Kuwait begins mandatory quarantine for all people entering the country The Gulf state is experiencing relatively high daily cases of COVID-19 as it continues its vaccination campaign. Originals
Libyan interior minister says he survived assassination attempt The security force involved in Fathi Bashagha's motorcade collision dispute the claim, saying the interior minister's men fired on them. Libya
Oil spill reaches shores of Israel, Lebanon An oil spill earlier this month is threatening the eastern Mediterranean, but many details on the incident are unknown. Israel
Rockets fall in Baghdad’s Green Zone, no injuries Iraq's security media cell said the rockets were launched from al-Salaam neighborhood. Iraq
Khamenei says Iran may enrich uranium to 60% Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments follow Iran's announcement last month that it was enriching uranium to 20%. Iran
Lira slides as Erdogan defends former minister’s economic policies In response to criticism from the opposition, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended the record of his son-in-law and former finance minister, sparking a 1% slide in the Turkish lira Monday after weeks of steady gains. Turkey
Erik Prince violated Libya arms embargo, UN report alleges The Blackwater founder and associates sought to buy helicopter gunships from Jordan to aid Libyan warlord Khalifa Hifter's assault on Tripoli, investigators believe. Jordan
How Islamic State returned to haunt civilians in northeast Syria Remnants and cells of the Islamic State have recently increased their attacks against the Syrian Democratic Forces and civilians in the areas under the SDF control in northeast Syria. Originals
Israeli ambassador demands Saturday Night Live apologize over vaccine joke Israel's ambassador to the United States and United Nations is upset with the comedy show for joking that Israel is only vaccinating Jews. Israel
Iran’s hard-liners decry new deal with IAEA The IAEA and Iran have agreed to lower the temperature on the nuclear crisis, but only for three months, sparking backlash from hard-liners in parliament. Originals
Sullivan says US communicating with Iran on detained Americans According to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the administration has "begun to communicate" with Iran over the handful of Americans held in the country. United States
Israel hatches plan to vaccinate Palestinian workers Israel’s Health Ministry is reportedly awaiting permission to use the country's stock of Moderna vaccines for Palestinians working in Israel. Palestine
Egyptian energy minister on rare visit in Israel Egyptian Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Tarek el-Mulla visited Israel yesterday to advance the regional gas forum, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Israel
Erbil court convicts journalists, activists of spying, organizing armed groups Five defendants, including journalists and activists, were sentenced to prison in Erbil in a decision that international rights groups say is an attack on press freedoms. Iraq
How the Syrian government benefits from opening crossings with opposition-held areas Russia announced that the Syrian government was getting ready to open several crossings with the Syrian opposition in Idlib, a move that is mainly seen as an attempt by the regime to alleviate the economic strain of US sanctions. Syria
Push to remove Quran from Egyptian textbooks faces backlash Egypt’s parliamentary Defense and National Security Committee is discussing a plan to remove Quranic verses from the general curriculum and limit them to religious courses, part of a plan to fight extremism. Egypt
