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Coronavirus and sanctions hit Iran’s support of proxies in Iraq

Tehran, struggling to bounce back from targeted killing of IRGC commander Solemani by U.S., faces large budget deficit forcing it to limit military expenditures in the region

Reuters , 19:29 , 07.02.20

'Incident' damages construction near Iran nuclear site

State-run IRNA news agency says Natanz nuclear facility was not damaged in the incident and only the under-construction 'shed' was harmed; there was, however, no previously announced construction work at the facility

Associated Press , Reuters , 11:35 , 07.02.20

Lebanon’s plea to skeptical expats: Come visit, bring cash

Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown, with the cash-strapped government hoping thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting badly needed dollars into the sinking economy

Associated Press , 12:06 , 07.01.20

Iran journalist who fueled 2017 protests sentenced to death

Reporter arrested after running website posting embarrassing videos and information about Iranian officials, spreading messages about upcoming protests and sharing videos from demonstrations

Associated Press , 14:08 , 06.30.20

Report: Lebanon's FM to summon U.S. envoy over Hezbollah comments

Local media says minister to meet with ambassador after judge banned local, foreign media outlets from interviewing Shea, saying her criticism of Hezbollah was seditious and a threat to social peace

Associated Press , 16:32 , 06.28.20

Lebanese president sees 'civil war' climate amid unrest

Aoun calls to protect peace while Sunni leaders say meeting to dilute tensions was waste of time; UAE official says Lebanon was paying the price of deteriorating ties with wealthy Gulf Arab states

Reuters , 14:53 , 06.25.20

Inside Iran’s secret project to produce aluminum powder for missiles

A special investigation reveals a secret production complex in the Iranian highlands where the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps are producing a key ingredient in solid-fuel propellants used to launch missiles

Reuters , 18:43 , 06.24.20

Syria refuses to 'bow' to U.S. sanctions

FM Muallem decries Caesar Act as an attempt to undermine support for dictator Assad and force him to ‘abandon’ his alliances, 'normalize relations with Israel'

AFP , 19:50 , 06.23.20

Muslims to wait a year for hajj as virus prompts Saudi curbs

Kingdom says only very limited number of pilgrims would be allowed to perform hajj in Mecca, mostly residents of various nationalities already inside the country

Associated Press , 11:57 , 06.23.20

Egyptians struggle to keep art of papyrus-making viable

Locals in the Land of the Nile fear the millennia-old tradition would disappear completely as tourist hotspots on the Red Sea and Cairo are abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic

Reuters , 09:16 , 06.20.20

Dressmakers keep Palestinian tradition alive in refugee camp in Jordan

In the sprawling Baqaa camp in Jordan, a group of women sews colorful dresses they sell to customers in fashionable parts of nearby Amman, giving them an income and upholding old customs

Reuters , 22:28 , 06.18.20

Report: Iran test-fires long range cruise missiles

Islamic Republic reports first drill since fatal training accident which left 19 Iranian sailors dead; missiles said to destroy targets at distance of 280 kilometers (170 miles)

Associated Press , 17:13 , 06.18.20

Turkey begins offensive against Kurdish rebels in north Iraq

Ankara says it airlifted troops for a cross-border operation against the PKK in Iraq's Haftanin region, following 'intense' artillery fire into the area

Associated Press , 22:25 , 06.17.20

U.S. hits Syria with toughest sanctions yet to push Assad to end war

Syrian leader's wife among 39 designated individuals and companies targeted by U.S. financial punitive measures, as country experiences deepening economic crisis after nearly decade of conflict

Reuters , 16:48 , 06.17.20

Concerns mount as Lebanon struggles to take first steps out of crisis

Analysis: Slow efforts to pull the heavily indebted nation, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and deep corruption, show little success; Beirut facing growing criticism amid fears of renewed sectarian violence

Reuters , 11:43 , 06.16.20

Drone strike kills 2 al-Qaeda commanders in NW Syria

Opposition groups report that the two men - a Jordanian and a Yemeni - headed local militias linked to the terror group as part of Coalition efforts to stamp out radical factions in region

Associated Press , 21:22 , 06.14.20

Iran daily virus deaths exceed 100 for first time in 2 months

Islamic Republic officials claim rise in cases is result of increase in testing rather than worsening caseload, but skepticism still remains at home and abroad over official toll

AFP , 18:44 , 06.14.20

Troubled Iran struggles to maintain sway over Iraq militias

In-depth: Without Soleimani to unify disparate factions, divisions have emerged in the umbrella group of mainly Shiite forces, who decry the lack of cash influx and lack of trajectory to institutionalize the militias

Associated Press , 09:41 , 06.13.20

Iran says ready to cooperate with IAEA

The Iranians claim the IAEA request for access to its nuclear sites is based on fabricated information supplied by the United States and Israel

AFP , 14:19 , 06.12.20

Syrian president fires his PM amid worsening economic crisis

The economic meltdown comes ahead of looming new U.S. sanctions against any entity or country that does business with the Syrian government due to take effect in the second half of June

Associated Press , 18:00 , 06.11.20

Turkish court sentences U.S. consulate employee to jail

Metin Topuz, a translator and assistant for the DEA, accused of having connections with exiled opposition leader Fethullah Gulen, whom Istanbul blames for the 2016 coup attempt

Associated Press , 15:53 , 06.11.20

UN chief calls for a more mobile, reconnaissance-oriented UNIFIL

Secretary General Guterres urges prioritizing monitoring capabilities, maneuverability over high-density deployment for its Lebanese border peacekeeping mission

i24NEWS, AFP , 09:59 , 06.10.20

Iran says it will execute informant who led U.S. to Soleimani

Tehran claims Mahmoud Mousavi Majd is connected to CIA and Mossad and has relayed information on the Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds force but gives no information beyond his name

Associated Press , 12:26 , 06.09.20

Assad's 20-year rule, from Damascus Spring to pariah

Following his inauguration in 2000 after the death of his father, the iron-fisted Hafez, a London-trained ophthalmologist was seen as hope for change but has left his country more bloody and poor than ever

AFP , 11:02 , 06.09.20

North Syria clashes leaves dozens of fighters dead

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 22 insurgents, 19 troops dead in new government counteroffensive against last remaining opposition stronghold

Associated Press , 22:06 , 06.08.20

Iraqi militiamen drop guns to dig graves for coronavirus dead

At the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, created to fight Islamic State, now volunteer as morticians for both Muslim and Christian victims of the pathogen

Reuters , 23:26 , 06.01.20

Iranian lawmaker says 230 killed in November protests

Islamic Republic official first to give death toll figure from mass protests, says almost half of deaths are security forces or passersby; watchdog claims more than 300 protestors dead

Associated Press , 22:50 , 06.01.20

UAE says Israel should back off threat to annex West Bank

Gulf state's foreign minister says 'unilateral Israeli move will be serious setback for peace process, undermine Palestinian self-determination and constitute a rejection of the international and Arab consensus'

Reuters , 13:51 , 06.01.20

Iran's new parliament speaker says talks with US 'futile'

Newly-elected Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf describes America as the 'axis of global arrogance,' vows revenge for the death of Revolutionary Guards' general Qasem Soleimani

AFP , 23:33 , 05.31.20

Egypt officials say 19 Islamic militants killed in Sinai

Military says 5 soldiers killed including a colonel and a lieutenant, and three conscript soldiers according to officials, as security forces battle local affiliate of Islamic State

Associated Press , 16:48 , 05.31.20

Sources: U.S. to end sanction waivers allowing work at Iran nuclear sites

Decision seems designed to tighten 'maximum pressure' policy against Tehran since Washington pulled out of nuclear deal in 2018; U.S. provides 60 days to wind down international activities

Reuters , 22:05 , 05.27.20

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