https://www.scmp.com/rss/516039/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two Australian women “kept a female slave” after travelling to Syria in 2014 to support Islamic State, police said on Friday after the pair were charged in Melbourne. The women returned to Australia on Thursday evening for the first time in almost a decade, travelling from a Syrian detention camp where they were stranded after the group’s collapse. They were immediately arrested after their Qatar Airways flight landed at Melbourne International Airport. Police accused the women – a mother and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3352825/islamic-state-linked-australian-women-charged-keeping-slave-syria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3352825/islamic-state-linked-australian-women-charged-keeping-slave-syria?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 23:42:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A group of 13 Australians related to alleged Islamic State (Isis) jihadists is returning home from Syria, Australian authorities said on Wednesday, warning some will face arrest. The four women and nine children, who had been living in Roj camp in Syria, are expected to land in Sydney and Melbourne airports on Thursday, according to local media. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he received an alert on Wednesday morning when the group’s travel booking was made. “The government is not... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3352571/australia-warns-arrests-13-people-linked-isis-set-return-syria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3352571/australia-warns-arrests-13-people-linked-isis-set-return-syria?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 04:52:56 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Middle Eastern governments are dusting off decades-old proposals for overland oil and gas pipelines, and urgently drawing up plans for new rail-sea transport corridors in a belated response to the wartime disruption of major maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. With the threats to these key shipping lanes and economic infrastructure set to linger after the multifront conflict between the US-Israel alliance and the Iran-led Axis of Resistance draws to a close, other... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3352166/middle-east-states-eye-transport-resilience-new-logistics-corridor-bypass-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3352166/middle-east-states-eye-transport-resilience-new-logistics-corridor-bypass-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 02:30:08 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju Brics’ inability to speak with one voice on the Middle East conflict has become a stern test of India’s leadership of the bloc, exposing the challenge of building consensus among its 10 members with divergent interests and concerns. The bloc could not agree on a common position on the war at a meeting of Brics officials to discuss Middle East and North Africa issues in New Delhi last week. Brics has long sought to present itself as a voice for the Global South as frustrations with the US-led... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352055/iran-war-tests-indias-brics-leadership-political-relevance-questions-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352055/iran-war-tests-indias-brics-leadership-political-relevance-questions-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:49:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The first public trial in Syria of officials linked to the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad opened in Damascus on Sunday. Atef Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general who was head of the Political Security Branch in southern Syria’s Daraa province under Assad, and who is also a cousin of the former president, appeared in the courtroom to face charges related to “crimes against the Syrian people,” the state-run news agency SANA reported. Najib was in that position in 2011 when... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351488/syria-begins-long-awaited-first-trial-assad-era-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351488/syria-begins-long-awaited-first-trial-assad-era-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:52:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukraine and Syria pledged greater security cooperation in talks on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said as Kyiv seeks to promote its military expertise across the region following the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran. Zelensky, continuing his tour of Middle East countries, ‌met with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus. “We agreed to work together to provide more security and opportunities for development for our societies,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. In a later post,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349106/zelensky-syria-discuss-security-cooperation-president-ahmed-al-sharaa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349106/zelensky-syria-discuss-security-cooperation-president-ahmed-al-sharaa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:01:40 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai From glimmering floral-patterned glassware to the vivid colours of intricately designed Persian carpets, artefacts from Iran have captivated visitors to a museum in northern China, where they have avoided the risks of damage in the war waged by the US and Israel. The relics, on display at the Inner Mongolia Museum in the regional capital Hohhot since December, have drawn growing attention since the start of the conflict in the Middle East and highlighted a cultural exchange that has been quietly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348939/time-war-chinese-museums-are-safe-haven-ancient-treasures-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348939/time-war-chinese-museums-are-safe-haven-ancient-treasures-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of Syrians protested in central Damascus on Sunday against new restrictions on alcohol sales, reflecting wider fears that the Islamist authorities may tighten curbs on personal freedoms. The Syrian capital last week banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars, only allowing shops in three Christian neighbourhoods to sell bottles. In one of them, Bab Tuma, demonstrators gathered in a silent protest following calls by civil society groups to condemn what they say... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347508/syrians-protest-against-alcohol-sale-limits-personal-freedom-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347508/syrians-protest-against-alcohol-sale-limits-personal-freedom-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 17:10:10 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung A hamster was caught hitching a ride on a bus from Central to Sha Tin on Sunday morning, ending up in the custody of a Hong Kong animal welfare group. The golden brown Syrian hamster was spotted by a passenger and is now being looked after by the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Photos and videos circulating online show the tiny passenger tucked into a corner on the KMB bus, seemingly overwhelmed by its surroundings. It was later placed in a translucent plastic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347478/rodent-trip-swinging-time-hamster-hitching-ride-bus-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347478/rodent-trip-swinging-time-hamster-hitching-ride-bus-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:43:34 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Three weeks into the Iran war, tit-for-tat escalations on multiple fronts have dragged the Middle East to the brink of the region-wide conflict that its governments have repeatedly warned about – and tried to avert – since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. Israel has launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon in recent days, after Hezbollah entered the conflict in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iraq has been turned into a shooting range, as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347363/iran-war-nears-3-front-tipping-point-gulf-energy-hubs-burn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347363/iran-war-nears-3-front-tipping-point-gulf-energy-hubs-burn?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 04:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A pregnant Syrian woman and her five young children died when a fire ripped through containers housing agricultural workers near the southwestern Antalya resort, the governor and media reports said on Friday. DHA news agency said the 27-year-old mother was seven months pregnant, with her husband fighting for his life after the blaze. The tragedy occurred as Turkey began celebrating the three-day Bayram holiday to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Antalya Governor Hulusi Sahin... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347389/pregnant-woman-and-5-kids-die-container-fire-turkey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347389/pregnant-woman-and-5-kids-die-container-fire-turkey?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:18:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisers, security officials said, pulling Iraq deeper into the Middle East war. Black smoke was seen rising after an explosion in the embassy complex, as well as air defences intercepting another drone. The strikes came hours after air defences thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy and a drone sparked a fire at a luxury hotel frequented by foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346809/drone-strikes-luxury-hotel-baghdads-green-zone-home-us-embassy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346809/drone-strikes-luxury-hotel-baghdads-green-zone-home-us-embassy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 23:36:48 +0000 Amna Saqib Amna Saqib The 2020 Abraham Accords were heralded as a transformative diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East. The US-brokered agreements normalised relations between Israel and Arab states including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. They established full diplomatic relations, opening embassies, initiating direct commercial flights, expanding trade ties and encouraging people-to-people exchanges. The accords were notable because the participating Arab states agreed to normalise relations with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3346247/how-us-israel-war-iran-rocks-foundations-abraham-accords?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3346247/how-us-israel-war-iran-rocks-foundations-abraham-accords?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israeli strikes and mass evacuation orders have seen nearly 700,000 people flee their homes in Lebanon in just over a week, with more than 100,000 fleeing in 24 hours, the UN said on Tuesday. “Lives have been upended on a massive scale,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, the representative in Lebanon of UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. In just over a week since the new escalation in Lebanon, Israeli air strikes and evacuation warnings to residents of dozens of villages “forced families... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346067/war-middle-east-nearly-500-dead-lebanon-israeli-offensive-last-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346067/war-middle-east-nearly-500-dead-lebanon-israeli-offensive-last-week?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:22:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Alyssa Ramos’ evacuation from Kuwait took 48 hours and carried her across four continents. The US government did not help with any part of it, the travel blogger said. “They keep going on the news and saying they’re doing everything they can to get Americans out,” Ramos said after landing in Miami on Thursday. “I know for a fact they’re not.” She said she repeatedly messaged the US embassy in Kuwait before being directed to the consular section, which told her it could not help her leave the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345789/americans-recall-desperate-self-organised-escapes-middle-east-youre-your-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345789/americans-recall-desperate-self-organised-escapes-middle-east-youre-your-own?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 03:35:12 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain What began as a US-Israeli assault on Iran is rapidly evolving into a conflict with the potential to spread far beyond the Middle East. Iranian missiles and drones have already struck or reached Turkey and Azerbaijan, while European powers are rushing additional warships, fighter jets and air defences to the eastern Mediterranean and Gulf to contain the fallout. Analysts warn the longer the war continues, the greater the risk that long-simmering regional fault lines – from Kurdish militancy to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345689/how-far-could-war-iran-spread-beyond-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345689/how-far-could-war-iran-spread-beyond-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 07:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Berlin court on Thursday jailed a Syrian man for 13 years for a jihadist-inspired knife attack on a Spanish tourist at the German capital’s Holocaust memorial. The 20-year-old suspect, named only as Wassim Al M., was convicted of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and attempted membership of a terrorist organisation, the court said. The stabbing in February 2025 inflamed an already heated debate on migration just a few days before a general election in Germany. Presiding judge Doris Husch... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345567/berlin-jails-man-13-years-over-stabbing-holocaust-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345567/berlin-jails-man-13-years-over-stabbing-holocaust-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 09:32:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The unfolding Iran war has ricocheted across the region and beyond, with nearly every country in the Middle East sustaining damage from missile hits, drone strikes or shrapnel, many reporting casualties, and key embassies, economic engines and passageways closing down. Off the coast of Sri Lanka, a US submarine sank an Iranian warship as the war intensified and its footprint grew. Foreign governments have for days urged their citizens to leave Middle East countries on any available commercial... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345492/guide-how-iran-war-has-ricocheted-across-middle-east-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345492/guide-how-iran-war-has-ricocheted-across-middle-east-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 02:01:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters When US President Donald Trump returned ⁠to the White House last year, some Russian hardliners were cautiously optimistic, hoping his unpredictability ⁠and transactional nature might benefit Moscow on Ukraine. But his attack on Iran means many now see him as a growing threat to Russia itself and are questioning if Trump is the pragmatic, potentially pro-Moscow strongman ready to deal in realpolitik that they thought he was. Some hawks are publicly demanding that Moscow abandon US-brokered peace... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345434/trumps-iran-attack-sparks-calls-russia-abandon-ukraine-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345434/trumps-iran-attack-sparks-calls-russia-abandon-ukraine-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:37:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Iranian ⁠Kurdish militias have consulted with the United States in recent days ⁠about whether, and how, to attack Iran’s security forces in the western part of the country, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. The Iranian Kurdish coalition of groups based on the Iran-Iraq border in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan has been training to mount such an attack in hopes of weakening the country’s military, as the United States and Israel pound Iranian targets with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345359/us-and-kurds-discuss-potential-iran-military-operation-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345359/us-and-kurds-discuss-potential-iran-military-operation-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 04:33:42 +0000 Oscar Liu,Jeffie Lam,Lo Hoi-ying Oscar Liu,Jeffie Lam,Lo Hoi-ying US-Israeli strikes on Iran have grounded at least 47 flights between Hong Kong and the Middle East, with flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways suspending its Dubai services until Thursday and immigration authorities reporting 432 residents are stranded in the region. The Airport Authority said that as of 9pm on Monday, 14 passenger flights were cancelled and one was delayed, with at least 12 more axed for Tuesday. Cathay also announced on Monday that it would suspend its Riyadh flights until... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3345067/cathay-pacific-halts-dubai-flights-until-thursday-amid-us-israeli-attack-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3345067/cathay-pacific-halts-dubai-flights-until-thursday-amid-us-israeli-attack-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 02:41:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Flights across the Middle East were being cancelled on Saturday as several countries slammed their airspace shut after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all announced at least partial closures of their skies in the hours after smoke began rising over Tehran and Iran began retaliatory attacks in the region. Iranian missiles hit capital cities around the wealthy Gulf region, killing at least one, as witnesses... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344995/us-iran-conflict-flares-thousands-middle-east-flights-cancelled-airspace-closed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344995/us-iran-conflict-flares-thousands-middle-east-flights-cancelled-airspace-closed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 15:04:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States has warned Syria against relying on Chinese technology in its telecommunications sector, arguing it conflicts with US interests and threatens US national security, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The message was conveyed during an unreported meeting between a US State Department team and Syrian Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal in San Francisco on Tuesday. Washington has been ‌coordinating closely with Damascus since 2024, when Syria’s now President... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344793/us-presses-syria-shift-chinese-telecoms-systems-cites-threat-national-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344793/us-presses-syria-shift-chinese-telecoms-systems-cites-threat-national-security?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:42:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East. Huckabee made the comments in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired on Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include essentially the entire Middle East, and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land. Huckabee responded:... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344233/us-ambassador-says-israel-has-right-much-middle-east-sparking-uproar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344233/us-ambassador-says-israel-has-right-much-middle-east-sparking-uproar?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 21:46:10 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Trump administration is withdrawing forces from Syria as part of a strategic shift now that the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa is taking control of the fight against terror groups, according to a senior US official. A significant US troop presence is no longer required in Syria, according to the official who detailed the decision on condition of anonymity, but the Trump administration is ready to respond to Islamic State threats in the region. Some US personnel are leaving as part... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343947/us-pulls-forces-syria-new-government-exerts-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343947/us-pulls-forces-syria-new-government-exerts-control?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 23:04:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Canberra banned an Australian citizen with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State (Isis) group from returning home from a detention camp in Syria, the latest development in the case of fraught repatriation of families of Isis fighters. The woman was planning to join another 33 Australians – 10 women and 23 children – and fly on Monday from Damascus, Syria, to Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday. But the group was turned back by Syrian authorities to the Roj... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343932/australian-citizen-syria-alleged-isis-ties-banned-returning-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343932/australian-citizen-syria-alleged-isis-ties-banned-returning-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:16:32 +0000 Reuters,Agence France-Presse Reuters,Agence France-Presse Charismatic US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, an eloquent Baptist minister raised in the segregated South ⁠who became a close associate of Martin Luther King Jnr and twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, has died at 84, his family said in a statement on Tuesday. “Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said. Jackson, an inspirational orator and long-time Chicagoan,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343832/us-civil-rights-leader-jesse-jackson-dies-84-leaving-legacy-political-firsts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343832/us-civil-rights-leader-jesse-jackson-dies-84-leaving-legacy-political-firsts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:53:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US military said it completed a withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria on Thursday, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest sign of strengthening US Syrian ties that could enable an even larger American drawdown. The al-Tanf garrison is positioned at the tri-border confluence of Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Established during Syria’s civil war in 2014, the United States initially relied on it as a ‌hub for operations by the US-led coalition against Islamic State militants who once... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343413/us-pulls-out-strategic-military-base-and-hands-it-over-syria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343413/us-pulls-out-strategic-military-base-and-hands-it-over-syria?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 04:28:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The death toll in a building collapse in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Monday climbed to 14, a civil defence official said - the second such incident in weeks. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported “the collapse of an old building” in Tripoli’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood, the poorest in the impoverished city. Teams of rescuers toiled into the night on the rubble of the collapsed structure, as ambulances stood by. Civil defence director general ‍Imad Khreiss said rescue... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342853/rescuers-search-survivors-after-building-collapse-kills-least-5-lebanon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342853/rescuers-search-survivors-after-building-collapse-kills-least-5-lebanon?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 18:12:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russia’s Federal Security Service said on Sunday that the man suspected of shooting a deputy chief of Russia’s military intelligence agency in Moscow was detained in Dubai and handed over to Russia. Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was hospitalised after being shot several times on Friday by an assailant at a residential building in northwestern Moscow, Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said. The attack followed a series of assassinations of senior military officers... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342833/russia-says-suspect-shooting-top-general-detained-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342833/russia-says-suspect-shooting-top-general-detained-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 10:31:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Syria and Saudi Arabia signed deals on Saturday that include a joint airline and a US$1 billion project to develop telecommunications, officials said, as Syria seeks to rebuild after years of war. Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of Syria’s Islamist authorities who took power after toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The new authorities in Damascus have worked to attract investment and have signed major agreements with several companies and governments, including Saudi... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342788/saudi-arabia-syria-sign-telecom-and-airline-deals-sanctions-lift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342788/saudi-arabia-syria-sign-telecom-and-airline-deals-sanctions-lift?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 15:27:02 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A deputy chief of Russian military intelligence was shot and wounded in Moscow on Friday in an attack that follows a series of assassinations of senior military officers that Russia blamed on Ukraine. Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was shot several times by an unidentified assailant at a residential building in Moscow’s northwest and rushed to hospital, Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. Petrenko did not say who could be behind the attack on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342651/russian-general-shot-and-wounded-assassination-attempt-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342651/russian-general-shot-and-wounded-assassination-attempt-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:23:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Moscow on Wednesday for the second time in less than four months, and Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised his readiness to help the country rebuild its war-battered economy. “I know that there is a lot that’s necessary to restore in Syria, and our economic operators, including the construction sector, are ready for this joint work,” Putin said. The talks also were expected to focus on the future of Russian military bases in Syria, a key... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341631/syrian-leader-meets-putin-moscow-russian-military-bases-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341631/syrian-leader-meets-putin-moscow-russian-military-bases-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:32:32 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The arrival of 2026 has brought anything but peace to the Middle East, caught in the gravitational pull of rival ambitions and with the uneasy sense that the next war may already be under way. From Gaza to Syria, conflict hotspots are flaring as the region finds itself at the epicentre of a global order in flux. The result is a landscape in which rivalries are multiplying, former partners are pitted against each other and more violence appears inevitable, analysts say. “While it is still early... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341039/saudi-uae-rift-risks-tearing-middle-east-apart-anything-can-happen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341039/saudi-uae-rift-risks-tearing-middle-east-apart-anything-can-happen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 08:00:16 +0000 Sophie Wushuang Yi Sophie Wushuang Yi The successful capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, earlier this month was not merely a tactical achievement – it was a template. Within weeks, an unmistakable pattern has emerged: an aircraft carrier group redirecting towards the Middle East as protests engulfed Iran, European Nato allies scrambling to deploy troops to Greenland in response to Washington’s annexation rhetoric, and domestically, a rapidly expanded immigration enforcement apparatus patrolling American cities with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340626/trump-rampage-does-china-have-strategic-window?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340626/trump-rampage-does-china-have-strategic-window?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Syria on Tuesday announced a ceasefire with Kurdish forces it has seized swathes of territory from in the northeast and gave them four days to agree on integrating into the central ‌state, which their main ally, the United States, urged them to accept. The lightning government advances in recent days and the apparent withdrawal of US support for the continued holding of territory by the Syrian Democratic ‍Forces represent the biggest change of control in the country since rebels ousted Bashar... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340614/syria-gives-kurds-4-days-accept-integration-us-signals-end-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340614/syria-gives-kurds-4-days-accept-integration-us-signals-end-support?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:49:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A day after a sweeping deal was announced between the Syrian government and the country’s main Kurdish-led force, the agreement appeared to be falling apart on Monday. After new outbreaks of clashes Monday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces issued a statement calling for “all of our youth” to “join the ranks of the resistance”. “Just as our comrades in 2014 forged a historic resistance in Kobani and turned it into a graveyard for (the Islamic State group) ... today we affirm with the same... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340481/syria-deal-kurdish-fighters-appears-unravel-islamic-state-prisoners-escape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340481/syria-deal-kurdish-fighters-appears-unravel-islamic-state-prisoners-escape?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 23:22:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Kurdish-led forces withdrew on Sunday from Syria’s largest oilfield, a conflict monitor said, as government troops extended their grip over swathes of territory in the country’s north and east. The push came after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree granting the Kurds official recognition in an apparent goodwill gesture, even as his Islamist government seeks to assert its authority across Syria after the ousting of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The Kurds’ de facto autonomous... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340340/syrian-government-forces-take-al-omar-oilfield-kurds-withdraw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340340/syrian-government-forces-take-al-omar-oilfield-kurds-withdraw?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 13:21:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A third round of retaliatory strikes by the US in Syria resulted in the death of an al-Qaeda-affiliated leader, who officials say had a direct tie to the Islamic State member responsible for last month’s ambush that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country. US Central Command announced that the strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who they claim was “an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected” to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340286/us-strike-syria-kills-leader-tied-isis-ambush-left-3-americans-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340286/us-strike-syria-kills-leader-tied-isis-ambush-left-3-americans-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 21:48:45 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain As tensions between the United States and Iran threaten to plunge the Middle East into chaos again, regional military powers Turkey and Pakistan have revealed they are planning a tripartite defence partnership with Saudi Arabia. Thursday’s disclosure comes as Iran’s neighbours await clarity on US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 25 per cent tariff on the Islamic Republic’s trading partners earlier in the week – a measure which threatens to disrupt supply chains across the region. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340136/turkey-pakistan-saudi-arabia-plan-defence-pact-us-iran-row-threatens-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340136/turkey-pakistan-saudi-arabia-plan-defence-pact-us-iran-row-threatens-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 07:27:31 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg As Russian President Vladimir Putin focuses his attentions on Moscow’s war in Ukraine, his strategic allies around the world have been left feeling neglected – or worse. In Venezuela, officials now think their years-long security relationship with Moscow was a paper tiger. They’re not alone: From Damascus and Tehran to Havana, over the last 13 months authoritarian regimes which previously benefited from their close ties to the Kremlin have found Russian support lacking when it mattered... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3339890/how-putins-focus-ukraine-war-leaves-allies-venezuela-iran-and-cuba-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3339890/how-putins-focus-ukraine-war-leaves-allies-venezuela-iran-and-cuba-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:28:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead. Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the December 13 attack in Palmyra – home to Unesco-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by jihadist fighters – that killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. “The strikes today targeted ISIS... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339465/us-says-it-carried-out-new-large-scale-strikes-against-isis-syria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339465/us-says-it-carried-out-new-large-scale-strikes-against-isis-syria?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 21:54:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters Kurdish fighters rejected a call to leave Syria’s Aleppo on Friday after the government announced a truce in deadly fighting that forced thousands of civilians to flee. Since Tuesday, government forces had been fighting the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, the country’s second city. The violence killed 21 people and was the latest challenge for a country still struggling to forge a new path after Islamist authorities ousted long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad just over... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339287/syria-declares-ceasefire-aleppo-after-deadly-clashes-kurdish-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339287/syria-declares-ceasefire-aleppo-after-deadly-clashes-kurdish-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 06:15:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters Fierce fighting in Syria’s northern ‌city of Aleppo between government forces and Kurdish fighters has driven thousands of civilians from their homes, with Washington reported ‍to be mediating a de-escalation. The violence, and statements trading blame over who started it, signalled that a stalemate between Damascus and Kurdish authorities that have resisted integrating into the central government was deepening and growing deadlier. Deadly clashes broke out on Tuesday between Syrian government... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339134/deadly-clashes-aleppo-shatter-syrias-fragile-peace-thousands-flee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339134/deadly-clashes-aleppo-shatter-syrias-fragile-peace-thousands-flee?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 05:29:37 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s and France’s air forces conducted a joint operation ‍on Saturday evening to bomb a suspected underground arms cache previously used by the Islamic State (Isis) in Syria, Britain’s defence ministry said. “Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France,” the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for Isis. “This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3338643/britain-and-france-bombed-suspected-isis-arms-dump-syria-uk-defence-ministry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3338643/britain-and-france-bombed-suspected-isis-arms-dump-syria-uk-defence-ministry?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 23:54:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, as he presented a united front with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Speaking at a news conference with Netanyahu in Florida, Trump threatened to “eradicate” any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear programme or ballistic missile arsenal following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year. Trump also played down reports of tensions with Netanyahu... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338079/trump-calls-hamas-disarm-he-meets-netanyahu-florida-discuss-gaza-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338079/trump-calls-hamas-disarm-he-meets-netanyahu-florida-discuss-gaza-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 20:55:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At least three people were killed on Sunday during Alawite protests in western Syria, health authorities said, as thousands took to the streets across the religious minority’s heartland following a deadly mosque bombing. Thousands in coastal provinces and central Syria participated in demonstrations called by a religious authority to protest the mosque attack in Homs on Friday that killed eight people and reignited minorities’ fears under the new Islamist authorities. War monitor the Syrian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337957/3-dead-syria-thousands-alawites-protest-against-deadly-mosque-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337957/3-dead-syria-thousands-alawites-protest-against-deadly-mosque-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 17:11:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An Islamist militant group has claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least eight worshippers at a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Homs, Syria, on Friday. In a statement on Telegram, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna announced that its fighters “detonated a number of explosive devices” inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque. The group – which was formed after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad – previously claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed 20 people at a Damascus church... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337843/blast-syria-kills-8-mosque-targeting-alawite-minority-homs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337843/blast-syria-kills-8-mosque-targeting-alawite-minority-homs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 13:00:20 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of worshippers gathered for mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Wednesday night as the Palestinian city ushered in its first festive Christmas in more than two years, emerging from the shadow of the war in Gaza. Throughout the conflict that began with Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023, a sombre tone had marked Christmases in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ. But celebrations returned in full swing Wednesday with crowded parades and music in the occupied West... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337668/bethlehem-celebrates-first-festive-christmas-gaza-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337668/bethlehem-celebrates-first-festive-christmas-gaza-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 17:03:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Donald Trump’s administration launched the military strikes on Friday in Syria to “eliminate” Islamic State (Isis) group fighters and weapons sites in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two US troops and an American civilian interpreter almost a week ago. At least five Isis members, including a cell leader, were killed in the overnight strikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A US official described it as “a large-scale” strike that hit 70 targets in areas across... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337143/us-strikes-isis-fighters-syria-after-3-americans-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337143/us-strikes-isis-fighters-syria-after-3-americans-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 23:09:15 +0000