Latest Middle East News
US Mideast envoy hopeful Saudi-Iran détente will help region
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Biden administration is hopeful that warming ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia will help deescalate conflicts and crises across the Middle East, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday. The détente between the two regional heavyweights could help bring...
Senate votes to repeal Iraq War approval many see as mistake
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the resolution that gave a green light for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a bipartisan effort to return a basic war power to Congress 20 years after an authorization many now view as a mistake. Iraqi deaths are estimated in the...
McConnell opposes as Senate nears repeal of Iraq war powers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he opposes repeal of the 2002 and 1991 authorizations of force against Iraq, arguing that that authority “bears directly on the threats we face today in Iraq and Syria from Iran-backed terrorists.” McConnell, who...
Ramadan starts in Mideast amid high costs, hopes for peace
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Hundreds of millions of Muslims began the first daily fast of Ramadan on Thursday, as parts of the Middle East approached crucial junctures in high-stakes peace negotiations during the holy month, traditionally a time of reconciliation. In Sudan, parties are...
Palestinians: 1 killed by Israeli army fire in West Bank
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said troops shot a Palestinian who approached soldiers on Friday and pulled a knife near the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian authorities said the man died of his wounds a short while later. The Palestinian Health...
Senate takes first step in repealing Iraq War authorizations
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate took a first step Thursday toward repealing two measures that give open-ended approval for military action in Iraq, pushing to end that authority as the United States marks the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War. Senators voted 68-27 to move forward on...
Why US troops remain in Iraq 20 years after 'shock and awe'
WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq — in blinding explosions of shock and awe — American forces remain in the country in what has become a small but consistent presence to ensure an ongoing relationship with a key military and diplomatic partner in the Middle East. ...
FIFA expands 2026 World Cup again to create 104-game program
The expanded World Cup in North America got even more supersized on Tuesday. The governing body of soccer increased the size of the 2026 tournament for the second time — six years after the first — by approving a bigger group stage for the inaugural 48-team event. ...
Infantino holds FIFA power as voters share World Cup wealth
GENEVA (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be re-elected this week to lead a richer-than-ever soccer body with an ambition to add new and bigger competitions despite growing wariness of him in Europe. FIFA’s wealth after the World Cup in Qatar — $4 billion in reserves...
3 Palestinian militants killed in attack on Israeli troops
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian militants Sunday who opened fire on troops in the occupied West Bank, the military said, the latest bloodshed in a year-long wave of violence in the region. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of...
