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Middle East
Middle East
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Middle East. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City on new year’s eve. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Gaza clings to Medecins Sans Frontieres following Israeli aid ban

Israel announced it would ban 37 aid groups, including MSF, from operating in Gaza from for failing to provide information on Palestinian staff.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong firm aims to build 30,000 modular flats a year with Saudi partner

Syria

US says it carried out new ‘large-scale’ strikes against Isis in Syria

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Iran

‘Tools of repression’: crackdown fears grow as Iran rocked by new rallies

Activists warn authorities could intensify suppression of the protests under cover of the internet blackout.

A frame grab from video shows a fire as people protest in Tehran, Iran, on Friday. Photo: UGC via AP
Iran

‘Something has to give’: Iran on the brink as protest fury mounts

Weakened by conflict with Israel and a plummeting currency, analysts say the regime faces a choice between radical reform or collapse.

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Iran

Trump says protest-hit Iran in ‘big trouble’, again threatens military strike

The US president warned that ‘we’ll start shooting too’, if the authorities kill demonstrators.

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Iran

Protests sweep Iran amid internet blackout and state TV warning of casualties

Iranian state media breaks silence on protests as internet and phone access is restricted amid widening unrest.

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Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran on January 8. Photo: AFP
Iran

Video | Iran shuts down internet amid growing protests

The latest unrest, sparked by Iran’s worsening economy, has led to the deaths of at least 35 people.

Syria

Kurdish fighters refuse to leave Syria’s Aleppo after truce

Kurdish fighters defy Aleppo truce, sparking fears of wider conflict amid civilian evacuations and international pressure.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel says Bulgarian diplomat to direct Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza

The Board of Peace is meant to oversee the implementation of the second and far more complicated phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

Palestinians walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City. Photo: AP
Israel-Gaza war

‘Where is the ceasefire?’: Israeli gunfire kills 11-year-old in Gaza ‘safe zone’

Despite the agreement, Israel has killed 424 people since the ceasefire started nearly three months ago.

The body of 11-year-old Palestinian girl Hamsa Hosou, killed by Israeli fire in Jabalia, is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Thursday. Photo: AP
Malaysia

Ankara anchor: Malaysia finds Turkey ‘reliable friend’ in stormy global waters

Trump’s tariffs and actions in Venezuela are causing the Global South to look for less mercurial partners, analysts say.

Syria

Deadly clashes in Aleppo shatter Syria’s fragile peace as thousands flee

Fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led SDF exposes the failure of a year-long plan to merge the two militaries.

Saudi Arabia

US allies Saudi Arabia, UAE risk a split in Middle East over competing visions

A ‘new order’ is emerging as Abu Dhabi-backed separatist allies clash with pro-Riyadh governments in the region.

Southern Transitional Council security personnel guard a checkpoint in Aden, Yemen, on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Israel

UN accuses Israel of subjecting Palestinians in West Bank to ‘apartheid’

For first time, UN rights chief labels situation in occupied Palestinian territories ‘apartheid’, a term previously used only by UN experts.

Israeli security forces check Palestinians’ IDs as they line up to return to Jenin through a gap in a security fence in September 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE
United States

Opinion | Why Asia should be concerned about the US attack on Venezuela

Venezuela matters less as a case in itself than as a signal of how energy is being repositioned amid intensifying US-China competition.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla hits record sales; China carmakers eye third of global market: 7 EV reads

From automakers doubling down on discounts to Chinese robotaxis in the Middle East, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

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US-Venezuela conflict

Why Iran may not be the next Venezuela despite twin threat of protests and Trump

The volatile situation in the Middle East and the greater role played by China in the region may give the US pause for thought.

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An anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, pictured on January 3. US President Donald Trump has previously threatened the Iranian leadership directly. Photo: EPA
Iran

Iran protests death toll hits 35 and 1,200 detained, activists say

Iran’s judiciary vows ‘no leniency’ for rioters as nationwide unrest enters its second week.

Britain

Palestinian embassy in UK officially inaugurated

Ambassador Husam Zomlot hails upgrade from a mission to full embassy status as an ‘historic moment’.

Iran

At least 16 dead in Iran during week of protests: rights groups

Rights groups report rising fatalities and hundreds of arrests in the biggest Iran protests in three years.

Protesters in the Malekshahi district of Iran’s western Ilam province, in UGC images published on January 3. Photo: UGC via AFP
Islamic State

Britain, France bombed suspected Isis arms dump in Syria: UK defence ministry

Intelligence analysis identified an underground facility believed ‍to contain weapons and explosives in mountains ‍near Palmyra, the UK said.

A UK Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft at an undisclosed location in the Middle East. RAF Typhoon FGR4s joined French aircraft in a joint strike against the Daesh group in Syria on Saturday, the UK defence ministry said. Photo: EPA / SGT Lee Goddard / Handout
Yemen

Pro-Saudi forces regain province from separatists: Yemen presidential council

Rashad al-Alimi said forces had successfully retaken positions in the resource-rich Hadramout province, which borders Saudi Arabia.

Britain

Iranian diaspora in UK rallies in London to support protesters in Iran

Pro-democracy demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street for the rally organised by the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK.

Donald Trump

‘Peace President’ Trump embraces war: Maduro captured, Nigeria hit, Iran warned

Despite Nobel Peace Prize ambitions, Trump opens 2026 with strikes in Venezuela after a Christmas Day hit on Nigeria.

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US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in September. Photo: EPA
Iran

Khamenei demands Iran rioters ‘be put in their place’ amid protests, Trump warning

As Trump warns the US is ‘locked and loaded’ to intervene, Iran’s supreme leader blames foreign enemies and orders a crackdown on nationwide unrest.

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks at a meeting, in Tehran, Iran on Saturday. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/AP
Yemen

Yemen’s separatists announce constitution, UAE withdraws all its troops

The proposed constitution for an independent nation in the south comes as the conflict in Yemen pits Saudi Arabia against the UAE.

Banking & finance

More issuers turn to Dubai listings as yuan bonds gain traction in Middle East

Dubai’s dim sum bond momentum points to investor confidence in China and diversification from the US dollar, says regulator.

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