Middle East

People in Beirut are still looking for justice after the 2020 port explosion

5:10am January 27, 2023

Two years after an explosion at Beirut's port killed hundreds, no officials suspected of ignoring safety warnings have been tried. Now a prosecutor and a judge are trading charges — as protests grow.

Palestinian rescuers inspect the site of a damaged building following an Israeli forces raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, Thursday. Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians and wounded several others during the raid, Palestinian health officials said. The Israeli military said it was conducting an operation to arrest suspected militants when a gun battle erupted.

World News

Palestinians say 9 killed in the West Bank, the deadliest Israeli raid there in years

6:16pm January 26, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

The Palestinian Authority said it was cutting off police coordination with Israeli forces and Middle Eastern countries condemned the raid, warning of possible fallout.

World News

An Israeli military raid on a Palestinian refugee camp left 9 people dead

5:29pm January 26, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

An Israeli military raid on a Palestinian refugee camp left nine people dead — including several militants and a woman — as months of violence in the West Bank raise concerns about an escalation.

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Protesters in Israel criticize the judicial overhaul planned by the new government

5:05am January 26, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

Israel's new government wants to weaken the judiciary — prompting unprecedented levels of protest. Critics say the effort echoes steps taken by the far-right governments in Hungary and Poland.

ICARDA lab employee Bilal Inaty cuts a lentil plant in order to test it for various diseases at the ICARDA research station in the village of Terbol in Lebanon's Bekaa valley, on Dec. 21, 2022.

How ancient seeds from the Fertile Crescent could help save us from climate change

10:30am January 25, 2023

Some of the tens of thousands of seeds stored at a facility in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley may hold keys to helping the planet's food supply adapt to climate change. Many seeds were saved from Syria's war.

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How much is Israel's new government trying to change the balance of power?

5:11am January 25, 2023

With a coalition that includes far-right figures, Benjamin Netanyahu is prime minister again. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Dahlia Scheindlin, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Encore: In Istanbul, what was once routine for the winter is now a luxury

5:20pm January 24, 2023

by Peter Kenyon

Routines of Istanbul winter life — from visits to traditional public baths to hot drinks — are getting hard for many to afford amid Turkey's economic crisis.

World News

Iran is using the death penalty against protesters and government critics

7:41am January 21, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Gissou Nia, an analyst at the nonpartisan Atlantic Council, about Iran's use of the death penalty against protesters and government critics.

Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch.

Harvard restores fellowship for human rights advocate critical of Israeli policies

2:01pm January 20, 2023

by Simone Popperl

After outcry, Harvard restores fellowship for leading human rights advocate who criticized Israeli policies.

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A previously unknown Egyptian royal tomb has been discovered in Luxor

7:17am January 18, 2023

Egyptian and British archeologists uncovered the tomb that could date back as early as 1550 B.C. The tomb may belong to a royal wife or a princess who was part of the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt.

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