Middle East Eye

Explosions heard in Yemen’s government-held Aden Two blasts were heard late on Friday in Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, AFP reported, citing residents and a correspondent on the ground. The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa, most recently struck the perimete...

Pakistan 'cautiously optimistic' about US-Iran talks, says Mecca pact open to new members Pakistan ’s military is “cautiously optimistic” about its mediation between Iran and the United States , its spokesman said on Friday in his first interview since a high-level delegation visited Tehran this ...

Eight-year-old Palestinian boy succumbs to wounds from Israeli gunfire in Khan Younis An eight-year-old Palestinian boy died on Friday from wounds he sustained when Israeli forces opened fire in the Qizan Rashwan area, south of Khan Younis, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Yamen Hisham ...

Oman evacuates crew of tanker set ablaze near Hormuz Oman said on Friday it had rescued 25 sailors from a merchant ship that was targeted and set ablaze, as Iran reported three oil tankers had been halted while crossing the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Muscat’s navy “carried out an evacuation oper...

Lebanese court charges 13 over Hezbollah explosives shipment A Lebanese military court on Friday charged 13 people over their alleged involvement in shipping explosives to Hezbollah, AFP reported, citing a judicial source. The charges come after authorities seized a half-tonne cargo earlier this ...

Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted Houthi drone near Riyadh The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday it had intercepted and destroyed a drone near Riyadh, as well as a missile, fired by Yemen’s Houthis towards Saudi Arabia’s southern region. In two posts on X, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malk...

Israel: Tibi urges Eisenkot to show 'courage' and form minority government with Palestinians Submitted by David Hearst on Fri, 10/30/2026 - 15:29 The Palestinian lawmaker says Arab parties are ready to back an Eisenkot-led minority government, arguing that cooperation is essential to ending Netan...

Elbit factory targeted in Palestine Action raid was set to deliver 'immediate shipment of drones' to Israel, court hears Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Fri, 10/30/2026 - 13:20 Qesser Zuhrah tells jurors she and her co-defendants 'created a distraction' while others broke in to destroy weapons A...

Palestinian ambassador urges action over London event advertising settlement-linked Israeli agency The  Palestinian  ambassador to  Britain  has urged the UK government to take action after Middle East Eye  revealed  that an international travel event in London is se...

Palestinian ambassador urges action over London event advertising settlement-linked Israeli agency Submitted by Imran Mulla on Fri, 10/30/2026 - 11:50 The Jerusalem Development Authority is involved in the construction of illegal Israeli settlements and efforts to dispossess Palestinians in occup...

‘Weak and cowardly’: UK bars renowned Swedish author ahead of Palestine event Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Fri, 10/30/2026 - 11:58 Andreas Malm’s exclusion deepens scrutiny of Andy Burnham’s promises to break with Keir Starmer’s record on Gaza Climate activist and author Andreas Malm attends a pr...

Centcom chief says Hormuz routes remain clear as Iran reports interceptions The head of US Central Command (Centcom), Admiral Brad Cooper, has claimed that the main international shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz are clear of Iranian sea mines and that commercial vessels are sailing fr...

A Lebanese bank heist towers over this winter's Middle Eastern film offerings Submitted by Joseph Fahim on Fri, 10/30/2026 - 10:42 Rami Kodeih's Furies is set during Lebanon's liquidity crisis of 2019, which led depositors to hold up banks to access their money Rym Mroue (left) and Maria Nakouzi ...

The myth of Israel as the region's 'only democracy' should be dead. Not in western media Submitted by Faisal Hanif on Thu, 10/29/2026 - 15:19 Record Arab turnout has fuelled immediate backlash, amid calls for an investigation into the country's 'Islamisation'  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin...

UK denies entry to Swedish academic due to appear at pro-Palestine event The United Kingdom has reportedly cancelled the travel authorisation of Swedish academic and pro-Palestine activist Andreas Malm, preventing him from entering the country ahead of a planned appearance at a London event, Al J...

IRGC Navy intercepts two vessels in southern waters of Hormuz Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Friday that it halted two tankers in the southern waters of the Strait of Hormuz after they attempted to pass through an unauthorised route. In a statement, the IRGC Navy sai...

US midterms: Progressives rally behind war criminal Obama’s attacks on Trump Submitted by Joseph Massad on Thu, 10/29/2026 - 04:45 Mass deportations, drone strikes and support for Israel's genocidal wars are no obstacle to liberals presenting the former president as a moral alternative to Trump F...

Israeli election bribery probe ‘limited’ and won't affect results, Shin Bet sources say Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 10/30/2026 - 09:56 Security officials play down allegations of foreign interference as Netanyahu’s Likud party claims Palestinian citizens helped ‘steal’ the election Head of the...

More than 100 ports join international dockworkers’ strike against arms shipments Dockworkers across Europe are staging strikes and demonstrations as part of an international campaign against arms shipments and port militarisation. Unions in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey and Morocco have c...

Taiz civilians trapped under siege as heavy shelling hits residential areas Civilians in Yemen’s Taiz are facing worsening conditions amid heavy shelling and a siege that has cut off villages from essential supplies, Al Jazeera reported.  Although midday brought a period of relative calm, in...

Exclusive: Miliband set on sanctions regardless of Israel election outcome as officials try to weaken measures Submitted by Imran Mulla on Fri, 10/30/2026 - 09:21 The foreign secretary is understood to be determined that sanctions should not be watered down Britain's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband...

Nato chief holds talks with Saudi defence minister amid Middle East tensions Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke with Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud over the phone to discuss security, according to Nato spokesperson Allison Hart. “They discussed the security situation in the...

Israeli forces storm Joseph’s Tomb, raid homes in Nablus villages Israeli forces have stormed Joseph’s Tomb in eastern Nablus and raided several nearby villages, searching and ransacking homes, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The report said that Israeli forces entered eastern Nabl...

How drought and oil expansion are eroding livelihoods in Iraq's Hawizeh Marshes Submitted by Tamara Imad on Wed, 09/02/2026 - 20:57 As the Unesco-protected wetlands dry up, residents who have long depended on this fragile ecosystem are being pushed out Off In a corner of Halima Flaih’s property i...

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments:  An official told Reuters that Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the US and Iran. The mediation talks have been coordinated with Washington, the offic...

Why is Yemen's conflict so underreported? Since early October, Houthi forces have encircled Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city. Nearly a million people are cut off from food aid.  Yemeni analyst and human rights activist Baraa Shiban recently returned from the city. He warns against framing th...

Why Palestinian electoral gains in Israel cannot alter the racist structure of the state Submitted by Ghada Majadli on Thu, 10/29/2026 - 19:04 The existence of parliamentary representation negates neither the apartheid regime nor the 50 discriminatory laws that govern the lives of Palestinian cit...

Why Palestinian electoral gains in Israel should be met with caution, not celebration Submitted by Ghada Majadli on Thu, 10/29/2026 - 19:04 The existence of parliamentary representation negates neither the apartheid regime nor the 50 discriminatory laws that govern the lives of Palestinian citize...

Palestinians are not expressing faith in Israeli 'democracy'. They are voting for survival Submitted by Ghada Majadli on Thu, 10/29/2026 - 19:04 The existence of Palestinian parliamentary representation negates neither the apartheid regime nor the 50 discriminatory laws that govern the lives of P...

Qatari mediators head back to Tehran to push for US-Iran deal An official told Reuters that Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the US and Iran. The mediation talks have been coordinated with Washington, the official added.

Houthis deny Saudi-led coalition claims of firing drone towards Mecca The Houthi spokesperson has denied a Saudi-led coalition claim that it intercepted a drone belonging to the movement over the Mecca region. Yahya Saree said the group "has not carried out any operation today targeting Saudi ter...

Iran accuses UN of whitewashing US, Israeli actions The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson has slammed the United Nations' human rights mechanism on Iran, accusing it of attempting to "whitewash" US and Israeli actions.  "Exploiting the so-called Special Rapporteurship on the Situati...

Palestinians call out ‘engineered famine’ in Gaza Palestinians in Gaza accused Israeli occupation forces and traders of creating an "engineered famine" across the strip by only letting in and selling unhealthy products and junk food such as snacks and fizzy drinks, at the expense of the populatio...

More on tanker set ablaze in Hormuz Strait A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by a small boat with two explosive devices attached to its hull, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an update on Friday. This caused blasts and sparked a fire in the vessel's engine ...

Saudi-led coalition says Houthi drone destroyed over Mecca The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen's Houthis in the Mecca region.

US Treasury chief claims Iran 'running out of' economic lifelines US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that Iran is "running out of" economic lifelines amid Washington's sanctions on Tehran.  "Under Operation Economic Outcast, Iran’s regime is running out of lifelines, and its proxies...

Can Netanyahu cling onto power (again)? Israel's election has ended in deadlock. Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has 53 seats, his rival Gadi Eisenkot's 48, and neither has the 61 needed to govern. The surprise of the night: Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out in record numbers, pushing Arab part...

Vance says Trump will not allow US conflict in Iran to turn into a 'forever war' US Vice President JD Vance said that Donald Trump will not allow the conflict with Iran to turn into a "forever war". "I understand the frustration about foreign misadventures in the Middle East," Vance said. "We’ve ...

Report: US sends 10 military planes to Israel, amid plans for a possible military operation against Iran The US has transferred 10 military cargo planes to Israeli air bases as preparation for a possible military operation against Iran, according to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN. The broadca...

Eisenkot warns Netanyahu is attempting to deligitmise the elections Gadi Eisenkot, Israel's chief opposition candidate, issued a video statement on Thursday warning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is running a campaign to delegitimise election results.  This comes after his Likud part...

Vessel ablaze in Hormuz Strait, 25 nautical miles away from Oman A vessel transiting outbound in the Strait of Hormuz was on fire following an incident on Thursday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. The incident occurred 25 nautical miles north east of Oman's Khasab,...

Iran's Qalibaf says progress only possible when Tehran's seven conditions are met Iran's parliament speaker said on Thursday that Tehran's conditions had been repeatedly and clearly communicated to mediators and that progress can only be achieved if Iran's seven conditions are met. The "carrot-an...

US envoy says Iran talks ‘very close’ to agreement on de-escalation process US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, said diplomatic efforts to ease tensions with Iran could bring “dramatic steps forward” within two weeks, though further US military action remains possible. Speaking to CNN, Barrack ...

Israel killed 1,574 Palestinians since 2025 ‘ceasefire’, Gaza ministry says Israeli attacks killed six Palestinians and wounded 38 over the past 24 hours, Gaza’s health ministry said. Israeli forces have killed at least 1,574 Palestinians and injured 5,687 since the “ceasefire” took effect on 10 ...

Houthis claim six attacks on Saudi Arabia airports and oil facilities The Houthis carried out six attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting airports, oil facilities and a military headquarters, spokesperson Yahya Saree said. Saree said the group fired ballistic missiles at the Ras Tanura and Rabigh oil ...

Italy urges 'immediate release' of activists detained in West Bank The Italian foreign ministry called on Thursday for the "immediate release" of five Italian activists detained in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The activists were held near the village of Al-Lubban al-Gharbiyye, "where they were...

Anti-Muslim provocation could deter community from US midterm elections, advocacy group says Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 10/29/2026 - 19:46 Trump and his allies have already claimed, without evidence, that there may be mass fraud at polling stations Election workers check the tapes from voting...

Missile shrapnel injures Saudi citizen, says news agency Saudi’s Civil Defence Authority says shrapnel falling after the interception of two missiles has wounded one Saudi citizen. The interception also resulted in damage to a house and a vehicle, the authority’s spokesperson told the state-run n...

US senator briefed on Trump's plans to restart Iran war says proposal is 'insane' Senator Chris Murphy says he has been briefed on the US's plan to restart the war on  Iran , calling it "insane" and saying it would lead to a "devastating escalation". "You've heard a preview that it would be ...

US senator briefed on Trump's plans to restart Iran war says proposal is 'insane' Submitted by Mersiha Gadzo on Thu, 10/29/2026 - 18:06 Chris Murphy says the plan could target civilian infrastructure and 'lead to devastating escalation' US Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks during a Senate Approp...