Middle East

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Khamenei Vows 'Crushing Response' Against US, Israel

Iranian supreme leader's threat comes over attacks on Iran and its allies

(Newser) - Iran's supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the US with a "crushing response" over attacks on Iran and its allies. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke as Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its Oct. 26 attack on the Islamic Republic that...

Israel Hits Iran Hard in Predawn Strikes

Attacks on Iranian military sites threaten to escalate tense situation in Mideast

(Newser) - Israel unleashed a series of predawn airstrikes against military sites in Iran on Saturday, saying it targeted facilities used to make the missiles fired at Israel. The attack risks pushing the archenemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence across the Middle East, where militant groups backed...

The World Is About to Get a Second 'Sphere'

Structure in UAE capital Abu Dhabi will be the second of its kind, after one built in Las Vegas

(Newser) - The world's second Sphere will be built in the capital of the United Arab Emirates after the opening of the first in Las Vegas. Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism and Sphere Entertainment Co. announced the plan late Tuesday to bring a Sphere to the Middle East....

US Adds to Deployment as Fighting Flares

Dozens of troops are going, official says

(Newser) - The US is sending a small number of additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary,...

Israel, Hezbollah Trade Heavy Fire
Israel, Hezbollah
Trade Heavy Fire
Aug 25, 2024 6:03 AM CDT

Israel, Hezbollah Trade Heavy Fire

Raising fears of an all-out regional war

(Newser) - Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike on Hezbollah, as the militant group said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month. The heavy exchange of fire...

As Mideast Tensions Spike, US Sends in Extra Firepower

Guided-missile sub, USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier are en route

(Newser) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, the Defense Department said Sunday. The moves come as the US and other allies push for Israel and...

US Deploys Fighter Jets, Ships to Middle East to Prepare

Iran, Hezbollah have promised retaliation for killings

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered more troops, warships, and fighter jets to the Middle East and Europe to prepare for a multifaceted attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies. The Pentagon said Friday that the deployment also is intended to protect Americans in the region, Politico reports. Along...

Leader Dodges on Whether Iran's Strike Did Any Damage

Most drones and missiles fired at Israel were intercepted

(Newser) - Iran's supreme leader on Sunday dismissed any discussion of whether Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel hit anything there, a tacit acknowledgment that despite the launch of a massive assault, few projectiles actually made through to their targets. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments before senior military leaders didn'...

Israel, Iran Step Back From Brink, but Risk of War Rises

Experts say next phase means uncertainty, chance of miscalculations

(Newser) - Iran appears to have indicated Israel's strike on Friday won't lead to a major escalation, and both nations apparently want to return to the shadow war they've fought for years instead of launching more direct attacks. But analysts and government officials say that doesn't mean the...

Biden Issues Warning Over Iran Attack on Israel

The US and UK have now hit Iran with sanctions

(Newser) - The US and UK on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran as concern grows that Tehran's unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East, per the AP . The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted 16...

Iranian Attack on Israel Seen as Imminent

US restricts the travel of Americans in the country

(Newser) - Iran may launch a serious strike against Israel in retaliation for the April 1 strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria as soon as Friday, US officials tell CBS News . As Israel braces for the assault, the US imposed travel restrictions on Americans in the country, per the Washington Post ...

Yemen-Launched Missile Hits US-Owned Cargo Ship

Houthis are suspected as tensions escalate in the Red Sea

(Newser) - A missile fired from Yemen struck a US-owned ship just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after Yemen's Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea, officials said. Suspicion immediately fell on the Iranian-backed...

Fears of Mideast War Grow as Israel Hits Hezbollah Again

In wake of commander Wissam al-Tawil's death in Lebanon, renewed worries about entire region

(Newser) - An Israeli airstrike killed an elite Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon on Monday, the latest in an escalating exchange of strikes along the border that have raised fears of another Mideast war, even as the fighting in Gaza exacts a mounting toll on civilians. The strike on an SUV killed...

US, UK Shoot Down Dozen- Plus Drones Over Red Sea

Houthi rebels in Yemen attack vessels as Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread

(Newser) - Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping routes, and have launched drones and missiles targeting Israel, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread. US Central Command said that the destroyer USS Carney "successfully engaged...

Israel: Body of 2nd Hostage Found Near Gaza Hospital

Israeli authorities say body of 19-year-old Noa Marciano was discovered

(Newser) - Israel Defense Forces troops in Gaza say they've found the body of yet another hostage taken during the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, reports the BBC . The Daily Beast identifies this hostage as 19-year-old Noa Marciano, whose body "was found and extracted by IDF troops adjacent...

Hashtag Pointing to bin Laden's 'Letter to America' Explodes

TikTok removes it after the topic goes viral

(Newser) - Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, Osama bin Laden's 2002 "Letter to America" is getting renewed attention—and causing massive controversy. As NBC News reports, TikTok removed the #lettertoamerica hashtag after posts on the social media platform referring to the letter started gaining attention on other social...

National Book Awards Disrupted by Defecting Sponsors

At least 2 won't attend Wednesday's NYC ceremony, amid rumors authors will call for Gaza ceasefire

(Newser) - The National Book Awards already made headlines earlier this year, when it dropped Drew Barrymore from hosting its annual ceremony due to her resuming her talk show amid the Hollywood strikes. Now, with the event set to take place Wednesday in New York, there's more disruption, this time tied...

Research Into Early Human Violence Offers 'Stark Warning'

Study, finding peak violence in Copper Age, suggests climate change plays a role

(Newser) - There are two prevailing theories about the early history of interpersonal violence: One claims violence erupted as humans transitioned from hunter-gathering to settled communities; the other claims violence was rampant in early communities before the transition to farming led to cooperation and greater peace, per Scientific American . Yet "a...

Highly Addictive Drug Used by Militants May Be Bound for US
'Poor Man's Cocaine'
May Be Headed for US
in case you missed it
Aug 20, 2023 12:55 PM CDT

'Poor Man's Cocaine' May Be Headed for US

Officials fear spread of highly-addictive captagon amid crackdowns in Middle East

(Newser) - US officials are increasingly concerned about the likelihood of an illegal, highly-addictive drug wreaking havoc in the US as its Middle East producers, hungry for cash, face roadblocks in trafficking the drug at home. Produced and distributed by groups tied to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the allied Hezbollah in...

Algeria Is Latest Country to Ban Barbie

But movie has made it to cinemas in Saudi Arabia with surprisingly few changes

(Newser) - Algeria has banned the Barbie movie for supposedly "damaging morals," though plenty of Algerians have already had the opportunity to have their morals damaged: The film was released in the North African country more than three weeks ago and 24H Algerie reports that screenings have been selling out...

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