Iran says Saudi Arabia has invited Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi for an official visit – just over a week since the countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations. The invitation is said to have come in a letter from King Salman, but has not yet been confirmed by the Saudis. The Middle East’s recent history has been dominated by hostility between the two nations. China brokered the thaw, which could reshape the region’s geopolitics. A senior Iranian official, Mohammad Jamshidi, tweeted about the invitation to visit the Saudi capital, Riyadh, saying Mr Raisi had welcomed it and “stressed Iran’s readiness to expand … Continue reading Saudi Arabia invited Iran’s President Raisi to visit, Tehran says

Saudi Arabia has executed a Jordanian man whose family say he was tortured into confessing to drugs charges. Hussein Abu al-Khair, 57, had eight children and was a driver for a wealthy Saudi. He was arrested in 2014 while crossing the border from Jordan into Saudi Arabia, accused of smuggling amphetamines. He was later sentenced to death, after a trial criticised by Amnesty International as “grossly unfair”. His sister, Zeinab Abul Al-Khair, said he had told her from jail that he had been strung up by his feet and beaten. “He never imagined a forced confession would be allowed in … Continue reading Saudi Arabia executes Jordanian man after allegedly giving forced confession

Six Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli army raid in Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry has said. Israel’s prime minister said one of the dead had been responsible for killing two Israeli brothers last month. Their killings, in Hawara further south, led Jewish settlers to rampage through the town in one of the worst such acts in years. The assault on Hawara drew condemnation from around the world. The raid on Tuesday afternoon took place in a refugee camp which is a frequent target for Israeli operations against Palestinian militants. There were reports … Continue reading Six Palestinians killed in Israeli army raid in West Bank

Christian politicians in Iraq are attempting to overturn legislation banning the import and sale of alcohol. Customs officials were given orders on Saturday to enforce the ban. It became law last month despite opposition. The group, which has five seats in Iraq’s parliament, filed a lawsuit saying it was undemocratic. Public alcohol consumption is frowned upon in Iraq, a predominantly Muslim country, but it can be bought at liquor stores or licensed bars. The law, originally passed by parliament in 2016, imposes a fine of up to 25m Iraqi dinars ($15,000). It prohibits the sale, import or production of alcohol – … Continue reading Iraq’s Christian political party calls alcohol ban undemocratic

An Israeli-American has been shot and killed in the occupied West Bank as retaliatory unrest intensifies. The man was killed in an attack on vehicles on a highway near the city of Jericho. The shooting happened after Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the West Bank on Sunday night with dozens of cars and houses burned. That attack came after two settlers, from a nearby village, were shot dead by a Palestinian on Sunday. The Israeli-American man killed near Jericho was taken by paramedics to a hospital in Jerusalem, but was later pronounced dead. US Ambassador Tom Nides tweeted: “Sadly, I can confirm … Continue reading Israeli-American killed in West Bank as unrest intensifies

Israeli troops have killed at least 11 Palestinians and wounded dozens more during a raid in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials say. Explosions and gunfire sounded as troops entered the old city of Nablus on Wednesday morning, sparking armed clashes with Palestinian gunmen. The Israeli military said it killed three wanted militants holed up inside a house who refused to surrender. Several of those killed outside were civilians, including two elderly men. The Palestinian health ministry said 72-year-old Adnan Saabe Baara was one of them. Video footage purportedly showed his body in a street next to bags of … Continue reading Eleven Palestinians killed during Israeli raid in Nablus

A court in Iran has sentenced German-Iranian dissident Jamshid Sharmahd to death on the charge of “corruption on Earth”, the judiciary has said. Sharmahd, 67, who lived in the US, is believed to have been kidnapped by Iranian agents in Dubai in 2020 and then forcibly taken to Iran via Oman. Iran accused him of being the leader of a pro-monarchist terrorist group. He denied the claim and a human rights group said he faced a grossly unfair trial based on forced “confessions”. Germany’s Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, condemned the sentence as “absolutely unacceptable”. “We call on Iran to remedy … Continue reading Iran sentences German-Iranian dissident to death

Israel has passed a law to revoke the citizenship of Israeli Arabs convicted of terrorism and who get financial aid from the Palestinian Authority (PA). It could also see Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem stripped of their residency rights. A large majority of MPs voted for the legislation, saying those affected had betrayed the Israeli state. Critics say it is racist and violates international law by rendering people stateless. The monthly stipends offered by the PA to Palestinian prisoners who have carried out attacks on Israelis, or their families, have long been highly contentious. Israel describes them as a … Continue reading Israel passes law to revoke Israeli Arab attackers’ citizenship

The Israeli military has jailed a soldier for 10 days after he was filmed choking and kicking a Palestinian human rights activist mid-interview with a US journalist in the flashpoint city of Hebron in the West Bank. In a 38-second video that shows part of the incident, the unidentified soldier grabs activist Issa Amro by the throat during an argument. He then throws him to the ground before delivering a kick to his side. The soldier is then pulled away by a man in a red hoodie and khaki trousers, apparently another serviceman, as he is berated by onlookers, including … Continue reading Israeli soldier jailed after being filmed beating Palestinian man

The Israeli government has authorised nine Jewish settlements in the West Bank which were previously unauthorised outposts. It is the first such move by the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The international community regards all settlements as illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. Palestinians see settlements as a major obstacle to a peace deal with Israel. They want all settlements and outposts to be removed from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which they seek for a future Palestinian state. Israel has built about 140 settlements housing some 600,000 Jews since it occupied West Bank and … Continue reading Israel legalises nine West Bank settlement outposts

Five Palestinian militants have been killed in an Israeli army raid near Jericho in the occupied West Bank. The armed wing of the Islamist movement Hamas said all those killed were its members. It is the latest in nearly nightly operations by the Israeli military targeting militants in the territory. The last two weeks have been a particularly bloody period, with deadly Israeli raids and Palestinian attacks on Israelis. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday night’s operation aimed to arrest a “Hamas terrorist cell” which it said was behind a gun attack a week earlier on a restaurant near … Continue reading Palestinian gunmen killed in Israeli raid in Jericho

The Iranian defence ministry says it has foiled a drone attack on a military facility in the city of Isfahan. The ministry said three drones were involved but there were no casualties. One drone was destroyed by air defence systems and two were caught by “defence traps”, causing minor damage to a building, the ministry added. The extent of damage to the site cannot been confirmed, as there has not been any claim of responsibility by anyone or group. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, said the “cowardly” incident was an attempt to destabilise the country. But he added that the … Continue reading Iran ‘foils drone attack’ on military facility in Isfahan