The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/middle-east/ News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World Fri, 12 Jun 2026 01:24:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2018/11/toi_icon_512-200x200.png Middle East | The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/middle-east/ 32 32 Satellite firm says it’s indefinitely withholding Iran war images at US request https://www.timesofisrael.com/satellite-firm-says-its-indefinitely-withholding-iran-war-images-at-us-request/ Sun, 05 Apr 2026 05:11:15 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3794989 Planet Labs tells clients it's switching to case-by-case 'managed distribution' of images, expanding on 14-day delay it imposed in March to prevent Iranian attacks on US and allies

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]]> 187 years after deadly Iran pogrom, Mashhad crypto-Jews are focus of Jerusalem exhibit https://www.timesofisrael.com/187-years-after-deadly-iran-pogrom-mashhad-crypto-jews-are-focus-of-jerusalem-exhibit/ Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:44:09 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3787306 Now at Israel's National Library, display shows how the Jewish community of Iranian city outwardly acted as Muslims for over a century after a massacre on March 26, 1839

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]]> Amid Iran war, US State Department operating with fewer experts after deep job cuts https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-iran-war-us-state-department-operating-with-fewer-experts-after-deep-job-cuts/ Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:54:32 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3781884 Trump administration cut 80-plus staffers from Near Eastern Affairs bureau, slashed office budget; career diplomats say decision-makers are uninterested in analysis and advice

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]]> Tightened restrictions stifle press across Middle East, fogging coverage of war https://www.timesofisrael.com/tightened-restrictions-stifle-press-across-middle-east-fogging-coverage-of-war/ Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:58:02 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3774173 Iran warns those caught filming damage may be considered Zionist agents; hundreds arrested in Gulf for sharing videos, info; IDF censor shuts down live skyline views during attacks

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]]> ‘Depart now’: US tells its citizens to urgently leave almost all Mideast countries, including Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-warns-its-citizens-to-urgently-leave-almost-all-mideast-countries-including-israel/ Tue, 03 Mar 2026 02:51:02 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?post_type=liveblog_entry&p=3767223 Highly unusual directive, issued on third day of US-Israel war against Iran, affects hundreds of thousands of Americans, including over 200,000 in Israel; comes as Iran widens retaliatory attacks, Trump vows larger strikes

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]]> Saudi Aramco shuts down Ras Tanura refinery, its biggest, after Iran drone strike causes blaze https://www.timesofisrael.com/oil-prices-surge-7-as-us-israel-strikes-on-iran-threaten-energy-supply/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 07:57:04 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3766238 Defense ministry says two drones intercepted, shrapnel fell, no injuries; social media videos show flames and smoke billowing from oil facility, one of the world's largest

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]]> Global flights in chaos as Iran’s strikes on Gulf shut down world’s busiest air hub https://www.timesofisrael.com/global-flights-in-chaos-as-irans-strikes-on-gulf-shut-down-worlds-busiest-air-hub/ Sun, 01 Mar 2026 16:12:34 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3765401 Thousands stranded across world as Dubai, Doha airport closures cause cancellations and rerouted flights, in one of the worst aviation disruptions in years

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]]> Arab, Muslim nations pledge to realize Trump’s Gaza plan; Hamas examining it ‘responsibly’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-muslim-nations-pledge-to-realize-trumps-gaza-plan-hamas-examining-it-responsibly/ Tue, 30 Sep 2025 02:04:42 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3653107 Palestinian Islamic Jihad decries proposal as 'formula for igniting the region'; Palestinian Authority welcomes it, commits to carrying out necessary reforms

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]]> An unlikely symbol of cooperation, the barn owl unites Jordanian and Israeli scientists https://www.timesofisrael.com/an-unlikely-symbol-of-cooperation-the-barn-owl-unites-jordanian-and-israeli-scientists/ Wed, 29 Jan 2025 13:40:26 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3470730 Experts from 12 countries convene in Greece for project that began as Jordanian-Israeli collaboration to protect rodent-eating bird of prey that is boon to farmers across Mideast

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]]> US air force seeking to upgrade Cyprus airbase as Mideast humanitarian staging post https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-air-force-seeking-to-upgrade-cyrus-airbase-as-mideast-humanitarian-staging-post/ Thu, 23 Jan 2025 18:14:14 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3466430 Cyprus has been transit point for repatriation of foreign nationals fleeing conflicts in Middle East and for delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war

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]]> Nearly 200,000 Syrian refugees have returned since Assad regime fell, UN says https://www.timesofisrael.com/nearly-200000-syrian-refugees-have-returned-since-assad-regime-fell-un-says/ Sun, 19 Jan 2025 14:18:29 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3462909 Hundreds of thousands more came back earlier in 2024 from Lebanon, fleeing Israel-Hezbollah conflict; Turkey allowing 3 round trips per refugee family to prepare for resettlement

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]]> Unexploded ordnance in Syria killing children at ‘alarming’ rate, UN warns https://www.timesofisrael.com/unexploded-ordnance-in-syria-killing-children-at-alarming-rate-un-warns/ Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:10:41 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3459395 Over 100 kids killed or injured in last month, UNICEF reports, as explosives litter country after almost 14 years of civil war; tens of millions of dollars needed to clear them

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]]> Airline pilots, crews voice concerns about Middle East routes https://www.timesofisrael.com/airline-pilots-crews-voice-concerns-about-middle-east-routes/ Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:40:46 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3445820 Safety debate about flying over Mideast — a key air corridor to Asia — is playing out in Europe, where pilots are protected by unions, unlike in other parts of the world

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]]> Iranian rial falls to record low amid war, energy crisis, and anticipation of Trump https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-rial-falls-to-record-low-amid-war-energy-crisis-and-anticipation-of-trump/ Wed, 18 Dec 2024 17:44:13 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3442358 Currency's value has dropped more than 10% since US election, while an energy crisis at home, exacerbated by sanctions, shutters schools and government offices amid cold winter

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]]> Biden to visit Germany for talks with Scholz, Macron and Starmer on Ukraine, Mideast https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-to-visit-germany-for-talks-with-scholz-macron-and-starmer-on-ukraine-mideast/ Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:01:01 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3399145 US president will make whirlwind trip after original meeting postponed due to Hurricane Milton

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