All Middle East
Is our home safe? Is it rubble? For displaced Lebanese, anguished uncertainty.Lebanese people displaced by war have been on an emotional roller coaster. A ceasefire has been extended, but fighting in the south hasn鈥檛 ended. Even as families yearning for home prepare to return, despite the uncertainty, they are warned not to take the risk.
Hardest-hit by Iran, the UAE pivots from cooperation to confrontationFor years, the business-friendly United Arab Emirates had sought regional normalization. Now, after being targeted by Iran, it is pushing the United States to demand greater concessions from Tehran, and is pressing its neighbors to cooperate militarily.
Their nation at war, Israelis still demand to know: How could Oct. 7 happen?Amid wars with Iran and Hezbollah, Israelis still very much want an independent state commission of inquiry to learn the truth about the failure to prevent the Hamas attack that sparked the Gaza war. Israel鈥檚 top court has given the Netanyahu government more time.
Trump cancels envoys' Pakistan trip, in blow to hopes for Iran war breakthroughPeace talks between the U.S. and Iran were scheduled to continue Saturday in Pakistan, but they fell apart after President Donald Trump announced that he would not be sending U.S. envoys to take part in negotiations.聽聽
Pakistan hosts another round of peace talks between the U.S. and IranU.S. envoys headed to Pakistan on Saturday for another round of indirect talks with Iran. A ceasefire in the Middle East has mostly held, but shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is still blocked, which is being felt across the global economy.聽
Amid extended ceasefire, Lebanon assesses high cost of Israel-Hezbollah warIn this latest round of Israel-Hezbollah fighting, Lebanese civilians have once again paid a heavy price. Even as the ceasefire in Lebanon is extended, neither combatant is showing signs of backing down.
In Gaza, rare elections put hope, and talk of Palestinian unity, on the ballotMunicipal elections are being held Saturday in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, coinciding with voting in the West Bank. It鈥檚 the first time since 2005 that Gazans are able to vote. Water and sanitation are on the ballot, as is, symbolically, Palestinian national unity.
Amid ceasefire in Lebanon, a rush home 鈥� if it鈥檚 reachable and still thereAs civilians displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon try to return to their war-damaged homes, a new Israeli occupation zone in the country鈥檚 south poses an obstacle for many. Meanwhile, the ceasefire has reduced but not eliminated the fighting.
In Iran, the regime has indeed changed: It鈥檚 less restrained, more hard-lineAfter the U.S.-Israeli war鈥檚 鈥渄ecapitation鈥� strikes against top Islamic Republic political and military leaders, who is this new generation that has taken the reins in Iran? They are more hard-line than their predecessors, and less willing to compromise.
First LookTrump says US negotiators will have another round of talks with IranPresident Donald Trump says U.S. negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran. The aim is to extend a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday.聽
First LookIran closes Strait of Hormuz again over US blockade and fires on shipsThe standoff over the Strait of Hormuz has escalated again as Iran reverses its reopening of the crucial waterway and fires on ships attempting to pass. Saturday's developments come after the United States said it would continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump announces Lebanon ceasefire, and Israelis vent anger at governmentThe ceasefire in Lebanon left northern Israeli residents saying they felt betrayed, and that Hezbollah was still a threat. Opposition leaders blamed the Netanyahu government for the lack of a clear strategy that meant decisions were taken out of Israel鈥檚 hands.
The ExplainerCan the US and Iran close off the Strait of Hormuz? What international law says.Washington and Tehran are testing the boundaries of international laws that have managed the seas remarkably well, protecting freedom of navigation and facilitating a global economy.
Hormuz workarounds and arms deals: Gulf states seek to 鈥業ran-proof鈥� their futureIran鈥檚 missile attacks and its closing of the Strait of Hormuz have cost the oil-producing Gulf Arab states untold billions. In response, they are moving to arm themselves against a military threat that hasn鈥檛 been erased, and construct workarounds to the Hormuz choke point.
In Iran war, 鈥榯he enemy of my enemy鈥� isn鈥檛 moving Gulf Arabs closer to IsraelEven before the Iran war, launched against Gulf Arabs鈥� advice, sentiment in the region toward Israel was souring over its Palestinian policies. But distrust has deepened over Israel鈥檚 conduct of the war, and amid concerns over Israel鈥檚 expanding power.
鈥榃e haven鈥檛 finished the job.鈥� Israelis question ceasefire 鈥� and their leaders.In Israel, support for the war against Iran has been high. Civilians readily made sacrifices to support strategic aims. But the ceasefire has left many feeling the job was unfinished, and assessments of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 leadership have been harsh.
Fear, confusion, distrust: In Mideast, hopes are dim ahead of US-Iran talksPakistan is set to mediate talks between the United States and Iran. But across the Middle East, there is little optimism about what comes next, even if a U.S.-Iran deal comes together.
After weeks of war, Israel and Lebanon head toward peace talksWeeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah have been devastating for Lebanon, where more than a million people are displaced 鈥� and hundreds have been killed.
In Lebanon, history gnaws at Israelis: Has force alone brought security?Unaffected so far by the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, the battle to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon has been shaping up to be a main focus of Israelis, renewing the debate: Can force alone deliver security, or does the absence of a political strategy risk open-ended conflict?
鈥楾here are no winners鈥�: Globe races to defuse Iran conflictBefore the Iran war, regional powers were rushing for a diplomatic solution to rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Now, facing President Donald Trump鈥檚 threats of a civilization鈥檚 obliteration, those efforts are at a global peak.