News – Middle East

By Orla Guerin BEKAA VALLEY — In the hills of the Bekaa Valley — as in swathes of Lebanon — death can come from the sky these days, at any moment. Israel has been bombing the area through the day, with more than 30 air strikes in just an hour. …

WASHINGTON — A SpaceX capsule sent to bring back two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) has docked. The Dragon capsule, which has two empty seats for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, docked at 17:30 eastern time (22:30 BST). The pair arrived at the station on Boeing’s new …

VIENNA — Austria’s far-right Freedom Party has opened the door to a new era, its leader Herbert Kickl has told supporters, as they celebrated an unprecedented election victory. Projected results gave Kickl’s party 28.8% – more than two points ahead of the conservative People’s Party on 26.3%, but far short …

KATHMANDU — Major floods and landslides in Nepal have killed at least 148 people and injured more than 100 across the Himalayan nation, police have reported. They say more than 50 people were still missing on Sunday, after two days of intense rainfall which inundated the valley around the capital, …

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called for an immediate ceasefire and avoiding military escalation in Lebanon. In a statement on Sunday, GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi affirmed the GCC’s steadfast stances in support of the fraternal Lebanese people and its continuous backing for Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and stability. He …

Saudi Gazette report AMMAN — The Saudi ambassador to Jordan, and non-resident ambassador to Palestine, Consul General in Jerusalem, Naif Al-Sudairi, handed over the monthly financial support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Prime Minister of Palestine, Dr. Mohammad Mustafa, at the embassy on Sunday. This financial aid …

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — There are more than four million beneficiaries for the Justice Ministry’s Taradhi dispute resolution digital platform. Since the platform’s inception, more than two million electronic reconciliation sessions have been conducted via Taradhi, benefiting over four million users. Additionally, more than 370,000 reconciliation agreements have been …

A woman weeps as a man reads the Holy Qur’an in front of the rubble of buildings which were levelled on September 27 by Israeli strikes that targeted and killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs, yesterday. An eerie calm engulfed the rubble-strewn …

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia expressed deep concern over the developments in Lebanon. “Saudi Arabia is closely monitoring the unfolding events in Lebanon with deep concern and reaffirmed the necessity of preserving Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. In …

Saudi Gazette report CALIFORNIA — Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef visited JetZero, a company specializing in aviation, and SpaceX, the aerospace giant, in California in the United States. During his official visit, the minister discussed enhancing cooperation and exploring opportunities in the aviation and space industries …