Middle East News

Israel to help Christians share 'holy fire' amid outbreak Israeli officials say they are working with foreign governments and Orthodox Christian leaders to make sure that one of their most ancient and mysterious rituals — the Holy Fire ceremony — is not extinguished by the coronavirus outbreak
The Associated Press8 hours ago
Israeli border police officers block a main road following the government's measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, in Bnei Brak, a suburb of Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, April 3, 2020. By Friday, Bnei Brak had become the country's worst hot spot and now resembles a ghost town. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Mosques stay open in Pakistan even as virus death toll risesMosques were allowed to remain open in Pakistan on Friday, when Muslims gather for weekly prayers, even as the coronavirus pandemic spread and much of the country had shut down
The Associated Press10 hours ago
Israel arrests Palestinian official in east JerusalemIsraeli police have arrested the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs for allegedly violating an Israeli ban on Palestinian political activities in east Jerusalem
The Associated Press12 hours ago
FILE - In this Thursday, April 2, 2020 file photo, Israeli border police officers question an Ultra orthodox man as part of the government's measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in the orthodox city of Bnei Brak, a Tel Aviv suburb, Israel. ‏On Wednesday, Netanyahu ordered a police cordon around the largely ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, to limit movement to and from the city. Bnei Brak has the second highest number of coronavirus cases in Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
After ignoring warnings, Israeli ultra-Orthodox hit by virusAfter ignoring weeks of pleas to avoid large gatherings and to stay at home, Israel’s insular ultra-Orthodox community is suffering disproportionately from the coronavirus outbreak
The Associated Press12 hours ago
Iran's parliament says speaker Ali Larijani has tested positive for the new coronavirus and is in quarantineIran's parliament says speaker Ali Larijani has tested positive for the new coronavirus and is in quarantine
The Associated Press1 day ago
AP Week in Pictures, Middle EastThis photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in the Middle East, Afghanistan & Pakistan region between March 26 and April 1, 2020
The Associated Press1 day ago
Member of Hevra Kadisha, an organization which prepares bodies of deceased Jews for burial according to Jewish tradition, pushes a body during a funeral of a Jewish man who died from coronavirus in the costal city of Ashkelon, Israel, Thursday, April 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Iran parliament speaker, Israeli health minister have virusIran’s parliament says speaker Ali Larijani has contracted the new coronavirus, the country's highest-ranking government figure yet to catch the disease, while in Israel several top officials entered quarantine when the health minister tested positive
The Associated Press1 day ago
Palestinians: Man dies of wounds in clash with Israel forcesPalestinian officials say a 22-year-old man has died from wounds he sustained in a confrontation with Israeli forces last month
The Associated Press2 days ago
Iran general visits Baghdad, tries to forge political unityIraqi officials say a top Iranian general has arrived in Baghdad this week to try and unify Iraq's fractured political leaders
The Associated Press2 days ago
Hezbollah shifts attention from Syria fight to battle virusLebanon's Hezbollah group has mobilized the organizational might it once deployed to fight Israel or in Syria's civil war to battle the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country
The Associated Press2 days ago
In this March 28, 2020, photo, people stand in a line outside a bank in Beirut, Lebanon, amid a financial crisis and a lockdown imposed by the government to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in Lebanon. (AP Photo/Zeina Karam)
VIRUS DIARY: An unfamiliar war for those who live with warThe pandemic has no shape, smell or sound
The Associated Press2 days ago
Syrian ex-VP, foreign minister dies of heart attack in ParisHis son says Abdul-Halim Khaddam, Syria's former vice president and foreign minister, has died of a heart attack in Paris
The Associated Press2 days ago
Muslim worshippers walk past pigeons after the noon prayers outside the Grand Mosque, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, March 7, 2020. Saudi Arabia announced there would be no spectators for sports competitions and games starting Saturday in order to combat the spread of the virus. The kingdom has taken unprecedented measures against the virus' spread, including halting all pilgrimage in Mecca, Islam's holiest site. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Saudi official urges Muslims to delay hajj plans over virusA senior Saudi official has urged more than 1 million Muslims intending to travel to Islam's holiest sites to delay making plans for the hajj this year due to the new coronavirus pandemic
The Associated Press2 days ago
Syria: Air defenses down missiles from Israeli warplanes State media reports that Syrian air defenses have opened fire on missiles launched from Israeli warplanes on the central province of Homs, shooting down some of them
The Associated Press3 days ago
A man hikes in foothill of the Alborz mountain range, overlooking the capital Tehran, as he spends his New Year, or Nowruz, holidays, Iran, Tuesday, March 31, 2020. In recent days, Iran which is battling the worst new coronavirus outbreak in the region, has ordered the closure of nonessential businesses and banned intercity travels aimed at preventing the virus' spread. Public parks are closed as well as sport and recreational clubs which were shut previously. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
UN begins home food drops for Gaza's needy to stem virus A U.N. aid agency has begun delivering food to the homes of impoverished Palestinians instead of making them pick up such parcels at crowded distribution centers
The Associated Press3 days ago
More Middle East News
AdChoices
AdChoices