Middle East

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UN Staff Member Dies in Houthi Custody, Probe Demanded

UN Staff Member Dies in Houthi Custody, Probe Demanded

A Yemeni staff member of the UN Human Rights Office has died in Houthi custody after being detained for more than two years, prompting the UN to demand an independent investigation and the immediate release of other detained personnel.

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Israel’s Election Produces No Clear Winner, High-Stakes Coalition Race Begins

Israel’s Election Produces No Clear Winner, High-Stakes Coalition Race Begins

Israel’s October 27 election produced no clear winner, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc nor former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar-led bloc securing the 61 seats needed for a majority. Preliminary results indicate Likud and allies won 53 seats, Yashar and allies 48, and Arab-led parties 19. Eisenkot declared the election a rejection of “the culture of lies, of failure, of division and incitement,” saying, “We have made history.”

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Israeli Exit Polls Suggest Opposition Edges Ahead of Netanyahu

Israeli Exit Polls Suggest Opposition Edges Ahead of Netanyahu

Exit polls in Israel’s first election since the October 2023 Hamas attacks suggest opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc has edged slightly ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, with Eisenkot’s bloc projected to win 52 of the 120 Knesset seats, compared to 50 for Netanyahu’s religious right-wing alliance. The results, published by Israeli news outlets including Channel 12 and Channel 13, indicate no clear victor and set the stage for a complex coalition-building process.

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Jordan Conducts Airstrikes in Syria After Deadly Church Attack

Jordan Conducts Airstrikes in Syria After Deadly Church Attack

Jordan’s air force conducted airstrikes on militant hideouts in southern Syria on October 26, 2026, in response to a deadly attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the southern city of Karak that killed nine people. The operation, said to be coordinated with Damascus, followed the arrest of three suspects linked to the attack, which targeted a funeral at the church.

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U.S. Warns Iran’s Plots Against Americans at Advanced Stages

U.S. Warns Iran’s Plots Against Americans at Advanced Stages

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton informed Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 23 that Iran has “substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” with lethal plotting reaching “advanced stages” in the Middle East and other countries. The memo, first reported by Axios and provided to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, noted that the threats extend beyond the Middle East.

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UK Deploys Fighter Jets to Defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi Attacks

UK Deploys Fighter Jets to Defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi Attacks

The UK announced on October 20, 2026, that Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets would be deployed to Saudi Arabia to defend the country from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The jets will operate in a defensive role, intercepting drones and missiles targeting Saudi cities and critical infrastructure. The move follows a request from Saudi Arabia and expands military support previously announced in September.

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Riyadh Airport Hit Again by Houthi Attack

Riyadh Airport Hit Again by Houthi Attack

RIYADH — A projectile struck Terminal 4 of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday, killing one person and injuring 11, just a day after a Houthi missile attack on the same facility killed 13 people and injured more than 300.

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Navi Pillay Wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize Amid U.S., Israeli Backlash

Navi Pillay Wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize Amid U.S., Israeli Backlash

OSLO — Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, 85, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The committee called her one of the “great defenders of international legal principles in our time.”

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U.S. Completes 12-Year Troop Withdrawal from Iraq

U.S. Completes 12-Year Troop Withdrawal from Iraq

BAGHDAD — The U.S. military confirmed Wednesday that all American troops have left Iraq, completing a two-year withdrawal plan that ended a 12-year mission to combat the Islamic State group. The last U.S. forces departed from Irbil Air Base in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said.

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Trump Rejects Iran’s Seven-Day Plan to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Trump Rejects Iran’s Seven-Day Plan to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal on Sept. 26 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war in the Middle East, despite Iran’s claim it could be implemented within seven days. “I reject their proposal,” Trump said at the White House. “They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly.”

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Houthis Seize Red Sea Chokepoints Amid U.S. Diplomacy

Houthis Seize Red Sea Chokepoints Amid U.S. Diplomacy

U.S. officials held a private meeting with the Houthis at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, Oman, just days after the group captured key Red Sea ports and islands, according to Reuters. The meeting reportedly aimed to de-escalate tensions.

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Ed Sheeran Concert Set Ahead Despite Gaza Boycott Calls

Ed Sheeran Concert Set Ahead Despite Gaza Boycott Calls

Ed Sheeran's concert in Philadelphia is set to go ahead on Saturday despite multiple opening acts withdrawing and Palestinian advocacy groups calling for a boycott over Israel's actions in Gaza.

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Netanyahu Vows to ‘Change the Face of the Middle East’

Netanyahu Vows to ‘Change the Face of the Middle East’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he will 'change the face of the Middle East' during his Likud party’s election campaign kickoff. Israelis, however, have shown skepticism with protests outside parliament.

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US Allows Iran Delegation to Attend UN Meetings

US Allows Iran Delegation to Attend UN Meetings

The US government has granted visas to Iranian officials to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, as the war between the two countries enters its seventh month, according to the BBC.

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UN Experts Say US Committed War Crimes in Iran Strikes

UN Experts Say US Committed War Crimes in Iran Strikes

UN human rights experts say there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 177 civilians, according to a report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.

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Yemen’s Perim Island Becomes Strategic Flashpoint in Iran War

Yemen’s Perim Island Becomes Strategic Flashpoint in Iran War

The Yemeni island of Perim, a key location in the Strait of Bab al-Mandab, is now a focal point in the widening conflict between Iran and the US, according to CNN. The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have launched an offensive to gain control of the island.

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At least 20 killed after war-damaged Gaza building collapses

At least 20 killed after war-damaged Gaza building collapses

At least 20 people, including five children, have been killed and dozens are missing after a war-damaged building collapsed in the Gaza Strip, according to rescue teams. The six-story structure in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City had been inhabited by 10 families despite warnings.

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Trump Administration Plans $2.8B Bomb Sale to Israel

Trump Administration Plans $2.8B Bomb Sale to Israel

The Trump administration is preparing to sell Israel a $2.8bn package of 907kg bombs, the largest single sale of the munition in recent years, according to reports by the Washington Post and AFP.

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