Middle East Experience

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked Germany's Olaf Scholz for his help in advancing a defence contract following talks in Istanbul on Saturday, although the pair remained starkly at odds over the Middle East crisis. The German chancellor arrived on Friday night for his first visit since March 2022 with tensions in the Middle East high on the agenda alongside migration and other bilateral issues.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Scholz, Erdogan progress on defence talks but clash on Mideast

Israel is already poised to retaliate against Iran for its ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state at the start of October.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel will respond to attempted assassination of Netanyahu, diplomatic source says

Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region voted on Sunday to elect a new parliament for the oil-rich region, where voters express concern over economic struggles and disenchantment with the political elite.Iraqi Kurdistan presents itself as a relative oasis of stability in the turbulent Middle East, attracting foreign investors due to its close ties with the United States and Europe.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Oil-rich Iraqi Kurdistan votes, shadowed by economic struggles

Fighting raged on two fronts Sunday as Israel targeted what it said was a Hezbollah "command centre" in the Lebanese capital, while in Gaza rescuers reported 73 people killed in a single air strike.The strikes on Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Iran-backed group of attempting to assassinate him by targeting his residence.It also came as Israelis marked the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel escalates Beirut bombing, accused of killing 73 in Gaza strike

After a year of relentless war, Gaza's olive harvest is set to suffer, while in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian farmers fear to tend their groves due to settler attacks.For generations, olive harvests have been central to Palestinian life and culture. "We are happy that the olive season has started but we are afraid because we are in a state of war," said Rami Abu Asad, who owns a farm in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.Workers picking the olives by hand stay alert, listening for drones or warplanes that could bomb without warning.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Gaza war, settler attacks ruin Palestinian olive harvest

With Iran-backed Hezbollah on the defensive after a series of heavy Israeli blows, the United States and Iran are locked in a showdown over Lebanon's future, analysts said.Hezbollah, the most powerful regional force backed by Iran, which arms and finances it, has long held sway in Lebanon.But the group's influence is now in question after Israel's assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a significant setback.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: US, Iran in 'tug of war' over Lebanon: analysts

She described the sexual harassment she experienced from her captor, who "kept reminding me that he had seen me without underwear."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: 'Left with no underwear or pants': Mia Schem recounts harrowing moments from Hamas captivity

"We are essentially moving from a situation of defeating the enemy in all the contact villages to a state of destruction."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: 'They are afraid': Gallant addresses troops as IDF engages Hezbollah

The downgrade dropped Israel by two notches, from A2 to Baa1—the country's lowest score ever—and maintained a negative outlook for its rating.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Finance Ministry officials to 'Post': Moody's rating drop was premature, a step too far

Just a month ago, south Beirut's bustling streets were packed with traffic, families strolling about and youths in cafes, but now silence dominates the abandoned Hezbollah bastion, interrupted only by the sound of Israeli bombs.Escalating Israeli attacks since late September, after nearly a year of low-intensity cross-border exchanges, have reduced much of the Lebanese capital's once densely-packed southern suburbs to rubble and sent many of its residents fleeing.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Once bursting with life, south Beirut gutted by Israeli bombs