Middle East Crisis

Gaza War
Israeli Minister Condemns Provocative Prayer Session

Israel's far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has angered several Arab countries after attending a prayer session on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Sunday, Reuters reports.

According to a decades-old agreement between Jordan and Israel, Jews are prohibited from praying at the site. No Israeli minister has previously attended a prayer session on the Temple Mount, the Times of Israel reports.

Ben-Gvir also gave a short speech in which he expressed hope that Israel would take over the entire Gaza Strip and drive Palestinians from there.

The move has been condemned by Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Jordan's Foreign Ministry wrote on social media that it is a "flagrant violation of international law" and "an unacceptable provocation and escalation".

Fighting in Sweida
Sources: New fighting in Sweida – armed group attacks

Fighting has flared up again in the Syrian city of Sweida, Reuters reports.

According to AFP, at least two people have been killed.

What is only described as "armed groups" have attacked government security forces in the city, security sources told state-run Ekhbariya TV.

In July, Sweida was the center of a bloody ethnic conflict between Druze and Bedouin groups.

Fighting in Sweida — that's the point

• Fighting between Druze and Bedouin in Sweida in southern Syria broke out on July 13, 2025, leading to over 940 deaths according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
• Syria's new government sent troops to Sweida to quell the violence, but was accused of executing Druze civilians, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Damascus and southern Syria.
• Israel justified its attacks by protecting the Druze minority and threatened further attacks if Syrian forces did not withdraw from Sweida.
• The United States opposed Israel's airstrikes and called for dialogue, while humanitarian problems worsened with 30,000 civilians trapped in Sweida without food, water or electricity.
• After several broken ceasefires, a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Syria on 19 July, but the situation in Sweida remained tense and humanitarian aid was hindered.