Middle East

Obama warns Israel patience is running out over progress on peace

Monday, 23 May 2011

Barack Obama ratcheted up the pressure on Israel for a breakthrough in the peace process yesterday, warning that the country faces international isolation and a gathering threat to its security if there is no movement to resolve the Palestinian conflict.

British and American ambassadors seized

Monday, 23 May 2011

Several hundred gunmen loyal to Yemen's President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, held the British and American ambassadors captive in a siege lasting more than two hours yesterday.

Saudi woman arrested after defying driving ban

Monday, 23 May 2011

Saudi authorities detained a female activist who uploaded a video of herself behind the wheel of a car on to YouTube, in a campaign to overturn a ban on female drivers in the deeply conservative kingdom.

'Suicide' gunmen storm government building in Afghanistan

Sunday, 22 May 2011

Gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan early today and engaged in a shoot-out with Afghan security forces who surrounded the compound, officials said.

Many killed in series of blasts in Iraq

Sunday, 22 May 2011

A rapid-fire series of explosions in and around Baghdad killed 13 people today, including seven people who died when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of police officers, officials said.

Eight years on, the last British soldier leaves Iraq

Sunday, 22 May 2011

Kunal Dutta: Britain's eight-year presence in Iraq formally comes to an end today, when the remaining 170 troops depart, spelling the end to one of the most controversial military campaigns ever conducted in recent British history.

Saudi woman held by police – for driving

Sunday, 22 May 2011

Protesters launch internet campaign to urge repeal of law that says only men can be behind the wheel.

Britain to end military campaign in Iraq

Sunday, 22 May 2011

British operations in Iraq will finally end today when the Royal Navy completes its mission to train the nation's sailors.

Syria fires on thousands of protesters despite US warnings

Saturday, 21 May 2011

The Syrian regime responded to Barack Obama's demand that it allow peaceful protests by firing on thousands of demonstrators yesterday who poured on to the streets demanding the end to Bashar al-Assad's 11-year rule.

Pressure on Iranian President as aide is held

Saturday, 21 May 2011

An aide in Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's inner circle has been arrested, ramping up the pressure on the embattled leader who is mired in a bitter power struggle with Iran's leading cleric.

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Obama warns Arab dictators and demands Israel pulls back

Friday, 20 May 2011

David Usborne: Some were surprised that the President spelled out a preference for Israeli borders that existed before the Six-Day War.

PM urges Bahrain to embrace reform

Friday, 20 May 2011

David Cameron made the plea during Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa's visit to UK.

Nuclear watchdog fears Iran may have hacked into laptops

Friday, 20 May 2011

IAEA staff advised to seal mobile phones and laptops to avoid tampering when they leave them unattended on site visits

Bin Laden's posthumous message seeks to hijack Arab Spring

Friday, 20 May 2011

Guy Adams: Osama bin Laden spent the final weeks and months of his life attempting to extract maximum political leverage for al-Qa'ida from the Arab Spring uprisings.

Fine words may not address Middle East's real needs

Thursday, 19 May 2011

In a keynote speech today, Barack Obama will try to redefine America's relationship with the Arab world. Robert Fisk is sceptical.

Video: 'Terror' of journalist detained in Syria

Thursday, 19 May 2011

Al Jazeera journalist Dorothy Parvaz speaks about the "terrifying experience" of being detained in Syria.

Assad admits Syrian regime's 'mistakes' as sanctions are imposed

Thursday, 19 May 2011

Human rights activists says 26 people were killed yesterday when the army shelled a border town near Lebanon

Egyptian 'may be new al-Qa'ida boss'

Thursday, 19 May 2011

Analysts and media reports yesterday suggested that al-Qa'ida may have appointed an Egyptian militant as temporary leader after the death of Osama bin Laden.

US to impose sanctions on Assad

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

The Obama administration will impose sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad and six senior Syrian officials for human rights abuses for their crackdown on anti-government protests, for the first time personally penalizing the Syrian leader for actions of his security forces, officials said.

UK operation in Iraq set to end

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

The UK's military operation in Iraq will finally end this weekend when the Royal Navy completes its mission to train the country's sailors, Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said.

Syrian president admits mistakes

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Syria's president has said his security forces made mistakes during the uprising against his regime, blaming poorly-trained police officers for a crackdown that has killed more than 850 people in two months.

Woman and child among 26 bodies 'found in mass graves' near Syrian city

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Khalid Ali: Rights activists have called for international action against the Syrian regime after graves containing up to 26 bodies were allegedly unearthed by residents near the southern city of Deraa.

Obama pushes for Middle East peace talks

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

President Barack Obama, following talks with Jordan's King Abdullah, said yesterday that it was "more vital than ever" to get Israel and the Palestinians back to negotiations towards a peace deal.

The Spring has not yet sprung in Palestine

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

Skirmishes between Palestinian refugees from Syria and Lebanon and Israeli security forces ended with at least a dozen deaths and scores more injured on Sunday.

Israel left reeling after deadly border breach

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

Matthew Kalman: Israeli security and intelligence chiefs traded accusations yesterday over who allowed more than 100 protesters to cross the heavily guarded border with Syria, as Palestinians marked the "catastrophe" of Israel's founding in a string of incidents that left 15 unarmed protesters dead and Israel's doctrine of border deterrence in tatters.