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Saudi Arabia appointed a prominent ultraconservative scholar late Wednesday as the country's new grand mufti, the kingdom's top religious scholar. Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, 90, took over the position, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. The decision came from King Salman, based on the recommendation of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the report added. Sheikh Saleh, reportedly born Sept 28, 1935, in Saudi Arabia's al-Qassim province, studied the Quran with a local imam after his father's death. He became a prominent scholar, speaking to the faithful via the Noor ala al-Darb, or Light the Way, radio show and via multiple books he's authored and his television appearances. His fatwas, or religious orders, have been shared via social media as well. Sheikh Saleh has faced criticism in Western media in the past for some of his pronouncements. Human Rights Watch in 2017 reported Sheikh Saleh, when asked if Sunni Muslims should view Shiite as their brothers, ...
Cheers erupted among Palestinians on Monday as Israel released nearly 2,000 prisoners under a Gaza ceasefire agreement that saw them exchanged for Israeli hostages freed by Hamas. Large crowds greeted the freed prisoners in Beitunia in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Khan Younis in Gaza, flashing V-for-victory signs as they descended from International Committee of the Red Cross buses. In Beitunia, they were given traditional keffiyeh scarves as a show of nationalist pride. Some were lifted onto people's shoulders. Others sank into chairs, exhausted. It was an indescribable journey of suffering hunger, unfair treatment, oppression, torture and curses more than anything you could imagine, said Kamal Abu Shanab, a 51-year-old from the West Bank town of Tulkarem who was released after more than 18 years in prison. His face was gaunt. He said he lost 139 pounds (59 kilograms) in prison. We don't recognise him. He's not the person we knew. Our uncle doesn't look like our uncle,
Anticipation built across Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on Sunday as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held before a critical day for all sides and the region. Preparations appeared underway for the freeing of the 48 hostages both alive and dead still in Gaza, and for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. More ramped-up aid was being readied for Gaza, much in ruins after two years of war that began when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 killing some 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. In Israel's ensuing offensive, more than 67,600 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. U.S. President Donald Trump was scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday, staying a few hours before heading to Egypt. What we know and what remains unknown: 737 days since hostages taken Sunday was day 737 since the hostages were taken a number many Israelis have updated daily on strips of adhesive tape worn in national ...
President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza will allow countries like India to carry out reconstruction activities in the region as New Delhi has been playing a positive role for peace in the Middle-East, Israeli ambassador Reuven Azar said on Tuesday. The envoy also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reaction to the 20-point peace plan and said India can contribute significantly to the region. The plan, unveiled after talks between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, proposes an immediate end to the war in Gaza and release of all the hostages held by Hamas within 72 hours. Hamas has not yet accepted the peace plan. In a post on X, Modi welcomed Trump's announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict. "It provides a viable pathway to long term and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people, as also for the larger West Asian region," the prime minister said. "We hope that all concerned will come together
Israel has launched a new spy satellite that defence officials described as a strategic cornerstone, saying it will strengthen their surveillance capacity across the Middle East in the years ahead. Military officials and Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the satellite, launched on late Tuesday, will enhance Israel's ability to collect images like the 12,000 gathered over Iran during a 12-day war earlier this year. This is also a message to all our enemies, wherever they may be - we are keeping an eye on you at all times and in all situations, Katz said in a post on X. In addition to monitoring Iran, Israel gains reconnaissance capabilities in other parts of the Middle East as it conducts what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a seven-front war, with Israeli forces striking targets in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq throughout the 23 months of war in Gaza. Maj. Gen. Amir Baram said the satellite, called Ofek 19, was part of a broader effort "to maintain .
Yemen's Houthi rebels said Monday they launched a missile at an oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, potentially renewing their attacks targeting shipping through the crucial global waterway. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the launch in a prerecorded message aired on al-Masirah, a Houthi-controlled satellite news channel. He alleged the vessel, the Scarlet Ray, had ties to Israel. The ship's owners could not be immediately reached. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, which monitors Mideast shipping, earlier reported a ship heard a splash and a bang off its side near Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. In their campaign so far, the Houthis have sank four vessels and killed at least eight mariners. The Iranian-backed Houthis stopped their attacks durin
Syria's foreign minister held a rare direct meeting with an Israeli delegation in Paris on Tuesday, talks that were brokered by the United States as part of a diplomatic push for Syria and Israel to normalise relations despite a recent surge in tensions between them. Syria's state-run SANA news agency said Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met with Israeli officials to discuss de-escalating tensions and restoring a 1974 ceasefire agreement a deal that established a demilitarised separation zone between Israeli and Syrian forces and stationed a UN peacekeeping force to maintain calm. The statement gave no details on the outcome of the Paris meeting. But a senior Trump administration official, who was not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, confirmed the talks. The United States continues to support any efforts that will bring lasting stability and peace between Israel and its neighbours," the official told The Associated Press, adding that the backing follows President ...
The prime minister of Iraq has kept his country on the sidelines as military conflicts raged nearby for almost two years. This required balancing Iraq's relations with two countries vital to his power and enemies with each other: the US and Iran. The feat became especially difficult last month when war broke out between Israel, a US ally, and Iran and the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said he used a mix of political and military pressure to stop armed groups aligned with Iran from entering the fray. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Al-Sudani explains how he did this, how he plans to keep these groups in check going forward and as he seeks a second term why he wants to get closer to the Trump administration, even as he maintains strong ties to Iran-backed political parties that helped propel him to power in 2022. Staying on the sidelines as Israel and Iran traded blows After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran and it responded by firi