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Middle East

Middle East
Middle East
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Middle East. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
People wait outside the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah in November 2023. Photo: dpa
Israel-Gaza war

Israel to empty Gaza of Palestinians with ‘more out than in’ policy: sources

As the Rafah crossing reopens next week, sources say Israel aims for a net outflow of Palestinians by blocking returns, raising fears of forced exile.

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China manufacturing

Asian CEOs feeling burden of China, US tech restrictions, survey finds

United States

US ‘armada’ heading towards Iran as tensions remain high

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World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

‘For the world’: Trump launches his Board of Peace that some see rivalling UN

The US president signed the board’s charter at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

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US President Donald Trump holding a signed founding charter with leaders and representatives from other countries. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Israeli forces kill Palestinian children, journalists in Gaza despite ceasefire

Eleven Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Wednesday, threatening the peace deal as the US tries to push the agreement forward.

China-Middle East relations

Why China is playing the long game in Iran despite Trump’s fresh threats

Beijing is balancing vital energy interests with long-standing diplomatic principles and a cautious Middle East recalibration, analysts say.

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India

Unrest in Iran complicates India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy

India views the current Iranian government as a ‘predictable counterweight’ against Pakistan’s influence, an analyst says.

A man passes by buses destroyed in Tehran during recent unrest in Iran. Photo: Xinhua
Iran

Iran says 3,117 died in protests in first official toll. Activists fear it’s much higher

Activists report toll is at least 4,902, with many more feared dead in the demonstrations that began December 28.

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Israel-Gaza war

3-month-old dies of cold in Gaza tent as Trump talks peace at Davos

While Trump pitches his new Board of Peace in Davos, a 3-month-old becomes the 9th child to die of hypothermia in a Gaza tent this winter.

Iran

Opinion | Will Iran’s instability force China to rethink its Middle East strategy?

The assumption that domestic unrest can be treated as background noise, unlikely to disrupt energy flows, is becoming increasingly untenable.

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Security forces are seen during a pro-government rally on January 12, in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
Syria

Syria gives Kurds 4 days to accept integration as US signals end of support

The government announced a new truce after seizing swathes of territory from the Syrian Democratic Forces.

SDF fighters walk near an armoured vehicle in Hasakah, Syria, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s demolition of UN compound in East Jerusalem raises legal concerns

Israel banned UNRWA in October 2024 over alleged Hamas ties. The agency says demolition of sites that stored Gaza aid violates international law.

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Syria

Syrian deal unravels as sides clash and Isis prisoners escape

Integration agreement with the SDF falters amid reports that hundreds of militants fled prison as government forces moved in.

Iran

Hackers target Iran state TV with exiled prince’s message to forces

In clips, Reza Pahlavi urges security forces to ‘join the people’ in the nationwide demonstrations.

People hold up US flags and portraits of Reza Pahlavi in front of the US consulate in Frankfurt, Germany on Friday. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

A ‘Trump UN’ with US$1 billion entry? Nations cautious on Board of Peace plan

US president invites 60 nations to join his ‘Board of Peace’, with permanent membership available for states that pay US$1 billion.

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US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. Photo: AP
Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s leaders meet in Saudi Arabia after defeat of UAE-backed group

Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of smuggling an opposing leader to Abu Dhabi through Somalia, after the Saudi-backed government charged him with treason.

Iran

Iran warns against any US strike as judiciary hints at unrest-linked executions

Iranian official signals ‘war against God’ charges as rights group reports more than 24,000 arrests in crackdown.

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Syria

Syrian government forces take Al-Omar oilfield as Kurds withdraw

Al-Omar was home to the largest US base in Syria. It had been controlled by Kurdish-led forces since 2017 after Islamic State group was pushed out.

People destroy a statue representing the PKK and Kurdish service against the Islamic State group, in Raqa after its capture by the Syrian army, on Sunday. Photo: dpa
Hong Kong society

Hong Kong blogger’s Iran trip sparks debate about solo travel safety

Online community split over whether women travelling alone to ‘dangerous’ nations is reckless or eye-opening.

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Syria

US strike in Syria kills leader tied to Isis ambush that left 3 Americans dead

Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was allegedly ‘directly connected’ to the incident, which has sparked a series of retaliatory attacks by US forces.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel objects to composition of Trump-led Gaza ‘board of peace’

PM Netanyahu says the unveiling of the board was not coordinated with Israel and contradicted his government’s policy.

Palestinian girls walk past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the war in Gaza City on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Iran

Iran’s leader says ‘thousands’ killed in protests, Trump a ‘criminal’

The comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are the first admission by Tehran on the death toll from the unrest.

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Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid anti-government protests in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a social media video released on January 9. Photo: Social media via Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysian police arrest reporter following controversial question at Gaza forum

Rex Tan has resigned as a Free Malaysia Today reporter and apologised for his question, which raised an uproar for its racial overtones.

Israel-Gaza war

Trump names Blair, Rubio to Gaza ‘board of peace’

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, envoy Steve Witkoff and World Bank President Ajay Banga will also be on the panel chaired by the US leader.

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Donald Trump

Trump thanks Iran for ‘cancelling’ hanging of hundreds of political prisoners

The president has suggested for days that the US might strike Iran if its government triggered mass killings in its crackdown on protesters.

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A member of the Iranian community holds a poster depicitng Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and US President Donald Trump outside the US embassy in Bucharest, Romania, on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Iran

Iran cleric demands death for protesters, threatens Trump amid unrest

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami urged the execution of detained protesters, a step the Trump administration warned could spark military action.

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Iranian senior cleric Ahmad Khatami delivers his sermon during Friday prayer in Tehran in January 2018. Photo: AP
Hong Kong society

Hongkonger missing in protest-hit Iran safe and ‘in touch’ with authorities

Immigration Department says it has also advised the woman to leave Iran as soon as possible.

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Russia

Putin offers to mediate Iran-Israel tensions after Trump threat

The Russian leader spoke with Israel’s Netanyahu and Iran’s Pezeshkian on Friday, offering Moscow’s help to de-escalate tensions, the Kremlin said.

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