Browsing: Region
From a Roman temple to ancient olive presses, Lebanon keeps turning up archaeological treasures even as the latest Israel-Hezbollah war has caused excavations to grind to a halt at precious heritage sites in the country’s south.Important discoveries in recent years include the remains of columns and bases from a Roman temple in Maasser al-Shouf in the mountains southeast of Beirut, nestled next to a millennia-old cedar forest.”A whole system was built around this temple”, which dates to between the first century BCE and the second century CE, said Myriam Ziade, regional antiquities official with the culture ministry.She said the site was turned into a Crusader fortress between the 12th and 13th centuries.The local municipality reported finding huge stone blocks on the hill in 2017, and excavations began five years later with a team from an Italian university, with the dig revealing the ruins of the large temple, she told AFP.Archaeologists are to soon resume work at the site, located “on a network of roads leading from the Mediterranean coast to the Bekaa valley” in the country’s east, she said.The eastern city of Baalbek has one of Lebanon’s best-known landmarks: a stunningly well-preserved Roman temple complex set against the mountainous border with Syria.Lebanon is brimming with archaeological finds showcasing its rich history over thousands of years, from the Phoenician, Persian, Roman and Byzantine periods, the Crusades, and Arab and Islamic sultanates and empires.After Iran-backed Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March, triggering heavy Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion in the south, the United Nations cultural agency Unesco last month added several Lebanese sites to its World Heritage in Danger list.They include the southern coastal city of Tyre, home to a Roman triumphal arch and a second-century hippodrome.The list also includes five castles in south Lebanon’s Jabal Amel area, among them the Crusader-era Beaufort fortress, which Israeli forces captured in May.Sarkis Khoury, head of antiquities at Lebanon’s culture ministry, told AFP that the war had forced archaeologists to switch tack.We are “now focused on protecting endangered heritage in southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa, particularly in the Baalbek region”, he said.”Excavations in dangerous areas have come to a halt, and archaeological missions are going through a period of minimal activity throughout Lebanon, especially in the southern regions,” Khoury said.He said foreign archaeological teams had stopped going to Lebanon.Still, some work continues.In Batroun, a northern coastal city home to the ruins of a small Roman amphitheatre, an archaeologist was surrounded by tools and papers, documenting the latest finds as waves lapped rocks nearby.Samar Karam, in charge of archaeological sites in north Lebanon, said a Roman-era olive press was found on private property along with pottery weights and items for textile production.On another nearby property overlooking an ancient sea wall, excavations revealed two stone quarries “one Roman and the other Phoenician”, she said.The ruins of rooms from Phoenician, Persian and Roman periods have been uncovered, their pink or grey flooring helping to distinguish them.Archaeologists have found pieces of Greek pottery, as well as rooms and large jars for storing goods from the harbour, discoveries that Karam said showed the ancient city’s “lively commercial activity”.Tombs in the city date to a variety of historical periods, she added.In Beirut, whose history spans over 5,000 years, Laure Salloum oversees archaeological excavations in the chaotic modern city.She said current digs were “really construction projects” where workers had stumbled across historical treasures.A recent discovery uncovered the remains of a Roman-era olive press, while work was ongoing in central Beirut in search of “the remaining part” of a Roman hippodrome, Salloum said.The hippodrome was initially unearthed years ago when excavations began for a commercial and residential complex.Other accidental discoveries in the city have included a 2,000-year-old Roman bathhouse.Such finds often cause development plans to grind to a halt.”We’re constantly making new discoveries,” Khoury said. “Lebanon is at the crossroads of a region that has been full of crises for thousands of years.” Source link
Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei yesterday called on Muslim countries in the region to unite against the US and Israel, in a written message issued six months on from the start of the Middle East war.Khamenei, in power since shortly after his father Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the war on February 28, has yet to be seen in public since his appointment, and authorities have not released any video or audio of him.”The solution to the problems of the Islamic nations is unity of words, friendship, and cooperation on the path of goodness,” he said Sunday as Shia Muslims marked the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.”Anyone, in any position, who does anything that leads to division among Muslims and creates conflict in the Muslim community, knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, has served the purpose of the enemies of Islam,” he added, according to his official website.The supreme leader called on the rulers of regional countries to “recognise your real enemy, understand its plan, and confront it”, referring to the US and Israel.During the war, Iran targeted US military bases across the Middle East including in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.Relations with those nations have since soured.Khamenei, who has the final say on major state policies, also called on Iranian officials and citizens to put aside differences and come together against Israel and the US.”Again, this servant’s advice to the Iranian people is to not allow any differences to arise among themselves in any way,” he said, echoing remarks made in another statement on Friday.”I firmly declare that doing anything detrimental to social cohesion is prohibited,” he had said in Friday’s message.He also called Friday for the gradual de-dollarisation of the Iranian economy and for boosting economic production to support growth following months of a US naval blockade and years of crippling sanctions that have hit livelihoods. Source link
US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Iran’s Larak island yesterday, a US official said, marking the first known American strikes on Iran since late July.”I can confirm that earlier today US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into Strait of Hormuz,” the US official said.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the attack killed and wounded several soldiers and citizens and would be met with a “response and punishment” from Tehran, Iranian state media reported.Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the US carried out a drone strike on the island.US President Donald Trump said last week that all mines had been detonated or removed from the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran has been told that any ship or boat placing new mines will be destroyed.The last known US strikes on Iran were in late July as the war has reached a stalemate in recent weeks with Washington threatening to impose costly sanctions on countries that support Iran. Source link
Mother of three-year-old Palestinian child Tayyem Hamdan, who was killed in an Israeli strike according to medics at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, reacts during…
Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked homes surrounding the occupied West Bank village of Qusra yesterday, the first major attack since a siege by settlers in the area earlier this month drew an international outcry.The settlers surrounded a Palestinian home, throwing stones while seven Palestinians were trapped inside, according to witnesses who spoke to Reuters.Saddam Oday, one of those trapped, said the Israeli military fired tear gas into the home and detained the residents inside while letting him go.He said the Israeli military had not detained any of the settlers and had allowed them to leave.The owner of the house, Luay Bayruti, said when the military arrived they handcuffed, blindfolded and beat those inside, before later releasing them.AFP footage of Qusra yesterday showed dozens of Israeli forces deployed to the site.The Israeli military said in a statement that troops and border police forces had arrived on the scene to remove “rioters”, and protect the residents inside the house.The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why they had reportedly fired tear gas at the house and detained and beaten the residents.It said soldiers and border police forces were dispatched “following reports that Israeli rioters had arrived in the area and that violent clashes had occurred, including stone-hurling toward Palestinians and additional civilians”.”Upon their arrival, the security forces identified dozens of rioters who had barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home while Palestinian residents were inside,” a military statement said, adding that it was “aware of reports of Palestinian injuries”.It said forces had worked to remove the settlers from the house, separate the groups, and confiscate vehicles “that were suspected of having been used to reach the area”.The vehicles would be used as evidence in a police investigation that has been opened, it said, adding that forces continued to operate in the area “to prevent further disturbances and restore order”.”The security forces strongly condemn all forms of violence,” it said.Bayruti said that after calling the Israeli military for help, he and six others were trapped inside the home for more than an hour as settlers threw stones.Bayruti showed a Reuters reporter his bandaged arm, which he said had been injured by a stone during the attack.Oday, a medic, said four of those trapped had suffered injuries due to the tear gas, and two had suffered injuries from the stones thrown by settlers.The attack occurred a few hundred yards away from three homes to which settlers laid siege this month, drawing international condemnation and a massive Israeli military deployment that residents say has kept them effectively trapped in their homes.Weeks later, Israeli forces continue to operate in the area while settlers still roam the surrounding hills.”They spotted the residents working on their house, which is still under construction and they started throwing rocks,” said Loui Ridi, a Palestinian-American whose home was one of the three under siege this month.He said he watched yesterday’s attack occur from his home.Ridi said he had seen near-daily encroachments of Israeli settlers into the area surrounding his home, despite the heavy Israeli military presence in the area.Rights groups say the increasing settler presence on the edge of Palestinian villages, like Qusra, is part of a wider effort by settlers to seize more land from Palestinians, further eating into territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state.Violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank has been on the rise, with some emboldened by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has overseen a massive settlement expansion in the territory.Netanyahu has not commented on the situation in Qusra.The Israeli military said in its statement that along with the border police it would continue “to operate in the areas of Qusra and (neighbouring) Jalud to prevent further disturbances and restore order in the area”.UN bodies and most countries deem the settlements illegal under international law regarding military occupations.Israel rejects this, viewing the area as disputed rather than occupied.More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the Palestinian territory among some 3mn Palestinians.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.According to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 1,103 Palestinians in the West Bank, including civilians, since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.Israeli figures show at least 48 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations during the same period. Source link
The United Arab Emirates and Egyptian central banks are coordinating with regard to Banque Misr, they said on Sunday, after the U.S. Treasury said it was cutting off all the bank’s UAE branches from dollar transactions over its dealings with Iran.Banque Misr will take all necessary measures to conduct its business as usual, the central banks said in their joint statement. Source link
This photo taken on August 9, 2026 shows armed Israeli soldiers carring out a foot patrol through the market, in the Old City of Nablus, in…
Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, discussed the latest regional updates, during a call Saturday.The two sides also touched on diplomatic efforts seeking to enhance security and stability in the Middle East. Source link
Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdelatty and Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed discussed the need to preserve the existing historical and legal status quo in the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites, during a phone call Saturday.The two sides stressed their rejection of any measures that could undermine the city's religious and historical status or alter its character, as well as affirmed the need to confront the ongoing and systematic Israeli violations in Jerusalem, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's statement.It added that both sides also reviewed the most prominent regional developments, foremost among them the Palestinian issue, and discussed supporting efforts to achieve security, stability, development, and fulfill the aspirations of the peoples of Islamic nations. Source link
Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi. (AFP) US should build trust, acknowledge our rights and uphold commitments: Iran FMIran left the door open to diplomacy yesterday, six months into a war with the United States that has upended the Middle East, but only if Washington abandons its pressure campaign.“Putting diplomacy back on track isn’t impossible. It hinges on US understanding of one simple fact: pressure doesn’t work,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X yesterday. Diplomatic efforts, spearheaded by mediators including Pakistan and Qatar, have tried for months to bring an end to the war started by the US and Israel in late February to no avail. While a ceasefire was agreed in April and a memorandum of understanding towards a final peace deal was signed in June, no agreement has been forthcoming and Washington has since declared “economic warfare” against Tehran. In the latest effort to reinvigorate diplomacy, Araghchi met his Qatari counterpart on Thursday in the Iranian capital to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, closed by the Islamic republic at the start of the war, at the tail end of a week of intense Iranian talks with Oman and Pakistan. A US naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports is squeezing petrol supplies in Iran, amid a shortfall of domestic production, as the US ramps up pressure on its foe, declaring an “economic D-Day”. The April ceasefire put an end to the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks, mainly around the Strait of Hormuz, have dimmed the prospects of a final peace agreement. In a statement yesterday, US Senator Jack Reed criticised President Donald Trump over the war. “Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved,” said Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Indeed, he has weakened our position in the Middle East and the world significantly.” Tehran has for weeks been holding talks on the future of Hormuz with Muscat, whose territorial waters account for the other half of the strait, while insisting that Hormuz will remain closed so long as Washington has not fulfilled its commitments under the June memorandum, which calls for lifting the US counter-blockade and removing sanctions. “The US should build trust, speak respectfully, acknowledge our rights and uphold commitments,” Araghchi said. Iranian lawmaker Esmail Kowsari reiterated to state television yesterday that if the memorandum was not implemented and the US “does not respect its commitments, not only will the Strait of Hormuz remain closed, but the United States must be ready for our offensive actions and we will seek them in the most distant places”. While Washington now aims to crush Iran economically, Tehran has weathered decades of international sanctions and experts remain sceptical about how much more pressure the US can bring to bear. Analysts say the US plan to isolate Iran would require unlikely cooperation from trading partner China, which has defended its co-operation with Tehran and vowed to safeguard its interests. China remains able to buy Iranian crude, an important source of revenue for Tehran, via overland routes not reliant on the Strait of Hormuz. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said “no one is above the reach of US sanctions” when asked if Washington would target Chinese banks that do business with Iran, ahead of an expected September visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US capital. Source link