Tag Archives: Middle East

BEIRUT (AP) — A car bomb exploded in a busy market in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkey-based Syrian opposition fighters early Sunday, killing at least three people, rescue workers and a war monitor said. The bomb exploded in the town of Aziz in Aleppo province. Volunteers with the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, said the …

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired rockets with heavy warheads at towns in northern Israel, saying it used the weapons against civilian targets for the first time Thursday in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes the night before that killed nine, including what the group said were several paramedics. There were no reports of Israelis hurt in the rocket …

MILAN (AP) — Thousands of artists, curators and critics have signed an open letter calling on the Venice Biennale to exclude the Israeli national pavilion from this year’s contemporary art fair due to the war in Gaza, but Italy’s culture minister firmly backed Israel’s participation. The online letter was signed by more than 17,000 people through Wednesday, which included current …

The families of hostages held in Gaza and their supporters are launching a four-day march from southern Israel to Jerusalem to demand their loved ones be set free. The march comes as negotiations are underway in Qatar to bring about a deal between Hamas and Israel that would lead to a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages. U.S. …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Dubai-based budget carrier FlyDubai saw record profits of $572 million in 2023, boosted by carrying the most passengers ever across its network, the company announced Thursday. The state-owned carrier, based in the business and tourism hub of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, reported revenue of $3 billion, compared to $2.5 billion the …

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Candidates for Iran’s parliament began campaigning Thursday in the country’s first election since the 2022 crackdown on nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Iran’s state television said 15,200 candidates will compete for a four-year term in the 290-seat chamber, which has been controlled by hard-liners for the past two …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The number of passengers flying through Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, surged last year beyond its total for 2019 — just before the coronavirus pandemic grounded global aviation. While still shy of its all-time high in 2018, the figures for 2023 showed just how far the airport, known as DXB, …

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says recognizing a Palestinian state is not a ‘’taboo’’ for France, as international frustration grows with Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories. France and the EU have long supported a two-state solution in the Mideast, but as part of a negotiated settlement. With talks long stalled and Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza …

WAYCROSS, Ga. (AP) — Two young citizen-soldiers who became close friends after enlisting in the Army Reserve were remembered at funerals in southeast Georgia on Saturday, nearly three weeks after they died in a drone attack while deployed to the Middle East. A service for 24-year-old Sgt. Kennedy Sanders was held in the packed 1,200-seat auditorium of Ware County Middle …

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s defense minister on Friday said Israel is “thoroughly planning” a military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, signaling determination to move ahead despite growing international concerns about the safety of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians seeking refuge there. U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to carry out the operation without …