Middle East

Drone attack suspends production at Iraq’s Khor Mor gasfield

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

A drone strike disrupted operations at the Khor Mor gasfield in Iraq’s Kurdish region, with reports of widespread electricity outages.

Iran war live: Trump says ‘Iron Gate’ in effect; drone hits Iraq gasfield

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Reports of the Iran conflict included new US measures and a drone strike on an Iraqi gas facility that disrupted electricity supplies in the Kurdish region.

Aramco Tower hit in heart of Saudi capital as Houthis launch fresh strikes

Source: BBC News - World

Reported Houthi strikes damaged a prominent tower in Riyadh’s financial district, highlighting the regional consequences of the conflict.

Iran waiting to resume talks after US midterms ‘shock’

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Iran’s foreign minister said there had been no progress in talks with the United States following the US midterm elections.

Iran threatens to ‘rain down hell’ if US escalates war

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Iran warned of severe retaliation if the United States escalated military operations, amid renewed threats from Washington.

Eisenkot open to Netanyahu joining Israel’s next government

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Israeli opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot indicated openness to participation by Benjamin Netanyahu in a future government.

Gadi Eisenkot reaches out to Netanyahu allies as he strives to form government

Source: The Guardian - World

Gadi Eisenkot sought support from allies of Benjamin Netanyahu as efforts continued to form a new Israeli government.

Hundreds of thousands join Amsterdam’s ‘Red Line’ protest against Israel

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Large crowds demonstrated in Amsterdam calling for tighter trade restrictions on Israel and an end to arms sales.

Jerusalem Daily: Eisenkot picked over Netanyahu to form government

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Israel’s president selected opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to attempt to form a government following an inconclusive election.

Israel: Eisenkot officially tasked with forming a government

Source: Deutsche Welle - English

President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government after the Israeli election produced no clear majority.

Israel’s president picks Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to form government

Source: The Guardian - World

Israel’s president asked Gadi Eisenkot to form a government after Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition lost its parliamentary majority.

Iran: US strikes ship after Hormuz blockade breach

Source: Deutsche Welle - English

US forces reported striking a vessel attempting to leave an Iranian port in breach of a naval blockade.

Gaza: Rains add misery to humanitarian catastrophe

Source: Deutsche Welle - English

Heavy rainfall worsened conditions for displaced people in Gaza, where extensive war damage has left many without secure shelter.

Houthis say at least 33 killed in Saudi air strike

Source: BBC News - Middle East

Houthi authorities reported at least 33 deaths following a Saudi air strike; Saudi officials had not commented at the time of reporting.

Israel's president tasks opposition leader Eisenkot with forming government

Source: BBC News - Middle East

Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government after neither electoral bloc secured a majority.

Tens of thousands of tents flooded after heavy rains in Gaza

Source: BBC News - Middle East

Heavy rain flooded temporary tents housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza, worsening already difficult living conditions.

Strait of Hormuz could reopen as part of Qatari plan for Iran nuclear inspections

Source: The Guardian - World

A Qatari proposal linked reopening the Strait of Hormuz to inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities amid continued regional tensions.

Iran war live: Qatar says US, Iran should not wait to reach a peace deal

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Iran war live: Qatar says US, Iran should not wait to reach a peace deal. Qatar's prime minister urges the US and Iran not to wait for a 'perfect moment' to reach a deal to end the war.

Israel closes Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque to Palestinians for Jewish holiday

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Contested West Bank holy site is reopened exclusively for Israelis, deepening tensions over control of the mosque.

Critics say Democrats should look into Trump's Middle East deals in future corruption investigations

Source: Deutsche Welle - English

After their victory in the US midterm elections, the Democrats have promised to investigate corruption in the Trump administration. Critics say the president's Middle East deals is an area they should focus on.

Iran war: Gulf tanker attacked, 1 seaferer killed

Source: Deutsche Welle - English

Iran is stepping up attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. A Greek-owned tanker believed to have been struck with a missile, and Iran said two other vessels were on fire.

US midterm results spark fears in Israel over future of two countries' ties

Source: BBC News - Middle East

Staunch US support of Israel has been raised as one of the reasons why Republicans performed so badly.

For people in Iran, a constant threat of war and dearth of information

Source: Deutsche Welle - English

Most people in Iran have little idea of the course of the US-led war and peace talks on the global stage. With few sources of information, the population must navigate conflicting rumors and fears of a nuclear attack.

Israel’s Herzog yet to decide on who should form government as Eisenkot secures significant backing

Source: The Guardian - World

President says he will make a decision on Sunday about who should try to build a government as Netanyahu rival is endorsed by 67 lawmakers Gadi Eisenkot, the main rival to Benjamin Netanyahu, secured endorsements on Thursday from a majority of lawmakers to try to form a government but Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, said it was still unclear who could break the deadlock and that he would decide on Sunday which of the two men should try first. Of the Knesset’s 120 elected lawmakers, 67 had endorsed Eisenkot through several days of talks with Herzog, while 46 endorsed Netanyahu. Herzog said on Thursday that while the “results ‌of the consultations may appear clear”, there were “mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves” that make it difficult to say who has the ‌best shot to form a government. Continue reading...

Yemen’s president sacks ministers and officers in attempt to turn tide of war

Source: The Guardian - World

Dismissals follow Houthi victories and pressure from southern Yemenis for more power The UN-recognised government of Yemen has shaken up its political and military leadership in an attempt to regain territory lost to the Houthis in September and lift the four-week siege of Taiz , the country’s third largest city. A counteroffensive launched on 5 October and aimed at liberating the entire country from Houthi control has failed amid fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides. The air superiority of the government’s ally Saudi Arabia – which has had to fend off near-daily Houthi attacks on its airports and military bases – has not translated into progress on the ground. Continue reading...

Food grown in illegal West Bank settlements being sold in Australia as ‘produce of Israel’

Source: The Guardian - World

Analysis by human rights organisation Global Echo shows 85 of 132 shipments over eight years contained more than US$5m of organic dates grown in settlements Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Millions of dollars of food grown in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has been shipped to Australia labelled as “produce of Israel”, a new analysis of trade data has shown. The human rights legal organisation Global Echo has analysed commercial documents and official trade data from the Israeli government and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, showing at least US$5m (A$7.2m) of organic dates grown in illegal settlements across the West Bank have been shipped to Australia over the past eight years. Continue reading...

The midterms were a thumping rebuke of the US-Israel relationship

Source: The Guardian - World

Even Trump seems to recognize that the relationship has become a political liability, and may never be the same Q&A: Ask your questions about Democrats’ win in the midterms Track live results from all 50 states On the eve of a midterm election that ended in an unequivocal rejection of his brand of politics, even Donald Trump seemed to recognize that the US-Israel relationship had become a political liability. Trump’s 11th-hour suggestion, on election morning, that he would cut military aid to Israel at the end of the year because, as he put it, “they don’t need it”, was condemned across the board – with pro-Palestinian advocates dismissing it as “desperate” and pro-Israel ones as “unserious”. Continue reading...

Iran unveils ‘We will kill Trump’ banner – but US president may now be tempted to resume bombing

Source: The Guardian - World

Iran celebrates its claimed role in ‘regime change’ amid pressure on Trump to ‘finish the job’ with attack US midterms live – latest updates Iran this week unveiled a huge billboard and banners over Enqelab Square in central Tehran. The billboard pledged in English: “We will kill Trump” – elevating the degree of personal animus with which Donald Trump is viewed in official Iranian circles. The poster depicts the US president behind bars with his head bowed. And in a sense, given the US midterm election results on Tuesday, Iran has indeed killed Trump, or at least the second term of his presidency. Trump’s reverse is all the more piquant because it comes on the day Iran’s leadership celebrates the anniversary of the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran in 1979, an event that ensnared Jimmy Carter, and a reminder of how Iran has ruined the prospects of more than one US president. Continue reading...

Scepticism as Trump says he’s ending Israel’s $3.8 bn military aid deal

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Iran war live: Tehran prepares ‘maximum deterrence’ plan for any new attack

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Netanyahu’s eight-seat problem

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Palestinian families return home after Israeli siege of Hebron

Source: Al Jazeera English - News

Trump says US 'won't be paying Israel' by end of year

Source: BBC News - Middle East

What US midterm elections mean for Ukraine, Iran and elsewhere

Source: Deutsche Welle - English