Middle East

Israeli spy agency Mossad suspected in Dubai assassination of Hamas commander

Dubai's police chief yesterday directly accused Israel's Mossad spy agency of the hit-squad slaying of a Hamas commander in a luxury hotel room on 20 January. Lieutenant-General Dahi Khalfan Tamim said he was "99 per cent, if not 100 per cent" cer...

West 'pushing for new UN sanctions against Iran'

The US is circulating a discussion paper on possible further UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, says a Western diplomat at the UN.


Hamas Gives U.N. Response to Gaza War Crimes Report

The Islamist group Hamas on Wednesday formally rejected allegations it had committed war crimes during last year's fighting in Gaza, charges made in a United Nations report.

Bomb kills 20 Shi'ite pilgrims in Iraq, election ban lifted

Muhanad Mohammed and Sami al-Jumaili Reuters Africa 04.02.2010
Bomb kills 20 Shi'ite pilgrims in Iraq, election ban lifted

A bomb killed at least 20 Shi'ite pilgrims on Wednesday as they poured into Iraq's holy city of Kerbala, triggering criticism of security forces and politicians before a potentially bloody March election.


Mideast peace talks will resume in 'coming weeks': Israeli PM

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he expects peace talks with the Palestinians to resume in the coming weeks, nudged on by the United States, after being stalled for more than a year.

Karroubi renewed his accusation that the "people's vote was engineered" in Iran's election

TEHRAN — Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi called on his supporters on Wednesday to peacefully participate in next week's rally marking the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution, as authorities threatened to crack down on any protests.


There are no discussions over prisoner exchange, Mrs Clinton says

The US has rejected Iran's suggestion of a prisoner swap for several Iranians jailed in the US for the three American hikers currently being held in Iran.

Nabil Shaath (C) speaks to the media as he arrives in the Gaza Strip

GAZA CITY — A senior member of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party made a rare visit to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a bid to encourage stalled reconciliation efforts.


Ahmadinejad: Iran Ready to Send Enriched Uranium Abroad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his country is ready to send uranium abroad for further enrichment, in accordance with a U.N.-backed plan.

Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani

Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani lashed out at U.S. plans to deploy defensive missiles in the Gulf, branding the decision a "political ploy" aimed at increasing its military strength in the region.


Opposition activists wave pictures of Mir Hossein Moussavi

Iran will execute nine dissidents "soon", an official said on Tuesday, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stepped up a campaign to crush the country's opposition movement.

Israel Searches for Explosive Barrels in Sea

JOSHUA MITNICK The Wall Street Journal 03.02.2010
Mounted police officers patrol a beach in Ashkelon, Israel, on Tuesday.

TEL AVIV—Israel closed a stretch of beaches north of the Gaza Strip after two explosive-laden barrels washed ashore and Palestinian militants promised more, in revenge for what some in Hamas said was Israeli's assassination of a top Hamas leader l...


Seized weapons plane in Thailand not heading for Iran: official

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran denied on Tuesday claims by Thailand that a planeload of North Korean weapons seized there in December was headed to Iran.

Female Suicide Bomber Kills 41 Shiite Pilgrims in Baghdad

BEN LANDO The Wall Street Journal 02.02.2010
Female Suicide Bomber Kills 41 Shiite Pilgrims in Baghdad

A female suicide bomber on Monday killed at least 41 Shiite pilgrims in northern Baghdad who were making an annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Karbala.


Israel Rebukes 2 Officers for U.N. Gaza Compound Shelling

ISABEL KERSHNER The New York Times 02.02.2010
Israel Rebukes 2 Officers for U.N. Gaza Compound Shelling

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military confirmed Monday that it had reprimanded two senior officers, a brigadier general and a colonel, for the firing of artillery shells that hit a United Nations compound during the Gaza war last winter. It was a rare ...

Iran's judiciary chief Sadeq Larijani

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's top judge said on Monday he would not succumb to political pressure from hardliners to carry out more executions against anti-government protesters, saying any such decision would be based on the law.


Israel set to respond to UN demand on Gaza war

JERUSALEM — Israel was to give UN chief Ban Ki-moon a letter on Friday in response to a UN demand that it probe alleged war crimes in its Gaza offensive which the Jewish state previously rejected, officials said.

Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani, who was executed at dawn, defends himself during a hearing last August

Iran delivered a chilling message of intent to the country's reform movement yesterday when it hanged two men accused of participating in protests following last year's disputed presidential election and sentenced to death nine more.


US Senate OKs sanctions on Iran's fuel suppliers

Tom Doggett and Susan Cornwell The Washington Post 29.01.2010
US Senate OKs sanctions on Iran's fuel suppliers

The Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would let President Barack Obama impose sanctions on Iran's gasoline suppliers and penalize some of Tehran's elites, a move aimed at pressuring Tehran to give up its nuclear program.

Iran Continues Focus on Outside Provocateurs, Now Blaming Germany

MICHAEL SLACKMAN and NICHOLAS KULISH The New York Times 28.01.2010
German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the specter of sanction against Iran on Tuesday.

CAIRO — Iranian officials continued to cast blame for the nation’s recent political crisis on foreign interference on Wednesday, focusing their ire for the first time on Germany, one of the country’s closest trading partners, with an accusation th...



1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | older »