News

THE LEVANT – President Barack Obama learned Thursday that he may have a wait on his hands before Congress signs off on his plan to train and equip Syrian rebels, a key plank in his strategy to destroy Islamic State radicals. Obama oversaw Thursday the 13th anniversary commemorations of the …

THE LEVANT  – A Palestinian official said Thursday the results of an autopsy prove that a Palestinian prisoner Israel said had committed suicide actually died of a blow to the head. “We deny it was suicide,” said Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian committee for prisoners in a press conference …

THE LEVANT – President Barack Obama will vow in a national address Wednesday to target the Islamic State with air strikes “wherever they exist” in a sign he plans to attack the jihadists inside Syria for the first time. According to excerpts of his speech released by the White House, …

THE LEVANT – Two British-Nepalese human rights researchers held in custody in Qatar have been released. Krisna Upadhyaya and Gundev Ghimire, researchers for the Global Network for Rights and Development, were released early on Tuesday morning “They were released at 12:30am,” Upadhyaya’s wife told Gulf News. “He called me and …

THE LEVANT – Israel is likely to have committed war crimes in Gaza, Human Rights Watch said Thursday, a day after the army announced five criminal investigations into incidents involving its forces. The 50-day Gaza war between Israel and Hamas-led militants ended on August 26 after killing more than 2,100 …

THE LEVANT – US President Barack Obama on Wednesday ordered a “relentless” war against the Islamic State, including air strikes in Syria and expanded operations in Iraq to “destroy” the marauding jihadist army. Obama — who hoped to go down in history for ending wars, not starting an open-ended escalation …

THE LEVANT –  Syria’s opposition National Coalition welcomed a US plan to tackle the jihadist Islamic State group on Thursday, but also urged action against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In a statement, the group said it backed a US plan for air strikes in Syria and training of rebel forces, …

THE LEVANT – Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front has said it will free 45 Fijian UN peacekeepers who it kidnapped after the capture of a border crossing with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In a video released late Wednesday through its media wing, the group said it had consulted religious leaders …

THE LEVANT – A Palestinian teenager died on Sunday from injuries sustained when he was shot last week by Israeli border police in occupied east Jerusalem, his family and a hospital said. Mohammed Sinokrot, 16, was wounded by gunfire in the Wadi Joz neighbourhood where he lived, on August 31. …

THE LEVANT – Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday he doubted the current Gaza ceasefire would hold over the long term and that disarming Gaza militants was not feasible anytime soon. After briefing Israeli journalists he was quoted across the local media as saying that he thought the …

THE LEVANT – Militants, including two suicide bombers, attacked a town north of Baghdad that has resisted jihadists, killing 18 people on Monday, police and a doctor said. A first suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives to breach a barrier in a southern neighbourhood of Dhuluiyah, which …

THE LEVANT – Islamic State fighters appear to be using captured US military issue arms and weapons supplied to moderate rebels in Syria by Saudi Arabia, according to a report published on Monday. The study by the London-based small-arms research organisation Conflict Armament Research documented weapons seized by Kurdish forces …

THE LEVANT – Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei successfully underwent prostate surgery it was announced Monday, in an unprecedented public statement about his health, which has long been the subject of speculation. The 75-year-old cleric, who has ruled since the death in 1989 of the Islamic republic’s founder Ayatollah …

THE LEVANT  – A lawsuit has been filed against the Israeli regime by actors, activists, politicians and pro-Palestinian solidarity groups in Argentina, a statement released by the Palestinian embassy in Buenos Aires said. The legal case was brought before the federal court of justice on Saturday in Argentine city of Cordoba. …

THE LEVANT – The Islamic State, the Sunni extremist group which has taken control of vast swathes of land in northern Syria and Iraq, is now attempting to extend its influence into Egypt, according to a media reports. A senior commander of the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which has been active in …

THE LEVANT – At least 50 people were killed in clashes between Yemeni soldiers affiliated to Al Islah – Yemen’ Sunni radical faction – and Houthi militants in the northern province of Al Jawf, after Houthi positions were challenged in the area. While the Houthis have worked to cut off …

THE LEVANT –  A string of attacks on journalists in Yemen have prompted local and international human right organisations to urge the government and warring factions to protect journalists. The latest victims of these attacks were two journalists said to be affiliated to the Houthis group in the capital. The first …

THE LEVANT – Israel refused to allow a delegation composed by 13 MEPs from European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE\NGL) to enter Gaza.
 Facing the decision of the Netanyahu government, the president of the Party of the European Left (EL), Pierre Laurent has openly expressed his indignation: “I oppose this arbitrary …

THE LEVANT – Takfiri radicals from the ISIL terrorist group have abducted at least 100 Shia and Izadi children at an orphanage near the troubled northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Local residents say the militants kidnapped the children after they captured the city of Talafar in June and Shingal in …

THE LEVANT –  Military-ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and several others have been charged with handing over national security documents to Qatar, the state prosecutor says. Relations between Qatar and Egypt have been icy since July 2013, when then-Egyptian army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi toppled Morsi after mass unrest against his …

THE LEVANT – After two weeks with no water following Israel’s 50-day offensive, Abu Osama took matters into his own hands, and like hundreds of others, sank a well beside his Gaza home. After nearly two months of Israeli bombardment, power cuts and water shortages, he seized upon the ceasefire …

THE LEVANT – The British aid worker held hostage in Syria was tortured by his terrorist kidnappers during the first months of his captivity, it has emerged. David Haines was regularly beaten by his captors, who may have singled him out for ill-treatment because of his nationality. He was so …

THE LEVANT  –  How a terror movement came to be – [embedplusvideo height=”450″ width=”550″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/1pwygfl” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/vjO4Hq5Kqhk?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=vjO4Hq5Kqhk&width=550&height=450&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep8228″ /] [embedplusvideo height=”450″ width=”550″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/1pwym6R” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/7hzZt9S1h9E?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=7hzZt9S1h9E&width=550&height=450&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep5967″ /]

THE LEVANT – By Hasan S. Özertem and Habibe Özdal – Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the first publicly held presidential elections in the first round, albeit with a narrow margin of 1.7 per cent. In the aftermath of the elections, Erdogan and the AK Party have chosen to delay the …

THE LEVANT – By James Dorsey The meteoric rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its declaration of an Islamic State straddling the two Arab countries raises the spectre of a militant Islamist state in the heart of the Middle East close to the borders of …

THE LEVANT –  An Israeli official confirmed Wednesday that slain American journalist Steven Sotloff was also an Israeli citizen. Foreign Ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson wrote on his personal Twitter feed: “Cleared for publication: Steven Satloff was Israel citizen RIP,” misspelling the journalist’s last name. There was no further comment from …

THE LEVANT – Lebanon’s government is forming a crisis committee to handle the case of some two dozen members of the security forces held captive by Syrian militants amid escalating criticism over the authorities’ response to the hostage affair, an official said Thursday. Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said Prime Minister …

THE LEVANT – A jittery Israeli military is gearing up for what could become its next big battle: dealing with U.N. investigations that could result in war-crimes allegations. The army has beefed up its legal staff, is conducting internal investigations of its wartime actions and has prepared a detailed PR …

THE LEVANT – Every day around sunset, dozens of residents of this small Lebanese Christian village on the border carry their automatic rifles and deploy on surrounding hills, taking up positions and laying ambushes in case Muslim extremists from neighboring Syria attack. “We all know that if they come, they …

THE LEVANT – Fears over the safety of Mr. Khalil’s Halwachi, father of the Head of monitoring and documentation of EBOHR, after raiding his home at dawn and arresting him. The European- Bahraini Organisation For Human Rights expresses its deep concern over the  arrest of 57-year-old Mr. Khalil Halwachi by the Bahraini …

THE LEVANT –  By Jonathan Cook – Despite hailing as a victory the seven weeks of fighting that killed more than 2,100 Palestinians and destroyed large swathes of Gaza’s infrastructure, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appears to have emerged as the main political casualty of Operation Protective Edge. In late …

THE LEVANT – Standing in front of the crumbling control tower of Gaza’s devastated airport, one-time air traffic controller Anis Arafat dreams of the day planes will land and take off here again. Re-opening this airport, closed since 2001, and ending Gaza’s isolation is a key demand of the Islamist …

THE LEVANT – Several historic buildings, including a colonial-era structure, have been blown up in Syria’s second city of Aleppo, where fighting has wrought massive destruction, reports said Wednesday, September 3. Rebel fighters destroyed “several old buildings on Tuesday night by placing explosives in a tunnel leading under the Old …

THE LEVANT – Britain said it was investigating Thursday, September 4, after two British researchers were reported detained in Qatar while probing the working conditions of migrants building infrastructure for the 2022 football World Cup. “We are aware of reports that two British nationals have been detained in Qatar and …

THE LEVANT –  The Palestinian leadership intends to seek a UN Security Council resolution setting a 3-year deadline for ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official said Tuesday, September 2. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the leadership of the PLO, acknowledged at a …

THE LEVANT –  Hussain Jawad, Chairman of the European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights EBOHR, appeared today September 4  in court on charges including inciting hatred against the regime and insulting the king. Trial was adjourned to October 7. Mr. Jawad was arrested on November 24, 2013 at a police station in the …

THE LEVANT  – Rumours have been circulating over a proposal submitted by a Saudi academic to remove the tomb of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), from its present position. It is located at the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi mosque, in the Saudi city of Medina. The plan is to move his body to an …

THE LEVANT – France and Saudi Arabia are close to signing a $3 billion arms deal for Lebanon, the Elysee Palace said Monday following talks between President Francois Hollande and the Saudi crown prince. “It will not be signed Monday but it is being finalized,” an aide to the president …

THE LEVANT – Written by Catherine Shakdam – As news of Abdel Hadi Al Khawaja’s ill health, one of Bahrain’s most prominent rights activists and well-known figure of the opposition,  hit the stands, Maryam, his daughter and co-director of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights jumped in a plane, so desperate …

THE LEVANT – After a long, hard fought battle outside of the University of Tikrit, the Iraqi Army has finally entered the school, forcing the Islamic State to abandon their positions and retreat north. This marks the first time in two months that the Iraqi Army has been able to enter …

THE LEVANT – The Syrian Arab Army and representatives of the Islamic Front have agreed to a 72 hour ceasefire in the Darayya District, after heavy clashes  the last two days. The ceasefire was called in order for the two parties to negotiate a reconciliation agreement that would permanently end the violence and restore …

THE LEVANT – For almost 24 hours, the Islamic State has bombarded the Deir ez-Zor Military Airport with rocket-propelled grenades, mortar shells, and short-range missiles. A source from the Syrian military stated that drones have been identified flying above the airport, possibly capturing footage of SAA positions. The Islamic State is …

THE LEVANT – Pope Francis has sought to encourage Iraq’s beleaguered Christians under threat from Islamic militants, saying they are the “heart” of the church and that the church is proud of them. In comments translated into Arabic during his weekly Wednesday general audience, Francis said the Catholic Church is like …

THE LEVANT – The popularity of the Hamas militant group among Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has spiked significantly following the 50-day war with Israel, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday. The poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and headed by …