Mena Today

In a display of rare diplomatic courage, Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Raggi delivered a blunt message to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Friday in Beirut: if Tehran genuinely wants to help Lebanon, it should support the Lebanese state directly, not its militia proxy, Hezbollah.

At CES in Las Vegas, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unveiled the company’s next AI computing platform, Vera Rubin, and highlighted that a significant part of its performance depends on technology developed in Israel.

Yemen's main southern separatist group has decided to disband, one of its members said in a statement broadcast on state media on Friday in Saudi Arabia, where a delegation from the group, which appears to be splitting, has been attending peace talks.

Iran was largely cut off from the outside world on Friday after authorities blacked out the internet to curb expanding protests, with phone calls not reaching the country, flights cancelled and online Iranian news sites only intermittently updating. 

Iran's authorities must show maximum restraint towards protesters who have a legitimate right to demonstrate, a French diplomatic source said on Friday.

With Iran's anti-government unrest evolving rapidly and foreign pressure mounting, the clerical establishment appears unable, for now, to tackle what has become a crisis of legitimacy at the heart of the Islamic Republic.

Large crowds flooded the main arteries of Tehran on Thursday, according to videos

A dispute over territorial control in southern Yemen has set erstwhile Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against each other and fractured the coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is set to open a representation office in Ankara within weeks, according to its Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. 

Lebanon's central bank will seek the repayment of public funds embezzled by at least one former central bank official and by lawyers and commercial bankers, to help guarantee its liquidity, Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid said on Thursday.

Israel said Lebanon's efforts to disarm Hezbollah are far from sufficient after the Lebanese army declared that it had established operational control in the south, raising pressure on Lebanese leaders who fear Israel could escalate strikes.

Fighting intensified on Thursday between Syrian government troops and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, with a fierce exchange of fire extending into the night and rescue workers scrambling to put out fires ignited by the shelling.