TOPIC

/ location

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

A data centre rack operated by RISE in Sweden. Photo: Handout

US-China relations

Can the US and China verify an AI deal? Start-ups are building the tools

Researchers are developing technology to monitor AI development without relying on trust between Washington and Beijing.

24 Sep 2026 - 8:29AM

Middle East

Trump’s Board of Peace proposes US$2.45 billion Gaza reconstruction plan

23 Sep 2026 - 10:37PMvideocam

Indonesia

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

22 Sep 2026 - 4:01PM

Britain

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

British prime minister targets Middle East stability and AI governance on New York trip.

22 Sep 2026 - 12:24PM

Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his wife Marie-France van Heel board a plane for the United States. Photo: Reuters

Israel-Gaza war

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

The move is a fragile milestone; the conflict with Israel has killed around 22,000 youngsters and over 770 education workers.

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

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

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: Reuters

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

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

An elderly Iranian man walks past a billboard in Tehran. Many Iranians are struggling to get the medicines they need, due to the war. File photo: EPA

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

Member state flags fly outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Photo: Getty Images

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

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

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

The Minab school in Iran, which was damaged in US strikes on February 28. Photo: WANA via Reuters

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

A Maersk owned container is loaded by the gantry crane on to a container ship in Tanjung Pelepas, Johor, on May 5, 2023. Photo: Shutterstock

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

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

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

Palestinian children play volleyball amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City. Photo: Reuters

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

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

Smoke rises from damage at the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Manama, Bahrain, after Iranian strikes, in a satellite photo taken March 1, 2026. Photo: Planet Labs PBC via AFP

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

Directors Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham pose with the Special Jury Prize for 'NAZA' at the 83rd Venice Film Festival. Photo: AFP

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

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

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

Houthis engaged in fighting near the western Yemen port city of Mokha, which they captured last week. Photo: Houthi Military Media via EPA

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

A billboard depicting US President Donald Trump underwater amid explosions, with the words “Great Victory! Strait of Hormuz”, in Tehran, Iran, on August 24. Photo: AP

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

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

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Israel

Can the US and China verify an AI deal? Start-ups are building the tools

Researchers are developing technology to monitor AI development without relying on trust between Washington and Beijing.

Trump’s Board of Peace proposes US$2.45 billion Gaza reconstruction plan

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

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

British prime minister targets Middle East stability and AI governance on New York trip.

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

The move is a fragile milestone; the conflict with Israel has killed around 22,000 youngsters and over 770 education workers.

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.

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