Category: Middle East

Video shows man believed to be nightclub attacker in Turkey

To continue reading up to 10 premium articles, you must register , or sign up and take advantage of this exclusive offer: In this photo obtained Tuesday Jan. 3, 2017, undated photo of a man believed to be the gunman who killed dozens at an Istanbul nightclub, films himself as he wanders nearby to Istanbul’s Taksim square. An assailant armed with a long-barrelled weapon, opened fire at the nightclub in Istanbul’s Ortakoy district during New Year’s celebrations, killing dozens of people and wounding many others.

Water crisis in Syrian capital as government attacks valley

This frame grab from video provided By Yomyat Kzefeh Hawen Fi Dimashq , a Damascus-based media outlet that is consistent with independent AP reporting, shows Syrian re… , via AP). This frame grab from video provided By Yomyat Kzefeh Hawen Fi Dimashq , a Damascus-based media outlet that is consistent with independent AP reporting, shows Syrian re… , via AP).

Thanks Obama=

Recently, President Obama spearheaded a UN resolution effectively declaring Judaism’s and Christianity’s holiest sites, the Temple Mount, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Western Wall, Israeli occupied territory belonging to Palestinians. Now, Muslims are demanding Jews and Christians stop referring to the site by it’s historical Jewish name, the Temple Mount.

Islamic guards at Jerusalem holy site object to archaeologist calling it a Temple Mounta

A respected Israeli archaeologist was nearly ejected from a holy site in Jerusalem for calling it by the term “Temple Mount.” Archeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkay on Sunday was explaining the archaeological history of the site to a multi-faith group of students from the University of California-Los Angeles when two guards of the Wakf, the Islamic authority that oversees the site known as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, who had been shadowing the group, brought him to Israel Police officers at the site to complain, the Times of Israel reported.

Israel PM Netanyahu probed over corruption links

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has been questioned in relation to a criminal investigation into corruption conducted by the country’s attorney general. The leader is suspected to have been involved in beneficial deals with businessmen in Israel, according to a report from Attorney General Avichai Mandelbit.

Iran activist ends 71-day prison hunger strike as wife freed

An imprisoned Iranian human rights activist ended a 71-day hunger strike Tuesday as his detained wife won a temporary release from prison, a day after his case sparked a rare unauthorized protest in Tehran. Arash Sadeghi was to be taken to a hospital, his lawyer Amir Raisian said, while Amnesty International said he would be fed intravenously.

The Latest: Lebanon bids farewell to Istanbul victims

In this photo released by the Lebanese Government, Lebanese Red Cross volunteers unload the coffin of a Lebanese victim who was killed in the Istanbul nightclub attack, at Rafik Hariri international airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday Jan. 2, 2017. A jet carrying the bodies of three Lebanese citizens killed in the shooting at an Istanbul nightclub has landed in Beirut, with three others who were wounded aboard.

Syria rebels suspend talks with government over violations

The cease-fire deal brokered by Russia and Turkey is to be followed by talks between mainstream rebel factions and government representatives in the Kazakh capital of Astana. But in a statement posted late Monday, 10 rebel factions said they are suspending any talks related to the Astana negotiations or any discussions related to the cease-fire “until it is fully implemented.”

64 killed in bombings in Baghdad

Five car bombs detonated in the Iraqi capital on Monday, marking a bloody start to the year as Iraq attempts to squeeze the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant from its last remaining territory in the country. Sixty-four people were killed in the attacks, according to a security official from Baghdad Operations Command, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Israeli police question Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations the PM calls ‘baseless’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during a Likud faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on January 2. Netanyahu denied any wrongdoing ahead of his expected questioning by police in a graft probe, telling his political opponents to put any “celebrations” on hold. A bodyguard of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu closes the gates to the residence of the PM as members of the media wait for the arrival of police investigators on January 2. An Israeli police car is seen at the entrance to the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the same day as police were expected to question Netanyahu over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters.

Israeli police question Netanyahu over corruption allegation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was grilled by police investigators for over three hours at his office Monday night, opening what could be a politically damaging criminal investigation into suspicions that he improperly accepted gifts. Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, but the arrival of the national fraud squad indicated questions raised about him are considered serious enough to merit an investigation.

The Latest: Turkey monitoring social media accounts

Turkey’s deputy prime minister says authorities are monitoring hundreds of “provocative” social media accounts that allegedly support terrorism and foster divisiveness in society. Numan Kurtulmus said Monday that 347 social media accounts which were determined to “sow seeds of enmity among the public” were under investigation, with legal action taken against 92 individuals.

Israeli police question PM over corruption allegations

Israeli police are questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations, local media reported after police cars arrived at his residence Monday. The police team did not speak to journalists, but Israeli media said they are looking into suspicions that Netanyahu inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen.

Airstrike in Syria kills 8 jihadi militants

An air raid has struck several cars in northwestern Syria, killing at least eight people, including al-Qaida-linked fighters and a senior commander with a Chinese Islamic militant faction, an activist group and a local jihadi commander said Monday. The attack occurred late Sunday on a road leading from the town of Sarmada to the Bab al-Hawa area on the border with Turkey, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a local commander with the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group.

IS suicide bomber kills 36 in Baghdad market

A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital. The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day laborers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

Iraq: Suicide Bombing Kills at Least 22 in Baghdad

A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle Monday in a bustling market area in Baghdad, killing at least 22 people, Iraqi officials said, hours after the arrival of French President Francois Hollande to the country and amid a fierce fight against the Islamic State group. The bomber driving a pickup truck attacked an outdoor fruit and vegetable market, day laborers and a police checkpoint in Baghdad’s eastern Sadr City district, a police officer said.

A video capture shows the gunman entering the Reina

The Islamic State took credit for the attack during the New Year’s celebration that left 39 dead and 69 injured, Turkish media reported. Islamic State takes credit for New Year’s attack at Istanbul nightclub The Islamic State took credit for the attack during the New Year’s celebration that left 39 dead and 69 injured, Turkish media reported.

Yemen’s children starve as war drags on

In this December 12, 2016 photo, provided by UNICEF, five-year-old Mohannad Ali lies on a hospital bed in Abs, Yemen. As the first light of dawn trickles in through the hospital window, 19-year-old Mohammed Ali learns that his two-year-old cousin has died of hunger, but he has to remain strong for his little brother Mohannad, who could be next.

Hunt is on for Istanbul attacker

Turkish media reports say that authorities believe that the Islamic State group is behind the attack on a popular Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations. Hurriyet and Karar newspaper reports Monday cited unnamed security officials saying that authorities have determined that the gunman who killed 39 people comes from a Central Asian nation and is believed to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

Turkey: Gunman still on the run after deadly New Year attack

Turkish police officers stand guard on the site of an armed attack at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on January 1, 2017. The gunman who killed at least 39 people in a shooting at a popular nightclub in the Turkish city of Istanbul remained at large Monday as authorities continued their search for the assailant.

Turkey Sees IS Link to Istanbul Attack

Turkish authorities believe the attacker who killed 39 people, including two Indians, at an Istanbul nightclub over the New Year is linked to Islamic State jihadists and may be from Central Asia, the Hurriyet daily said. Hurriyet said Turkish police and intelligence had received information over the risk of a New Year’s attack by IS in several Turkish cities and had carried out raids and arrests throughout December in response.

Canadian school ban’s Israelis because of ‘settlements’

A trade school in Canada which banned Israeli applicants due to Israel’s alleged “illegal settlement activity” rescinded the ban on Tuesday following an intervention by B’nai Brith Canada and members of the Canadian Jewish community. Stav Daron, an Israeli engineering student and amateur carpenter, had hoped to take a course at the Island School of Building Arts , located on Gabriola Island in the province of British Columbia.

The economic war against ISIL: Airstrikes and financial measures aim to deplete militants’ funding

The Islamic State starts the new year with a drastically depleted bank account, counterterrorism officials say, following months of intensified efforts to deprive the Islamists of oil profits and other revenue used to finance military operations and terrorists attacks abroad. Coalition aircraft in the past 15 months have destroyed more than 1,200 tanker trucks – including 168 vehicles struck in a single air raid in Syria in early December – while also using new weapons and tactics to inflict lasting damage on the terrorists’ remaining oil fields, U.S. and Middle Eastern officials say.

The dangers of UN Security Council Resolution 2334

The December 23, 2016, resolution adopted by the UN Security Council regarding Israel’s settlement policy has been received with mixed and even extreme reactions. [ Click to read the text of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 ] The Palestinian leadership, having initiated the resolution, is celebrating its adoption as an affirmation by the international community, including the United States, of its claims against Israel.

Bodies of Hamas terrorists won’t be returned, ministers decide

The December 24, 2014 Gaza funeral of Tayseir Smeiry, a Hamas operative, who was killed by Israeli troops after gunmen from Gaza opened fire on an IDF force within Israel Israel will no longer give up the bodies of Hamas terrorists killed during attacks, but instead bury them, the high-level security cabinet decided on Sunday, launching a renewed effort to pressure the Palestinian group into returning two Israeli civilians and the remains of two soldiers. Gaza-based Hamas is currently holding the remains of IDF soldiers Staff Sgt.

Suspect in Istanbul nightclub attack who killed 39 still at large

Turkish police officers block the road leading to the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year’s celebrations, killing dozens of people and wounding tens of others in what the province’s governor described as a terror attack.

Terror strikes Turkey again

An injured woman is carried to an ambulance from a nightclub where a gun attack was carried out during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, yesterday. Photo: Reuters Thirty-nine people, including many foreigners, were killed yesterday when a gunman went on a rampage at an exclusive nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

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Police secure the area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack, in Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal A gunman opened fire on New Year revellers at a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul’s Bosphorus waterway on Sunday killing at least 39 people, including many foreigners, then fled the scene.

Rebel fire from Yemen kills Saudi soldier

Cross-border rebel fire from Yemen has killed a soldier in Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition fighting the insurgents in its war-torn neighbour, the interior ministry said. The soldier was killed on Saturday in the southern border area of Jazan as an army post came under a barrage of gunfire and shelling from the Huthi rebels in northern Yemen, state news agency SPA quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.