Mideastwire.com

WHAT WE DO

While there is a broad range of Arabic language media outlets reporting stories from and about the Middle East, there is currently no affordable and reliable means for English speakers to gain access to this content. As a result, many English speaking businesspersons, students, journalists and others who have an interest in the affairs of the region are largely unaware of what the Middle East media is covering and how they are covering these stories.

Mideastwire.com aims to close this gap by offering a daily menu of translations covering some of the key political, cultural, economic and opinion pieces appearing in the media of the 22 Arab countries and the Arab Diaspora. Through this effort, we hope to address at least one aspect of a global disconnect that continues to threaten a wide spectrum of socio-political and economic relationships, both here in the region and beyond.

It is also important to note that, since our founding in 2005, Mideastwire.com is wholly funded by the content license fees paid by individuals and organizations. As such, there is no government, commercial or non-profit support, an aspect that we believe provides a relatively independent platform for better understanding.

Our Corrections Policy: We adhere to an honest and open corrections policy. Please email info@mideastwire.com if you notice any typo or if you disagree with our translation choices. Since we do not produce our own content, we only will consider corrections that highlight typos or dispute our translations, not the veracity or accuracy of the original content. Accepted corrections are applied directly to the relevant translations as soon as they are approved by the editor and our database is updated accordingly for all subscribers.

TODAY’S DAILY BRIEFING

17-Oct-2024

Iraq

Politics

“Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara to look for regional support…” (Newspaper, Middle East)

On October 17, the London-based Al-Arab daily newspaper carried the following report: “The leadership of the Kurdistan Democratic Party anticipated the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in the Iraqi Kurdistan territory by dispatching the Party’s official, Nechirvan Barzani, who is the head of the territory, to Ankara. This step aims at further consolidating the relations with Turkey in light of the fear felt by the Party led by the veteran Kurdish politician, Masoud Barzani, that Iran and its allied forces who control the federal authority in Iraq will be siding with the opponent, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, led by Bafel Talabani… (Read More)

Lebanon

Opinion

“Has Israel started targeting the Lebanese state?” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Military and Security

On October 17, the Qatari-owned London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following lead editorial: “Yesterday on Wednesday, the Israeli forces carried out more than ten air raids on the city of Nabatieh and its surrounding in South Lebanon, targeting its municipal and municipalities’ union buildings. Based on preliminary figures, it killed five people, including the head of the municipality Ahmad Kahil… A few days earlier, Israel had targeted a Lebanese Army base in Kafra in the South, which resulted in the death of two soldiers. At the time, the Israeli army claimed it did not know there was a Lebanese army facility in the area, and that it was “fighting Hezbollah, not the Lebanese state.” But the latest attack by the Israeli occupation army on an elected municipal council… clearly indicates that the Israeli killing machine wants to widen the scope of its targets and go from terrorizing civilians to terrorizing the Lebanese state… (Read More)

Politics

“Resumption of raids on Southern Suburb linked to new “bank of targets”” (Asharq al-Awsat, United Kingdom)

Military and Security

On October 16, the Saudi-owned London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper carried the following report from Beirut by its correspondent Youssef Diab: “The cautious calm that prevailed over the Southern Suburb of Beirut did not last long, seeing as how Israel resumed its raids on the area, which is considered to be a Hezbollah stronghold and a headquarters for its political, military, and security command… And while no one knows why the Suburb was spared from the bombing for six consecutive days, observers attributed that to “American pressures exercised on the Israelis to distance the Suburb and Beirut from any attacks.” But the renewed raids coincided with the Israeli Army’s announcement of the targeting of “military” objectives belonging to Hezbollah… (Read More)

Middle East

Opinion

“The land confrontation is a matter of time” Part 1/2 (Newspaper, Middle East)

Military and Security

On October 17, the privately-owned Al-Joumhouria daily carried the following piece by Johny Mnayyar: “Nothing gives way to believe that there will be a possible de-escalation any time soon. Quite the contrary, the field signs indicate that preparations are underway for a new phase of madness that might be more violent than the one before. The situation might slide into a direction where Israel will seek to carry out its threats with respect to invading the South and working on controlling a five-kilometer-deep strip. This explains the drop in international diplomatic action as it slammed against several obstacles and the Iranian opposition… (Read More)

“Why is Erdogan warning against the Israeli plot in Syria?” (Website, Middle East)

On October 17, Samir Salha wrote the following piece in the privately-owned Asas Media website: “…Clearly, the warnings voiced by Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on what awaits Syria when a large land operation is launched against it, and his saying that “the occupation of Damascus means that the Israeli troops will reach Turkey’s borders…” represent implicit messages to Bashar al-Assad. The messages indicate that Al-Assad’s options are limited and that his reliance on Tehran and Moscow will not work to fish him out of his dilemma. Therefore, the best he can do is to grab the extended Turkish hand and not let it hang in the air for too long… (Read More)

“An Arab role to avoid the buffer strip” (Website, Middle East)

Arab Diplomacy

On October 17, the privately-owned Asas Media website carried the following piece by Khayrallah Khayrallah: “The ongoing Israeli harassment of the UN forces operating in South Lebanon is no random act. This rather seems to be a part of a highly dangerous, carefully prepared plan. In the context of the crime committed by Hezbollah that consisted of launching the front of the South, the Israeli plan consists of establishing a buffer zone along the Blue Line, which means that Resolution 1701 will have to be amended… Who shall stop this Israeli plan and who wants to stop it? Much depends on the Arab action via Jordan on the line of the war between the Party and Israel. At the end of the day, this war concerns every Arab state, especially the Gulf States that suffered from the Iranian tool called Hezbollah and its control over Lebanon only to isolate the country away from its Arab surroundings and depth… (Read More)

Qatar

Politics

“Qatar faced with the Al-Udeid Airbase test…” (Newspaper, Middle East)

Military and Security - USA Europe

On October 17, the London-based Al-Arab daily newspaper carried the following report: “The statement by the Qatari PM and Foreign Minister, Sheik Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, on his country’s refusal to allow the Al-Udeid Airbase to launch attacks against any state reflected the Qatari desire to self-acquit from the developments of the conflict in the region, a conflict that might reach the extent of a direct clash between Israel and Iran… (Read More)

Saudi Arabia

Opinion

“The Kingdom and Egypt: No to the brink of the abyss policies” (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)

Monarchies/Dictatorships

On October 17, the pro-monarchy Okaz newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Hammoud Abu Taleb: “The recent visit of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to the Arab Republic of Egypt earned wide attention, media coverage, and follow up at the level of all its details, in anticipation of what it might produce. The visit was carried out at a critical time and in highly difficult circumstances, amid signs pointing to the potential widening of the crisis seen in the region in the past year due to the war in Gaza, the violent attacks on Lebanon, the escalation of the confrontation between Israel and Iran, and the dispatch of more American weapons to Israel amid pledges to protect it. There are also other problems threatening the navigation lines in the Red Sea, the ongoing turmoil on Egypt’s southern, western, and eastern borders, the Egyptian-Ethiopian disputes over the Renaissance Dam problem, and other issues and files that need tending… (Read More)

Sudan

Opinion

“The demographic change conspiracy in Sudan” (Asharq al-Awsat, United Kingdom)

Military and Security

On October 17, the Saudi-owned London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Sudanese writer and former Deputy Chief Editor Othman Mirghani: “One of the widely neglected facets of the ongoing war in Sudan – despite its seriousness – is the plan to induce demographic change in the country, particularly in its Western part, which is tightly linked to the dream of establishing a state for the African Arab Diaspora… Yesterday, the Sudan Tribune newspaper carried an article that seized my attention under the headline: “Sudan’s Fur tribe rejects new RSF-backed “Emirate” in Central Darfur.” And it quoted leaders in the Fur tribe, a deeply rooted and highly influential component in the country’s west, as categorically rejecting and strongly protesting against the Rapid Support Forces’ organization of a celebration to announce the establishment of the so-called “Awlad Baraka and Mubarak Emirate… (Read More)

Politics

“Washington’s efforts solely focusing on humanitarian aspect will not advance peace in Sudan” (Newspaper, Middle East)

Human Rights - USA Europe

On October 17, the London-based Al-Arab daily newspaper carried the following report: “The administration of US President, Joe Biden, failed to induce tangible transformations in the currently ongoing conflict in Sudan. Thus, relying on an efficient US role any time soon is questionable, especially since the US envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello is focusing on guaranteeing the influx of humanitarian aid… It has thus become difficult for Washington to exert any real pressure to halt the fighting as a result of the flaring up of the clashes in different districts as well as the US preoccupation with the file of the presidential elections, not to mention the efforts to control the conflict between Israel and Iran… (Read More)

Syria

Politics

“The Manbij strike: Many reasons for anger toward Autonomous Administration” (Newspaper, Middle East)

On October 17, the Qatari-owned London-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper carried the following report from Gaziantep by its correspondent Mohammad Amin: “For the third week in a row, a strike has been sweeping the Manbij area west of the Euphrates in protest against the attempt of the Autonomous Administration in North Syria, the administrative and civilian branch of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to enforce curricula that are rejected by the mainly-Arab population. The tensions escalated in the area following crowded demonstrations demanding a return to the curriculum in force in Syria while amending some materials in it, which caused the Internal Security Forces affiliated with the Autonomous Administration to intervene, arrest participants in the demonstrations, and assault others… (Read More)

“Military escalation in northwest Syria foreshadows collapse of Turkish-Russian agreement…?” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Military and Security

On October 17, the Qatari-owned London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report from Damascus by its correspondent Hiba Muhammad: “Moscow is addressing warnings to Turkey and the Syrian opposition factions in northwest Syria against the factions’ use of the regional climate to undermine the Russian arrangements… by filling the unexpected vacuums created by the repositioning of Iran and its local groups in the North, and carrying out an action that might alter the friction lines, especially in light of these factions’ ongoing military mobilization. At this level, Syrian analysts and observers viewed the Russian military escalation in northwest Syria as an implicit call upon the Turkish side to assume its responsibility for containing the factions in the area and respecting its commitments, especially in light of the repeated targeting of Russia on the Syrian coast… (Read More)

Co-Founder: Nicholas Noe

Address any queries to:

info@mideastwire.com