Mena Today

 Jordan's King Abdullah left hospital on Tuesday after undergoing minor surgery, the royal palace said.

Senior U.S. officials said on Tuesday after talks with a Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia that all sides will need to make concessions in order to bring about an end to the three-year-old Ukraine war.

The rise of Islam should perhaps be read "in reverse"—not as a movement from the religious to the geopolitical, but rather from the geopolitical to the religious.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed plans for Gaza during a meeting on Monday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

The Arab Summit, initially scheduled for February 27 in Cairo, is set to be postponed by approximately a week due to technical and logistical reasons, according to Palestinian sources cited by Haaretz. 

Israel is preparing to receive the bodies of four hostages from Gaza on Thursday and is working on bringing back six living captives on Saturday, an Israeli security official said on Monday.

Sudan's government said on Monday it would allow aid agencies to use the Adre border crossing for a further three months as of February 16.

Britain said it was ready to send peacekeeping troops to back up any peace deal for Ukraine as European leaders gathered on Monday to agree a unified strategy, while Russian and U.S. officials prepared to meet for their own competing talks.

French Culture Minister Rachida Dati began a visit on Monday to disputed Western Sahara where she will meet officials and open a French cultural center in a show of support for Moroccan sovereignty over the desert territory.

Israel will keep troops in several posts in southern Lebanon past a February 18 deadline for them to withdraw, a military spokesperson said on Monday, as Israeli leaders sought to reassure northern residents that they can return home safely.

The question posed by L’Orient-Le Jour on Monday echoes a recurring demand in Lebanese political circles: Will this time be different?

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday he had discussed bringing back Ukrainians from Russian captivity with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Monday.