Middle Orient

Military says ‘incident complete’ after reports of armed men commandeering ship near UAE; details surrounding episode remain unclear The British navy says the hijackers who boarded a vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman have left the targeted ship, without elaborating. The notice …

Sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona as 2 missiles hit outside city, sparking fire; 4 people treated for anxiety; Israel said to assess that armed Palestinian groups are behind attack Three rockets were fired into northern Israel from Lebanon Wednesday shortly after noon, causing warning sirens to sound in the Kiryat …

Turkey’s annual inflation rose higher than expected in July to 18.95%, just shy of the Central Bank’s key interest rate, reducing prospects for an early interest rate cut this summer. Turkey’s annual inflation rate rose higher than expected in July, reaching a two-year high of 18.95%, according to data published …

Hamas hopes its support for Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who retains wide popularity, will pay political dividends. The Hamas movement insists on giving imprisoned Fatah Central Committee member Marwan Barghouti priority in any potential prisoner swap deal with Israel. As soon as the latest war on the Gaza Strip ended …

The drone attack against an Israeli-managed oil tanker last week revealed Israel’s soft underbelly at sea, and forces its leadership to consider how to retaliate. Had Prime Minister Naftali Bennett been Israel’s defense minister or just a member of its Security Cabinet, he would have surely banged on the table …

Tensions are soaring on Wednesday after two rockets of a three-missile barrage fired into Israel from Hizbullah-controlled southern Lebanon fell near the city of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. Residents took to the bomb shelters as the army retaliated with artillery fire. Although no injuries or damage were reported, concern …

Ebrahim Raisi will be sworn in as Iran’s next president on August 5, marking a defining moment in the situation around the nuclear issue. Having weathered the brunt of Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’, Tehran is in a better situation today. The international situation works in its favour too. Iran has gained …

The Saudi state-owned oil company said reports it will engage in the process of creating cryptocurrency are “false.” Saudi Arabia’s state oil company has denied reports it will make more of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Aramco called claims they would engage in Bitcoin mining “false and inaccurate” in a Monday press …

There are indications the Kremlin is about to revise its approach to Israel in order to force the Israel Defense Forces into accepting new rules of the regional game. The end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s grip on power in Israel fueled media speculation of what it means for Russian-Israeli coordination in …

The new Iranian president said he will push to get harsh sanctions lifted without hinging Iran’s battered economy on the West. As he was officially endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran Aug. 3, Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to get the country’s sanctions-stricken economy back on …