Mideast News from WN Network

Gaza Ceasefire: Israel to Release 737 Prisoners in Truce Deal 2025-01-18
The Daily Tribune - Bahrain

AFP | Jerusalem Email : The Israeli government announced the release of 737 prisoners and detainees as part of the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, marking a significant step toward halting the ongoing conflict. The Justice Ministry confirmed the cabinet's approval of...

photo: AP / Abdel Kareem Hana

Overcrowding endemic in Pakistan’s prison system: report 2025-01-18
Dawn

KARACHI: Pakistan’s prisons are housing 152 per cent of their authorised capacity, while three-quarters of the total inmates are either awaiting or undergoing trial, according to a report. The report, titled Pakistan’s Prison Landscape: Trends, Data, and Developments in 2024, highlighted that...

photo: AP / Anjum Naveed

Syria's New Regime Seizes Cargo of Iranian Weapons in Tartus 2025-01-18
The Maritime Executive

Under the administration of former dictator Bashar al-Assad, Syria's government gave Iran a logistics pipeline to supply Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, the most powerful member of Iran's "Axis of Resistance" in the Mideast. Assad was ousted in December after 13 years of civil war, and...

photo: AP / Omar Albam

Israeli cabinet to meet on ceasefire after PM says hostage deal finalised 2025-01-17
RTE

Israel's security cabinet was set to meet later after final details of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal were ironed out, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, with the United States "confident" the truce would begin as planned this weekend. If approved by Israel's cabinet, the...

photo: AP / Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana

Beirut blast investigator resumes probe, charges 10 peeople 2025-01-17
The New Arab

Lebanese judge Tarek Bitar resumed his investigation into the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast on Thursday, charging 10 people including security, customs and military personnel, a judicial official said. The fresh charges come after a two-year hiatus in the investigation into the 4 August, 2020...

photo: AP / Hussein Malla, File

Weapons, tunnel shaft found near UN base in Southern Lebanon: Israel 2025-01-17
Beijing News

Tel Aviv [Israel], January 17 (ANI/TPS): Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon discovered weapons depots in several civilian buildings near a United Nations base, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday. Troops from the 11th Brigade Combat Team found numerous weapons along with a tunnel...

photo: AP / Sam McNeil

Egypt arrests journalist, wife of jailed cartoonist after interview 2025-01-16
CPJ

Washington, D.C., January 16, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns Egypt’s January 16 arrests of Nada Mougheeth, wife of imprisoned cartoonist Ashraf Omar, and journalist Ahmed Serag, who was detained after interviewing Mougheeth about Omar’s ongoing detention and alleged...

photo: AP / Amr Nabil

Hardline Israeli minister Ben-Gvir threatens to quit over Gaza deal 2025-01-16
CyprusMail

Israel’s hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Thursday he would resign from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if it ratifies the ceasefire deal in Gaza, which he has strongly opposed. Israeli media outlets...

photo: AP / Oren Ziv, File

Iraq wants Iran-backed factions to lay down weapons: FM 2025-01-16
LBC International

Iraq is trying to convince powerful armed factions in the country that have fought U.S. forces and fired rockets and drones at Israel to lay down their weapons or join official security forces, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said. The push comes with a backdrop of...

photo: AP / Hadi Mizban

Netanyahu says ‘last-minute crisis’ with Hamas holding up approval of Gaza truce and hostage deal 2025-01-16
The Los Angeles Times

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a last-minute dispute with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited cease-fire that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the...

photo: AP / Ariel Schalit