Browsing: Region
In this handout photograph released by the Lebanese presidency’s press office, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) meets veteran Lebanese diplomat Simon Karam at the Baabda Presidential…
The Gaza war was the spark that touched off years of Middle East conflict culminating in the US-Israeli war with Iran, but as Washington and Tehran wrangle over terms for peace, the devastated territory’s fate seems largely out of mind.”Ever since the US went to war with Iran, the whole world has forgotten Gaza and its tragedy. We no longer have anyone standing by us,” Palestinian Ahmed Jamali, 53, told AFP from the displacement camp in Gaza where he lives.”We are weak and oppressed, and Israel is doing whatever it wants: killing, destroying and occupying Gaza, while no one in the world lifts a finger.”The apparent inattention paid to the Palestinian territory is all the more striking because it sits at the heart of the chain of events that plunged the region into its most dangerous confrontation in decades.Hamas’ storming of Israel triggered a devastating military response in Gaza, drawing in Tehran-backed allies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — and eventually Iran itself.What began as a local war between Israel and Hamas evolved into a regional conflict and, in turn, a direct confrontation between arch-foes Tehran and Washington.More than two-and-a-half years later, Gaza remains mired in a severe humanitarian crisis, and despite a fragile ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, efforts to bring the war to a definitive end have stalled for months.Although Iranian officials initially spoke of an agreement to end the Middle East war that would encompass the entire region, the preliminary text endorsed by Tehran and Washington last month contains no mention of Gaza.For analysts, that shows a shift in regional priorities.”It reflects Hamas’s declining strategic value in Iran’s eyes,” Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP.Iran has long armed and financed Hamas as part of its “axis of resistance” — an array of regional forces opposed to Israel and the US — but the October 2023 attack appears to have fundamentally altered that relationship.”Iranians do not really care about Gaza. Hamas was an ally, not an Iranian tool,” said Israeli military expert Eado Hecht.”It betrayed them. They did not want war in autumn 2023, it was too early for them.”Michael Milshtein, another Israeli military analyst, argued that Tehran’s calculations have shifted elsewhere.”It places greater value on preserving Hezbollah as a pillar of the regional balance,” he said.The diplomatic focus has also shifted, with a growing sense of international fatigue over Gaza.”Gaza is gradually fading from international attention,” said Lovatt.One diplomat involved in negotiations described a widespread belief among governments that “most actors see the issue as insoluble in the short to medium term”.Another veteran diplomat based in Jerusalem told AFP that Gaza’s absence from the discussions reflected political paralysis rather than progress.”Gaza is absent from the agreement not because the war is over, but because no credible political framework exists for the day after,” he said.Israel insists that Hamas must fully disarm before any political transition can begin, while Hamas refuses to surrender its weapons without guarantees that an alternative Palestinian governing authority will replace it.Neither an international stabilisation force nor a credible transitional mechanism has emerged in the months since the ceasefire took effect, both of which were called for in the US-brokered framework that halted the fighting.Behind the scenes, negotiations over Gaza’s future continue in Cairo.The talks bring together Palestinian factions, including Hamas, alongside the Board of Peace set up by US President Donald Trump and regional players including Qatar and Turkey.”Trump may want to give this process a chance,” said a source close to the negotiations.”Whether it succeeds remains to be seen.”Although few details have emerged publicly, diplomatic and security sources told AFP that negotiators are working on a roadmap combining the gradual disarmament of Hamas with the creation of transitional governing authorities for Gaza.Israeli media has reported that the government would reject such a framework.”For now, this diplomatic process exists only around the negotiating table,” Lovatt said.”There has been progress, but reconstruction remains a distant prospect, and nothing is changing for the people on the ground.”With diplomacy stalled, concerns are mounting that the fighting could yet resume.Israeli media have reported military preparations for a possible summer 2026 offensive against Hamas should political negotiations fail.But military expert Hecht cautioned against assuming that contingency planning meant another war was inevitable.”Having the military opportunities is not the same as having the political opportunity,” he said.”Preparations are not the same as implementation.”Analyst Milshtein argued that Israel had little leverage left.In his view, Washington could ultimately pressure Israel to accept a phased disarmament of Hamas alongside a transitional political framework — or even to withdraw from Gaza.”Alternatively, Israel could embark on another military adventure. Given this government’s record… (it) cannot be ruled out,” Milshtein said, adding that Israeli leaders still lacked a coherent long-term strategy. Related Story Source link
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned in the strongest terms the bombing that targeted a cafe in the city of Damascus in Syria, which resulted in a number of innocent civilian casualties and left many others injured.In a statement, GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi underlined the GCC’s full solidarity with Syria in maintaining its security and stability. He reiterated the GCC’s unwavering stance rejecting all forms of violence, terrorism, and acts aimed at undermining security, peace, and stability. Source link
Syrian security forces gather at the site of an explosion at a cafe in Damascus. AFP A bomb blast at a crowded cafe in central Damascus killed at least six people and wounded 22 others Thursday, Syrian state media reported.There was no immediate claim of responsibility.An AFP correspondent saw ambulances weaving through traffic with their sirens blaring as they headed to the site, and security forces cordoned off the area of the blast.Syrian state television said an explosive device had been planted at the cafe, near the Palace of Justice in the centre of the capital.Damascus Governor Maher Idlibi said the blast was caused by a crudely made improvised explosive device (IED), according to Syrian state media.”Those responsible for this bloodshed will be punished,” he said. “Each time the country sees a period of stability, malicious parties try to destabilise it.”Videos that circulated on social media showed wounded people and blood on the floors of a cafe, purportedly the site of the blast.Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.Nour Khayyat, 40, who owns a shop selling batteries for solar panels near the site, told AFP that “at about 3pm (1200 GMT), I heard a powerful blast and the storefront shook”.”People rushed to the cafe and called ambulances,” he added.Mohammed al-Dahabi, the owner of a glasses shop next to the targeted cafe, was trembling as he described the explosion, telling AFP: “I felt strong pressure, and the whole place shook.””I ran to the place and saw people lying on the floor with blood pooled around them everywhere,” he added, saying the scenes recalled the bombings Damascus experienced during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war.The attack presents another security challenge to the Syrian government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who took control after overthrowing former president Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.Assad’s ouster effectively ended more than 14 years of civil war.Damascus has witnessed a handful of security incidents since then, including a car bomb that killed one Syrian soldier and wounded at least 18 people outside the defence ministry in May.Although no group claimed responsibility for Thursday’s blast, Islamic State has sought to exploit the security vacuum created by Assad’s ouster by reactivating sleeper cells, recruiting fighters and moving weapons as the new government extends its authority across the country, security officials had said.The militant group announced earlier this year what it described as a new phase of operations against al-Sharaa’s government.The group is far weaker than when it controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq before the collapse of its self-declared caliphate in 2019.It remains, however, capable of carrying out deadly insurgency-style attacks and is viewed by Syrian, Iraqi and Western officials as one of the biggest threats to Syria’s transition.Al-Sharaa’s other opponents include Assad-era officers and soldiers.In 2025, Syria was rocked by fighting between the new government forces and insurgents from Syria’s Alawite minority, and separately between government forces and Druze gunmen. Related Story Source link
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Algiers. AFP Algerians headed to the polls Thursday to vote for a new parliament in an election shadowed by fears of low turnout among the 25mn-strong electorate.Polling stations, which opened at 8am local time (0700 GMT) and were due to close at 7pm, were nearly empty in the capital Algiers as of early afternoon, an AFP journalist reported.However, images broadcast on national television showed people queuing up to cast their ballots in some parts of the country, including in the northwestern province of El Aricha.”We came to fulfill our duty, hoping for something good. That’s all I have to say,” Djammel Bouakkaz, a 74-year-old retiree, told AFP at a polling station in Algiers.Voter turnout had reached 11% nationwide as of mid-afternoon, and nearly 10% among those registered to cast ballots overseas, state TV reported, citing the election authority.The last parliamentary vote in 2021 saw a historic low turnout, while this year’s is taking place amid controversy over the government’s disqualification of roughly a third of would-be candidates.Some hopefuls have said they were blocked from competing for major constituencies, including Algiers.The ruling National Liberation Movement (FLN) was widely expected to still dominate the 407-seat National People’s Assembly, whose members are elected for five-year terms.President Abdelmajid Tebboune said the election was proceeding as expected, the state-run APS agency reported.Prime Minister Said Sayoud declined to comment on turnout but urged citizens to take part, according to news website TSA.”I call upon Algerian men and women to turn out in large numbers to vote,” Sayoud was quoted as saying.Algeria had seen record low turnout of 23% in the 2021 poll – the first since a major pro-democracy protest movement swept through the country in 2019.The Hirak movement erupted in February of that year and led to the resignation of president Abdelaziz Bouteflika two months later.Tebboune was elected later in 2019 and won a second term in 2024.Observers have expected little enthusiasm from the voters in Thursday’s poll.”Throughout this campaign, the crucial challenge has been to encourage citizens to turn out in large numbers,” wrote the local French-language daily *L’Expression. Related Story Source link
Palestine’s envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, called on the international community to strengthen political and financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and step up efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.Addressing the UN General Assembly’s annual pledging conference for UNRWA in New York, Mansour renewed his call for a just and lasting solution to the Palestine refugee issue based on UN General Assembly Resolution 194, urging the international community to muster the political will and courage needed to end what he described as a longstanding historical injustice.He said the suffering of Palestinian refugees had reached unprecedented levels in recent years, particularly in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, amid what he described as genocide and Israel’s ongoing military offensive.Mansour said UNRWA continues to play a vital role in alleviating the suffering of Palestine refugees and providing essential services despite what he described as systematic Israeli targeting of the agency, its personnel and facilities, as well as an unprecedented financial crisis threatening its operations.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Palestinian refugees are facing dire humanitarian conditions, particularly in the Gaza Strip, underscoring UNRWA’s indispensable role in meeting the needs of millions of Palestine refugees across its five fields of operation and supporting regional stability.He warned that the agency’s financial crisis, coupled with restrictions on its operations, threatens its ability to fulfill the mandate overwhelmingly renewed by the General Assembly six months ago.Guterres said no other organization has the capacity to replace UNRWA or carry out its mandate.The UN chief called for urgent political and financial support to ensure the agency can continue its operations and enable the international community to meet its responsibilities toward Palestine refugees, saying such support would help create the conditions for a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution. Related Story Source link
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz recovered on Monday, with 40 vessels passing through the waterway after a weekend dip triggered by renewed strikes between Iran and the United States. The figure, drawn from data compiled by maritime tracking firm Kpler, was up from 24 on Sunday and 39 on Saturday. Movement had picked up earlier in the week after Washington and Tehran agreed a cease-fire and a 60-day window for talks on ending the war. Last Wednesday saw 76 ships transit the strait — a vital artery for oil and gas cargoes — the highest count since March 1. Hundreds of vessels have been stuck in the Gulf since Iran effectively sealed the strait following the US and Israeli strikes of late February. Tehran has demanded that shipping hug a corridor close to its own coast, and while many have fallen in line, others have run an alternative route near the Omani shore, frequently under US military escort. Monday’s traffic was split fairly evenly between the two corridors — the Omani route used largely for west-to-east passage, the Iranian one mainly for east-to-west. Many ships, however, switch off their transponders before entering the strait, obscuring the route taken and leaving only a partial read on overall volumes. Related Story Source link
Insurance Premiums When it comes to car insurance in Dubai, your driving record cannot be ignored. Many drivers wonder if traffic fines affect premiums. Even though the impact is not direct, your record still influences your insurance costs. Poor driving habits and traffic violations can lead to higher costs, making it important to keep a clean record. With a few smart tips, you can easily do that and keep your premiums in check! Indirect Impact of Traffic Fines on Car Insurance in Dubai, UAE Your driving record or driving history plays an important role in the calculation of your vehicle insurance premiums. The top car insurance companies in Dubai check your previous driving record to analyse the level of risk you pose as a driver. Traffic fines and penalties in such a situation have an indirect impact on your car insurance premiums. Generally, insurers increase your premium if you have a poor driving record. How Traffic Fines Impact Your Dubai Car Insurance Premiums? While there are no direct impacts of traffic violations on your insurance premiums, you can still observe an impact in an indirect manner. Here are the indirect effects of traffic violations — Poor Driving Skills – If you have traffic violations like minor accidents, wrong parking, and so on, it shows that you have poor driving skills. In such a situation, the insurer will consider you as a reckless and unsafe driver. This can lead to higher premiums on your motor insurance. Unhealthy Driving Habits – Driving under the influence or skipping traffic lights often leads to black points, traffic fines, licence suspension, and vehicle impoundment. Unhealthy driving habits also become part of your driving record, leading to an increase in car insurance premiums. Black Points and Licence Suspension – Accumulating up to 24 points can lead to licence suspension or revocation. To purchase car insurance in UAE, a driving licence is essential. Thus, in the absence of a licence, your insurance application can be rejected. The impact of traffic violations can last for several years, depending on the severity of the offence. Hacks to Lower Your Car Insurance PremiumsA poor driving record can undoubtedly be improved. This, in turn, can lower your insurance premium. There are some hacks to improve your driving skills and eventually lower your premium — Enroll in Defensive Driving Courses – Consider taking defensive driving courses and upgrading your driving skills. These courses help you upskill and motivate you to keep a clean driving record in future. Take Advantage of Discounts and Waivers on Dubai Traffic Fines – There are certain occasions on which the Dubai RTA and Dubai Police offer exclusive discounts on paying off traffic fines. Make the most of them and try to pay off the fines in such instances. Safe Driving – To avoid any further fines and black points, make sure you drive safely. A clear driving record implies you are a safe driver. Most insurers, in fact, even offer safe driver discounts on the insurance premiums for each accident-free driving year. To SummariseWhile traffic fines may not directly raise your car insurance premiums in Dubai, they can certainly affect your driving record and perception as a driver. Being safe on the road and enrolling in defensive driving courses are some easy ways to protect your record and bring down premiums. Source link
A general view of Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal. (Reuters/File picture) Fourteen people were killed when a helicopter belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco crashed in Ras Tanura, on the kingdom’s eastern Gulf coast, Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, adding that all those onboard died and the cause of the crash remained unknown.An official source at the energy ministry said the aircraft came down at 6am local time. “The accident claimed the lives of all 14 passengers, all Saudi citizens,” SPA said.”The relevant authorities have launched a full investigation to determine the cause of the crash,” the agency added.The ministry offered its condolences to the bereaved families. “The energy ministry extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to the families of the victims, praying that Almighty Allah grants them mercy and forgiveness and accepts them among the martyrs,” SPA said.Aramco operates more than 60 aircraft, including helicopters serving over 300 heliports across Saudi Arabia — one of the largest corporate fleets in the region. The company did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment.Ras Tanura is home to one of the largest refineries in the Middle East, with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day (bpd), and is critical to the kingdom’s energy sector. Aramco resumed crude oil loadings at its Ras Tanura terminal on Friday, after they had been halted for nearly four months.The crash comes as oil-rich Gulf states race to move cargoes and ramp up output following Iranian attacks and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas exports, ahead of an interim deal to halt the war between the US and Iran.Riyadh gave no indication that the incident was connected to any hostile attack. During the conflict, Iranian strikes had targeted energy facilities across the Gulf, and the Ras Tanura refinery was hit several times — notably by a drone attack at the start of the war that caused a fire and forced a partial shutdown. Riyadh said in April that the weeks-long assault had disrupted operations at key facilities, including refineries at Ras Tanura, Jubail, Yanbu and Riyadh.Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading crude exporter, produces a little over 10mn bpd. Related Story Source link
Bahrain civil defence and rescue personnel work in a residential building, which according to the Bahraini Interior Ministry, was hit by an Iranian drone, in Muharraq,…