Mena Today

It is a moment that would seem surreal—if not so predictably cynical.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syria's foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani in Moscow on Thursday, the first visit by a top official from Syria's new government since the toppling of longtime Russian ally Bashar al-Assad in December.

Syria’s new government signaled its intention to maintain close ties with Moscow, as Foreign Minister Assaad el-Chaibani made his first official visit to Russia on Thursday since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slightly revised Egypt’s economic growth forecast for the fiscal year ending in June 2025, raising it to 4 percent, up from its previous estimate of 3.8 percent, according to the July 2025 update of its World Economic Outlook (WEO) report.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun called on Hezbollah and other political parties on Thursday to hand over their weapons to the army, a move the powerful militant group is resisting as Washington ramps up pressures for it to remove its arsenal.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday in a bid to salvage Gaza ceasefire talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine was unfolding. 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said agreed on Wednesday to deepen collaboration across energy, technology, defence and security, a Downing Street spokesperson said.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced fresh sanctions on Wednesday on over 115 Iran-linked individuals, entities and vessels, in a sign the Trump administration is doubling down on its "maximum pressure" campaign after bombing Tehran's key nuclear sites in June.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Wednesday that calls for the Iran-aligned militant group's disarmament served only Israel, as the United States ramps up pressure for steps to remove its arsenal.

A strike halted transport services across Tunisia on Wednesday, as workers demanded higher wages, improved working conditions and urgent reforms, adding to pressure on President Kais Saied to deal with a deepening economic crisis.

Libyan coast guard officers have started training on the Greek island of Crete as part of a plan to strengthen cooperation and help the two countries stem a surge in migrant arrivals, Greek sources said on Wednesday.

During a high-level conference in New York centered on the renewed global push for the recognition of a Palestinian state, Egypt surprised many observers by issuing a clear and firm call for the disarmament of Hamas, the militant organization that rules the Gaza Strip and is widely held responsible for the ongoing conflict with Israel.