On 2 October, Jamal Khashoggi, a well-known journalist and critic of the Saudi government, walked into the country’s consulate in Istanbul, where he was murdered. Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor has said that Khashoggi was killed inside the building on the orders of an intelligence officer. Turkish officials however say they have evidence, including gruesome audio recordings, that the journalist was… Read more »
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned against holding early elections, amid a deepening coalition crisis in his Israeli government. In a live broadcast on Sunday night, Mr Netanyahu said holding a snap election would be “irresponsible” because of current security concerns. The crisis began after his defence minister quit last week in opposition to a ceasefire with Gaza militants.
The US is yet to reach a final conclusion on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, officials say, despite reports the CIA believes it was ordered by the Saudi crown prince. “Numerous unanswered questions” remain, a State Department statement said. Sources told US media they did not believe the murder could have taken place without the approval of Crown Prince… Read more »
Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they are halting drone and missile strikes on the Saudi-led military coalition after a request from the United Nations. The move comes after the coalition ordered a halt in its offensive on the key Yemeni port of Hudaydah. The UN is attempting to revive talks to end a three-year war which has caused the world’s worst… Read more »
Israel’s leaders often refer to their country being in a “tough neighbourhood” but recently there have been some extraordinary signs of friendliness with parts of the Arab world. Late last month, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife met the Sultan of Oman on a surprise, eight-hour visit – the first of its kind in over two decades…. Read more »
“He’s toast”. “He’s toxic”. “He’s my hero”. “We love him”. Opinions are clearly divided on the man they call MBS – Saudi Arabia’s controversial Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate on 2 October, the MBS brand has become positively toxic in the West. Official Saudi denials that he himself… Read more »
The battle for the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah has intensified, as government forces backed by Saudi-led coalition air strikes advance on rebel positions. More than 150 people are reported to have been killed since troops and militiamen stepped up a ground assault on the city’s outskirts last Thursday. The UN and charities say the fighting is also endangering medical… Read more »
More than 200 mass graves containing thousands of bodies have been found in areas of Iraq that were once controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group, a UN investigation has found. The graves were found in the north and western governorates of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salahuddin and Anbar. They could contain as many as 12,000 victims, the UN report said. IS… Read more »
Israel’s Supreme Court has overturned a ban on a US student from entering the country over her alleged support of an anti-Israel boycott campaign. Lara Alqasem travelled from Florida to Tel Aviv on a student visa on 2 October and has since been held at an airport detention centre pending her appeals. Her lawyers called the court’s ruling a victory… Read more »
A man believed to be a Japanese freelance journalist held hostage in Syria for the past three years has been released, Japan’s government says. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that Japan had been informed by Qatar that a man likely to be Jumpei Yasuda was now in Turkey. Mr Yasuda went missing in June 2015 after travelling from… Read more »