Arab Desk

The Arab Desk leads The Eastern Herald's reporting on the Middle East and North Africa. The desk has covered the Gaza-Israel war since October 2023, the Iran-Israel war of 2025-2026, the fall of the Assad government in Syria, Hezbollah's political and military shifts in Lebanon, the war in Yemen, and the diplomatic realignment of the Gulf states under the Abraham Accords and the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun gestures to journalists at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Beirut, before flying to Washington to meet Donald Trump

Aoun Arrives in Washington to Press Trump on Israeli Withdrawal From Southern Lebanon

Lebanese President Aoun flew to Washington on Saturday for a July 21 meeting with Trump — the first White House visit by a Lebanese head of state since 2009. Aoun's goal: US

July 19, 2026

by Arab Desk

Belgian cabinet votes to ban imports of Israeli settlement goods from occupied Palestinian territories, July 2026

Belgium Bans Settlement Goods, Fifth EU Nation to Act as Brussels Stalls

Belgium's federal cabinet banned imports from Israeli settlements on Friday, the fifth EU state to act alone as Brussels stalls on bloc-wide action. New research found nearly one in five EU-bound Israeli shipments contain settlement goods, routinely mislabeled.

July 18, 2026

by Arab Desk

Aftermath of US airstrikes on road infrastructure near Bandar Khamir County in southern Iran, July 2026

Iran Formally Suspends Islamabad MoU After US Strike Cuts Water for 10,000 in Jask

Iran's Deputy FM Gharibabadi suspended all Islamabad MoU commitments Saturday after US airstrikes destroyed the Bunji

Fishermen on the beach at dusk in Eyl, Puntland, Somalia, the historic base of Somali pirate operations

Somali Pirates Hijack Chemical Tanker Asana in Gulf of Aden as Regional Maritime Threat Returns

Somali pirates seized the chemical tanker Asana in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, 26 nautical

A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft conducting operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility in the Middle East

US Launches Fifth Consecutive Night of Strikes Against Iran, CENTCOM Says

US forces launched a new wave of strikes against Iran on Thursday, marking the fifth consecutive night of attacks aimed at degrading Iranian military capabilities, US Central Command announced.

July 17, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

An aerial panoramic view of Beirut Lebanon the capital city at the centre of ongoing post-conflict framework negotiations

Lebanese Minister Says Framework Clause Renounces Country’s Moral Right to Seek Israeli Accountability

Lebanese Environment Minister Tamara Elzein said Thursday that a clause in the framework agreement with Israel requiring Beirut to halt complaints about Israeli conduct amounts to a surrender of the country's moral

July 17, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

Donald Trump threatens to bomb Iran power plants and bridges in Fox News interview

Trump Vows to Bomb Iran’s Power Plants and Bridges by Next Week in Fox News Ultimatum

Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran's power plants and bridges by next week unless Tehran returns to talks, the first explicit threat to civilian infrastructure since the conflict began. Iran launched a

July 16, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei addresses reporters at a press conference in Tehran, April 2026

Iran Says Trump’s Assassination Claims Were Never Raised in US-Iran Talks

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that Washington never raised Donald Trump's claim of an Iranian assassination plot — through intermediaries or any other channel — during US-Iran negotiations.

July 13, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

Iranian military forces amid Gulf War escalation as US and Iran exchange strikes over Strait of Hormuz

Iran Strikes US Bases in Five Gulf Nations, Oil Surges as Hormuz Shuts and Ceasefire Ends

Iran struck US bases in five Gulf nations Sunday, from Qatar's Al Udeid to Oman's Port of Duqm, as Trump declared the ceasefire 'over' and ordered new strikes on Iranian territory. Brent

July 13, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Economy·News

Members of Syria's new People's Assembly attend the inaugural session in Damascus on July 12, 2026

Syria’s New Parliament Holds First Session, Marking Transition From Assad Era

Syria's transitional People's Assembly held its inaugural session on Sunday in Damascus, 19 months after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa urging the 210-member chamber to build a culture of rule

July 13, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

Mourners in traditional Qatari dress attend funeral prayers for Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani at mosque in Doha

Sheikh Hamad Buried at Lusail in Simple Ceremony as Qatar Mourns Its Former Emir

Qatar's former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was buried Sunday at Lusail Cemetery after sunset prayers, his son Sheikh Tamim carrying his shrouded body from the mosque in a ceremony

July 13, 2026

Government and Politics·News

US Army HIMARS launcher fires ATACMS missiles from Kuwait during Operation Epic Fury against Iranian targets

Iran Targets US HIMARS Launchers in Kuwait With Drones, IRGC Claims All Systems Destroyed

Iran's IRGC used precision drones to strike US HIMARS surface-to-surface missile launchers in Kuwait on Sunday, the Fars news agency reported, claiming all installations ready to strike Iranian territory were destroyed. The

July 13, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

UAE aid trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies for Gaza under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3

UAE Delivers 792 Tonnes of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza as Ceasefire Corridor Opens

The UAE dispatched five humanitarian aid convoys carrying 792 tonnes of supplies to the Gaza Strip over one week under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, the Emirates News Agency reported Sunday. The deliveries,

July 12, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

Sudanese civilians displaced from the Sudan conflict, relocated to El-Afadh camp

Sudan Army Retakes Kurmuk as RSF Tightens Siege of El-Obeid

Sudan's army recaptured Kurmuk from the RSF on July 8 after 107 days of occupation, ending the paramilitary's hold on the Blue Nile border town that guards approaches to the Al-Roseires Dam.

July 16, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

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Arab Desk

Aoun Arrives in Washington to Press Trump on Israeli Withdrawal From Southern Lebanon

Belgium Bans Settlement Goods, Fifth EU Nation to Act as Brussels Stalls

Iran Formally Suspends Islamabad MoU After US Strike Cuts Water for 10,000 in Jask

Somali Pirates Hijack Chemical Tanker Asana in Gulf of Aden as Regional Maritime Threat Returns

US Launches Fifth Consecutive Night of Strikes Against Iran, CENTCOM Says

Lebanese Minister Says Framework Clause Renounces Country’s Moral Right to Seek Israeli Accountability

Trump Vows to Bomb Iran’s Power Plants and Bridges by Next Week in Fox News Ultimatum

Iran Says Trump’s Assassination Claims Were Never Raised in US-Iran Talks

Iran Strikes US Bases in Five Gulf Nations, Oil Surges as Hormuz Shuts and Ceasefire Ends

Syria’s New Parliament Holds First Session, Marking Transition From Assad Era

Sheikh Hamad Buried at Lusail in Simple Ceremony as Qatar Mourns Its Former Emir

Iran Targets US HIMARS Launchers in Kuwait With Drones, IRGC Claims All Systems Destroyed

UAE Delivers 792 Tonnes of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza as Ceasefire Corridor Opens

Sudan Army Retakes Kurmuk as RSF Tightens Siege of El-Obeid

Radical Islam is being appreciated by Indian authorities too

Bangladesh; India’s Biggest Ally or China’s Dragon Nest?

Ahmadis in Bangladesh face fresh threat of persecution

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