عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Thousands of US Sailors, Marines Reach Middle East after Iran Tensions 

A US Navy sailor from USS Bataan (LHD 5) stands watch as the amphibious assault ship transits the Suez Canal, Egypt, with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region, in this photo taken on August 6, 2023. (US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet/Handout via Reuters)
A US Navy sailor from USS Bataan (LHD 5) stands watch as the amphibious assault ship transits the Suez Canal, Egypt, with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region, in this photo taken on August 6, 2023. (US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet/Handout via Reuters)
TT
TT

Thousands of US Sailors, Marines Reach Middle East after Iran Tensions 

A US Navy sailor from USS Bataan (LHD 5) stands watch as the amphibious assault ship transits the Suez Canal, Egypt, with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region, in this photo taken on August 6, 2023. (US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet/Handout via Reuters)
A US Navy sailor from USS Bataan (LHD 5) stands watch as the amphibious assault ship transits the Suez Canal, Egypt, with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region, in this photo taken on August 6, 2023. (US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet/Handout via Reuters)

More than 3,000 US military personnel have arrived in the Red Sea aboard two warships, as part of increased deployments after tanker seizures by Iran, the US Navy said Monday.

The US sailors and Marines entered the Red Sea on Sunday after transiting through the Suez Canal in a pre-announced deployment, the US Navy's Fifth Fleet said in a statement.

They arrived on board the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall warships, providing "greater flexibility and maritime capability" to the Fifth Fleet, the statement added.

The US military says Iran has either seized or attempted to take control of nearly 20 internationally flagged ships in the region over the past two years.

USS Bataan is an amphibious assault ship which can carry fixed-wing and rotary aircraft as well as landing craft. The USS Carter Hall, a dock landing ship, transports Marines, their gear, and lands them ashore.

"These units add significant operational flexibility and capability as we work... to deter destabilizing activity and deescalate regional tensions caused by Iran's harassment and seizures of merchant vessels," Fifth Fleet spokesman Commander Tim Hawkins told AFP.

The deployment comes after Washington said its forces blocked two attempts by Iran to seize commercial tankers in international waters off Oman on July 5.

The maritime services in Iran said one of the two tankers, the Bahamian-flagged Richmond Voyager, had collided with an Iranian vessel, seriously injuring five crew members, according to state news agency IRNA.

In April and early May, Iran seized two oil tankers within a week in regional waters.

Those incidents came after Israel and the United States blamed Iran in November for what they said was a drone strike against a tanker operated by an Israeli-owned firm carrying gas oil off the coast of Oman.

The US announced last month that it would deploy a destroyer, F-35 and F-16 warplanes, along with the Amphibious Readiness Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit, to the Middle East to deter Iran from seizing ships in the Gulf.

Last week, a US official told AFP that Washington is also preparing to deploy Marines and Navy personnel aboard commercial tankers transiting the Gulf as an added layer of defense.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Palestinian-American Returns to West Bank to Defend His Home Under Siege by Israeli Settlers

Palestinian-American Louis Ridi, who seeks access to his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has been encircled by militant settlers for more than a week, embraces his mother at her home, in Qusra village, Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian-American Louis Ridi, who seeks access to his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has been encircled by militant settlers for more than a week, embraces his mother at her home, in Qusra village, Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 17, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Palestinian-American Returns to West Bank to Defend His Home Under Siege by Israeli Settlers

Palestinian-American Louis Ridi, who seeks access to his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has been encircled by militant settlers for more than a week, embraces his mother at her home, in Qusra village, Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian-American Louis Ridi, who seeks access to his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has been encircled by militant settlers for more than a week, embraces his mother at her home, in Qusra village, Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 17, 2026. (Reuters)

The Palestinian-American whose home in the occupied West Bank has been besieged by Israeli settlers for over a week arrived in the region Monday and said he planned to join other family members in defending the property.

The standoff, in the village of Qusra, has seen groups of settlers surround several Palestinian houses and prevent residents from leaving.

The United States has condemned the siege and the Israeli military has deployed troops it says are there to maintain order.

The siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers comes as violence in the West Bank has soared in recent months. The settlers, emboldened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, have ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and villages, harassing residents and setting homes, mosques and fields ablaze.

As Loui Ridi, an Ohio-based owner of one of the houses, landed in Israel, settlers were still roaming near Qusra, according to video footage taken by his brother.

Qusai Abu Rida and his teenage son have stayed inside the home to protect it from the settlers.

“I’m terrified for my brother and his son and their safety," Ridi told reporters at Israel's main international airport. “And now I'm going to have to fear for my own safety.”

He said he would try to reach Qusra, which is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Nablus, but was unsure if he would be able to enter. The Israeli army declared the part of Qusra where Ridi's home is located a closed military zone last week.

According to Palestinian health officials, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 87 Palestinians so far this year. Palestinians have killed three Israelis, including two who were killed in the West Bank village of Tell last month.

Arab World

Israeli Flags on Lebanon Road Violate UN Resolution, UNIFIL Says

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows an Israeli flag fluttering over the burnt fields of the border village of Mais al-Jabal, burnt during Israeli military operations on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows an Israeli flag fluttering over the burnt fields of the border village of Mais al-Jabal, burnt during Israeli military operations on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Israeli Flags on Lebanon Road Violate UN Resolution, UNIFIL Says

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows an Israeli flag fluttering over the burnt fields of the border village of Mais al-Jabal, burnt during Israeli military operations on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows an Israeli flag fluttering over the burnt fields of the border village of Mais al-Jabal, burnt during Israeli military operations on August 11, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli flags planted on a main coastal highway in southern Lebanon are a violation of a UN Security Council resolution, the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said on Monday, urging all sides to avoid "provocative actions".

Israel's military invaded a swathe of southern Lebanon during a war with Hezbollah earlier this year, occupying a self-declared security zone it says aims to shield northern Israel from attacks by the Iran-backed group.

A video posted on Sunday by Israel's Channel 12 news journalist Amit Segal showed Israeli flags flying along the Naqoura-Tyre coastal road, a primary artery for southern ‌Lebanon and a route ‌used by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The footage ‌appeared ⁠to have been ⁠taken from a military vehicle.

Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video, but could not verify when the footage was filmed. Segal told Reuters he was sent the video by Israeli soldiers.

Peacekeepers have observed several Israeli flags in Lebanese territory, including recently on the coastal road and in Naqoura village, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said.

Ardiel said the Israeli flags were a violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, ⁠which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

"As always, ‌we call on the Israeli army and all actors ‌to cease violations of the resolution and avoid any provocative action that could increase tensions ‌or trigger further violations," Ardiel added.

Israel's military, in response to a request for ‌comment, said that its forces were "operating in southern Lebanon with the aim of removing threats posed by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to Israeli civilians and troops, in accordance with international law".

"Israel is not acting against the Lebanese state or its citizens," the military said.

There was no ‌immediate comment from the Lebanese army.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that Israel won't withdraw from southern ⁠Lebanon until Hezbollah ⁠is disarmed.

A US-brokered deal between the governments of Lebanon and Israel foresees a progressive Israeli withdrawal linked to Hezbollah's verified disarmament.

Hezbollah, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, strongly opposes Beirut's talks with Israel and has ruled out any discussion of its weapons before an Israeli withdrawal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing an October election, listed the buffer zone as a major achievement when visiting troops on June 30.

The zone is mostly empty of Lebanese civilians who fled villages that are now all but destroyed.

At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said, some of the deadliest in weeks. The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in response to actions against its soldiers there.

Arab World

UN Rights Chief Alarmed about Risk of ‘Full-Scale Conflict’ in Yemen

27 December 2024, Yemen, Sanaa: A Houthi supporter brandishes a rifle during a demonstration against the United States and Israel in Sanaa, Yemen. (dpa)
27 December 2024, Yemen, Sanaa: A Houthi supporter brandishes a rifle during a demonstration against the United States and Israel in Sanaa, Yemen. (dpa)
TT
TT

UN Rights Chief Alarmed about Risk of ‘Full-Scale Conflict’ in Yemen

27 December 2024, Yemen, Sanaa: A Houthi supporter brandishes a rifle during a demonstration against the United States and Israel in Sanaa, Yemen. (dpa)
27 December 2024, Yemen, Sanaa: A Houthi supporter brandishes a rifle during a demonstration against the United States and Israel in Sanaa, Yemen. (dpa)

The UN rights chief voiced alarm Monday at the rising civilian toll of escalating hostilities in Yemen, and called for efforts to avoid plunging the country back into full-scale war.

"I call on all parties to de-escalate tensions and spare the Yemeni people from further misery. The Yemeni people have already suffered way too much from the devastating legacy of years of conflict, displacement and humanitarian crisis," Volker Turk said.

"I urge all parties to halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-scale conflict."

The Iran-backed Houthi militia escalated their attacks on government positions in recent weeks, risking plunging the country into war after relative calm following a 2022 truce.