• Hamas has secretly elected a new chief in Gaza and filled vacancies in its political bureau, two officials from the Palestinian militant faction and sources in Cairo told The National. The elections took place last week, and the process was carried out over secure telephone lines and during face-to-face meetings among Hamas leaders in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar.
  • A nationwide internet blackout was ​reported in Iran yesterday, internet ​monitoring group NetBlocks said, as protests ‌over economic hardships continued around the country.
  • Syria's Ministry of Defence in the early hours of today declared a temporary ceasefire in the Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zeid neighbourhoods of Aleppo, demanding militants affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces leave the area.
  • US special envoy Tom Barrack said the US has welcomed the temporary ceasefire achieved last night in Aleppo and extended "profound gratitude to all parties". The clashes, which erupted on Tuesday, have displaced thousands of civilians and left several people dead or wounded.
  • Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara held a phone call on Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which they discussed the latest developments in Syria, Sana reported. President Al Shara said that the current priority “lies in protecting civilians, securing the surroundings of the city of Aleppo and ending illegal armed manifestations that hinder the process of reconstruction”, according to Sana.
  • Yemen's ⁠presidential leadership ​council has ​dismissed Defence ‌Minister Mohsen Al Daeri ​from the internationally recognised government and "referred him to retirement", ‌the state news agency ‍Saba ‍reported.
  • Senior US envoy Massad Boulos has called on all parties to come to the table to end the Sudan civil war, as the civilian death toll spirals. "It's the world's biggest humanitarian catastrophe, and this must end," he told On The Record, broadcast by Sky News Arabia and The National. Read and watch the full interview with Hadley Gamble here.
  • The US is working to limit “negative Islamist influence” within Sudan’s army-backed government, a State Department official told The National, as testimonies and investigations point to escalating attacks on the country’s Christian minority. Asked about reports documenting drone strikes, church demolitions and intimidation, the official said that Washington had seen “significant backsliding” in Sudan’s respect for fundamental freedoms since the conflict erupted in April 2023.
  • Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory killed 15 people, including five children, the official Wafa news agency reported, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting.
  • Israel yesterday said efforts made to disarm Hezbollah by the Lebanese army and government were an encouraging start but far from sufficient. The warning came shortly after Lebanon's army said it had completed the first phase of its disarmament plan in the South Litani region near the Israeli border, while acknowledging more work was needed to clear tunnels and unexploded ordnance.
  • Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was seeking to strengthen relations with Lebanon during a visit to Beirut, even as the Lebanese government inched away from the influence of Tehran by disarming Hezbollah. Mr Araghchi’s visit follows diplomatic friction last month between the two countries, after his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji declined Mr Araghchi’s invitation to Tehran because “current conditions were not ideal” and instead proposed a third-country meeting.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, who Israel says is the prospective director of the Gaza Board of Peace. Catch-up: The board is part of a 20-point US proposal to end the war in Gaza and chart the enclave’s future. It would be chaired by US President Donald Trump, include around 15 world leaders, supervise a yet-to-be-formed Palestinian technocratic government and oversee Gaza’s reconstruction.
  • A senior US official told Fox News there has been no change to the US military posture in the Middle East in response to protests in Iran. US Central Command (Centcom) is monitoring the growing anti-regime demonstrations in Tehran, with particular attention on Friday prayers across Iran and the regime’s response, a Fox News correspondent reported. A squadron of F-15Es has deployed to the region as part of a routine rotation, the official said, but there has been no additional force build-up in the region.

More goings-on

  • UNRWA is to open an office in Ankara within weeks, its chief Philippe Lazzarini said on a visit to the Turkish capital yesterday. “We have signed the final agreement with the government of Turkey, and this time it has been also endorsed by the parliament,” he said, adding that it was “a question of weeks” before it opened.
  • Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late shah, in a statement on X, said “millions of Iranians demanded their freedom” and urged world leaders to “break their silence” and act decisively to help restore communication so the Iranians “can be heard and seen”.
  • Anger is mounting in Iraq over new customs tariffs and taxes imposed by the government this year, a move authorities say was prompted by a slump in oil prices – the country’s main source of revenue.
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed a lawsuit for 500,000 Turkish liras ($13,000) in moral damages against Republican People's Party (CHP) chairman Ozgur Ozel over “unfounded” remarks against him, his lawyer said.
  • Hali Rahbani, the youngest son of renowned Lebanese singer Fairouz and her late husband, composer Assi Rahbani, has died aged 68. His death comes months after the passing of his brother, Ziad Rahbani, the acclaimed composer, playwright and political commentator, aged 69.
  • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi continues a visit to Lebanon
  • European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa visit Syria and Lebanon

This newsletter was compiled by Vanessa Ghanem, Arab affairs editor.

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