US elections: Aisha Wahab becomes first Afghan-American in Congress Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 08/21/2026 - 18:19 Wahab will assume the seat of Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April, but she will still compete in the November midterms California State Senator Aisha Wahab speaks to reporters during an election night watch party at Firefighters Local 1909 in Hayward, California on 18 August 2026 (Heather Diehl/Getty Images via AFP) Off The first Afghan-American to take a seat in the US Congress will represent California, following an election which saw a well-financed campaign led by pro-Israel voices to defeat her

Iran president says time to end war while in position of strength Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday it was time to end the months-long war with the United States because Tehran appeared to be in a stronger position than Washington. Talks between the longtime foes remain on hold, and the war started by the US and Israel in February has been locked in a stalemate

Turkey to seek Interpol notice for Netanyahu in Gaza flotilla case Turkey said on Friday it would seek an Interpol red notice for the arrest ofIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a domestic criminal case linked to an attack on activists seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR- Pembinaan di kawasan penempatan E1 di timur Baitulmuqaddis akan memisahkan Tebing Barat dan menjejaskan prospek pembentukan tanah air Palestin, kata Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.Dalam hantaran Facebook hari ini, beliau mengutuk sekeras-kerasnya keputusan rejim Israel untuk membuka tender pembinaan bagi projek penempatan E1."Tanah di sebelah timur Baitulmuqaddis ini sejak sekian lama amat penting bagi kelangsungan negara Palestin," kata Perdana Menteri.Beliau berkata, penempatan Israel di Tebing Barat yang diduduki adalah tidak sah di bawah undang-undang antarabangsa, namun Israel terus bertindak tanpa sebarang hukuman."Keputusan ini, yang dibuat ketika keganasan peneroka terhadap orang awam Palestin di Tebing Barat yang belum pernah berlaku sebelum ini dan pembunuhan beramai-ramai di Gaza, menunjukkan bahawa rejim Israel berpura-pura mencari keamanan atau menghormati tuntutan komuniti antarabangsa," kata beliau.-- LAGIANWAR-TEBING BARAT 2 (AKHIR) KUALA LUMPURAnwar menegaskan semula sokongan teguh Malaysia terhadap rakyat Palestin dan hak mereka yang tidak boleh dinafikan untuk mempunyai sebuah negara yang berdaulat, berdaya maju, bersempadan dan merdeka.Beliau berkata Malaysia akan mengambil perhatian serius terhadap mana-mana syarikat antarabangsa yang memilih untuk menyertai tender berkenaan dan mengambil tindakan sewajarnya.Bernama-Xinhua semalam melaporkan bahawa Setiausaha Agung Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) Antonio Guterres melahirkan kebimbangan berhubung laporan tentang kawasan penempatan baharu Israel yang tidak sah di Tebing Barat, dan menggesa Israel menghentikan tindakan selanjutnya.Jurucakapnya, Stephane Dujarric berkata penempatan E1 akan memutuskan hubungan antara utara dengan selatan Tebing Barat, membawa kesan serius terhadap integriti wilayah Palestin yang diduduki dan menimbulkan ancaman kepada kewujudan penyelesaian dua negara.-- BERNAMATAG: Palestin, Israel, E1, penempatan, Tebing Barat, Anwar Ibrahim

Watch: Netanyahu warns Turkey over presence in Syria Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would not tolerate a Turkish military presence expanding southwards in Syria, saying it would pose a threat to Israel

SEJAK Israel menduduki kota Baitulmaqdis dan Masjid Al-Aqsa pada Jun 1967, Israel tidak pernah berhenti berusaha untuk merobohkan Masjid Al-Aqsa dan membina sebuah kuil Yahudi di tempatnya melalui pelbagai siri tindakan Yahudisasi dan pencabulan

According to the report's severity classification, more than four in five households face "critical or catastrophic" living conditions in their current shelter, while nearly two-thirds of households lived in tents or makeshift shelters, structures that are not designed for long-term accommodation. "Ninety-eight per cent of households reported at least one environmental hazard within 10 metres of where they lived, including rodents, stray dogs, solid waste, rubble or sewage," the report said, calling on donors to pressure Israel to allow aid in Nearly everyone in Gaza currently has a desperate need for basic shelter assistance

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East war in March with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.

Opinion: Amid genocide in Gaza, why must Palestinian journalists uphold the illusion of neutrality? On 20 June 2026, the Israeli army killed Al Jazeera Mubasher cameraman Ahmed Wishah in a drone strike, less than two and a half months after the killing of his brother, Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Mohammed Wishah, who was targeted by the same army on 8 April

Washington's new measures against the ICC have been widely condemned but welcomed by Israel.

Jewish-American activist says Israel barred his re-entry over his work with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Flights resume at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport after staff strike

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not tolerate a Turkish military presence in Syria.

After Gaza, can Muslims defend Al-Aqsa Mosque? Submitted by Amina Shareef on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 15:14 Islam's third holiest site has reached a perilous crossroads, as Israel works tirelessly to change the status quo A Palestinian woman offers Friday prayers against the backdrop of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque on 3 April, 2026 (AFP) On Al-Aqsa Mosque is in peril

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments: US President Donald Trump announced that the US is launching the "MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY".Trump also warned that any country supporting Tehran in any way will face "TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences", but did not make mentions of a specific country or what actions Washington is expected to take. Israel's defence minister said that president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is "dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria," indicating that Ankara risks consequences for its ties with Damascus."Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security," Israel Katz said in a post on X

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad menyelar pendirian Benjamin Netanyahu yang menolak penubuhan negara Palestin, sambil mengaitkannya dengan sejarah pembentukan Israel di tanah Palestin.

PUTRAJAYA - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad menyelar kenyataan Perdana Menteri Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu yang menafikan penubuhan negara Palestin.Sambil menyifatkan Netanyahu tidak tahu berterima kasih, bekas Perdana Menteri itu berkata, pendirian berkenaan tidak seharusnya dibuat memandangkan Israel sendiri, diwujudkan selepas sebahagian tanah Palestin dipisahkan bagi membentuk negara berkenaan."Ini adalah kenyataan yang paling tidak berterima kasih

Mossad chief called Syria over Turkish army presence before airbase strike: Report Mossad had phone call with Syrias foreign minister on 14 August to discuss Turkeys military presence in Syria, according to Reuters citing several sources. The call, made just days before Israel struck a military airbase in Irbil, isone of the highest-level contacts to date between Tel Aviv and the administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa

US elections: Progressive Democrat scores shock win in Florida Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 21:22 Voters delivered a mixed bag for US President Donald Trump's allies in Republican primaries Democratic US Senate candidate, Florida state Representative Angie Nixon, participates in a worship service during a visit to the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, on 17 August 2026, in Hallandale Beach, Florida (Joe Raedle/ Getty Images North America via AFP) Off Voters headed to the polls in three US states on Tuesday for a series of Democratic and Republican primaries. The verdict in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming testified to a Democratic Party split along establishment lines and progressives critical of US support for Israel and the war on Iran

One vessel, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), the Mongolia Prosperity, operated by South Korean shipowner Sinokor, is set to load crude from an unnamed Persian Gulf port for delivery to East Asia, with the voyage costing $31m, Bloomberg reported. A ceasefire struck in April amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, and extended in June, is all but defunct in the Strait of Hormuz, with each side trying to impose its own blockade

SHAH ALAM - Harga runcit produk petroleum tanpa subsidi meningkat bagi tempoh 20 Ogos hingga 26 Ogos 2026 seiring dengan kenaikan harga minyak mentah dunia.Kementerian Kewangan (MoF) memaklumkan harga runcit RON97 meningkat sebanyak 10 sen seliter, RON95 tanpa subsidi meningkat 15 sen seliter, manakala diesel tanpa subsidi meningkat 20 sen seliter.Menurutnya, ketidakstabilan geopolitik dunia yang berlarutan terus meningkatkan risiko terhadap harga dan bekalan minyak mentah dunia."Selepas 172 hari konflik antara Amerika Syarikat, Israel dan Iran, kekangan trafik di Selat Hormuz terus memberi kesan kepada bekalan minyak mentah dunia

Officials expect the money to fund the governments foreign currency requirements until late December. The figures cover the opening months of 2026, including the period after Israel and the United States launched their joint war on Iran on 28 February.

The answer is that Turkey has become increasingly independent in shaping its own foreign policy in recent years, coming to regard its regional surroundings as a direct sphere of its security interests - spanning Syria , Iraq , Lebanon , Libya , the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Caucasus, Russia , Iran and Europe. At the same time, Turkeys role in Syria , alongside Ankaras criticism of Israeli policies, particularly with regards to the war on Gaza , have fuelled increased tensions with Tel Aviv

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here is a recap of the latest developments: Turkey has denied "frivolous"Israeli allegations that it posed a threat by preparing to send troops to a base in Syria, and said thataccusations stem from Benjamin Netanyahu's intention to pursue his "expansionist and destabilizing policies" in the region ahead of elections

US sanctions International Criminal Court president, trial lawyer in bid to dismantle body Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/18/2026 - 20:29 Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously made it clear he intends to take the court apart 'brick by brick' Japanese Judge Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, delivers a speech during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, on 14 June 2024 (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP) Off The US announced on Tuesday that it is sanctioning the Japanese president of the International Criminal Court (ICC),Tomoko Akane, as well as the body's Senegalese senior trial lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye. The move is just the latest step in implementing US President Donald Trump's stated mission of dismantling the ICC for investigating Israeli and, potentially, US officials for war crimes

Iranian-American comedian Max Amini sparks backlash over 'species' remarks on Iranian people Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/18/2026 - 19:33 Amini told Bill Maher that those fighting the US and Israel are a 'species with no morals', prompting accusations of dehumanisation Max Amini attends the 'Cast Aside The Clouds' Los Angeles premiere at Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills, California, on 4 June 2026 (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Cast Aside The Clouds/AFP) Off Iranian-American comedian Max Amini has drawn criticism online after describing those fighting the US and Israel as a different " species " with "no sense of morals", while arguing that Washington's war is against Iran's government rather than its people

US lawmaker calls for action against settler violence in the West Bank Amid escalating Israeli settler violence, US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called on the Trump administration to pressure Israel intoprotecting Palestinians in theoccupied West Bank

Operasi Network School (NS) telah ditutup di Forest City Johor pada Julai lalu selepas pihak berkuasa mendapati ia melanggar beberapa peraturan yang ditetapkan. Penutupan berlaku selepas NS didapati mempunyai beberapa peserta yang memegang pasport Israel serta pengasasnya dipetik berkata ingin menjadikan NS sebuah negara berdaulat