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Iran spent up to $30 billion on propping Syria's Assad, lawmaker says

Tehran's expenses into bolstering government forces in Syria said to be near twice its annual defense budget throughout 2019, about 6.5% of its GDP that year

i24NEWS , 21:52 , 05.25.20

Iran: will support any nation or group that fights Israel

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei launches threat in a post on his official English-language Twitter account, says Iran's enmity toward Israel not the same as hostility toward Jewish people

Reuters , 23:54 , 05.20.20

Amnesty urges probe into 'ruthless' Iran protest killings

Watchdog says over 300 dead after Iranian security forces crackdown on gas price protests; Iran yet to issue official death toll but dismisses counts from Western sources as exaggerated

AFP , 20:25 , 05.20.20

UN envoy: Syria's warring parties agree to Geneva talks

After nine years of bloody conflict, peace mediator announces Damascus and rebel groups are set to relaunch talks after coronavirus outbreak in country has been overcome

Reuters , 13:54 , 05.19.20

Report: U.S. lawmakers warn against pulling troops out of Sinai

In bipartisan letter to Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper, lawmakers urge the administration to refrain from risking the Israeli Egyptian peace that they call an 'anchor of stability' in region

i24NEWS , 11:09 , 05.18.20

Airstrikes in east Syria kill Iran-backed fighters

The strikes late Saturday targeted a base near the border town of Boukamal, killing seven fighters, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor

Associated Press , 22:22 , 05.17.20

U.S. accuses Iran of defying UN nuclear deal resolution

Washington says Tehran violated 2015 agreement by launching a satellite last month, while supplying arms to proxy forces in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and others highlights Iran’s violations of the arms embargo

Associated Press , 08:38 , 05.14.20

Lebanese designers fight coronavirus with fashion face masks

Many textile workers and firms in Lebanon, who suffer both from financial woes and the virus, find producing fashionable protective face wear as solution to both problems, with extra profits going to frontline nursing staff

Reuters , 08:54 , 05.13.20

Doctors and nurses suffered as Iran ignored virus concerns

Iranian leaders delayed telling the public about the virus for weeks, even as hospitals were filling up with people suffering from symptoms linked to the COVID-19 and as doctors called for radical action

Associated Press , 12:27 , 05.12.20

Saudi Arabia triples VAT rate in austerity push to counter oil slump, virus

Gulf kingdom's struggle with shrinking oil market, exasperating economic downfall prompted by coronavirus restrictions, brings Crown Prince to initiate harsh financial decision to bounce back

Reuters , 23:18 , 05.11.20

Lebanon faces grave threat to stability as poverty mounts

Residents in Tripoli are bitter over grand promises that never materialize from rival Sunni politicians vying for their support and as development of the port, a hoped-for gateway for rebuilding Syria, never materialized

Associated Press , 12:08 , 05.11.20

Iran missile strikes own ship, kills 19 sailors, hurts 15 others

Iran's navy says the friendly fire incident occured during training exercise in the Gulf of Oman, where the Iranians often train, due to the area's proximity to the strategic Strait of Hormuz

Associated Press , 09:39 , 05.11.20

Dozens dead in militant attack on Syrian troops

At least 35 reportedly killed on both sides in clashes between government forces and al-Qaeda-linked Horas al-Din group in Hama province

Associated Press , 19:12 , 05.10.20

New Iraq PM releases protesters, promotes respected general

Mustafa al-Kadhimi also promoted a well-respected Iraqi general, who played a key role in the military campaign against the Islamic State, to lead counter-terrorism operations, demoted by former PM

Associated Press , 19:04 , 05.10.20

Iran seeks to boost food reserves as virus compounds economic woes

Bumper grain crops will guarantee staple foods to March 2021 as impact of pandemic not spread to farming, Rouhani tells parliament, but previously unreported buying spree highlights concern of possible supply crunch

Reuters , 23:30 , 05.07.20

Iran warns of 'rising trend' as virus cases top 100,000

On Saturday, Islamic Republic's official tally of daily infections hit its lowest level since March 10, but cases have picked up again since then, spurring worries of a 'second wave' among officials

AFP , 15:23 , 05.06.20

Facebook says it dismantles disinformation network tied to Iran's state media

Covert network made up of some 500 fake social media accounts posed as independent media sites; cybersecurity experts suspect Russian disinformation tactics

Reuters , 22:55 , 05.05.20

Lebanon summons German ambassador over Hezbollah ban

Beirut affirms terror group is a 'main political component' in Lebanese politics; organization's leader Hassan Nasrallah denounce actions, urges actions to be taken to protect citizens in Germany

Reuters , 16:48 , 05.05.20

Iranian guards tortured, drowned migrants in the river, Afghanistan claims

Authorities in Afghan province of Herat, which shares a border with the Islamic Republic, say they have retrieved 12 bodies from the Harirud river, at least 8 others still missing; Iran says incident happened on 'Afghan soil'

Reuters , 11:16 , 05.04.20

Syrian tycoon decries 'inhumane' security forces in unprecedented criticism

Leading businessman and cousin of President Assad says he is being pushed to step down as authorities crackdown on businesses, arrest employees and demand draconian tax payments

Reuters , 22:13 , 05.03.20

Egyptian police say 18 militants killed in Sinai skirmish

The raid in the town of Bir al-Abed was prompted by intelligence pointing at a suspected terrorist cell using a residential house as local headquarters, according to Egyptian police

AFP , 21:35 , 05.03.20

Report: Trump threatened to cut US military support to Saudi Arabia to secure oil output slash

A dramatic price decline that followed threatened to bring down the US shale oil industry, which operates at a higher profit margin than the Saudi industry; two weeks after the threat OPEC announced it will reduce production

Reuters , 18:19 , 05.01.20

UN warns that 'tragedy beckons' in Syria from virus

With millions of people displaced in crowded conditions and without adequate sanitation in Syria, international agency warns it is only a matter of time until there is widespread coronavirus-related disaster there

Associated Press , 12:40 , 04.30.20

Protester killed in unrest in Lebanon's Tripoli

Demonstrators attack banks, clash with security forces in port city as virus outbreak exacerbates longstanding economic crisis and Lebanese pound sinks to record low

Reuters , 12:01 , 04.28.20

Dinner on a doorstep: reaching the Middle East's vulnerable in lockdown Ramadan

As some 320 million Muslims face enforced separation at a time when socializing is almost sacred, region's countries and communities find new ways to reach those in need

Reuters , 22:18 , 04.22.20

Iranian secret space program revealed with satellite launch

The launch appeared to have happened at a previously unacknowledged Revolutionary Guard Corps base near Shahroud, Iran, some 330 kilometers (205 miles) northeast of Tehran

Associated Press , 20:46 , 04.22.20

First virus case puts Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camp on lockdown

UN agency says medical workers to be dispatched to Wavel camp in the eastern Bekaa Valley to conduct COVID-19 tests after a Palestinian woman becomes infected

AFP , 13:45 , 04.22.20

Iran's Guard says it launched satellite amid U.S. tensions

After several failed launches in recent months, Islamic Republic claims the 'Noor' satellite reached orbit of 425 km (264 miles) above the Earth’s surface; Guard called it the first military satellite ever launched by Tehran

Associated Press , 09:53 , 04.22.20

Muslims try to keep Ramadan spirit amid virus restriction

As pandemic scraps plans of family gatherings, governments throughout Muslim world try to balance restrictions with traditions as ongoing lockdown keeps ravaging local economies

Associated Press , 23:30 , 04.21.20

Lebanese protesters return to streets in car convoys amid coronavirus lockdown

The coronavirus pandemic has compounded woes in Lebanon, which had plunged deep into financial crisis months before the outbreak but with people unable to work they have taken to the streets

Reuters , 23:13 , 04.21.20

Amid virus crisis, some Syrians prefer ruined homes to crowded camps

'They tell us to stay home because of corona... but in the camps, the tents are right next to each other and people can't keep their distance,' says 42-year-old Taher el-Matar, who wants to spend Ramadan with his six children in his own house in war-torn Idlib

Reuters , 17:55 , 04.20.20

Red Cross: Coronavirus could cause upheaval across Middle East

Geneva-based international aid body calls for authorities in the volatile region to prepare for a 'potentially devastating aftermath' and a 'socio-economic earthquake', specifically naming Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan

Reuters , 19:57 , 04.16.20

Displaced Syrians wary of coronavirus risk return to war-torn Idlib

Although province yet to confirm any cases, many of those who fled fighting fear almost non-existent infrastructure and health system will cause a humanitarian disaster

Reuters , 23:03 , 04.12.20

Egypt to ban Ramadan gatherings to counter spread of coronavirus

Though typically mass iftars are held for poor people, Egypt will ban any gatherings and public iftars, or fast-breaking meals, as well as collective social activities

Reuters , 21:58 , 04.07.20

Jerusalem's Palm Sunday march scaled back due to coronavirus

Clerics and faithful go door to door to bring the Holy Week to Christians often looking on from their balconies as coronavirus keeps changing long-standing worship practices

Associated Press , 19:30 , 04.05.20

Iran to restart 'low-risk' economic activities soon

Islamic Republic has been hardest-hit country in Mideast with over 52,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, but stabilization in number of new cases and deaths could pose a way out of economic lockdown

AFP , 19:03 , 04.05.20

Extremists see global chaos from virus as an opportunity

With most of the world's nations channeling their efforts to curb spread of COVID-19, militant groups see this shift in focus as an opening for renewed violence

Associated Press , 17:05 , 04.02.20

Packed Palestinian refugee camps face grave threat if coronavirus spreads

Most camps across the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan are registered under UNRWA, a Palestinian aid agency that have been cash-strapped after U.S., its biggest donor, halted its annual payment of $360 million

Reuters , 15:44 , 04.02.20

As Syria camp tackles coronavirus, young teachers adapt again

Reality in war-torn country is already hard and dangerous and coronavirus pandemic poses yet another threat, even so there are those who still fight to ensure an education for the younger population

Reuters , 21:44 , 04.01.20

Sanders urges U.S. to lift Iran sanctions to ease coronavirus 'suffering'

The Jewish senator appeals to in a tweet to Pompeo and Mnuchin telling them to put aside 'our countries' disputes'; the Democratic presidential candidate was joined by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilan Omar; Iran's leader says U.S. missed a chance 'to apologize'

AFP, Reuters , 15:44 , 04.01.20

Hezbollah asserts role in Lebanon's coronavirus fight

The Iranian-backed terror group deploys large group of medics, volunteers to boost the country's ill-equipped healthcare system; sees chance to repair its image battered by months-long anti-corruption protests

Reuters , 13:42 , 04.01.20

In Iran, false belief a poison fights virus kills hundreds

300 people have been killed and more than 1,000 sickened so far by ingesting methanol across the Islamic Republic, where drinking alcohol is banned and where those who do rely on bootleggers

Associated Press , 19:59 , 03.27.20

Aid group says Mideast lockdowns hinder humanitarian efforts

Norwegian Refugee Council says it cannot reach some 300,000 people in Syria, Yemen and the Gaza Strip, where authorities have imposed strict measures to halt the spread of coronavirus

Associated Press , 14:56 , 03.25.20

UN's Palestinian refugee agency suspends Gaza food aid

UNRWA says measure aims to protect its staff and their recipients, hopes to resume distribution from different locations, including schools

Ynet , 16:38 , 03.24.20

Egypt declares two-week curfew to counter coronavirus

Public services and government offices will close their doors to the public during the period and a measure to limit the number of government employees at work will be prolonged until mid-April

Reuters , 15:08 , 03.24.20

Mideast, Central Asia countries ask IMF for coronavirus support

Tourism has been hit in countries where it has an important role in the economy, such as Egypt and the UAE, says IMP official, while fragile and conflict-torn states such as Iraq, Sudan, and Yemen face an especially daunting challenge

Reuters , 11:16 , 03.24.20

War-torn Syria braces for lockdown after first virus case

Syria's Health Ministry reported the first case of coronavirus late Sunday, raising concerns the virus could run rampant in some of the most vulnerable areas in the Middle East even though many countries have already sealed their borders and cancelled flights

Associated Press , 20:21 , 03.23.20

Former member of Israel-backed militia killed in Lebanon

Security officials say man gunned down by unknown assailants at his grocery store shortly after Lebanese-American man who belonged to same militia released from prison in Beirut and flown to U.S.

Associated Press , 22:41 , 03.22.20

Arrival of virus in Gaza raises fears about vulnerable areas

Health official estimates territory can only handle first 100 cases if they appear gradually in current capacity; only 92 from hundreds who returned recently from overseas tested

Associated Press , 19:19 , 03.22.20

Jordan goes on lock-down, Egypt shuts pyramids to visitors, Mideast confronts coronavirus

As the death toll in Iran continues to climb, countries around the Middle East restrict movements closing down schools and banning gatherings, while war-torn Syria has yet to report a single case of coronavirus

Associated Press , 16:36 , 03.22.20

WHO: Mideast states must share more info on coronavirus cases

Treatment of and measure against COVID-19 have been 'uneven' in region, Mideast envoy for the agency says; over 18,000 cases confirmed, with more than a thousand deaths in seven countries

Reuters , 18:50 , 03.18.20

Pentagon: U.S. strikes Iran-backed group that hit Iraq base

Officials say fighter jets hit five locations, mainly targeting Kataib Hezbollah weapons facilities; Esper: You don't get to shoot at our bases and kill and wound Americans and get away with it

Associated Press , 11:30 , 03.13.20

Trump authorizes U.S. military to respond after Iran-backed militia kills troops

U.S. Secretary of Defense hinted that strikes against the militia itself were the priority in response to the killing of U.S. troops and would not take the possibility of striking inside Iran off the table

Reuters , 19:34 , 03.12.20

Spike in cases in Gulf pushes Mideast past 10,000 infections

Countries implement increasingly stringent measures - from travel bans to large-scale lockdowns - in effort to contain and starve off coronavirus, as COVID-19 ravages through the region

Associated Press , 14:01 , 03.12.20

Two U.S., one British personnel killed in Iraq rocket attack

U.S. officials warn death toll may rise, say too soon to assign blame; Pompeo, UK counterpart Raab agree 'those responsible for the attacks must be held accountable'

Reuters , 11:54 , 03.12.20

News agency: Iran VP, 2 Cabinet members have coronavirus

Islamic Republic faces biggest outbreak in Mideast, with neighbors blocking entry to its national, citing it as source for recent infections in the region; Revolutionary Guard called upon to assist efforts

Associated Press , 17:44 , 03.11.20

Report: Senior Hezbollah officials infected with coronavirus

Terror group members believed to have contracted virus after meeting with Iranian military officials; Nasrallah said to be in isolation, though unclear whether contracted strain

i24NEWS, Ynet , 14:48 , 03.11.20

Jordan closes borders due to coronavirus

Cabinet approves emergency measures to fight spread of pathogen across the kingdom; Jordan confirmed first case in man who returned from Italy last month

Reuters , 21:26 , 03.10.20

Russia, Turkey agree ceasefire deal for Syria's Idlib

Presidents convene in Moscow and declare truce starting midnight; Erdogan stresses right to respond to attacks by Syrian government in country's last rebel stronghold

Reuters , 21:34 , 03.05.20

Iran says IAEA case for inspecting sites based on fake Israeli intel

UN watchdog says decision to take environmental samples based in part on documents presented by Netanyahu last year, reportedly recovered by agents in the Islamic Republic

Reuters , 20:16 , 03.05.20