https://www.scmp.com/rss/519445/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Palestinians on Saturday buried a woman pregnant with twins and two of her children who were among at least 13 people killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza. The toll on Friday included two men who were killed in Gaza City, and eight others killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to local hospitals. Officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said the eight people, including four police officers, were killed after Israel targeted a police vehicle. While the heaviest fighting has mostly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351438/palestinians-bury-pregnant-woman-and-2-her-children-killed-israeli-attacks-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351438/palestinians-bury-pregnant-woman-and-2-her-children-killed-israeli-attacks-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:57:07 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged the United States and Iran to guard against any provocations by Israel and use their current ceasefire to push for lasting peace. “We must not allow weapons to again replace words,” he told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Let it not be forgotten, the shortest path to peace is dialogue and diplomacy. Peace is not a one-winged bird.” His remarks came as Washington and Tehran weighed the next steps after a temporary halt in fighting,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350539/turkeys-erdogan-urges-iran-us-use-ceasefire-push-lasting-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350539/turkeys-erdogan-urges-iran-us-use-ceasefire-push-lasting-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:16:46 +0000 dpa dpa Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip killed more than 38,000 women and girls between October 2023 and the end of 2025, a UN report published on Friday showed. Palestinian health authorities put the estimated total death toll by the end of 2025 at just over 71,000, rising to more than 72,000 by mid-April as Israel continued sporadic attacks despite a ceasefire with the Islamist group Hamas. According to the analysis by UN Women, this means over half of all the victims in Gaza by the end of 2025 were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350527/israeli-attacks-killed-over-38000-women-girls-gaza-october-2023-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350527/israeli-attacks-killed-over-38000-women-girls-gaza-october-2023-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:42:52 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is usually seen in carefully choreographed meetings with presidents, kings and regional leaders in Putrajaya. So it was striking to see him instead riding through the city on a casual live stream with Sneako, the controversial 27-year-old American streamer and Muslim convert whose appeal to mainly young male audiences has made him an unlikely cultural figure. For more than an hour on Friday, the live stream gave Anwar a rare chance to sell Malaysia, his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350501/malaysias-anwar-chats-us-muslim-streamer-it-populist-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350501/malaysias-anwar-chats-us-muslim-streamer-it-populist-move?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:21:23 +0000 James David Spellman James David Spellman The fraying of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran reflects grim patterns of history. Truces are often doomed because they focus on stopping battle-related violence and rarely begin to address the underlying struggles that ignited hostilities. A pause without a shared common endgame often resets the battlefield as reasons harden for prolonging warfare. Viable political solutions seldom follow and take hold for peace to endure. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the perils. The Minsk... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349904/given-history-ceasefires-its-no-surprise-us-iran-truce-fraying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349904/given-history-ceasefires-its-no-surprise-us-iran-truce-fraying?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Asad Ullah Asad Ullah The conventional indictment runs like this: blinded by ideology and captured by special interests, the US and Israel have blundered into a region they never understood, sowing instability they neither anticipated nor desired. It is a damning argument. It also happens to be, in one important respect, too generous. The more unsettling possibility, supported by two decades of observable behaviour, is that these policies produce not disorder as a side effect but something far more useful: a conflict... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349970/who-profits-most-us-israel-iran-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349970/who-profits-most-us-israel-iran-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters A second flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza was due to set sail on Sunday from the Spanish port of Barcelona to try to break the Israeli blockade. About 30 boats planned ‌to leave the Mediterranean port city laden with medical aid and other supplies on the Global Sumud Flotilla, and more vessels are expected to join along the route towards Palestine. The Israeli military halted the roughly 40 boats assembled by the same organisation in October last year as they attempted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349802/sumud-aid-flotilla-departs-spain-gaza-break-israeli-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349802/sumud-aid-flotilla-departs-spain-gaza-break-israeli-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:40:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday accused Israel of failing to “reflect” on allegations of rights abuses by its forces, after Israel decried him for amplifying social media “disinformation”. Lee irked Israel’s foreign ministry this week with his comments on a social media video with a caption purporting it showed Israeli soldiers torturing and pushing a “Palestinian kid” off a roof. “I need to look into whether this is true, and if so, what measures have been taken,” Lee said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349733/south-koreas-president-hits-back-israel-row-over-disturbing-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349733/south-koreas-president-hits-back-israel-row-over-disturbing-video?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 06:21:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Friday marks six months since Gaza’s ceasefire deal took effect, a milestone largely lost in the confusion over the new and even more fragile ceasefire in the Iran war. The ravaged Palestinian territory of 2 million people has seen the most intense fighting stop between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants. But most of the ceasefire work remains to be done, from disarming Hamas and ending its two-decade rule to deploying an international stabilisation force and beginning vast reconstruction.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349651/gaza-marks-6-months-ceasefire-does-it-offer-lessons-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349651/gaza-marks-6-months-ceasefire-does-it-offer-lessons-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:14:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Three assailants opened fire at police outside a building housing the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, sparking a gunfight that left one attacker dead, Turkish officials said. The two other assailants were captured with injuries. Two police officers sustained slight injuries in the clash, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul told reporters. The assailants were carrying long-barrelled weapons. Interior Minister Mustafa Cifti wrote on X that the attackers had travelled to Istanbul from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349279/least-2-dead-gunfight-outside-israeli-consulate-istanbul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349279/least-2-dead-gunfight-outside-israeli-consulate-istanbul?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:42:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US$656 million judgment against Palestinian authorities has been reinstated by appeal judges, following a US Supreme Court ruling in favour of Americans killed or wounded in attacks in Israel. The decision from the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals comes a decade after it first tossed out a verdict against the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority on the grounds that US courts could not consider lawsuits against foreign groups over overseas attacks that were not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349107/appeal-court-reinstates-us656-million-judgment-against-plo-and-palestinian-authority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349107/appeal-court-reinstates-us656-million-judgment-against-plo-and-palestinian-authority?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:54:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Violence by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has reached unprecedented levels since the start of the war with Iran, with NGOs and opposition figures denouncing an environment of impunity. While so-called “Jewish terrorism” has drawn widespread condemnation both in Israel and abroad, little has been done to curb it. Assaults by violent settlers against Palestinians have been carried out for years, often to the indifference of mainstream Israeli... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348798/surging-jewish-terrorism-west-bank-condemned-goes-unpunished?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348798/surging-jewish-terrorism-west-bank-condemned-goes-unpunished?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:45:00 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Iran’s leader wanted a ceasefire, in a social media post that Tehran called “false and baseless”. Trump claimed that “Iran’s New Regime President” was seeking a ceasefire, which he said would happen only once the Strait of Hormuz was “open, free, clear”. It was not immediately clear who Trump was referring to in Iran, which still has the same president. The US president, who is scheduled to address the nation later in the day, had earlier said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348704/trump-claims-iran-president-wants-ceasefire-no-response-tehran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348704/trump-claims-iran-president-wants-ceasefire-no-response-tehran?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:32:08 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar The killing of three Indonesian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon is a stern test of Jakarta’s Middle East policy, with analysts saying the incident has raised questions over the risks of overseas deployment in Gaza and the region, as well as limits to global accountability. Several Indonesian lawmakers and observers said the deaths had exposed how little protection diplomatic positions could offer during a spiralling conflict, arguing that Jakarta should reassess its role in Lebanon and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348679/indonesian-peacekeepers-deaths-spur-calls-middle-east-exit-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348679/indonesian-peacekeepers-deaths-spur-calls-middle-east-exit-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:13:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced confidence on Monday that Iran’s Islamic republic would eventually fall, though he again said that was not the objective of the US-Israeli war on the country. “I think this regime will collapse internally. But at the moment, right now, what we’re doing is just degrading their military capacity, degrading their missile capacity, degrading their nuclear capacity and also weakening them from the inside,” Netanyahu told conservative US broadcaster... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348461/irans-islamic-republic-will-collapse-internally-says-netanyahu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348461/irans-islamic-republic-will-collapse-internally-says-netanyahu?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:36:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a law approving the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. The bill’s passage marked a major victory for Israel’s far-right, which has pushed hard for the measure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the chamber to vote yes in person. The law makes the death penalty – by hanging – the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted for nationalistic killings. The law also gives Israeli courts the authority to impose... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348454/israeli-parliament-approves-death-penalty-palestinians-convicted-murdering-israelis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348454/israeli-parliament-approves-death-penalty-palestinians-convicted-murdering-israelis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:49:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Israeli military has suspended a battalion whose soldiers assaulted a CNN crew in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in a rare case of punishment for soldier misconduct. The army announced on Monday it was suspending the Netzah Yehuda battalion after soldiers were filmed assaulting the CNN crew last week. Netzah Yehuda is a unit of ultra-Orthodox soldiers that has been linked to abuses of Palestinian civilians in the past, including the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian American man after his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348440/israel-suspends-military-unit-assaulted-cnn-crew-west-bank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348440/israel-suspends-military-unit-assaulted-cnn-crew-west-bank?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:41:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel’s parliament approved the country’s 2026 budget early on Monday, providing for a significant increase in military spending as the country remains engaged in wars on multiple fronts. Lawmakers passed the budget with 62 votes in favour and 55 against. The vote averted an automatic government collapse and snap election that would have followed failure to pass the budget by March’s end, under Israeli law. The proposed total expenditure budget for 2026 amounts to around 850 billion Israeli... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348339/israel-adds-us10-billion-its-war-chest-defence-budget-increase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348339/israel-adds-us10-billion-its-war-chest-defence-budget-increase?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:26:31 +0000 Agencies Agencies Four European countries have called on Israel to abandon a bill seeking to revive the death penalty for people convicted of acts of terrorism, a measure opponents say would target only Palestinians. In a joint statement on Sunday ahead of an anticipated final vote in the Knesset on Monday, foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom expressed their “deep concern” about the bill. “The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterring... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348328/european-countries-appeal-israel-abandon-plans-revive-death-penalty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348328/european-countries-appeal-israel-abandon-plans-revive-death-penalty?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:26:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon. Netanyahu said Israel would expand what he called the “existing security strip” in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. “We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north,” he said on a visit to northern Israel, adding that “Hezbollah still has residual capability to fire rockets at us”. There were no immediate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348324/netanyahu-says-israel-will-widen-its-invasion-southern-lebanon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348324/netanyahu-says-israel-will-widen-its-invasion-southern-lebanon?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 17:59:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Top diplomats from key regional powers were gathering in Pakistan on Sunday to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East, but there were few signs of progress as Israel and the US kept up strikes on Iran, and Tehran responded by firing missiles and drones across the region. Pakistan said foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt were taking part in the talks in Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held “extensive... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3348296/regional-diplomats-gather-pakistan-talks-end-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3348296/regional-diplomats-gather-pakistan-talks-end-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 09:59:55 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A pro-Iranian hacking group claimed Friday to have hacked an account of FBI Director Kash Patel and has posted online what appear to be years-old photographs of him, along with a work résumé and other personal documents. Many of those records appeared to be more than a decade old. “Kash Patel, the current head of the FBI, who once saw his name displayed with pride on the agency’s headquarters, will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims,” said a message posted on Friday... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348214/pro-iran-hackers-say-they-breached-fbi-chief-patels-email-account-post-personal-files?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348214/pro-iran-hackers-say-they-breached-fbi-chief-patels-email-account-post-personal-files?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:39:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Iran on Friday after US President Donald Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the Strait of Hormuz, though there have been no signs of Iran backing down. With stock markets reeling and economic fallout from the war extending far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran’s chokehold on the strait, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is usually... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348142/israel-launches-strikes-iran-no-sign-diplomatic-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348142/israel-launches-strikes-iran-no-sign-diplomatic-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:45:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including strikes that hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire. Iran’s defiance came as Israel launched air strikes on Tehran and as the United States deployed paratroopers and more Marines to the region. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347913/iran-rejects-us-ceasefire-plan-issues-own-demands-strikes-land-across-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347913/iran-rejects-us-ceasefire-plan-issues-own-demands-strikes-land-across-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:50:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran targeted countries across the Middle East with a fresh volley of missiles on Wednesday, hours after US President Donald Trump signalled tentative progress in diplomatic efforts to end the war. Tehran said on Wednesday it fired a volley of cruise missiles at a US aircraft carrier. Iran’s military said its cruise missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group had “forced it to change its position”, warning of “powerful strikes” when the “hostile fleet” comes into range. The conflict that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347776/israeli-military-warns-inbound-missiles-iran-says-anti-missile-defences-active?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347776/israeli-military-warns-inbound-missiles-iran-says-anti-missile-defences-active?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:42:50 +0000 CNA CNA Singapore authorities warned on Tuesday that involvement in organisations linked to the Israeli military, such as Sar-El, would not be acceptable under current conditions and could attract action under the law. In a joint media release, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Defence (Mindef) noted that Sar-El’s website states that it is “deeply committed to supporting the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces)”, and its volunteers “work side-by-side with soldiers on IDF bases”. “Being involved... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3347696/singapore-says-involvement-israeli-military-linked-groups-not-acceptable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3347696/singapore-says-involvement-israeli-military-linked-groups-not-acceptable?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 08:05:47 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indonesia’s president, under fire at home for signing up to US counterpart Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, has insisted his country will not pay the US$1 billion joining fee for permanent membership. Jakarta had only committed peacekeeping troops for the initiative, Prabowo Subianto said in a statement published on the presidential YouTube channel Sunday. The “Board of Peace” came together after the Trump administration, teaming up with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3347565/indonesia-will-not-pay-us1-billion-fee-board-peace-membership-prabowo-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3347565/indonesia-will-not-pay-us1-billion-fee-board-peace-membership-prabowo-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:50:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Slovenia’s incumbent liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob claimed victory in parliamentary elections on Sunday, as results put his party just slightly ahead of the conservatives. Golob took over from Donald Trump admirer Janez Jansa as a political newcomer in 2022, leading a three-party centre-left coalition in the country of 2 million people. The race was expected to be tight, and foreign interference claims shook the campaign, with authorities probing whether an Israeli company was behind... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347477/slovenians-vote-race-between-pro-trump-nationalist-and-liberal-incumbent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347477/slovenians-vote-race-between-pro-trump-nationalist-and-liberal-incumbent?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:25:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard “terrifying” blasts like nothing he had experienced before. An Iranian missile hit Franky’s town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona – home to a nuclear facility – wounding dozens and leaving entire residential blocks with heavy damage. Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack. “There was a ‘boom, boom!’, my mother was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347462/israeli-towns-reel-terrifying-iranian-missile-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347462/israeli-towns-reel-terrifying-iranian-missile-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 05:59:07 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words In a fragmented global landscape marked by fresh turmoil in the Middle East and mounting transatlantic strains, China leveraged its annual “two sessions” to project an image of stability. Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s press conference on March 8 laid out Beijing’s diplomatic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3347258/chinas-voice-stability-one-many-are-choosing-heed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3347258/chinas-voice-stability-one-many-are-choosing-heed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 03:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected accusations on Friday that he had intended to offend Christians when he said the previous day that Jesus had “no advantage” over Genghis Khan. “More fake news about my attitude towards Christians, who are protected and flourish in Israel. Let me be clear: I did not denigrate Jesus Christ at my news conference,” Netanyahu wrote in English on social media. “To the contrary, I cited the great American historian Will Durant. A fervent admirer of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347395/netanyahu-compares-jesus-and-genghis-khan-iran-war-speech-drawing-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347395/netanyahu-compares-jesus-and-genghis-khan-iran-war-speech-drawing-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:23:18 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo If you think the Israeli-American war of aggression against Iran is bad, it could get a lot worse. For the first time, a senior American official has openly acknowledged that Israel possesses nuclear warheads and could deploy them in the war. “Israel is getting hit harder than they’ve ever been hit before in their history,” said David Sacks, the White House’s artificial intelligence and crypto tsar, on the All-In Podcast. “If this war continues for weeks or months, then Israel could just be... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347172/why-world-may-now-need-iranian-nuclear-bomb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347172/why-world-may-now-need-iranian-nuclear-bomb?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Global concerns are rising over the fate of ships and crews trapped in the Strait of Hormuz amid the intensifying Middle East conflict, as reports spread that Iran is rolling out screening processes and steep transit fees for vessels using the waterway. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) called for the establishment of a “safe maritime framework” to ensure the swift evacuation of merchant ships confined within the Persian Gulf, after holding a special session on the Middle East... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347337/strait-hormuz-tensions-flare-iran-tightens-grip-over-shipping-traffic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347337/strait-hormuz-tensions-flare-iran-tightens-grip-over-shipping-traffic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:00:24 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words Last week US President Donald Trump reportedly said that oil tanker crews should go through the Strait of Hormuz and “show some guts”, adding that “there’s nothing to be afraid of” as Iran has “no navy, we sunk all their ships”. Is it that simple? Let’s do a risk assessment... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3346876/strait-hormuz-irans-trump-card?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3346876/strait-hormuz-irans-trump-card?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo The eminent British military strategist Michael Howard famously said that the purpose of forecasting wars is not to get it right, but to avoid getting it terribly wrong. US President Donald Trump has already got it terribly wrong. No one knows why he launched a war with Israel against Iran. Trump may have been partly correct when he posted on Truth Social that, “Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3346764/trumps-iran-gamble-wont-advance-his-prospects-home-or-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3346764/trumps-iran-gamble-wont-advance-his-prospects-home-or-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan has identified nearly 1,500 additional facilities that could serve as shelters in the event of missile or bomb attacks, amid mounting fears over the deteriorating security situation in northeast Asia. The government launched a study in 2024 to expand the existing list of facilities where the public could take cover during an attack and has since confirmed 1,489 sites – including subway stations and underground car parks – as suitable for short-term protection. The aim, the Sankei newspaper... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346776/japan-identifies-1500-new-missile-shelters-fears-grow-over-worsening-east-asia-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346776/japan-identifies-1500-new-missile-shelters-fears-grow-over-worsening-east-asia-security?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of people turned out in London on Sunday for a pro-Palestinian march banned by the government after police said it was organised by a group “supportive of the Iranian regime”. Police said in a statement they had arrested 12 people and were investigating anti-Israeli chants allegedly made at the rally. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said earlier this week she had agreed to the ban to “prevent serious public disorder” in the context of the continuing conflict in the Middle East, where... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346690/police-arrest-12-hundreds-join-banned-pro-palestinian-march-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346690/police-arrest-12-hundreds-join-banned-pro-palestinian-march-london?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:43:29 +0000 Agencies Agencies Gaza’s ⁠main gateway, ⁠the Rafah crossing with Egypt that was closed at the start of ‌the Iran war, will open on Wednesday for limited movement of people in both directions, Israel’s COGAT, the ⁠military body in charge of humanitarian ‌matters, said on Sunday. The crossing had reopened ‌in early February after being largely ⁠shut ⁠since May 2024, in the ‌early months of Israel’s war against Hamas ‌in ‌Gaza. Its reopening offered ‌some relief to Palestinians who ⁠want to leave Gaza for ⁠medical... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346689/gazas-rafah-crossing-open-wednesday-limited-movement-people-israel-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346689/gazas-rafah-crossing-open-wednesday-limited-movement-people-israel-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:49:00 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Turkey expressed deep concern on Saturday over Israel’s ongoing strikes on Lebanon, voicing fears it could commit “a new genocide” under the guise of fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah. “We are frankly concerned [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is moving toward a new genocide under the pretext of fighting Hezbollah,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference. “The international community must act as soon as possible in the face of the crimes that Israel continues to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346629/israel-may-commit-new-genocide-lebanon-using-iran-war-pretext-turkey-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346629/israel-may-commit-new-genocide-lebanon-using-iran-war-pretext-turkey-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 17:40:47 +0000 Reuters Reuters Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees said a travel ban imposed by Donald Trump’s administration is preventing him from attending Sunday’s Academy Awards, whose nominees include a movie in which he has a starring role. The Voice ‌of Hind Rajab, a film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, has been Oscar-nominated for best international feature film. Malhees, who plays the role of a call centre operator attempting to help her, said he cannot attend the Academy... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346583/palestinian-actor-motaz-malhees-blocked-oscars-trump-travel-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346583/palestinian-actor-motaz-malhees-blocked-oscars-trump-travel-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 05:34:36 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo A declining superpower and an aspiring regional hegemon make a deadly combination. The warmongering duo of the United States and Israel have now given the world an illegal and potentially catastrophic war in Iran. It’s a tragic irony that both countries have a culture of extreme self-righteousness, with a constant army of apologists telling others they must stand up to evil wherever it exists because if they don’t, it will come for them one day. Well, that day is here, but guess who’s committing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3346228/trump-and-netanyahus-iran-quagmire-wrecking-global-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3346228/trump-and-netanyahus-iran-quagmire-wrecking-global-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Abdul Moiz Khan Abdul Moiz Khan The United States and Israel are using artificial intelligence (AI) in their ongoing war on Iran. Even amid Anthropic’s blacklisting by the Pentagon amid a dispute over wartime applications, The Washington Post reported that the US military used the company’s AI tool Claude to strike around 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours of the invasion. Claude helped in war-planning by optimising target selection, analysing intelligence data and issuing precise location coordinates by assessing satellite... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345878/iran-strikes-are-wake-call-regulate-military-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345878/iran-strikes-are-wake-call-regulate-military-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s involvement in US leader Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” is drawing growing criticism at home as the war in the Middle East intensifies scrutiny of President Prabowo Subianto’s closer engagement with Washington. Critics have urged Jakarta to withdraw from the board and reconsider related policies, including plans to send troops to Gaza and a recent trade arrangement with the United States, while Prabowo has defended his stance as being consistent with the country’s non-aligned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346114/indonesias-role-us-led-board-peace-under-scrutiny-amid-iran-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346114/indonesias-role-us-led-board-peace-under-scrutiny-amid-iran-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:00:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters Talks to advance US President Donald Trump’s plan to ⁠end the Gaza war have been on hold since last week when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran, sparking a broader Middle East war, three sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations said. The pause threatens to stall implementation of Trump’s flagship Middle East peace initiative, which he has cast as a major foreign policy objective. It comes less than a month after he secured billions of dollars in pledges for Gaza from Gulf Arab... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346040/trumps-gaza-plan-hold-iran-war-halts-disarmament-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346040/trumps-gaza-plan-hold-iran-war-halts-disarmament-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:33:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press As missiles and drones curtail energy production across the Persian Gulf, analysts warn that water, not oil, may be the resource most at risk in the energy-rich but arid region. On Sunday, Bahrain accused Iran of damaging one of its desalination plants. Earlier, Iran said a US air strike had damaged an Iranian plant. Hundreds of desalination plants sit along the Persian Gulf coast, putting individual systems that supply water to millions within range of Iranian missile or drone strikes. Without... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345897/iran-strikes-desalination-plants-threaten-arab-states-water-supplies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345897/iran-strikes-desalination-plants-threaten-arab-states-water-supplies?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 13:22:05 +0000 Donald Rothwell Donald Rothwell The Iranian diaspora has been celebrating and governments around the world have generally not mourned the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in last weekend’s US and Israeli air strikes on Iran. While there has been much political justification for these attacks from Washington and Israel, neither has sought to legally justify their conduct. No real effort has been made to reference the acknowledged right of self-defence, most likely because the evidence did not exist. In other words, there was no... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3345741/australia-needs-make-its-stance-iran-attacks-known?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3345741/australia-needs-make-its-stance-iran-attacks-known?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Spain’s Pedro Sanchez has once again emerged as Europe’s most consistently vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, drawing his ire for refusing to allow the American military to stage operations for its attacks on Iran from Spanish military bases. Trump lashed out at the Spanish prime minister on Tuesday, saying he would “cut off all trade with Spain” in retaliation for the affront. The spat intensified the next day when Spain’s foreign minister contradicted a claim by the White House press... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345676/european-leader-defying-trump-and-his-attacks-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345676/european-leader-defying-trump-and-his-attacks-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 05:23:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ordered France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the war in the Middle East. Macron said the Charles de Gaulle carrier will be escorted by frigates and its air wing. In a pre-recorded speech on French television, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air-defence systems and airborne radar systems have been deployed over the past few hours in the Middle East. “And we... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345329/iran-war-macron-orders-frances-nuclear-powered-aircraft-carrier-mediterranean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345329/iran-war-macron-orders-frances-nuclear-powered-aircraft-carrier-mediterranean?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 23:02:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Some Palestinians say they fear the widening war sparked by US and Israeli attacks against Iran could overshadow the fragile situation in Gaza, just over a week after US President Donald Trump rallied billions of dollars in pledges for the territory’s reconstruction and tried to nudge a ceasefire forward. Residents said they were scared of neglect and deprivation, with Israel in the wake of the weekend strikes closing all crossings into their shattered territory of over 2 million people. COGAT,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345115/gazas-recovery-was-making-progress-it-risks-being-overshadowed-another-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345115/gazas-recovery-was-making-progress-it-risks-being-overshadowed-another-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:10:31 +0000 Zhao Ziwen,Reuters Zhao Ziwen,Reuters Iran has announced 40 days of state-mandated mourning for its Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose life and 36-year rule ended abruptly during the opening salvo of US-Israeli strikes against his country. Satellite imagery captured the aftermath of a devastating strike on Saturday that killed the 86-year-old cleric: black smoke and heavy damage at his central Tehran compound. Khamenei’s death was confirmed by Iran hours after US President Donald Trump announced the killing and called him... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345041/ayatollah-ali-khamenei-defiant-iranian-leaders-rule-ended-his-enemies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345041/ayatollah-ali-khamenei-defiant-iranian-leaders-rule-ended-his-enemies?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:11:00 +0000