Interview Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable' Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Al-Monitor that Israel will only be able to defang Hezbollah if it reaches an agreement with the Lebanese government.
Interview Minister warns aid cuts to Lebanon risk empowering Hezbollah Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed warns of resurgent sectarian tensions as Israeli strikes drive mass displacement into overcrowded Beirut. Haneen Sayyed Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs
Iran war deepens Gaza crisis as prices soar, aid falters Gazans fear that Israel could exploit the wider regional war to reenter Gaza, especially as buffer zones along the border continue to expand and civilians are targeted to keep them away. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
Analysis Why Germany may struggle to meet Merz’s 80% Syria repatriation goal Germany, which hosts the EU’s largest Syrian refugee population, is pushing to repatriate Syrians, but Syria’s domestic issues and legal protections for asylum seekers complicate those efforts. By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Humanitarian aid entering via conflict lines stirs controversy among Syrian opposition The Syrian opposition fears the cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism will be replaced by cross-line aid deliveries amid accusations leveled at Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of trying to normalize ties with the Syrian regime and its allies. Syria
Hamas, Islamic Jihad reject Human Rights Watch report on conduct of war Palestinian resistance factions dispute charge of "indiscriminate attacks" on Israeli civilians. Palestine
Water crisis puts 12 million at risk in Syria, Iraq, aid groups say Higher temperatures, drought and record low rainfall levels are depriving millions of people of drinking and agricultural water. Syria
Qatar praised by Senate leader for assisting US with Afghanistan evacuation Kuwait is also receiving people evacuated from Afghanistan by the US military amid the chaotic withdrawal from the country. DONT USE - Gulf Pulse
Fuel crisis roils Lebanon Lebanon's fuel crisis is killing people, and hospital patients could be among the next victims. Lebanon
Intel: Faith, civic leaders call on Biden to prioritize ending Syria's war In a letter to President Joe Biden, a group of Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders called for the administration to adopt “a resolute, diplomacy-first" policy on Syria. Syria
US announces $165 million for Yemen as humanitarian needs mount US special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking urged international donors to step up their contributions to the Arab world's poorest country. Yemen
More women prisoners linked to Islamic State released from al-Hol camp The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces continue to empty al-Hol camp of Islamic State-affiliated Syrians. Syria
The Takeaway: Erdogan weighs risks of Afghan mission against benefits for US ties Also: Gulf airline race takes off; Islamic State steps up Iraq attacks; Fortnite fatwa riles Egyptian gamers; is Israel’s army too small?; child beggars in Gaza’s cemeteries; Iraq unearths 4,000 year old city; and more! All in only about 1,500 words. Turkey
Turkish-controlled Syrian region faces water crisis The drop in the groundwater level and the drying up of some artesian wells have caused a water crisis in the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, and many citizens have been struggling with the high prices of drinking water sold from cisterns. Syria
Syrian aid agencies brace for vote on border crossing: 'There is no Plan B' Humanitarian actors are stockpiling supplies and sounding the alarm ahead of a UN Security Council vote that could eliminate the United Nations' last remaining entry point into northwest Syria. Syria
Russia rules out opening second Syria border crossing for aid Russia's UN ambassador said his government is still considering whether or not to veto the UN's mandate for Syria's last remaining aid crossing. Syria
