Archives for June, 2025

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Manchester

War in Gaza 'hurts my whole body', says Man City boss Guardiola

Agence France-Presse

The five countries accused Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of inciting 'extremist violence'

US slams sanctions by UK, allies on far-right Israeli ministers

Agence France-Presse

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) speaks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as they make their way to a meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on July 20, 2022.

Amid Gulf pressure, Abbas tells Macron 'Hamas will no longer rule Gaza'

Abbas has increased his anti-Hamas rhetoric in recent weeks as war rages in Gaza and a deal with Israel remains elusive, but the group has refused the call to disarm.

Men walk past shops selling mobile phones in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital on January 12, 2025.

Analysis

Syria’s internet reboot takes shape amid outreach to Gulf telecoms

The new government is taking steps to rapidly overhaul one of the world’s most troubled internet systems by working with Gulf telecoms to build a new fiber-optic network.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

The US Central Command Commander General Michael Kurilla speaks at the 18th IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain's capital on Nov. 19, 2022.

US general says Israeli strike on Iran would risk troops in region

Outgoing CENTCOM Gen. Michael 'Erik' Kurilla said he has provided a broad range of military options to the Trump White House should diplomacy fail to rein in Tehran's nuclear enrichment.

Peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ride in armoured vehicles during a patrol along the border with Israel by the village of Kfar Kila in south Lebanon on June 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

With UNIFIL under attack, Lebanon says 500 arms depots dismantled

Lebanon's prime minister said over 500 arms depots have been removed by the army in the south since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended. His statements coincided with President Joseph Aoun's visit to Jordan, his latest regional stop aimed to revive Arab-Lebanese ties.

(L to R) Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish power) party, and Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Religious Zionist Party, attend a rally with supporters in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on Oct. 26, 2022.

Breaking | Last Updated: June 10, 2025, 12:11 pm

UK, Australia, Canada sanction Israel’s Ben-Gvir, Smotrich for inciting violence

Both far-right Israeli ministers will have their assets frozen and face travel bans.

US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack meets Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa in Damascus, on May 29, 2025.

Interview

US believes Syria’s Sharaa at risk of assassination, Trump envoy says

US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack also discusses what’s next for sanctions relief, the country’s relationship with Israel and why the Trump administration is not engaged in “nation-building.”

Tom Barrack

Tom Barrack

US special envoy for Syria

Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor, Chairman of the al-Habtoor Group, attending the World Premiere of La Perle in Dubai

UAE’s Al Habtoor Group to send business delegation to Syria: What to know

Al Habtoor Group's announcement comes after the United States and European Union lifted most economic sanctions on Syria last month.

US President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance (R) meet with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Analysis

Israeli military poised for ‘order’ to strike as US awaits Iran's reply

If Tehran decides to reject the Washington proposal for a new nuclear deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to make a decision of his own: whether or not to strike Iran.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound Madleen aid boat, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in international waters on Monday

Israel deports Greta Thunberg after intercepting Gaza-bound aid boat

Agence France-Presse

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has teamed up with former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Al-Qidwa

Trump must tell Netanyahu 'enough is enough': ex-Israeli PM

Agence France-Presse

Italy cuts ties with Israeli firm Paragon after spyware scandal: What to know

The cancellation comes after reports revealed Paragon software being used to surveil Italian activists and, allegedly, a journalist.

Awlaki

Analysis

With latest video, Yemen's AQAP seeks relevance, taps into regional outrage

The first video address by Yemeni al-Qaeda leader Saad al-Awlaki follows a decline in clashes between the group and the Iran-backed Houthis in what one expert dubbed a "collaborative arrangement."

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

US President Donald Trump, alongside US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, participates in an "Invest America" roundtable discussion in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on June 9, 2025.

Trump says Iran response to nuclear proposal 'unacceptable,’ alternative ‘dire’

As talks with Iran appear to have reached an impasse, President Donald Trump said Monday that the alternative to a nuclear deal would be "very, very dire."

Iranians sit with their dogs in a park in Tehran on June 8, 2025. Iranian authorities have expanded a ban on walking dogs in public to multiple cities nationwide, citing public health, social order and safety concerns, domestic media reported on June 8. Owning and walking dogs has been a contentious topic since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, though there is no law outrightly banning dog ownership. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Despite outrage, Iran expands dog-walking ban across multiple provinces

Dog ownership has become the focus of new restrictions as Iran's government looks to police public space.