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Israel

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Israel. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Jerusalem

Head of State

President Isaac Herzog

Head of Government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Indonesia

Can Indonesia speak for the Global South in its UN Security Council bid?

Jakarta wants a fifth term on the council, but faces accusations of hypocrisy and being a ‘fence-sitter’, analysts say.

22 Sep 2026 - 4:01PM

Britain

Burnham to meet Trump, make UN debut after offering UK support for Saudis

22 Sep 2026 - 12:24PM

Israel-Gaza war

‘We will learn even in a tent’: Gaza children return to in-person schools

22 Sep 2026 - 1:03AMvideocam

United Nations

Burning questions: world leaders meet at UN amid climate, war and AI worries

As we face ‘three existential threats,’ says the UN chief, ‘international cooperation is more necessary than ever’.

21 Sep 2026 - 9:54PM

A wildfire burns amid high temperatures in Colombia on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

US prepares sanctions against the ICC: sources

Trump administration readies entity-wide measures that could severely disrupt tribunal’s war crimes probes.

21 Sep 2026 - 12:43PM

China-Middle East relations

Chinese firms keen on Oman’s International Financial Centre: official

Neutrality amid US-Israel war on Iran cited as an advantage, as well as location of ports away from Strait of Hormuz.

20 Sep 2026 - 2:00PM

Israel-Gaza war

Rapper Macklemore’s US$1 million pledge highlights Palestinian suffering

‘There are children dying every single day’: non-profit leaders have welcomed both money and renewed public awareness.

19 Sep 2026 - 9:39PMvideocam

Palestinian children line up on the first day of the new academic year at a UN-run school in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday. Photo:

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Ordinary people pay price’: Iran medicine shortages deepen as war continues

As well as facing shipping restrictions, sanctions and inflation, the pharmaceutical sector has been directly attacked, officials say.

19 Sep 2026 - 11:58PM

United States

US to allow Iranian leaders to attend UN meeting amid wartime stand-off

US again imposes strict conditions on the Iranian delegation for the UN General Assembly in New York.

18 Sep 2026 - 1:51PM

Middle East

US approves sale of 48 F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia despite Israeli concerns

US says the sale would improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter ‘current and future threats’.

18 Sep 2026 - 1:53PM

An F-35 jet at the Dubai Airshow in 2025. Photo: Reuters

Thailand

‘Gone too far’: Thai PM Anutin slams foreign lawbreakers as backlash builds

Anutin says foreigners ‘should not come here and take advantage of us’, as Thailand acts to close legal loopholes and deter transgressions.

17 Sep 2026 - 8:52PM

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

UN investigators cite US over Iran strikes that constituted war crimes

UN-backed experts also accuse the Iranian government of carrying out crimes against humanity during a domestic crackdown.

18 Sep 2026 - 9:59AM

Malaysia

Malaysia seizes Israeli-bound containers as Anwar pledges to stop war shipments

The seizures follow an initial detainment of a container for Israeli defence technology firm Elbit Systems, suspected of containing weapons.

17 Sep 2026 - 3:44PM

Yemen

Who is Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the elusive commander driving the Saudi blitz?

He has transformed the Houthi group from tribal insurgency to a fighting force, threatening Riyadh and controlling the vital waterway.

16 Sep 2026 - 10:32PMvideocam

Students stand next to a poster of Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen, on July 22. Photo: Reuters

Qatar

Iranian and Saudi panellists spar at Xiangshan Forum over Middle East attacks

Verbal battle erupts at security conference over Tehran’s targeting of US bases in Saudi Arabia.

17 Sep 2026 - 7:48AMvideocam

Iranian representative Mohammad Taghi Osanlou attends the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Israel-Gaza war

Israel prepared to ‘finish job’ in Gaza and remove Palestinians, minister says

Israel Katz says the IDF is prepared to resume fighting, eliminate Hamas and implement ‘the migration plan’.

16 Sep 2026 - 3:03PM

Middle East

‘Doing a North Korea’? Why the Middle East could be entering a new nuclear age

A Saudi-US nuclear pact and further attacks on Iran could prompt Tehran to withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty, analysts warn.

15 Sep 2026 - 7:25PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

Thais stage rare Israel protest; India-Pakistan water row: 7 Asia highlights

From Thai PM Anutin’s US$90,000 amulet to the Philippines’ big bet on railways, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

15 Sep 2026 - 3:30PM

Protesters holding signs attend a rally demanding an end to alleged land-grabbing by foreigners in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

Price of Epic Fury: Iran war’s toll on US bases, weapons and more

Pentagon inspector general offers an official accounting of the war’s costs in expended US munitions and damages.

15 Sep 2026 - 3:46PM

Israel-Gaza war

Israeli army chief orders legal review of award-winning Gaza war film

Israeli-made Gaza documentary makes waves after winning the Venice special jury prize.

15 Sep 2026 - 11:32AM

US, Israel war on Iran

US blocks Iran nuclear chief from Vienna meeting

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Mohammad Eslami was blocked from entering Austria because he was a ‘sanctioned individual’.

14 Sep 2026 - 7:57PMvideocam

Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami speaks during the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austriain 2022. Photo: TNS

Transport and logistics

Qatar seeks stronger logistics ties with China amid trade disruption

Qatar logistics firm says Chinese businesses need local infrastructure and operating partners as they move into warehousing, fulfilment and sales.

14 Sep 2026 - 2:10PMvideocam

Khalifa al-Thani, co-founder and CEO of logistics solutions company WareOne, speaks during the Web Summit Qatar 2026. Photo: Sportsfile via Getty Images

US, Israel war on Iran

Middle East diplomacy stalls as war spreads, Hormuz talks postponed

New attacks in Hormuz and Saudi Arabia as planned talks between Tehran and its neighbours are put off.

14 Sep 2026 - 3:35PM

War and conflict

My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

From Nazi Germany to Vietnam, history is rich with examples of countries that simply refuse to surrender to bombing.

13 Sep 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Venice Film Festival

‘Woman Unknown’ wins Gold Lion at Venice Film Festival

Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy was the only woman directing a feature film in the main 21-strong film line-up.

13 Sep 2026 - 4:14AM

Director May el-Toukhy holds the Golden Lion she won for best film for “Woman Unknown” during the closing ceremony of the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday. Photo: Invision/AP

Turkey

Surrounded by war, Turkey more than triples defence spending

Most of the 229 per cent budget increase will fund domestic arms production as Ankara seeks to cut reliance on the West.

11 Sep 2026 - 5:00PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in September. Photo: dpa

Middle East

Israel destroys Hezbollah tunnel network in Lebanon, triggering tremor

USGS records 4.1 magnitude tremor after a massive blast on the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge.

11 Sep 2026 - 11:24AM

Israel-Gaza war

Israeli film on AI-backed Gaza killings gets 25-minute ovation

Oscar-winning directors premiere ‘NAZA’, featuring military whistle-blowers detailing automated target selection.

11 Sep 2026 - 1:32PM

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Israel

Can Indonesia speak for the Global South in its UN Security Council bid?

Jakarta wants a fifth term on the council, but faces accusations of hypocrisy and being a ‘fence-sitter’, analysts say.

Burnham to meet Trump, make UN debut after offering UK support for Saudis

‘We will learn even in a tent’: Gaza children return to in-person schools

Burning questions: world leaders meet at UN amid climate, war and AI worries

As we face ‘three existential threats,’ says the UN chief, ‘international cooperation is more necessary than ever’.

US prepares sanctions against the ICC: sources

Trump administration readies entity-wide measures that could severely disrupt tribunal’s war crimes probes.

Chinese firms keen on Oman’s International Financial Centre: official

Neutrality amid US-Israel war on Iran cited as an advantage, as well as location of ports away from Strait of Hormuz.

Rapper Macklemore’s US$1 million pledge highlights Palestinian suffering

‘There are children dying every single day’: non-profit leaders have welcomed both money and renewed public awareness.

‘Ordinary people pay price’: Iran medicine shortages deepen as war continues

As well as facing shipping restrictions, sanctions and inflation, the pharmaceutical sector has been directly attacked, officials say.

US to allow Iranian leaders to attend UN meeting amid wartime stand-off

US again imposes strict conditions on the Iranian delegation for the UN General Assembly in New York.

US approves sale of 48 F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia despite Israeli concerns

US says the sale would improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter ‘current and future threats’.

‘Gone too far’: Thai PM Anutin slams foreign lawbreakers as backlash builds

Anutin says foreigners ‘should not come here and take advantage of us’, as Thailand acts to close legal loopholes and deter transgressions.

UN investigators cite US over Iran strikes that constituted war crimes

UN-backed experts also accuse the Iranian government of carrying out crimes against humanity during a domestic crackdown.

Malaysia seizes Israeli-bound containers as Anwar pledges to stop war shipments

The seizures follow an initial detainment of a container for Israeli defence technology firm Elbit Systems, suspected of containing weapons.

Who is Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the elusive commander driving the Saudi blitz?

He has transformed the Houthi group from tribal insurgency to a fighting force, threatening Riyadh and controlling the vital waterway.

Iranian and Saudi panellists spar at Xiangshan Forum over Middle East attacks

Verbal battle erupts at security conference over Tehran’s targeting of US bases in Saudi Arabia.

Israel prepared to ‘finish job’ in Gaza and remove Palestinians, minister says

Israel Katz says the IDF is prepared to resume fighting, eliminate Hamas and implement ‘the migration plan’.

‘Doing a North Korea’? Why the Middle East could be entering a new nuclear age

A Saudi-US nuclear pact and further attacks on Iran could prompt Tehran to withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty, analysts warn.

Thais stage rare Israel protest; India-Pakistan water row: 7 Asia highlights

From Thai PM Anutin’s US$90,000 amulet to the Philippines’ big bet on railways, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Price of Epic Fury: Iran war’s toll on US bases, weapons and more

Pentagon inspector general offers an official accounting of the war’s costs in expended US munitions and damages.

Israeli army chief orders legal review of award-winning Gaza war film

Israeli-made Gaza documentary makes waves after winning the Venice special jury prize.

US blocks Iran nuclear chief from Vienna meeting

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Mohammad Eslami was blocked from entering Austria because he was a ‘sanctioned individual’.

Qatar seeks stronger logistics ties with China amid trade disruption

Qatar logistics firm says Chinese businesses need local infrastructure and operating partners as they move into warehousing, fulfilment and sales.

Middle East diplomacy stalls as war spreads, Hormuz talks postponed

New attacks in Hormuz and Saudi Arabia as planned talks between Tehran and its neighbours are put off.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

From Nazi Germany to Vietnam, history is rich with examples of countries that simply refuse to surrender to bombing.

‘Woman Unknown’ wins Gold Lion at Venice Film Festival

Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy was the only woman directing a feature film in the main 21-strong film line-up.

Surrounded by war, Turkey more than triples defence spending

Most of the 229 per cent budget increase will fund domestic arms production as Ankara seeks to cut reliance on the West.

Israel destroys Hezbollah tunnel network in Lebanon, triggering tremor

USGS records 4.1 magnitude tremor after a massive blast on the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge.

Israeli film on AI-backed Gaza killings gets 25-minute ovation

Oscar-winning directors premiere ‘NAZA’, featuring military whistle-blowers detailing automated target selection.

My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained