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Middle East and North Africa

The latest reporting and analysis from Middle East and North Africa.

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iran

Jordan, Germany Discuss Regional Security Amid Middle East Conflict

LONDON_ Jordan's military chief and the commander of Germany's Bundeswehr Joint Force Command met on Wednesday to discuss security developments in the Middle East, military cooperation and the implications of the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran, as Amman continues to strengthen coordination with international partners. Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, chairman of Jordan's Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with Lt. Gen. Alexander Sollfrank, commander of Germany's Bundeswehr Joint Force Command, during a meeting attended by senior officers from the Jordanian Armed Forces and Germany's defense attache in Amman, according to Jordan's state-run news agency. The discussions focused on expanding military and defense cooperation between the two countries while reviewing the regional security situation. The meeting came as Jordan continues to monitor developments linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran and the United States and its wider implications for regional stability. Germany has maintained a military presence at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq, eastern Jordan, since 2017 as part of the U.S.-led international coalition established to combat Daesh. The deployment has made the installation a key element of coalition operations in the region. According to the report, the air base has been targeted several times by Iran since hostilities involving Tehran, the United States and Israel began on Feb. 28. The attacks have underscored the growing security challenges facing Jordan as the regional conflict has intensified. Following the collapse of diplomatic efforts and the resumption of hostilities last month, the Jordanian Armed Forces intercepted several Iranian missiles that entered the country's airspace. Jordan has repeatedly emphasized its commitment to protecting its sovereignty and preventing its territory from being drawn into the conflict. Huneiti has stepped up consultations with international military partners in recent weeks as regional tensions have escalated. Jordan has sought to reinforce defense cooperation and exchange assessments with allied countries amid continuing instability across the Middle East. On Sunday, Huneiti met a senior United States delegation that included Senator Joni Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Ambassador Jim Holtsnider and the U.S. defense attache in Amman. According to Jordanian authorities, those talks focused on strengthening bilateral military cooperation, including joint training initiatives and broader defense coordination between Jordan and the United States. The latest meeting with Germany reflects Jordan's continuing engagement with international partners as it navigates heightened regional security risks while maintaining its role in multinational defense cooperation and counterterrorism efforts.

August 2026

Middle East and North Africa

Israel Demolishes Three Palestinian Homes Near Bethlehem

LONDON-Israeli authorities demolished three Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, targeting properties in the towns of Nahalin and Al-Minya southeast of Bethlehem, according to Palestinian media reports, as Israel continued demolitions it said were linked to unauthorized construction. Two of the demolished properties were two-story residential buildings in the town of Nahalin belonging to the Najajreh and Awad families. The homeowners had vacated the buildings about a week earlier in anticipation of the demolitions after receiving notices from Israeli authorities, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. Israeli authorities said the structures had been built without the required permits. Palestinians have long argued that obtaining Israeli-issued building permits in much of the occupied West Bank is extremely difficult, while Israel maintains that construction must comply with its planning regulations. According to the report, another 14 homes in Nahalin are scheduled for demolition. Around 91% of the town falls within areas under full Israeli civil and security control under arrangements established by the Oslo peace accords of the 1990s, where Israel exercises authority over planning and construction. Israeli forces also demolished a single-story, 150-square-meter house belonging to the Kawazbeh family in the village of Al-Minya while security personnel were deployed in the area. Monitoring organizations said Israeli authorities demolished 88 homes, 63 agricultural structures and 11 commercial premises across the occupied West Bank during July. Most of the demolitions occurred in the governorates of Qalqiliya, Hebron, Ramallah, Al-Bireh and Bethlehem. Israel has carried out demolitions in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and, previously, the Gaza Strip since it captured those territories in the 1967 Middle East war. Israeli authorities generally cite the absence of building permits as the legal basis for such actions. Palestinians and rights organizations argue that the permit system makes legal construction difficult for Palestinian residents and contend that demolitions contribute to restrictions on Palestinian urban development while Israeli settlements and military infrastructure continue to expand in parts of the occupied territory. The issue of home demolitions remains one of the most contentious aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has drawn repeated international scrutiny as tensions persist across the occupied West Bank.

August 2026

iran

Over 800,000 Lebanese Return Home as Fighting Eases

BEIRUT- More than 800,000 people displaced by the conflict in Lebanon have begun returning to their homes following a reduction in hostilities linked to the Israel-Hezbollah war, the United Nations said, even as hundreds of thousands remain displaced and humanitarian needs continue across the country's south. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 821,077 people had returned to their areas of origin as of July 30. However, the agency said more than 360,000 people remained displaced, including around 26,000 who were still living in government-run shelters. The update came as Lebanese and Israeli officials entered a new round of U.S.-sponsored negotiations in Rome aimed at securing an end to the fighting. The talks, which began this week, are scheduled to continue through Thursday. The conflict escalated after Hezbollah launched rocket attacks against Israel in March in support of its ally Iran, drawing Lebanon into the broader regional confrontation. Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive that Lebanese authorities say killed more than 4,300 people and displaced more than one million residents at the height of the conflict. Violence has eased since a preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran on wider regional tensions was reached in June. The accord included a ceasefire arrangement in Lebanon and was followed by a separate U.S.-mediated understanding between Israel and Lebanon intended to reduce hostilities. Despite the decline in large-scale fighting, Lebanese authorities continue to report intermittent Israeli airstrikes, shelling, controlled explosions and demolitions in villages across southern Lebanon. Israeli forces also remain deployed in parts of southern Lebanese territory. OCHA said the war inflicted extensive damage on essential infrastructure, particularly water and electricity networks, leaving more than 700,000 people in southern Lebanon with severely reduced access to safe water. The affected region was home to many of those displaced during the conflict. During negotiations held in Washington in June, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a framework that envisages the gradual disarmament of Hezbollah, a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces to the area. The plan calls for implementation to begin in designated test areas known as "pilot zones." Hezbollah has rejected the proposed framework and has refused to disarm. The group's leader, Naim Qassem, said direct negotiations would bring "nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises" for Lebanon. The latest displacement figures underscore the scale of the humanitarian recovery challenge facing Lebanon, where many returning residents continue to confront damaged infrastructure, disrupted public services and the lingering effects of months of conflict despite the reduction in violence.

August 2026

Middle East and North Africa

Israeli Forces Raid Qalandia Refugee Camp Near Jerusalem

QALANDIA REFUGEE CAMP- Israeli forces carried out a large-scale raid on the Qalandia refugee camp near Jerusalem on Wednesday, deploying armored vehicles and conducting arrests as the military said the operation targeted suspected militants, weapons and what it described as terrorist infrastructure in the occupied West Bank. AFP journalists at the scene reported that around a dozen armored military jeeps entered the camp while Israeli soldiers prevented journalists and residents from accessing the area during the operation. An Israeli military official said security forces were operating in the Qalandia camp to thwart militant activity and detain individuals wanted by Israeli authorities. The operation was described as part of ongoing efforts to counter security threats in the occupied territory. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli Defense Ministry body responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said in an Arabic-language statement that the operation targeted "terrorist elements, terrorist infrastructure, and the possession and trafficking of weapons." COGAT added that Israeli authorities would not allow the camp to become what it described as a center for terrorism or a refuge for militants and criminals, referring to the occupied West Bank by the biblical name Judea and Samaria. Mohammad Aslan, spokesman for the committee that administers affairs in Qalandia camp, said Israeli forces arrested at least 20 people during the operation. He also said soldiers occupied the rooftops of several residential buildings inside the camp as the raid continued. Video distributed by the Jerusalem Governorate, the Palestinian authority responsible for the area that includes Qalandia, showed alleys obstructed by rubble and large rocks, limiting movement within the camp. The footage also showed furniture and household belongings scattered inside one of the homes searched during the operation. The raid took place against a backdrop of growing concern among Palestinian residents over the future of the camp. In 2023, the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advanced plans for a 9,000-unit settlement on the site of Jerusalem's former Atarot airport, adjacent to Qalandia. Since those plans were announced, residents have expressed fears that repeated military raids and home demolitions could form part of a broader effort to displace Palestinians ahead of future settlement construction. Israeli authorities have not publicly linked the security operations to the proposed settlement project. The latest operation underscores continuing tensions across the occupied West Bank, where Israeli security raids, arrests and military operations have remained frequent amid longstanding disputes over security, settlements and Palestinian residency in areas under Israeli occupation.

August 2026

Middle East and North Africa

Deir Ezzor Airport Resumes Domestic Flights After Decade

LONDON- Syria's Deir Ezzor International Airport received its first domestic commercial flight in a decade on Wednesday after completing restoration work, marking a step in the country's efforts to revive internal air transport and reconnect the eastern province with the capital. A Syrian Airlines flight from Damascus International Airport landed at the airport, ending a ten-year suspension of domestic services, according to Syria's state news agency SANA. The reopening follows months of rehabilitation work aimed at returning the facility to operational status. The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority said the restored route forms part of a broader initiative to revive domestic aviation, facilitate passenger travel, stimulate economic activity and strengthen transport links between Syria's provinces. Rehabilitation work at Deir Ezzor Airport began earlier this year. In February, the Civil Aviation Authority announced plans to restore the airport as part of wider efforts to resume operations at facilities that had remained closed for years. Airport officials said the principal repair work was completed by mid-July, after which regulatory inspections and final safety procedures were carried out in preparation for reopening the airport to commercial traffic. The restoration has also paved the way for the return of international services. Last month, the airport received a delegation from Kuwait's Civil Aviation Authority and representatives of Jazeera Airways as part of preparations for restarting cross-border operations. Syrian aviation authorities have said Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways is scheduled to begin direct flights between Kuwait and Deir Ezzor on Aug. 8. The planned service is intended to strengthen air connectivity between Syria and Kuwait while providing additional travel options for passengers. The resumption of domestic flights is expected to improve transportation links for residents of eastern Syria and support commercial activity by reconnecting Deir Ezzor with Damascus after years of limited aviation services. The reopening of Deir Ezzor Airport is part of Syria's broader effort to restore civil aviation infrastructure and gradually expand domestic and international flight operations following prolonged disruptions that left several airports operating at reduced capacity or closed for extended periods.

August 2026

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