Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler called for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon at a joint Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit that will renew calls for a Palestinian state on Monday.
Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Riyadh, more than a year into the Israel-Hamas war and regional escalation, in what is seen as a chance to send a message to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.
Full StoryIsraeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters in Jerusalem Monday that the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state was not "realistic".
"I don't think this position is realistic today and we must be realistic," the newly appointed minister said in response to a question over the creation of a Palestinian state state in exchange for normalization with Arab countries, adding that a Palestinian state would be "a Hamas state".
Full StoryQatar's suspension of its crucial mediation between Israel and Hamas has crushed hopes for a long-stalled truce in the Gaza war and hostage release deal.
The wealthy Gulf country hosts the largest U.S. base in the Middle East and Hamas's political office, and has played a pivotal role in indirect talks since the October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.
Full StorySyrian state media on Monday reported an Israeli strike on a village near the city of Homs, a day after a deadly strike on a building in the Damascus area.
"An Israeli aggression" targeted the "surroundings of the Shinshar region south of Homs", state news agency SANA said, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike targeted a Hezbollah munitions warehouse.
Full StoryIsrael struck an apartment belonging to Hezbollah in a stronghold of pro-Iran groups south of Damascus on Sunday, killing nine people including a commander, a war monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one of the dead was a Lebanese commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Syria.
Full StoryA senior diplomat for the United Arab Emirates called on the world to focus on the plight of civilians and de-escalate the ongoing Mideast wars.
Anwar Gargash’s remarks Monday, made at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate, followed the pattern of comments made by the UAE amid the Mideast wars. The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms home to Dubai, diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020.
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The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of pro-Iran factions, claimed responsibility for four drone attacks on Monday targeting "vital targets" in Israel.
Full StoryYemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday claimed they launched a missile targeting Israel.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree made the claim in a prerecorded video message, claiming that the rebels launched a Palestine-2 ballistic missile he described as a “hypersonic” toward a military base.
Full StoryHundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have returned to their country since Israel launched a massive aerial bombardment on wide swathes of Lebanon in September. Many who fled to Lebanon after the war in Syria started in 2011 did not want to go back.
But for officials in Lebanon, the influx of returnees comes as a silver lining to the war between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced some 1.2 million in Lebanon. Some in Syria hope the returning refugees could lead to more international assistance and relief from western sanctions.
Full StoryQatar has suspended its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel, it said Saturday, after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal for Gaza.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the remaining Hamas leadership hosted by Qatar must leave, or where it would go. Hamas has good relations with Iran and Turkey, and some of its leaders are now in Lebanon.
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