Arab World

Odense (The Conversation) – After years of campaigning by women activists, on June 24 the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia will be lifted. It is the most visible of a bundle of recent initiatives taken by the Saudi king and the crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, to strengthen the role of women in […]

Climate Change

CO2 Catastrophe for Egypt: Rising Seas, Salinization to Displace 5 mn by 2025

Middle East Monitor

Cairo (Middle East Monitor) – The climate change on Egypt’s northern coast is expected to lead to the migration of at least five million people from the Nile Delta if appropriate measures are not taken. Climate changes on Egypt’s northern coast could force five million people to leave the country’s Nile Delta area, Egypt’s irrigation […]

Houthi

Yemen’s Huthis vow to fight on after losing Hodeida airport to Saudi-Backed Coalition

AFP

Khokha (Yemen) (AFP) – Yemen’s Huthi rebels vowed to fight on after pro-government forces seized Hodeida airport from them on Wednesday, in a major step towards retaking the port city following a week-long battle. Rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi called for reinforcements to repel the advance of the UAE-backed government forces, after ongoing fighting left nearly […]

Houthi

What do the Warring Parties in Yemen Want, now that the Conflict is Heating Up?

Kelly McFarland

The military conflict now escalating in Yemen threatens the lives of more than 250,000 people in the port city Hodeidah while 8 million more people across Yemen already risk starvation. The country is also facing the “worst cholera outbreak in modern history.” I am a scholar who has studied Yemen and worked as an Arabian […]

Syria

Plot Thickens: Israeli Airstrike blamed for Killing 22 Iraqi Shiite Militiamen in Syria

AFP

Baghdad (AFP) – More than 20 fighters from an Iraqi paramilitary force key to the battle against the Islamic State group were killed in an eastern Syria air raid the United States linked to Israel. The bombing raid hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in Syria’s complex seven-year war alongside President Bashar […]

Yemen

Yemen: Saudi-Led Attack on Hodeida Displaces Nearly 5,000, Endangers 70% of Food Imports

Fawaz al-Haidari

Al Duraihmi (Yemen) (AFP) – Yemeni pro-government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, battled Huthi rebels around the key port city of Hodeida on Sunday, as a top UN envoy held crisis talks with the insurgents in the capital. AFP / -Yemeni pro-government forces launch an attack on Huthi rebels in Hodeida province on June 16, […]

Featured

With new pro-Iran Iraq Coalition, Tehran Outmaneuvers Trump-Saudi-Israeli Axis

Juan Cole

Trump allegedly complained to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that after the 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranians “think they can do anything they want.” Presumably Trump was referring to Iran’s geopolitical reach in the Middle East, where it had gathered up allies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. It is likely that Trump’s violation of […]

Saudi Arabia

Retro Saudi Soap Opera set in Imaginary “Unveiled, Liberal” 1970s Infuriates Hardliners

Middle East Monitor

With scenes of unveiled women and mixed-sex musical soirees, a new Saudi Arabian soap opera, set in the 1970s, is evoking nostalgia about the kingdom’s modern past. A period before the rise of religious fundamentalism. But, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s liberalising plans for the country, it is also giving viewers an unintended taste […]

Yemen

Yemen: Will the Battle for Hodeidah Bring a Solution or Disaster?

Brian Whitaker

London ( al-Bab.com) – In Yemen, the long-expected military assault on the port city of Hodeidah began this morning. Hodeida is currently held by the Houthis who control much of northern Yemen. According to local reports it is being attacked from the south by the Amaliqa (“Giants”) Brigades – a surviving section of Yemen’s national […]