As last US troops leave Iraq, militias signal arms will stay
By Abby Sewel and Qassim Abdul-Zahra September 15, 2026 Credit : AP Photo/Hadi Mizban BAGHDAD (AP) — Two deadlines are looming for Iraq at the end of the month: the end of a decades-long U.S. military presence and the disarmament of non-state armed groups. The U.S. withdrawal is underway, and officials say the hundreds of troops remaining in northern Iraq will be out by the Sept. 30 deadline. The Iraqi government has linked the U.S. withdrawal to an ultimatum for militias to
AP News
Sep 19
Saudi Promises To Respond To HouthI Attacks ‘Firmly’
By Al Jazeera Staff, Ali Mustafa and Anadolu 15 September, 2026 Houthis pledge to continue attacks on ‘Saudi military concentrations until aggression ceases’ Correction A previous version of this article stated that the Houthis claimed on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia carried out 54 air strikes over the past 24 hours. This was incorrect. The Houthi claim was made late on Monday. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has promised to respond “firmly” to missile and drone attack
Al Jazeera
Sep 18
Death and torture of a man spark protests in Syria
Picture showing White Helmets volunteer unconscious and with bruises on his body went viral By William Christou Mourners carry the coffin of Mohammad Ghamira for burial in the village of al-Haffah, in Latakia province, Syria on Monday. Photograph: AP Syrians have protested over the death of a man who was arrested and allegedly beaten by security forces, sparking widespread anger at a practice thought to have ended with the fall of Bashar al-Assad. A crowd gathered in the city
The Guardian
Aug 20
Israel strikes Idlib airbase; US, Türkiye condemn escalation
By Al Jazeera Staff, AP and Reuters August 18, 2026 Eight air strikes hit an airbase in northwestern Syria's Idlib governorate, state TV reports [Al Jazeera] Turkiye rejects Israeli allegations that it posed a threat by preparing to send troops to airbase in Syria’s Idlib. Israel has bombed an airbase in Syria’s Idlib, according to Syrian media, with Turkiye denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “expansionist” policies and the United States criticising what i
Al Jazeera
Aug 20
Houthi Missile and Drone Attacks Kill Seven in Yemen
By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP, Reuters and the Associated Press August 10, 2026 The latest Houthi attacks come less than 24 hours after an earlier barrage struck al-Makha (Mocha) and its commercial port. Smoke rises during Houthi missile and drone attacks on the Red Sea port city of al-Makha, Yemen, on August 9, 2026. Credit: Reuters in Al Jazeera Yemen’s Houthis have launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks on the Red Sea port city of al-Makha (Mocha), extending an assaul
Al Jazeera
Aug 11
Special Report: Israel's psychological war on the Lebanese
By Michał Jagielski Senior Middle East and Iran Analyst Genocide Watch For almost three years, the daily lives of the Lebanese have been scored by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Since the prospect of renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah materialized into a full-scale war following Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, the buzzing of Israeli drones has become a constant feature of Lebanon’s soundscape. Children try to protect themselves from dust and smoke
Genocide Watch
Jul 31
United Arab Emirates Country Report
By Karolina Bonde Genocide Watch The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates established in 1971. The UAE bans political parties, and hereditary rulers retain concentrated political power, with Abu Dhabi holding the presidency since the federation’s founding. The UAE is an authoritarian state with severe restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly. A portrait of imprisoned UAE activist Mohammed al-Siddiq is held during a rare protest
Genocide Watch
Jul 29
Qatar Country Report: July 2026
By Genocide Watch July 29, 2026 Construction workers in Doha, Qatar, November 16, 2022. Credit: 2022 ddp images/AP Photo in Human Rights Watch Since Qatar’s establishment in 1971, the country has faced international condemnation for ongoing human rights abuses. Global demands for reform have focused on Qatar’s exploitative treatment of migrant workers through the kafala labor system, restrictions on public expression, threats of arbitrary arrest, and insufficient protection o
Genocide Watch
Jul 29
Houthis Announce Maritime Blockade of Saudi Arabia
By Fatma Khaled July 20, 2026 Fireworks burst as Houthi supporters rally against the Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, July 20, 2026. Credit: AP News, Osamah Abdulrahman CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Monday announced they are imposing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in retaliation for a blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on Sanaa International Airport, threatening another vital waterway for global shipping and raising fears of rene
AP News
Jul 22
US hits civilian infrastructure In Iran
By William Christou Tehran bombs US allies in Middle East after US attacks on bridges, energy facilities and key port A screengrab from social media shows a damaged bridge in Bandar Khamir, Hormozgan province, Iran. Photograph: Social Media/Reuters The US hit bridges, energy facilities and a key Iranian port on Friday, expanding its aerial campaign against Iran, and prompting swift Iranian strikes against US allies in the Middle East. US airstrikes hit bridges in Iran’s south
The Guardian
Jul 20
Explosions rock Damascus during French President's visit
By Omar Albam, Ghaith Alsayed, and Kareem Chehayeb 7 July, 2026 A cordoned-off area and a damaged structure in the aftermath of explosions near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. Photo by Yamam Al Shaar/REUTERS DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Explosions rocked Syria's capital on Tuesday and injured at least 18 people as France's president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit to the country rebuilding from y
PBS News
Jul 16
Trump administration sued over ICC sanctions
By Eric Tucker July 15 2026 A Palestinian child walks along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed in Israeli military strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP, photo by Abdel Kareem Hana) WASHINGTON (AP) — Two human rights groups say Trump administration sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court over its investigations of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza have illegally impeded their ability to advocate for
Associated Press
Jul 15
