WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) – United States troops are set to leave Afghanistan no later than Sept 11, but the Pentagon, US spy agencies and Western allies are refining plans to deploy a less visible but still potent force in the region to prevent the country from again becoming a terrorist base. Drawing on the hard lessons […]

RIYADH (AFP) – Debris from missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels into Saudi Arabia caused a small fire on a university campus in the kingdom’s south, the Riyadh-led military coalition operating in Yemen said. Saudi air defence intercepted five ballistic missiles and four drones deployed by Yemeni rebels on Wednesday night (April 14) and Thursday […]

Compared with last year, when mosques around the world were closed because of the coronavirus, this Holy Month has limits, but friends and family, too. By Vivian Yee and Adam Rasgon CAIRO — Compared with Ramadan 2020, when mosques around the world were closed for prayer during the holiest month of the year for Muslims, […]

TEHERAN (AFP) – Iran warned on Tuesday (April 13) it will start enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity, two days after an explosion it blamed on Israel damaged its enrichment plant in Natanz. The announcement cast a shadow over ongoing multinational talks in Vienna aimed at salvaging the tattered 2015 nuclear deal between Iran […]

RIYADH (AFP) – Saudi Arabia fervently denies involvement in Jordan’s royal feud, but the arrest of an adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has stirred unease in Riyadh, which sources say is pushing for his release. Bassem Awadallah, seen as an influential figure familiar with the inner workings of the Saudi leadership, was ensnared […]

JERUSALEM (REUTERS) – Israel will start allowing the limited entry of vaccinated tourist groups next month as its own inoculation campaign has sharply brought down Covid-19 infections, an official statement said on Tuesday (April 13). The return of foreigners after Israel had closed its borders at the outset of the pandemic in March 2020 would […]

JERUSALEM (NYTIMES) – The last time centrifuges exploded at Iran’s underground nuclear fuel-production centre at Natanz, more than a decade ago, the sabotage was the result of a joint Israeli-American cyber-attack intended to deter Teheran from building nuclear weapons. When they exploded again this weekend, the White House asserted that the United States had no […]

JERUSALEM (REUTERS) – US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Sunday (April 11) on the first visit by a senior representative of the Biden administration, whose stance on Iran has worried Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Mr Austin was due to meet Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz during the two-day […]

JERUSALEM (REUTERS) – US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Sunday (April 11) on the first visit by a senior representative of the Biden administration, whose stance on Iran has worried Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Mr Austin was due to meet Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz during the two-day […]

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel briefly came to a standstill on Thursday (April 8) with the morning bustle halted for two minutes at 10am (3pm Singapore time) as sirens blared to honour the victims of the Holocaust. In an annual ritual, pedestrians froze in place and drivers stopped and stood in silence beside their vehicles, honouring […]