Mena Today

Iran's supreme leader said the current situation with the United States was "unsolvable", and that Tehran would never bow to pressure to obey Washington, amid a standoff with Western powers over its nuclear programme, state media reported on Sunday.

Russia and Ukraine exchanged 146 prisoners of war from each side on Sunday after mediation by the United Arab Emirates, the Russian defence ministry and the Ukrainian president said.

Israeli strikes hit the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday in retaliation for Houthi missiles fired towards Israel, with Houthi media saying the attack killed at least two people and injured five.

The state visit of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Angola marks a key milestone in strengthening bilateral ties, reflecting the UAE’s growing engagement with Africa and its commitment to advancing development and prosperity across the continent.

Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday sent a message of congratulations to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day, underscoring Abu Dhabi’s careful diplomatic balancing act between Kyiv and Moscow.

Egypt will host the inaugural AI Everything Middle East & Africa summit and exhibition from February 10–12, 2026, highlighting practical applications of artificial intelligence across critical sectors.

Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz on Saturday urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and fellow opposition heads Yair Lapid and Avigdor Lieberman to form a temporary government excluding the far right, with the goal of securing the release of hostages held in Gaza.

Russian troops have taken control of two more settlements along the 1,000-km (620-mile) front line in Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after five police officers were killed by armed rebels in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has written to U.S. President Donald Trump's wife, Melania Trump, and urged her to contact Israel's prime minister and raise the plight of children in Gaza, authorities in Ankara said on Saturday.

Syria's first parliamentary election under its new Islamist administration, scheduled for September, will not include the southern province of Sweida and two other provinces because of security concerns, the electoral commission said on Saturday.