Mena Today

The U.N. nuclear watchdog's board of governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations on Thursday and Tehran announced counter-measures, as an Iranian official said a "friendly country" had warned it of a potential Israeli attack.

The high-seas drama fizzled into an economy-class return as eight pro-Palestinian activists, including French MEP and professional provocateur Rima Hassan, were deported from Israel this week after their failed bid to break the Gaza naval blockade — and, perhaps, make TikToks of themselves doing it.

A recent report commissioned by France’s Ministry of the Interior has pulled back the curtain on an alarming shift in the country’s diplomatic thinking: the idea that recognizing a Palestinian state could serve—not as a peace initiative—but as a tool to “appease” its own Muslim population.

Israeli troops entered southwestern Syria in the early hours of Thursday and arrested several people who the Israeli military said were members of Palestinian militant group Hamas but which Syria's interior ministry said were civilians.

Israel's parliament rejected early on Thursday a preliminary vote to dissolve itself, the Knesset said in a statement, after an agreement was reached regarding a dispute over conscription

Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto leader, will not attend next week's Group of Seven summit in Canada, a senior diplomat briefed on plans told Reuters on Thursday.

Middle East leaders and their Western allies have been warning that Islamic State could exploit the fall of the Assad regime to stage a comeback in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, where the extremist group once imposed a reign of terror over millions.

Israel has called on Egypt to block planned pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the Gaza Strip, particularly targeting the Soumoud caravan—a convoy of activists from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania—and a “Global March” involving protesters from 44 countries scheduled for June 19.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

Syria's Islamist-led government has said women should wear burkinis or other swimwear that covers the body on public beaches, though an official denied there was any ban on Western beachwear and said the decision was misunderstood.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is discouraging governments around the world from attending a U.N. conference next week on a possible two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, according to a U.S. cable seen by Reuters.

French special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, met Wednesday with a senior Hezbollah official to discuss the renewal of the UN peacekeeping mission’s mandate in southern Lebanon, according to a source familiar with the talks.