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Israel

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Israel. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Jerusalem

Head of State

President Isaac Herzog

Head of Government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump at the US State Department in Washington. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says US is ‘low-keying it’ with Iran, stresses economic pain

‘We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,’ the US president was quoted as saying.

1 hour ago

Aramco

Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi refinery after kingdom signs defence pact

2 hours agovideocam

China-Middle East relations

China waits in wings as Mecca pact signals Gulf move beyond US security umbrella

3 hours agovideocam

Israel-Gaza war

Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan in new break from Trump

Polls show that the Gaza plan is unpopular with Netanyahu’s right-wing base, and far-right members of his cabinet have urged him to kill it.

5 hours agovideocam

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is running even or trailing in some polls ahead of October 27 elections. Photo: dpa

Science

US and Israeli physicists hail China’s glueball discovery as a ‘triumph’

Global experts praise team for solving 50-year-old puzzle, while Chinese social media buzzes with Nobel Prize predictions.

9 Aug 2026 - 6:58PMvideocam

Saudi Arabia

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement

The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.

9 Aug 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

‘Hopeless’: Palestinian Christians leave West Bank as hardships mount

Christians leave due to the deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation in the West Bank, clergy members say.

8 Aug 2026 - 11:48AM

Catholic nuns and Christian worshippers attend mass at the Latin Monastery (Deir al-Latin) in the Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia president

The right-wing ex-lawyer who calls himself ‘The Tiger’ vowed to bomb cocaine labs, build mega prisons and usher in closer ties with the US.

8 Aug 2026 - 2:39PM

China-Middle East relations

Where do China-Israel ties stand after closure of Chengdu consulate?

Amid recent bilateral friction, Beijing has no intention of maliciously damaging relations with Middle East country, analyst says.

7 Aug 2026 - 10:27PMvideocam

Middle East

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign joint defence deal

The nations are particularly concerned by the increasingly aggressive military stances of both Israel and revolutionary Shiite Iran.

7 Aug 2026 - 10:53PMvideocam

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ahead of the signing of a defence deal between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. Photo: Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran seeks to bar US and Israeli ships in Hormuz deal with Oman

Tehran pushes for strict transit bans and fees in draft waterway pact as Trump claims negotiations are ‘moving along good’.

7 Aug 2026 - 11:24AM

People spend time at a beach as commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Wednesday. Photo: ISNA via AP

US, Israel war on Iran

How US became trapped in ‘dreadful situation’ of its own making over Iran war

With Iran holding firm to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump faces one of two choices: capitulate or risk a ‘forever war’, experts say.

6 Aug 2026 - 3:21PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Why Russia’s ballistic missiles are breaking through in Ukraine

Interceptors are running low, warning times are seconds, and only one air-defence system can stop them.

6 Aug 2026 - 1:53PM

United States

Progressive Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan primary in jolt to Democrats

He defeated moderate Haley Stevens, who was backed by the Democratic establishment, in a vote seen as a test of the party’s direction.

6 Aug 2026 - 3:50AM

Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a press conference in Detroit statue on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran nears Hormuz deal with Oman, conditions reopening on US actions

Tehran agrees to joint route with neighbour across strait, taking effective control of traffic without Washington’s input.

6 Aug 2026 - 12:24PM

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

Netanyahu says Israel didn’t agree to US-backed Gaza plan

The Israeli leader has received guarantees that the Israeli army would only need to leave its current positions in Gaza after Hamas disarms.

5 Aug 2026 - 8:13PM

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong ship crews stranded in Strait of Hormuz ‘safe and offered counselling’

Industry representative says the stranded crew face little immediate safety risk, though months at sea have affected them mentally and physically.

5 Aug 2026 - 6:21PM

US, Israel war on Iran

US waging war on Iran not worth the cost, most Americans say in new survey

Marquette Law School poll also found 75 per cent of respondents nationwide did not believe the conflict was worth the cost.

5 Aug 2026 - 2:42PM

American forces launch strikes against Iran on July 22. Some 88 per cent of respondents to a nationwide survey believed the US had not achieved its war goals. Photo: AFP/US Central Command

United States

Defunct SpaceX rocket crashes into moon, kicks up dust

The school bus-sized object weighing four tonnes slammed into the lunar surface at 8,690km/h.

6 Aug 2026 - 5:24AMvideocam

United States

US-Saudi nuclear doubt, Boko Haram’s AI terrorism: 7 global relations reads

From US arms promises to EU sanctions and USMCA troubles, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in July 2026.

4 Aug 2026 - 10:14PM

Indonesia

Offside move? Why Indonesia’s football chief backed Fifa privatisation plan

Erick Thohir said the Indonesian football association should back Fifa’s proposal because of its contributions to the local game.

4 Aug 2026 - 6:29PMvideocam

Erick Thohir attends the pre-Olympic play-off match between Indonesia and Guinea at Paris 2024. Photo: AFP

Singapore

Massive Attack’s Singapore ban tests legal limits of artistic freedom

Singapore concertgoers urge leniency for the band’s pro-Palestine acts on stage but lawyers say that a line has to be drawn.

4 Aug 2026 - 5:11PMvideocam

Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall from Massive Attack stand with a Palestinian flag onstage at the end of their performance in Singapore on Wednesday. Photo: Social media/Reuters

Israel-Gaza war

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ conditions Israel’s Gaza withdrawal on Hamas disarmament

US-backed panel seeks to calm Israeli pushback over framework for war-torn enclave.

4 Aug 2026 - 3:20PM

China energy security

Iran war could still alter Beijing’s policy calculus: economist

Mao Zhenhua says impact on China has been “small”, but it could focus policymakers’ minds on domestic economic woes.

3 Aug 2026 - 9:00PM

Israel-Gaza war

Strikes kill 18 in Gaza as Israeli minister says no deal to halt attacks

Military offensive continues despite Trump-backed plan to disarm Hamas and implement lasting ceasefire.

3 Aug 2026 - 9:32AM

A man in Gaza City on Sunday carries the body of a child. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong economy

Mainland transit gives Hongkongers option for Europe trips amid Middle East war

Industry leaders expect more Hongkongers to choose Europe via mainland transit, but warn cheaper fares may be offset by higher fuel charges.

2 Aug 2026 - 6:25PM

An Air China plane at Beijing Capital Airport. Photo: AFP

China exports

Why US, EU curbs on Chinese power inverters risk upending green supply chains

As Western governments move to end dependence on world’s top producer, analysts warn rapid decoupling could drive up costs and derail projects.

2 Aug 2026 - 5:00PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump holds off Iran strikes after Middle East allies outline deal

Trump says the deal will include an end to Iran’s nuclear threat and ‘the immediate, complete and total opening’ of the Strait of Hormuz.

2 Aug 2026 - 4:51PMvideocam

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