Latest Middle East News
US warplanes, ships and troops ready in the Middle East if the conflict expands
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has kept an increased military presence in the Middle East throughout much of the past year, with about 40,000 forces, at least a dozen warships and four Air Force fighter jet squadrons spread across the region both to protect allies and to serve as a deterrent against...
Blinken says surprise escalations threaten to derail talks for a cease-fire in Gaza
CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed frustration Wednesday at surprise escalations that threaten to derail efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza, noting that the United States is assessing a deadly attack that caused pagers used by Hezbollah to explode in Lebanon. ...
Blinken is heading back to the Middle East, this time without fanfare or a visit to Israel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Egypt on Tuesday for his 10th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began nearly a year ago, this one aimed partly at refining a proposal to present to Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire deal and release of hostages. ...
Sebastian Coe among 7 IOC members to enter race to succeed Thomas Bach as president
GENEVA (AP) — Two former Olympic champions are in the race to be the next IOC president. So is a prince of a Middle East kingdom and the son of a former president. The global leaders of cycling, gymnastics and skiing also are in play. The International Olympic Committee published a...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. becomes a frequent campaigner for Donald Trump
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Three weeks after dropping his independent presidential campaign, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has become a ubiquitous campaigner for Donald Trump, urging his own loyal followers to cast their lot with the former president who said he'd give Kennedy a job if he returns to the...
Leading Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury dies at 76
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury who dedicated much of his writings to the Palestinian cause and taught at universities around the world, making him one of Lebanon’s most prominent intellectuals, has died. He was 76. Khoury, a leading voice of Arab literature, had...
US aircraft carrier in the Middle East is heading home
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon's rare move to keep two Navy aircraft carriers in the Middle East over the past several weeks has now finished, as the USS Theodore Roosevelt is heading home, according to U.S. officials. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the Roosevelt...
IOC move on election rules puts up legal hurdles to Coe running for top Olympic job
GENEVA (AP) — In a move by the IOC that apparently could block Sebastian Coe as an expected presidential candidate, the Olympic governing body has clarified its complex election rules before a deadline Sunday to enter the race. A letter was published Wednesday after being sent by...
Man charged with plotting to attack a Jewish center in New York was in Canada on a student visa
NANAIMO, British Columbia (AP) — A Pakistani man arrested last week in Quebec and accused of plotting to attack a Jewish center in Brooklyn came to Canada on a student visa, Canada's Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday. Miller said Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was granted a...
The UN chief calls the death and destruction in Gaza the worst he's seen
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. chief said Monday that the United Nations has offered to monitor any cease-fire in Gaza and demanded an end to the worst death and destruction he has seen in his more than seven-year tenure. Secretary-General António Guterres said in an interview...
