Page 10 - Middle East

US, Europe, Middle East: Who goes where in Op Sindoor diplomatic outreach

The seven delegations will visit key countries and regions such as the US, UK, Middle East, Europe, and members of the UN Security Council

Trump to visit US troops in Qatar, rejects past US interventionism

President Donald Trump on Thursday will visit a US installation at the centre of American involvement in the Middle East as he uses his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the interventionism of America's past in the region. Trump plans to address troops at Qatar's al-Udeid Air Base, which was a major staging ground during the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and supported the recent US air campaign against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis. The president has held up Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar as models for economic development in a region plagued by conflict as he works to entice Iran to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear programme. Trump has also used his trip to announce plans to recognise the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and to ease sanctions on the war-torn country. The US has deployed more than 1,000 troops in Syria for years to suppress a return of the Islamic State group. Trump heaped praise on al-Sharaa who was

Boeing sees positive week as it tries to emerge from difficult era

Boeing has secured a pair of major orders in the Middle East during a visit to the region by President Donald Trump. The American aerospace manufacturer confirmed a USD 96 billion order from Qatar, one day after announcing an order from a company in Saudi Arabia for 20 737-8 jets and options for 10 additional aircraft. The Qatar deal, which includes Boeing's 787 and 777X jets, is the biggest order for 787s and wide body jets in Boeing's history, the company confirmed. That's pretty good, Trump said in announcing the order. Get those planes out there. It has been a particularly good week for Boeing. According to several media reports, China lifted a ban on its airlines taking deliveries of Boeing planes earlier this week as part of Monday's trade truce with the US. Boeing had already been in the news for its planes in the Middle East, but for different reasons. Donald Trump said he would accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar, setting off

Trump to meet Syria's prez before heading to Qatar on his Mideast tour

President Donald Trump is set to meet Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, going face-to-face with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by US forces after being captured in Iraq. The White House said Trump has agreed to say hello to al-Sharaa before the US leader wraps up his stay in Saudi Arabia and heads to Qatar, where Trump is to be honoured with a state visit. His Mideast tour also will take him to the United Arab Emirates. Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family. Trump said he agreed to meet with al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The president also pledged to lift yearslong sanctions on Syria. There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilising the country and

Trump visiting Gulf Arab states while crises escalate in Gaza, Iran

On his trip this week to the Middle East, US President Donald Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, though his most pressing regional challenges concern two other countries: Israel and Iran. After ending a ceasefire two months ago, Israel is intensifying the war in the Gaza Strip, where a blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is worsening a humanitarian crisis. And Iran, an enemy of Israel and a rival of Saudi Arabia, stands on the cusp of being able to develop nuclear weapons. Yet Trump will focus his attention on three energy-rich nations home to existing or planned Trump-branded real estate projects places where he aims to leverage American economic interests to do what he personally revels in: making business deals. This is his happy place, said Jon B Alterman, a senior vice president at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. His hosts will be generous and hospitable. They'll be keen to make deals. They'll flatt

Tariffs, oil prices, other uncertainties weighing on Mideast economies: IMF

Countries across the Middle East and North Africa face significant challenges to economic growth as the region faces economic uncertainty due to tariff measures, lower-than-recent oil prices and cuts to financial aid, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday. The IMF's regional outlook report for the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) said Brent crude oil prices which are down from highs above USD 120 a barrel in 2022 are likely to be USD 65 to USD 69 per barrel in 2025 and 2026, making energy-exporting economies vulnerable to market fluctuations. Tariff plans by the US and other countries and geopolitical tensions also have created mounting economic uncertainty globally that is weighing down on the region's economies, which could negatively impact their growth by anywhere from 2 per cent to 4.5 per cent, said Jihad Azour, director for Middle East and Central Asia at the IMF. Therefore countries need to react and need to devise policies in order to protect their ...

Yemen's Houthi rebels fire missile targeting northern Israel in rare strike

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile early Wednesday toward northern Israel, a rare target for the group as a monthlong intense US airstrike campaign continues to target them. Sirens sounded in Haifa, Krayot and other areas west of the Sea of Galilee, the Israeli military said. An interceptor was launched toward the missile, and the missile was most likely successfully intercepted, the Israeli military said. Those in the area could here booms in the predawn darkness. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults. American airstrikes, meanwhile, continued targeting the Houthis on Wednesday morning, part of a campaign that began on March 15. The Houthis reported strikes on Hodeida, Marib and Saada governorates. In Marib, the Houthis described a strike hitting telecommunication equipment, which has previously been a target of the Americans. The US military's Central Command did not immediately respond

Israeli President urges India to boost ties on key geostrategic issues

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday urged India to further deepen bilateral ties by working together on geostrategic issues, especially emphasising on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) project, which he described as the "future of the world". "We have a huge respect for the nation of India and its leadership. Israelis love your country. I can only anxiously wait to visit your country and host your President and Prime Minister in Israel," Herzog told India's newly appointed Ambassador to Israel J P Singh, who presented his credentials at a ceremony at the President's Official residence. "I wish you great success in your term. We can only go from height to height," the Israeli President said, welcoming India's new envoy. He urged India and Israel "to work together on the geostrategic issues, on the strategic issues, getting the hostages back home, preventing Iran (from acquiring nuclear weapons), moving towards peace and inclusion, connectivity and of course .

Yemen's Houthis vow more attacks after US airstrikes kill 74 in port attack

The group also warned that US 'aggression' would only lead to further targeting, engagement, and confrontation

US, Italy call IMEC 'top economic, connectivity project of this century'

A US-Italy joint statement takes note of the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor, calling it one of the greatest economic integration and connectivity projects of this century that will connect partners and stimulate economic development and integration from India onward to the United States. The US and Italy will work together to develop the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC), one of the greatest economic integration and connectivity projects of this century, connecting partners by ports, railways, and undersea cables and stimulating economic development and integration from India, to the Gulf to Israel, to Italy, and onward to the United States, the joint statement issued Friday said. The United States Italy Joint Leaders' Statement' was issued after US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's first official meeting in Washington, DC Thursday.

Suspected US airstrikes in Yemen kill 6, injure 30 people, say Houthis

Suspected US airstrikes around Yemen's rebel-held capital killed at least six people and wounded 30 overnight, the Houthis said Monday. Since its start nearly a month ago, the intense campaign of US airstrikes under President Donald Trump targeting the rebels over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters related to the Israel-Hamas war has killed over 120 people, according to casualty figures released Monday by the Houthis' Health Ministry. Footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed firefighters spraying water on a raging fire they described as being sparked by the airstrikes. Rubble littered a street as rescuers carried one person away from the site, which the rebels claimed was a ceramics factory in the Bani Matar neighbourhood of Sanaa, the capital. The US military's Central Command, which oversees American military operations, did not acknowledge the strikes. That follows a pattern for the command, which now has authorization from the White House

EAM Jaishankar, Omani FM discuss regional issues in telephonic talks

The conversation between EAM Jaishankar and the Foreign Minister of Oman come after the two had held a bilateral meeting in February earlier this year

Mideast stocks fall on US tariffs, low oil prices squeeze energy nations

Middle East stock markets tumbled Monday as they struggled with the dual hit of the United States' new tariff policy and a sharp decline in oil prices, squeezing energy-producing nations that rely on those sales to power their economies and government spending. Benchmark Brent crude is down by nearly 15% over the last five days of trading, with a barrel of oil costing just over $63. That's down nearly 30% from a year ago, when a barrel cost over $90. That cost per barrel is far lower than the estimated break-even price for Saudi Arabia and most other countries producing energy in the Middle East. That's coupled with the new tariffs, which saw the Gulf Cooperation Council states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates hit with 10% tariffs. Other Mideast nations face higher tariffs, like Iraq at 39% and Syria at 41%. With these measures and the expected retaliatory measures that could be adopted by other countries, the stability and predictability of

West Asian stocks plunge as US tariff hikes, oil slump spark turmoil

Saudi Aramco - the world's biggest oil exporter - was one of the biggest losers in the region. The company at one point erased more than $90 billion from its market capitalization

Suspected US strikes in Yemen kill at least 4 near Hodeida: Houthi rebels

Suspected US airstrikes battered rebel-controlled areas of Yemen into Wednesday, with the Houthis saying one strike killed at least four people near the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. The intense campaign of airstrikes under President Donald Trump, targeting the rebels over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters stemming from the Israel-Hamas war, has killed at least 65 people, according to casualty figures released by the Houthis. The campaign appears to show no signs of stopping as the Trump administration again linked their airstrikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis to an effort to pressure Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. While so far giving no specifics about the campaign and its targets, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt put the overall number of strikes on Tuesday at over 200. Iran is incredibly weakened as a result of these attacks and we have seen they have taken out Houthi leaders, Leavitt said. They've taken out critical members who were ...

Yemen's Houthis claim downing US drone amid continued American strikes

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed Tuesday that they shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone, even as the US kept up its campaign of intense airstrikes targeting the group. The reported shootdown over Yemen's contested Marib governate came as airstrikes hit around Sanaa, the country's rebel-held capital, and Saada, a stronghold for the Houthis. US President Donald Trump issued a new warning to both the Houthis and their main benefactor, Iran, describing the group as having been decimated by the campaign of strikes that began March 15. Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us, Trump wrote on his social media website Truth Social. We hit them every day and night Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation. He added: The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise,

Israel strikes Beirut overnight, claims targeting Hezbollah official

The Israeli military struck a building in Beirut's southern suburbs early Tuesday, saying it targeted a member of the Hezbollah militant group. The airstrike came without warning days after Israel launched an attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday for the first time since a ceasefire ended fighting between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group in November. The Israeli military then had warned residents in the crowded suburbs before the attack after two projectiles were launched from southern Lebanon, which Hezbollah denied firing. The Israeli military said in a statement the latest strike targeted a Hezbollah member who had been helping the Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza Strip in attacks against Israel. It said the attack was under the direction of the Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency. Hezbollah did not comment on the strike. There was no immediate word on casualties. Photos and videos widely shared on local and social media showed the top .

At least one killed as US airstrikes pound Yemen, hit Sanaa military site

Suspected US airstrikes pounded Yemen overnight into Saturday, reportedly killing at least one person as the American military acknowledged earlier bombing a major military site in the heart of Sanaa controlled by the Houthi rebels. The full extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn't immediately clear, though the attacks followed an intense night of airstrikes early Friday that appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15. An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more extensive than those under former President Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities. Meanwhile, an AP analysis of satellite photos show the American military also has moved long-range stealth B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean a base far outside of the range of the rebels that avoids using allies' Mideast .

Lebanon, Syria sign border agreement to ease tensions, boost coordination

Lebanon and Syria have signed an agreement on border demarcation and to boost coordination between the two countries regarding security along their tense frontier, the Saudi Press Agency reported Friday. The deal signed by the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers in Saudi Arabia late Thursday came after clashes in border areas earlier this month left several people dead and dozens wounded on both sides. The plan for border demarcation also comes after the ouster in early December of the 54-year Assad family rule in Syria, leading to tensions along the frontier where Lebanon's Hezbollah group was active on both side of the border during Syria's 14-year conflict. Hezbollah had been fighting in Syria alongside Assad during the conflict that has left half a million people dead. The deal also comes after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that weakened the Iran-backed group in Lebanon. Lebanese Defence Minister Michel Menassa was scheduled to visit the Syrian capital, Damascus, on ...

Hegseth increases US warship presence in West Asia with 2 aircraft carriers

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a rare move, is beefing up the Navy warship presence in the Middle East, ordering two aircraft carriers to be there next month as the US increases strikes on the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, according to a US official. It will be the second time in six months that the US has kept two carrier strike groups in that region, with generally only one there. Prior to that it had been years since the US had committed that much warship power to the Middle East. According to the official, Hegseth signed orders on Thursday to keep the USS Harry S Truman in the Middle East for at least an additional month. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations. The ship has been conducting operations in the Red Sea against the Houthis and was scheduled to begin heading home to Norfolk, Virginia, at the end of March. And Hegseth has ordered the USS Carl Vinson, which has been operating in the Pacific, to begin steaming toward the