Search focused on the Middle East

17+ min ago (113+ words) [Pope Leo XIV greets Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Maronite Church, cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on October 18, 2025; illustrative. (photo credit: Mario - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)]Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi urged Hezbollah to break from Iran and give its weapons to the Lebanese Army, calling diplomacy the only path to avoid another war. Maronite Patriarch: Hezbollah needs to 'free itself from Iran, disarm,' denounces Israeli strikes Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi urged Hezbollah to break from Iran and give its weapons to the Lebanese Army, calling diplomacy the only path to avoid another war....

21+ min ago (178+ words) Yosef-Haim Ohana (25), who was kidnapped from the Nova Festival and held for 738 days in Hamas captivity, returned home on Sunday to Kiryat Malakhi. Yosef-Haim Ohana survived 738 days in captivity. Today, he walks out of rehabilitation and finally returns home to Kiryat Malachi, stepping back into his life with a joy that words can't begin to describe. " Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) November 30, 2025 A few days before Yosef returned, the father bought a set of Four Species, hoping they would bless him. "We merited that you blessed on the last day of the holiday over the Four Species in addition to the Shehecheyanu (blessing of gratitude for reaching a new occasion) night." Ohana shared in an interview after his return on Channel 12 that his captors used to put the hostages in difficult and jarring situations. "They sat us down and told us, 'Your…...

21+ min ago (141+ words) Al Bawaba highlights the top News of the Week for the past 7 days in various topics, including politics, business and entertainment. Visit our official website and social media pages below: Official website for more news: https://www.albawaba.com/ X/ Twitter: https://www.x.com/AlBawabaEnglish Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/albawaba_english/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlBawabaNews/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/albawabanews.bsky.social - Poland freezes talks with Hungary After Orb'n's surprise meeting with Putin "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that Viktor Orb'n travelled to Vladimir Putin without an EU mandate or consulting European leaders. Intensified Air, sea, and ground strikes rock Gaza as Israel pushes a hidden strategy Chelsea vs Arsenal Predicted Lineups - Premier League 202526 Iranian hacker group breaches car of Israeli nuclear scientist Josh Brolin reveals the real story behind his Trump statement...

31+ min ago (120+ words) Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara published her response to the petitions against the law that changes the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee and the process for selecting judges.Baharav-Miara stated: "The law causes severe harm to the independence of the judiciary, to its professionalism, and to the separation of powers in the state, and therefore it is unconstitutional." Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara published her response to the petitions against the law that changes the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee and the process for selecting judges. Baharav-Miara stated: "The law causes severe harm to the independence of the judiciary, to its professionalism, and to the separation of powers in the state, and therefore it is unconstitutional."...

39+ min ago (234+ words) Ahead of the legislative blitz in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the Hamodia newspaper on Sunday morning published a report raising doubts as to whether the party will support the Draft Law. Hamodia is affiliated with the Gur hasidic sect and the Agudat Yisrael faction, which runs together with Lithuanian-haredi Degel Hatorah under the banner of United Torah Judaism (UTJ). The newspaper presented the law under the headline "Historic Law Aimed at Drafting 23,000 Haredi Soldiers in Three and a Half Years" and outlined the "decrees and threats" included in it. The newspaper lists the restrictions and sanctions: yeshiva students who do not enlist will be prohibited from leaving the country, obtaining a driver's license, and engaging in academic studies or employment. It will also include budget cuts for yeshivas and additional sanctions. On the other hand, there may be…...

39+ min ago (30+ words) Real time news brief - Haredi party to oppose Draft Law? - Israel National News flashes around the clock are waiting for you on the site Haredi party to oppose Draft Law?...

39+ min ago (504+ words) ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 786 Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent. Three Irish figures, including actress Olwen Fou'r', have rejected honorary doctorates from the University of Galway due to the university's research partnership with The Technion " Israel Institute of Technology. Fou'r', who has appeared in movies and shows including "Derry Girls" and "The Crown," refused to receive the honor at a ceremony on Thursday, alongside filmmaker Margo Harkin and academic Kerby Miller, according to the Irish Times. Fou'r' said her decision was due to the university's "extremely problematic" ties with the Haifa-based Technion. Through the EU-funded ASTERISK program, Galway has a partnership worth some "4 million (NIS 15 million) with the Israeli university to derive sustainable green hydrogen from seawater. Anti-Israel groups like Academic for Palestine have called on Galway to withdraw from the program due to what they…...

44+ min ago (79+ words) [TOPSHOT - Female Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with Iran]Iraqi Kurdistan-based General Yazdanpanah says calls for "decentralization are meaningless, as they will not ensure Kurdish rights in Syria being upheld, nor will they provide Kurds with freedom." Kurdish general to 'Post': US and Israel, don't abandon us to Iran - exclusive Iraqi Kurdistan-based General Yazdanpanah says calls for "decentralization are meaningless, as they will not ensure Kurdish rights in Syria being upheld, nor will they provide Kurds with freedom."...

45+ min ago (403+ words) The day is not far off when Hamas either returns the last of the deceased hostages to Israel, or announces that it has done everything it can but is unable to locate them, despite all its efforts. But despite Washington's good intentions, and despite Donald Trump's extensive plans for postwar Gaza, at this stage not a single country has agreed to send troops to the Strip as part of the multinational force the US hopes to establish. That force is supposed, in the American view, to demilitarize the Hamas terrorist organization and create an alternative to its rule. According to the American plan, Gaza is now divided into two zones. The red zone is where the Hamas terrorist organization remains entrenched, described as old Gaza, west of the so-called yellow line. The green zone is the area of new Gaza…...

46+ min ago (363+ words) ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 786 TEHRAN, Iran " Iran and Turkey have agreed to begin constructing a new joint rail link to serve as a strategic gateway between Asia and Europe, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday. The planned route, known in Iran as the Marand'Cheshmeh Soraya railway transit line and running towards Turkey's Aralik border region, will cover around 200 kilometers (120 miles). It will cost roughly $1.6 billion and is expected to take three to four years to complete, Iranian authorities have said. Earlier this month, Iran's transport minister Farzaneh Sadegh said the rail line would transform the southern section of what was once the Silk Road into an "all-rail corridor ensuring the continuity of the network between China and Europe." It would also ensure "fast and cheap transport of all types of cargo with minimal stops," she added. At a joint…...