Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks Wednesday in decades, part of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism in the war with militant group Hezbollah, a source close to the talks told AFP.

A new quiet resistance is emerging, one that honors lives over slogans and truth over heroism, as Iranians increasingly refuse to participate in the state’s staged remembrance.

Iran’s geographic advantage has been offset by sanctions, regulatory instability, and logistics concerns, leading Central Asian states to quietly pivot toward more predictable trade networks.

Saudi Arabia plans to open two new alcohol stores, including one serving non-Muslim, foreign staff at state oil giant Aramco, as the kingdom further eases restrictions, according to people briefed on the plans.

Iran on Tuesday publicly executed a man after convicting him of raping two women in the northern province of Semnan, the judiciary said.

Iran’s intelligence chief has accused the US and Israel of plotting to kill Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an effort to destabilize the country, the ISNA news agency has reported. 

Israel's military announced the dismissal of three generals and disciplinary actions against several other senior officers over their failure to prevent the October 2023 assault by Hamas, the deadliest attack in the country's history.

The UN Security Council has adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing a Gaza peace plan and authorizing an ‘International Stabilization Force’ in the enclave.

When Merat Behnam first gathered enough courage to ride her yellow scooter through the gridlocked streets of Iran ‘s capital to the coffee shop she runs, traffic wasn’t her main worry.

In a fitness studio in Saudi Arabia, dozens of women sway to Arabic music as they practise belly dancing -- an activity that many feel compelled to keep secret.

The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior officials for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, according to Turkish media.

YouTube has removed hundreds of videos documenting alleged human rights violations by Israel in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including eyewitness accounts, investigative reports, and humanitarian footage, according to the American non-profit news outlet The Intercept.