Mena Today

A daylight inspection showed that a merchant vessel was not hit or damaged in the Red Sea off Yemen's Hodeidah after initial reports it was struck by a missile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and British security firm Ambrey said on Friday.

Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the U.S. which includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, according to a proposal seen by Reuters.

With ally Hamas under attack in Gaza, the head of Iran's Quds Force visited Beirut in February to discuss the risk posed if Israel next aims at Lebanon's Hezbollah, an offensive that could severely hurt Tehran's main regional partner, seven sources said.

Ties between Turkey and Africa are growing. Bilateral trade surpassed $40bn in 2022, up from just over $5bn in 2003. Turkish contractors are currently working on construction projects worth some $85bn. Turkish Airlines serves more than 60 destinations in Africa.

A second ship with food aid to Gaza was being loaded in Cyprus, a charity arranging the mission said on Thursday, as the first ship in a pilot trial of maritime deliveries neared the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Climate change in Lebanon will result in more frequent and extreme weather events, the World Bank report says, which will in turn affect Lebanon’s GDP and fiscal balance.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas named Mohammad Mustafa on Tuesday as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the state-run Palestinian news agency Wafa said on Thursday.

As the international community and media denounce Israel for its war against the Hamas, little attention is paid to the tragedy unfolding in Syria.

Egypt's foreign minister called on Israel on Thursday to open its land crossings to let more aid into the Gaza Strip and said Egypt was continuing efforts to agree a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and a hostage-prisoner exchange.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russia’s state media reported Thursday.

Senior Turkish officials will discuss security issues, particularly Turkey's operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq, with their counterparts in Baghdad on Thursday, a Turkish defence ministry official said.

For families who fled Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon, being away from home is especially hard in the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan - a time when they usually enjoy special meals together but this year are scattered by conflict.