Middle East

World News

After the killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut, diplomats rush to calm tensions

8:26am January 06, 2024

by Lauren Frayer

Tensions are high on the Israel-Lebanon border after Tuesday's killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut. The U.S. and Europe are sending diplomats this weekend.

World News

What the rules of war say about Israel's attacks in Gaza

8:07am January 06, 2024

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to David Scheffer, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, about the limits of international laws governing how wars are fought.

A woman stands in her damaged house in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Friday, following Israeli bombardment amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

World News

Many ideas, but little agreement, over what a postwar Gaza could look like

5:01am January 06, 2024

by Becky Sullivan

After two right-wing Israeli ministers called for "voluntary migration" of Palestinians out of Gaza, Israel's moderate defense minister presented a postwar plan in which Palestinians remain in charge.

Women in Gaza are desperately in need of washrooms, privacy and pads

4:24pm January 05, 2024

by Aya Batrawy

Hundreds of thousands of displaced women in Gaza are not only struggling to survive Israeli bombardment, but also have to contend with private struggles trying to find washrooms and pads.

An Afghan branch of ISIS claims responsibility for a deadly attack in Iran

5:15am January 05, 2024

The attack Wednesday in southeastern Iran killed 84 people. What does the group want and why did they attack Iran?

Religion

Israel-Hamas war means quieter Christmas observances for Orthodox Christians

5:15am January 05, 2024

by Jason DeRose

Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas this weekend. About 250 people are sheltering in the Greek Orthodox church in Gaza, and say they're too afraid to do anything but pray for peace.

Politics & Government

Morning news brief

5:15am January 05, 2024

by Leila Fadel

Trump campaign embraces Jan. 6 rioters with pardon promises. ISIS branch claims responsibility for deadly attack in Iran. Court records about Jeffrey Epstein mean opportunity for conspiracy theorists.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks at a mosque in the capital Tehran on Tuesday. Iran manages a network of proxy groups throughout the Middle East that are battling U.S. and Israeli forces on multiple fronts.

World News

After striking throughout the Middle East, Iran's proxies now become the targets

6:55pm January 04, 2024

by Greg Myre

Iran supports militant groups that have been striking out at U.S. and Israeli forces. These factions are increasingly under attack themselves as fighting in the region spreads.

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World News

What it was like at the burial of senior Hamas official and fighters in Beirut

5:40pm January 04, 2024

by Jane Arraf

In Beirut, thousands attend the funeral of the top Hamas official, assassinated in what some claim was an Israeli drone strike.

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People gather at the site of an explosion in the city of Kerman, about 510 miles southeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday. Two bombs exploded at a commemoration for a prominent Iranian general slain by the U.S. in a 2020 drone strike, Iranian officials said.

World News

Islamic State claims responsibility for suicide bombings that killed dozens in Iran

12:55pm January 04, 2024

by The Associated Press

The bombings, which killed at least 84, targeted a commemoration for an Iranian general slain in a 2020 U.S. drone strike. Wednesday's event was the worst militant attack to strike Iran in decades.