Middle East

Reuters Police patrol Aden, from where the Saudi-led coalition said Aidarous al-Zubaidi had fled by boat The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has alleged the United Arab Emirates helped smuggle a separatist leader out of the country after he was expelled from Yemen’s presidential council and accused of treason. A coalition …

Shaimaa KhalilBBC News, Jerusalem BBC According to Unicef, more than 97% of schools in Gaza were damaged or destroyed during the war In Gaza City, the sound of children learning can be heard once again. The tents that now serve as classrooms are noisy and a little chaotic but lively. …

Footage shows protesters march in the streets of Aligudarz There were violent clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in several locations in Iran on Wednesday, as a wave of unrest sparked by the country’s economic crisis continued for an 11th day. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, which is close …

Getty Images Thousands of residents fled the Ashrafieh neighbourhood of Aleppo on Wednesday At least 12 people have reportedly been killed during two days of intense clashes between Syrian government and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo. Tens of thousands of civilians have also fled the Kurdish majority …

The Saudi-backed presidential council in Yemen has expelled the leader of a separatist group and charged him with treason after he failed to fly to Riyadh for talks. Six other members of the presidency accused Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), of “undermining the …

At least 29 people have been killed during the last 10 days of protests across Iran, a human rights group has said. The foreign-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that two of those confirmed killed as of Monday night were affiliated with security forces. Iranian authorities have not …

Israel’s foreign minister has arrived in the breakaway state of Somaliland, marking the first official visit since Israel controversially recognised Somaliland as an independent country. Gideon Saar landed in capital city Hargeisa on Tuesday and met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, government sources there told the BBC. Last month …

Amir AzimiBBC News Persian EPA The protests have spread from Tehran to other cities across the country Iran is no stranger to street protests, but several factors surrounding the current unrest make it very serious. Monday marks the ninth day since demonstrations broke out, yet even four or five days …

A wave of protests sparked by Iran’s failing economy has entered its ninth day, as President Donald Trump renewed his threat of US intervention. On Sunday, videos published online showed demonstrations in Tehran, as well as Fars, Ilam, North Khorasan and Semnan provinces. Human rights activists said protests had taken …

The BBC has reached an agreement with an Israeli family who survived the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, after a team of journalists entered their badly-damaged home without permission. A BBC News crew, including International Editor Jeremy Bowen, entered the home of an Israeli family on the Gaza border and …

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran’s authorities against killing peaceful protesters, saying Washington “will come to their rescue”. In a brief post on social media, he wrote: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” He gave no further details. A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah …

Two people are reported to have been killed during growing unrest in Iran on the fifth day of protests over the soaring cost of living. Both the semi-official Fars news agency and human rights group, Hengaw, said people had died during clashes between protesters and security forces in the city …

Protesters in Iran have tried to break into a local government building in the southern province of Fars, on a fourth day of demonstrations sparked by a currency collapse. Officials said three police officers were injured and four people arrested in the city of Fasa. Confrontations were also been reported …

Widespread tributes have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died aged 87 in the US. The front pages of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai. …

The number of executions in Iran in 2025 has more than doubled compared to the amount which took place across the country in 2024. Norwegian-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group told the BBC it had verified at least 1,500 executions up until the start of December, adding that many more …

Two people have been killed in what police say was a “rolling terror attack” in northern Israel. Police said the attacker ran over a pedestrian in the eastern city of Beit Shean, then drove on before stabbing a woman near Ein Harod, about 8 miles (12.5km) to the west. The …

UN experts and 400 prominent women have urged Iran not to execute Zahra Tabari, a 67-year-old electrical engineer and women’s rights activist. Ms Tabari was arrested in April and accused of collaborating with a banned opposition group, the People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), according to her family. In October, …

Israel’s parliament has extended an order allowing the government to shut down foreign broadcasters operating in the country. The legislation, passed by 22 votes to 10, expands temporary powers introduced during the Gaza war to shutter outlets seen as a threat to national security. It allows the government for the …

Fergal KeaneSpecial correspondent, Jerusalem BBC Siwar Ashour spent six months in hospital in Jordan after being evacuated from Gaza A one-year-old Palestinian girl evacuated from Gaza with severe nutritional problems is back in hospital in the territory after being returned there from Jordan. Siwar Ashour, whose story the BBC has …

Caroline HawleyDiplomatic correspondent ESOHR Egyptian fisherman Issam al-Shazly was executed on Tuesday after being convicted of drug-related charges Saudi Arabia has surpassed its record for the number of executions carried out annually for a second year in a row. At least 347 people have now been put to death this …