An Israeli-Syrian rapprochement seemed possible last December. Now, Israel's military expansion in #Syria has raised tensions as they carve out a buffer zone @apnews.com apnews.com/article/syri...

Pope arrives in Lebanon in a bid to bring hope to a war-wracked region apnews.com/article/pope...

🇱🇧🇨🇾🌊Lebanon and Cyprus finalize sea border agreement after an almost 20-year impasse @apnews.com apnews.com/article/leba...

“We need a lot of prayers, and we need a miracle for this country to continue" Pope Leo XIV’s visit rekindles hope in war- and crisis-battered #Lebanon @apnews.com apnews.com/article/leba...

Israel says it killed a senior Hezbollah official in first strike on Beirut in months apnews.com/article/isra...

Syria opens first public trial over deadly coastal violence apnews.com/article/syri...

Most of #Gaza’s schools are destroyed and hundreds of thousands of children cannot go back to class apnews.com/article/gaza...

Death toll from Israel's overnight strikes in Gaza reaches 81. Hospital officials expect that number to go up. Israel’s military has since said the ceasefire is back on. apnews.com/article/isra...

#Syria: Druze seek Sweida autonomy and some turn toward Israel, adding new twist to Syria’s tensions Dozens of armed factions originally formed to counter drug gangs and Islamic State group extremists have banded together under the National Guard. apnews.com/article/syri...

A Lebanese dancer defies extremist threats and social norms with his sold-out performances “They think if one looks a certain way, that means they have an agenda to convert society. If the society was going to convert, it would have happened hundreds of years ago.” apnews.com/article/leba...

US envoy: Saudi Arabia, Qatar to invest in Lebanon economic zone for disarmed Hezbollah @apnews.com apnews.com/article/leba...

#GAZA: Photos editors from the @apnews.com curated photos by Mariam Dagga. She was often based at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Israeli strikes that hit the hospital Monday killed at least 20 people, among them Mariam and three other journalists. apnews.com/photo-galler...

#GAZA: Multiple journalists killed by Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital, including a freelance journalist who worked for @apnews.com. At least 8 people were killed in a double-tap strike on the 4th floor, Gaza's Health Ministry said, the second attack came as rescue crews arrived.

Iran orders a day of business and office closures to relieve electric grid in heat wave apnews.com/article/iran...

“We will do to them what every mother and father would do if someone killed their child" #Beirut Port Blast 5 years later. We bring some of the latest on the ongoing investigation, and spoke to two families who lost loved ones in the explosion. @apnews.com apnews.com/article/leba...

Fresh clashes break out in Syria as the interim government struggles to ease tensions apnews.com/article/syri...

First group of Syrian refugees returns home from Lebanon under new UN plan apnews.com/article/leba...

Lebanon mourns iconic composer Ziad Rahbani. His mother Fayrouz, 90, one of the Arab world's most esteemed singers, makes rare appearance. apnews.com/article/fayr...

Gaza's Health Ministry says 113 Palestinians have died of starvation since Oct 2023. 48 of them died this month alone. International organizations have called Israel to lift its aid blockade Hamas earlier said that it delivered its response to a ceasefire proposal to mediators.

#Syria’s armed Bedouins say they have withdrawn from Druze-majority Sweida after weeklong fighting Dozens of aid convoys are en route to the city. More updates as we get them. @apnews.com apnews.com/article/syri...

#Syria’s #Druze find bodies in the streets while searching for loved ones after days of clashes @apnews.com apnews.com/article/syri...

Syrian forces withdraw from Sweida after ceasefire goes into effect Druze factions and clerics have been appointed to maintain internal security in Sweida, Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in an address broadcasted early Thursday. @apnews.com apnews.com/article/syri...

#Sweida, #Syria: “They shot my husband in the hip ... The ambulance took him to the hospital. Since then, we have no idea what has happened.” Israel strikes in Damascus as clashes between gov't forces and #Druze groups rage on in southern Syria @apnews.com apnews.com/article/syri...

US Envoy Tom Barrack said he was satisfied with #Lebanon's response to a proposal to disarm Hezbollah. “What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time and a very complicated manner." @bmroue.bsky.social @apnews.com apnews.com/article/leba...

#Syria has not had more than four hours of state electricity per day for years, but Washington's recent lifting of most sanctions might change that in the not too distant future... apnews.com/article/syri...

82 Palestinians killed in Gaza, including 38 people waiting for aid, authorities say apnews.com/article/isra...

Professional stuff aside...man, what a time to be alive.

#Qatar says its air defenses intercepted 18/19 Iranian missiles targeting the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base Barrage 7 missiles intercepted over water, and then the other 11 were intercepted over land. One landed on the base, but there were no casualties. Extent of damage unclear.

Suicide bomber kills at least 20 in Greek Orthodox church in #Syria during Divine Liturgy apnews.com/article/syri...

And now we do.

“I may do it, I may not do it ... I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.” - U.S. President Donald Trump As Israel strikes #Iran, many wonder if the US will deepen its involvement Joseph Krauss for @apnews.com apnews.com/article/isra...

"I am living in the basement of a small hotel” - Hussein from Afghanistan trapped in Tehran Airports close across the Mideast as the Israel-Iran conflict shutters the region’s airspace apnews.com/article/isra...

"I am living in the basement of a small hotel” - Hussein from Afghanistan trapped in Tehran Airports close across the Mideast as the Israel-Iran conflict shutters the region’s airspace apnews.com/article/isra...

Hezbollah issues its first statement after Israel's attacks on Iran. It condemned Israel for the attacks, and said it undermines efforts to bring about stability in the region. No mention of any military action they will take from southern Lebanon.

Live updates: Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear and military sites @apnews.com apnews.com/live/israel-...

Lebanon's new leadership hopes to rekindle ties with the Gulf which for years have soured. With battered economy and shaky security - time is not on their side. The country was once a go-to destination, and they hope tourism be a "catalyst". @apnews.com apnews.com/article/leba...

Without meat, families in Gaza struggle to celebrate Islam’s Eid al-Adha holiday Prices for everything have soared amid Israel's blockade, just slightly eased two weeks ago. Meat and most fresh fruits and vegetables disappeared from the markets weeks ago. apnews.com/article/gaza...

In 2003, the American military detained him as an al-Qaida fighter in Iraq. As Syria's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa shook hands with U.S. President Trump, who later described him as a “young, attractive guy” with a “very strong past." What a transformation. @apnews.com apnews.com/article/trum...

Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will ease sanctions on #Syria could eventually facilitate the country’s recovery from years of war & transform the lives of Syrians. A huge development that will take time to materialize. But here's why it matters: @apnews.com apnews.com/article/trum...

Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will ease sanctions on #Syria could eventually facilitate the country’s recovery from years of war & transform the lives of Syrians. A huge development that will take time to materialize. But here's why it matters: @apnews.com apnews.com/article/trum...

Who had this on their bingo card? US President Donald Trump and Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in Riyadh. The meeting reportedly lasted about 30 minutes.

“We hope that this wouldn’t have happened. But we don’t have a say in this" Syria and Lebanon’s moves to centralize power leads to crackdowns on Palestinian factions apnews.com/article/syri...

At least 1 killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon The Israeli military says it destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure part of an underground tunnel network. Hezbollah did not immediately comment. apnews.com/article/leba...

Hamas hands over to Lebanese army a militant suspected of firing rockets into Israel apnews.com/article/leba...

Battered by war and economic crisis, Lebanon holds first local elections in almost 10 years apnews.com/article/leba...

Syrian Druze spiritual leader slams government over deadly sectarian clashes apnews.com/article/syri...

“She had a ball on her lap with a doll in her hand. Will she fight them with her football or doll? In roadside Gaza attack, a 4-year-old girl and other children were among those killed apnews.com/article/gaza...

“The killings, did not stop but now they are individual acts” #Syria’s Alawites still face targeted attacks a month after brutal counteroffensive apnews.com/article/syri...

Brilliant by @justinsalhani.bsky.social, who wrote about his father, an award-winning photojournalist, on the 50-year anniversary of Lebanon’s civil war www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025...