billion in July. Phoenix invests hundreds of millions of dollars in Elbit Systems, one of Israel’s largest defence companies, as well as stakes in other companies that supply the Israeli military with military equipment and services, according to Israeli

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  Saudi security detains man after false claims of suicide bombing at Mecca Grand Mosque

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Saudi security authorities in Mecca have arrested a man accused of harassing passers-by and causing panic, saying he was dealt with immediately and referred to the public prosecution. The Saudi Public Security agency said in a statement: “Security authorities in the Holy Capital have arrested a person for harassing passers-by and causing panic and fear among them. He was dealt with immediately at the time.” The authorities said claims circulating about the incident were false and urged people to obtain information from official sources. Earlier, social media users circulated a video accompanied by false claims that “security forces and police had foiled a suicide bombing at the Grand Mosque in Mecca”. The video actually dates back to February 2017. It

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  Tunisia: Ennahda condemns restrictions on prisoners’ access to media

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Tunisia’s Ennahda movement has expressed solidarity with Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, head of the National Salvation Front, who has begun an open-ended hunger strike to protest being denied, along with other political prisoners, access to media, with only newspapers and television channels that echo the authorities’ views being allowed. In a statement on Thursday, the movement said the measure “represents a blatant reversal of gains made by prisoners after the revolution” and was a new attempt by the authorities to withhold information from prisoners and isolate them from the outside world. The movement rejected the prison administration’s decision to restrict the media previously allowed to prisoners, saying it “violates laws and international conventions signed by the Tunisian state” and represents a

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  US exempts $320 million in military aid to Egypt from human rights conditions

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  The US State Department has exempted more than $320 million in military aid to Egypt from human rights-related conditions, Reuters reported on Thursday. Citing a letter to Congress, Reuters said the State Department had waived the human rights conditions on the aid in recognition of the “helpful role” played by Cairo since the United States launched its war on Iran. According to an accompanying memorandum justifying the decision, the aid was deemed “necessary for counterterrorism, border security or non-proliferation programmes, or otherwise important to US national security interests”. READ: US lifts policy of denying military export licenses for Syria The memorandum, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said: “Exercising this waiver authority is essential ​for the US-Egypt relationship and US

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  Sudan’s ousted president Omar al-Bashir moved to military hospital in Khartoum

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Sudan’s ousted President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to a military hospital in the capital Khartoum after suffering a health problem, while his family is calling for him to be treated abroad. Family sources told Anadolu on Thursday that al-Bashir, 82, was transferred from Merowe Hospital in Northern State to Alia Specialist Hospital, run by the Sudanese army in Khartoum, where he is receiving medical care. The sources did not say when he was moved to the military hospital. On Wednesday, local media, including Sudan Tribune, quoted Mohammed al-Hassan al-Amin, al-Bashir’s lawyer, as saying that the military authorities had given initial approval for the former president to travel abroad for treatment, but that the decision had not yet been implemented.

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  Egypt and Ethiopia expel diplomats in reciprocal move

  by Mehdi Editor on October 2, 2026

  Egypt and Ethiopia have each ordered a diplomat from the other country to leave within 48 hours, in a reciprocal diplomatic move on Thursday and Friday. Ethiopia declared an Egyptian diplomat persona non grata and ordered him to leave, without giving a reason, while Egypt responded by declaring an Ethiopian Embassy counsellor in Cairo persona non grata and giving him 48 hours to leave, according to Egypt’s state-owned Al Ahram. An informed Egyptian source described Ethiopia’s move as “unfortunate and unjustified” and said Egypt acted in accordance with the principle of reciprocity. The expulsions come amid strained relations between the two countries, particularly over Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile. Egypt, which relies heavily on the

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  Türkiye’s message to the Middle East: Security requires peace

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The Middle East needs a future in which security is shared and disputes are settled through diplomacy. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s address to the Turkish Parliament on 1 October offered an important starting point: Türkiye’s ability to contribute to regional peace rests partly on the strength of its own society. Erdoğan linked regional threats to domestic divisions and placed the goal of a terrorism-free Türkiye within a wider discussion of national strength. My reading of his message is straightforward: a country that builds trust among its citizens gains greater freedom to act beyond its borders. For Türkiye, lasting progress against terrorism would protect lives, free resources for education and development and give diplomacy greater room to work. Success must be

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  Withdrawal and non-withdrawal: The naivete of comparing Iraq to Afghanistan

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The prevailing media tendency to draw parallels between the exit of U.S. forces from Iraq and the humiliating, chaotic collapse in Afghanistan reveals a profound analytical naivete—one that is perhaps intentionally cultivated. Such comparisons overlook a crucial structural distinction: the difference between a shattered military campaign and the institutionalization of indirect hegemony. Years ago, Paul Bremer, the former U.S. civilian administrator of Iraq, offered an almost grotesque counterpoint to the Afghan tragedy when he flatly rejected any comparison between the two conflicts, insisting that Iraq was making “steady political progress.” Yet the harsh reality remains as the British analyst Matthew Parris once framed it: Washington’s strategy in Afghanistan failed catastrophically, wasting countless American and allied lives in a war that

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  Over 200 organisations across more than 60 countries unite in Global Mobilisation for Palestine on 10 October

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  LONDON — More than 200 civil society organisations, trade unions, student federations, human rights networks and grassroots groups across six continents will mobilise for Palestine on Saturday, 10 October, in a coordinated day of action spanning more than 60 countries. Convened by the Global Alliance for Palestine, with the support of the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) and the Global Coalition against Occupation of Palestine (SANED), this coordinated action seeks to create a unified, direct civil intervention intended to interrupt public complicity and demand systemic accountability against Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Global Day of Action brings together markedly different forms of mobilisation under a shared international framework. The scale of the mobilisation is reflected not only in the

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  Saudi-led coalition blames Houthis for drone attack on Medina power station

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Thursday blamed the Houthis for a drone attack earlier this week on an electricity distribution station in the Saudi city of Medina, Anadolu reports. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the attack targeted the Taibah electricity distribution station at 5.11 am local time on Tuesday. An operational review and examination of debris from the drone established Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out what he described as a “cowardly terrorist act,” Al-Maliki said. The attack knocked one transformer out of service but did not affect the electricity grid, he added. Al-Maliki said the facility provides electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. He accused the Houthis of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and attempting

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  Dual UK-Iranian national arrested over UK airbase incident, police say

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  A 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national was arrested as part of an investigation into last week’s security incident near a British air base, police said on Thursday, Anadolu reports. The man was arrested in Westminster under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, while a 26-year-old UK national was also questioned under caution, Counter Terrorism Policing said in a statement. The arrests came after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday there was a “strong indication” that Iran played a role in Sunday’s suspected terror plot near Royal Air Force Fairford in South West England. “The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry,” Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism

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  Lebanese army foils attempt to smuggle 540 pounds of TNT from Syria

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The Lebanese army said Thursday it foiled an attempt to smuggle about 245 kilograms (540 pounds) of TNT from Syria into Lebanon, Anadolu reports. The army said the seizure followed surveillance and monitoring operations along the northern and eastern borders. A military unit confiscated four explosive devices, eight detonators and electrical wires used for explosives, in addition to the TNT, during the attempt. The smugglers fled toward Syrian territory when an army patrol arrived, it said. The materials were handed to authorities, while follow-up and coordination efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved. The army said Aug. 4 it seized 122 mm Grad rockets that had been smuggled from Syria into the outskirts of Arsal in eastern Lebanon

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  Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon with airstrikes, home explosions, artillery fire

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  The Israeli army continued attacks Thursday in southern Lebanon, carrying out airstrikes, blowing up homes, firing artillery and conducting machine-gun sweeps, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA), Anadolu reports. The attacks targeted the towns of Al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district; Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Nabatieh al-Fawqa in the Nabatieh district; Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district; and the Zahrani area in Sidon district. In the Tyre district, Israeli warplanes struck Al-Mansouri as Israeli forces carried out massive explosions in the town, according to the agency. The blasts caused powerful tremors and were heard in the city of Tyre and surrounding villages, it said. Israeli forces had earlier rigged several homes in Al-Mansouri with explosives before blowing

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  Iran summons British ambassador for claims linking Tehran to RAF Fairford plot

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  Iran summoned the British Ambassador to Tehran Hugo Shorter on Thursday to protest accusations linking the country to an alleged sabotage plot targeting RAF Fairford, a British military base used by US forces, state broadcaster IRIB reported, Anadolu reports. Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi conveyed Tehran’s “strong protest” at the “destructive approach” by the British government following remarks by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Takht-Ravanchi rejected the “false and ridiculous claims” by British officials linking Iran to the alleged plot targeting the military base. He demanded the British government officially clarify the matter and “correct its inappropriate approach” toward Iran, according to IRIB. Burnham said Wednesday there was a “strong indication” that Iran had played a role in

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  Japan calls for ‘momentum for diplomacy’ to end US-Iran war

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  Japan on Thursday urged Iran to show “maximum flexibility” and called for building “momentum for diplomacy” to end the US-Iran war, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Anadolu reports. This came in a phone call between Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, a ministry statement said. Motegi said that indirect talks between Washington and Tehran had been “underway since last week,” according to the statement. The US and Iran held indirect talks through Qatar in New York last week on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Japan has “made consistent efforts toward an early de-escalation and stabilization of the situation and a diplomatic resolution,” Motegi said. He added that Japan

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  Gaza genocide continues a year after ‘ceasefire’, Medical Aid for Palestinians warns

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  Israel continues to kill Palestinians, attack healthcare facilities and block vital supplies nearly a year after the Gaza ceasefire was announced, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) has warned. The charity said Israeli forces had killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and injured over 5,000 since the agreement announced on 10 October 2025, citing Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Hospitals remain short of medicines, fuel and essential supplies, leaving the health system struggling to recover. “A year ago, Palestinians were told that the killing would stop and they would have a chance to rebuild their lives. Instead, they have spent the past year living with continued death, displacement and destruction,” said MAP’s Gaza Director, Fikr Shalltoot. “Palestinians should not have to spend another

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  Humiliation for Israel loyalists as Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine’ tour sells out despite attempts to silence him

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  US rapper Macklemore has announced that all three concerts on his “Free Palestine” tour sold out “immediately”, weeks after he was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US tour following his onstage support for Palestinians. The fundraising concerts will take place in October at Dublin’s 3Arena, Paris’s Accor Arena and London’s Wembley Arena, with all proceeds going to organisations supporting Palestinians. Other participating musicians will be announced later. “I’m honestly blown away,” Macklemore said in a statement announcing the sell-out, The Independent reported. “We put these shows together fast and in community, believing that musicians can stand in solidarity with Palestine, use the stage to raise funds and show what collective action can look like.” READ: Zionist billionaire pressure to silence Macklemore sparks

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  Trivialising memory with gratuitous gratitude

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  From scant details reported on the Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People’s meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, it would seem as if the representatives arranged a meeting to thank and praise each other. The Palestinian people were just an exploited backdrop to the reported charade.  The Committee’s Chair Cheikh Niang was reported to have “praised the Secretary-General’s principled and strong positions in defence of the rights of the Palestinian people and their fill realisation as soon as possible.” However, Guterres’s track record shows otherwise, with his insistence on the two-state paradigm and absolute refusal to consider decolonisation.  Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer to the State of Palestine to the UN

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  Yemeni army says 30 Houthis killed, 50 wounded in clashes south of Taiz

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  Yemeni government forces said Thursday that 30 Houthi fighters were killed and 50 others wounded in clashes south of the city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen, Anadolu reports. The media center of the Taiz Military Axis said the casualties occurred on the Al-Aqrud front in Al-Misrakh district. It said the Houthi fighters were killed and wounded by government forces during the fighting. A military source told Yemen’s state-run Saba news agency that government forces fought intense battles with the Houthis on several fronts across Taiz province on Thursday. The source said the fighting was concentrated in Bani Bakari in Jabal Habashi district, Humair in Maqbanah district and the Al-Aqrud front southeast of the province. The clashes later spread to the

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  5 killed, 47 injured in RSF drone attack on university dormitory in Sudan: Doctors group

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  At least five civilians were killed and 47 others injured Wednesday when paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drones struck a dormitory at Kordofan University in the central Sudanese city of El-Obeid, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The independent medical group said the initial toll from the strike stood at five dead and 47 wounded. It described the attack as part of continuing RSF attacks on civilians and civilian facilities across Sudan. The network said targeting student accommodation and educational facilities constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and puts civilian lives at risk. It also warned of “a worrying escalation in attacks on civilian and public-service facilities.” READ: Sudan says ‘foreign interference must end,’ RSF must be disarmed The

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  A shield, not a sword: what the Makkah pact’s first test reveals

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  On Wednesday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave the Makkah alliance its clearest public definition yet. Opening the new session of the Shura Council, he said the alliance was created to strengthen regional stability and shield the region from the repercussions of tensions and conflicts. In the same address he said the kingdom was making every possible effort to de-escalate while promising to respond firmly to any attack. That is the language of a shield, and it was delivered under fire. On 24 September Saudi Arabia said it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis at Taif and the Yanbu area. The Houthis went further, claiming missile and drone strikes on Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Riyadh has

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  Israeli minister who champions Tommy Robinson brands Shabana Mahmood an ‘Islamist’

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  An Israeli minister who has championed anti-Muslim campaigner Tommy Robinson and cultivated alliances with Europe’s far right has been accused of racism after portraying British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as part of an Islamist takeover of Britain. Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister for diaspora affairs and combating anti-Semitism, targeted Mahmood after she announced plans allowing charities and non-profit organisations to sponsor refugees.  In a post on X on 29 September, Chikli wrote: “When people speak of the political takeover of a country by Islamism, they imagine bearded sheikhs in robes. “In reality, political Islam often looks exactly like this: Oxford English, fashionable clothes and progressive rhetoric. That is true of the Islamist @NYCMayor Mamdani and it is equally true of the

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  Detained Gaza hospital director Abu Safiya nominated for European Parliament human rights prize

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the detained director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, has been nominated for the European Parliament’s 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the parliament announced Thursday, Anadolu reports. Abu Safiya was nominated by the Greens and The Left political groups as one of six candidates for the annual award, which recognizes individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. Abu Safiya, a Palestinian pediatrician and former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been held in Israeli custody since his detention by Israeli forces in December 2024. He has been detained without charge or trial, with Israel alleging that Abu Safiya is affiliated with Hamas, an allegation his lawyers and family have denied.

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  Trump declines to endorse Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  US President Donald Trump declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for another term in office ahead of upcoming elections, avoiding direct backing of his long-time ally in an interview published on Thursday, Anadolu reports. “Well, I can only say that I’m not involved in politics anymore, except that we’re popular—,” Trump told TIME magazine when asked whether the premier should be given another term in Oct. 27 elections. Pressed again, he responded: “No, my primary thing—I do want to help them defend Israel,” pivoting away from an explicit endorsement in the interview conducted on Monday. Trump pointed instead to his personal standing among the Israeli public, claiming his popularity reaches “like 99%” due to past policies. Asked whether

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  UK government urged to end ban on Palestine Action group

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  Scottish Greens on Thursday urged the British government to reverse the ban on the Palestine Action group after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said “we hear” the millions of people who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people, Anadolu reports. “The people who have marched, organised and spoken out against Israel’s genocide have helped force Palestine onto the political agenda. They deserve to be heard and their rights respected,” Maggie Chapman, Scottish Greens spokesperson, was quoted by Scottish daily The National as saying. Her comment came after Miliband said earlier this week that they hear the millions of people in this country and indeed elsewhere who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the

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  Why Indonesians should boycott the Israel & New Breed concert in Jakarta

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  On 24 October, the American gospel singer Israel Houghton plans to perform in Jakarta with his band, Israel & New Breed. Reports say tickets are still on sale. Indonesians must not buy them. Anyone who fills that hall is giving a public welcome to a man who stood with Israel while Gaza burned. We must refuse to attend, refuse to applaud, and refuse to stay silent. A note first, because the name confuses many people. “Israel” is the singer’s first name, and he is American. His name is not the problem. His public words are. In October 2023, he posted “I stand with Israel” beside a flag. The reports I found quote that post. None quote him speaking up for

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  Israeli army attacks NAZA film, distances itself from Gaza crimes

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  The Israeli army on Thursday rejected the portrayal of its operations in the film NAZA, which documents Israeli massacres in the Gaza Strip, and sought to distance itself from the genocide against Palestinians, Anadolu reports. The comments marked the army’s first response to the film, directed by Israeli Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. It has faced repeated attacks from officials in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has been described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history. In a statement Thursday, the army said the film presents a “distorted, misleading and far-from-reality picture” of how it plans and carries out strikes against targets. It said the film’s “narrative is based on fundamental factual errors” resulting from a

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  Israel’s Supreme Court hears appeals by Arab candidates barred from Knesset elections

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday began hearing appeals against the disqualification of Arab electoral lists and candidates from the upcoming Israeli parliamentary elections, Anadolu reports. According to an Anadolu correspondent, the Supreme Court in West Jerusalem convened a nine-judge panel to hear cases involving the disqualification of Arab candidates and electoral lists. Arab lawmakers and their supporters held a protest outside the court before the hearings began, the correspondent reported. At the same time, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived at the court and made remarks against the protesters. Ben-Gvir was accompanied by a group of far-right Israelis who chanted against Arab participation in the elections. Meanwhile, Knesset member Ofer Cassif told supporters gathered outside the court: “We will

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  UN official warns inaction on Hormuz fertilizer flows could push millions into food insecurity

  by Marwa A on October 1, 2026

  A senior UN official on Thursday warned that continued disruption to fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz could have severe consequences for food security, urging the parties involved to show the political will needed to enable limited transit, Anadolu reports. Jorge Moreira da Silva, UN under-secretary-general and head of the UN Task Force for the Strait of Hormuz, told the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs in Brussels that the disruption of shipping through the strategic waterway was already affecting global energy and food security. “It’s important that we focus on the consequences of inaction … are a tragedy for developing countries,” Moreira da Silva said, stressing that some of the countries most dependent on fertilizer supplies from the

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  Iraqi prime minister sets June 30 deadline to disarm groups outside state control

  by Mehdi Editor on October 1, 2026

  Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said Thursday that his government will address weapons outside state control under a roadmap with agreed timelines, with the process to be completed by June 30, 2027, Anadolu reports. In a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency, Zaidi said the process would follow “a clear roadmap and agreed timelines.” It will also uphold the constitutional principle that decisions on war and peace belong to the constitutional authorities, prohibiting military action outside their authority. The government would also work to fully disarm all non-Iraqi armed groups operating on Iraqi territory, he added. “We congratulate the Iraqi people on this great day, Oct. 1, 2026, and the major national achievement of ending the international coalition’s mission