Israeli settlers on Saturday attacked a diplomatic delegation comprising representatives from the French and Belgian consulates, and the Polish representative to the Palestinian Authority during a visit to the town of Taybeh in the central occupied West Bank.

Taybeh Mayor Suleiman Khoury told The New Arab that the delegation had been participating in an event related to the twinning agreement between Taybeh and a French city.

Afterward, the delegation members, accompanied by local residents and the mayor, went to assist farmers with the olive harvest west of the town. There, settlers attacked and assaulted them, smashing the windows of the Belgian consulate vehicle. The delegation managed to withdraw without any injuries.

Two Palestinians were injured in the attack, Khoury explained, adding that while the diplomats were unharmed, they had witnessed the violence.

He confirmed that the settlers attacked the participants while they were in an area near homes that the Palestinian side considered safe. He pointed out that the attackers came from the seven settlement outposts surrounding the town, riding on tractors. Khoury indicated that the number of attackers was approximately ten settlers, and that they also attacked the mayor's car as the participants were trying to leave the area, though no one inside the vehicle was injured.

A French mayor who was part of the delegation told AFP that the incident showed a tolerance by Israel's right-wing government for settler violence.

"I think that if settlers are behaving like this, there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government," Bernard Baudoux, mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, said after he was attacked on a goodwill visit to the town of Taybeh.

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot issued a statement condemning the attack.

"Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack," Prevot said.

Belgium will continue to press for sanctions against those responsible for the violence and those who support them, Prevot said.

Israel's army issued a statement condemning the "serious incident of violence.. during which Israelis assaulted diplomatic representatives", adding that police were taking evidence from the scene.

Israeli forces and settler attacks damaged at least 3,522 fruit trees and caused agricultural losses exceeding $1.9 million over a period of a week in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture announced.

The ministry's report for the week of 8 - 15 October showed that settlers had intensified their targeting of farmers and their crops during the olive harvesting season. At least 2,667 olive trees - three-quarters of the trees included in the survey - were reported damaged.

The damage varied between cutting down, uprooting, and burning trees, in addition to stealing and confiscating olive fruits, and destroying agricultural facilities and irrigation networks.

The report also noted that Palestinian farmers were prevented from accessing their lands, threatening their ability to harvest crops and compounding their losses during a season on which thousands of Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank depend as a source of income.

The ministry's report added that settlers stole 8,612 kilograms of olives, equivalent to approximately 8.6 tons.

The impact of this theft extends beyond the value of the olives themselves; farmers also lose a portion of their seasonal income and bear the costs of tree care and harvesting without any guarantee of safe access to their land or the ability to market their produce.

Hebron Governorate topped the list of the most affected areas with losses estimated at approximately $455,000, followed by Jenin with approximately $452,000.

The similarity in losses between the two governorates reflects the wide geographical extent of the damage, while the remaining losses are distributed across other areas of the West Bank.

The report comes after a week of even greater losses, with the Ministry of Agriculture's report for the period from 1 - 8 October documenting direct losses of approximately $3,678,000 and damage to 3,192 olive trees in seven governorates, with Jenin being the most affected.

The new report records damage in the following week, indicating continued losses throughout the harvest season.

The olive harvest is a primary source of income and employment in Palestinian villages, supporting tens of thousands of families wholly or partially.

The effects of the attacks go beyond the trees and the harvest, impacting family incomes and activities related to harvesting, pressing, and trade.

Melbourne-based videogame developer firm House House announced this week that the popular video game Big Walk would not be rolled out on Xbox due to their compliance with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

The developers said that while in 2026 they had announced that the game would be released on computers and other devices such as PS5 and Switch 2, fans urged them against a future Xbox release.

“We have made the decision not to release Big Walk on Xbox, in accordance with the Palestinian-led BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement’s call to boycott Microsoft, and their designation of Microsoft Games (and Xbox) as a priority boycott target,” the statement from the developers reads.

It calls on fans and readers to read about why Microsoft is being targeted, and how such a targeted boycott has already been proven to be effective. It directs people to the BDS website, which details how Microsoft's technology is being used in Israel’s war on Gaza to carry out potential war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

“It has always been our intention for Big Walk to be played by groups of friends, and we know that keeping the game off Xbox runs counter to those intentions,” the statement from House House continued.

House House expressed regret at not being able to make the game available Xbox, but said it remains firm on the decision until Microsoft and, or Xbox have been removed as BDS boycott targets.

The decision has received widespread praise from activists, with many also calling on them to take their decision a step further by cutting any links they have to SONY, citing their sale of equipment to the Israeli military.

This is not the first time House House has supported the plight of Palestinians. In 2023, the developer released a statement emphasising the Palestinian right to self-determination following the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.

“Now that we're back on here, we want to express our support for the Palestinian people, and their right to self-determination, safety and happiness. An end to this genocide. An end to apartheid. Free Palestine,” they wrote.

The Big Walk game, which is a multi-player adventure that centres on teamwork, challenges and puzzles, is still available on other apps and platforms, including Steam and Nintendo.

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that it had intercepted a fresh wave of incoming drones, as its ally Egypt weighed sending the kingdom help in defending against repeated attacks from Yemen's Houthis.

Riyadh leads a military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government in its war with the Houthis, and media affiliated with the Iran-backed group reported on Saturday that Saudi airstrikes beginning overnight had killed at least 12 people.

Since Yemen's conflict flared back to life in July after a years-long hiatus, Saudi Arabia has faced sustained Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting its oil installations, tankers and transit hubs, including one on Riyadh's airport last week that killed 13 people.

A spokesman for the Saudi coalition said on Saturday that it had "intercepted and destroyed four drones over the past few hours in the regions of Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and the South".

The interceptions came as the president of Egypt, which is also a member of the coalition, said he was willing to "carry out any measure to protect" Saudi Arabia if its leaders requested it.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was not looking to intervene in regional wars, but added that it was "inconceivable" for Cairo to stand by while the kingdom was "harmed or its security and stability threatened".

"I'm not talking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone," he said. "We are speaking only about defence."

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday called for an emergency session of the House of Representatives to grant him authorisation to intervene in Saudi Arabia’s defence, should Riyadh request it.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for new classes at the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital, Sisi explained that such a move would require parliamentary approval. 

"I call on parliament to convene an emergency session to grant us authorisation to take action to intervene in defense of Saudi Arabia if we are asked to do so," the president said.

Sisi stressed that Cairo was not seeking to attack anyone or enter a war, but rather to defend Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, without disclosing details about the nature, scope, or timing of any potential intervention.

The move comes as Yemen's Houthis have ramped up their attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, including the targeting of an Aramco building, airports, and other key infrastructure.

Article 152 of the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that the president, as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, may neither declare war nor dispatch the armed forces on a combat mission outside the country’s borders without first consulting the National Defence Council and obtaining approval from the House of Representatives by a two-thirds majority of its members.

His statements come two days after he said, during a meeting with officials and media figures following a graduation ceremony at the Police Academy on Thursday, that Saudi Arabia’s security was directly linked to Egyptian and Arab national security. He stressed that Cairo rejected any threat to the kingdom’s security or borders, as well as any threat to maritime navigation in the Red Sea.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty previously said in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund meetings in Bangkok that Egypt would respond to any Saudi request and was prepared to provide various forms of support, including military assistance.

He also noted that Cairo was seriously considering joining the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.

At the same time, Cairo has maintained its diplomatic approach. During a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, last Tuesday, Abdelatty stressed the need for an immediate halt to attacks targeting Saudi territory, describing them as unjustified and unacceptable. He called for de-escalation and for political and diplomatic solutions to take precedence.

Sisi's latest remarks on the conflict between the Houthis and Riyadh come amid an escalation in attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including missile and drone strikes that hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and resulted in fatalities and hundreds of injuries. 

Thousands of Tunisians joined the largest protest in years against President Kais Saied in the capital on Saturday, accusing him of undermining democracy and mishandling the economy in a growing challenge to his rule.

The demonstration, led by the major UGTT labour union and civil society groups, comes as Tunisia grapples with an economic crisis, worsening public services, recurring water and power cuts, and shortages of medicines and essential goods.

Saied seized broad powers in 2021 and 2022, dissolving parliament, dismissing dozens of judges and ruling by decree, moves that opponents described as a coup.

Rights groups say he has intensified a crackdown on civil society, journalists and opposition figures. Saied rejects those allegations, saying he is not a dictator, and has accused his opponents of engineering economic crises to fuel social unrest.

In a rare show of unity, opposition parties from across the political spectrum joined lawyers, doctors, journalists, unemployed people and civil society groups in marching along Habib Bourguiba Avenue, a focal point of the 2011 protests that helped trigger the Arab Spring uprisings.

The protest poses a significant challenge to Saied after years of divisions weakened the opposition's ability to mobilise large crowds.

"Silence will no longer be acceptable...the state cannot built by concentrating all powers in the hand of one person", Slah Eddine Salmi, head of the UGTT, told the rally.

Hundreds of police were deployed across the capital.

Protesters chanted: "No fear, power belongs to the people!" and "The prisons are full, people are hungry!" They also revived the iconic slogan of the 2011 uprising, which was notably peaceful in Tunisia: "The people want the fall of the regime!"

They called for the release of Saied's critics and demanded an end to what they described as attacks on trade union rights. Some carried banners expressing frustration over unemployment and pollution.

"Enough is enough! The country is collapsing. We suffer from power and water cuts, and one crisis after another," said Yassine Gharseli, a protester from Sfax, about 250 km (155 miles) south of Tunis.

"I came from Sfax to stand up for my freedom, and I'm not about to give up, even if I become the last voice in the country."

Alana Hadid and Jenan Matari have pulled a children’s book they co-authored on the Palestinian experience from Penguin Random House publishers, after they said their account on history was “sanitised and misrepresented”.

Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House, signed the book deal in November 2024, and it was set for release last month.

However, the authors, who have both been outspoken about the plight of Palestinians in the face of Israeli occupation and abuses, included the history of Palestine in the book, with the manuscript also including elements of their own families’ stories.

It touched on the Palestinian resistance, the forced exile of Palestinian civilians and the Palestinian diaspora around the world as a result.

It also centred on how the Palestinian story has long been erased and ignored, as well as the rise of Zionism, the Nakba (Catastrophe of 1948), the relationship between the US and Israel, and how life feels under a military occupation.

It described Israel as a settler colony, and Hadid documented her personal family history, mentioning how her real-estate mogul father Mohammed Hadid and his parents were expelled from Safed, and forced to live as refugees in Syria.

Matari explained in the book how her relatives were expelled from Deir Yassin and Ein Karem after the Israeli massacre in 1948, where over 100 Palestinians were killed.

However, the writers said they withdrew the book after Random House requested changes, after they had submitted a final copy.

Random House told reporters that the process was normal and had “followed our standard bookmaking procedures”.

In excerpts of communications between the authors and Random House shared with The Guardian, the writers and activists engaged in disagreements over language in the book over the course of several months.

One particular sticking point was the 7 October attack on southern Israel, and the writers stating that people under “colonial domination” have the “right to resist”. The book also cited a UN general assembly resolution that says people under colonial domination are entitled to “the right to self-determination” and to restore that right “by any means at their disposal”.

Random House demanded that a disclaimer, or counter-narrative be added to say that the attack on Israel was in violation of international law.

A failure to agree on the details resulted in the authors walking away from the deal, choosing to instead release it through Palestinian-owned US publisher Interlink Books.

 “They continued to try to sanitize our history because they didn’t want to make certain communities uncomfortable. But decolonial history is supposed to make you uncomfortable,” Matari said.

“I believe it was a revolutionary book, which is why it was under so much scrutiny,” she continued.

A prominent Israeli rabbi on Friday issued a religious ruling that would allow Israeli Jews to steal olives from Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, with several Israeli media outlets affiliated with the religious Zionist movement, including Channel 7, publishing the religious edict.

The ruling, issued by prominent religious Zionist rabbi Dov Lior, said that the olives belong to the Jewish people, and that taking the crops represents the implementation of what he described as the "commandment to occupy the land".

The ruling, titled “In response to numerous enquiries regarding olive harvesting in the groves throughout Judea, Samaria and Binyamin” — biblical names used by Israelis to refer to areas of the occupied West Bank — states that “the people of Israel have never relinquished the Land of Israel, as we express in our daily prayers".

This comes amid escalating Israeli settler violence and terrorism targeting Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank, with mobs stealing tractors, setting alight olive trees, and damaging cars.

Lior further claims that "the Arabs never purchased the land from the people of Israel or from any Jew, and therefore it is usurped in their hands".According to his assertion, Palestinians “did not acquire ownership of it by any means, and it has remained the property of the people of Israel".

The rabbi further states that if Palestinian farmers cannot reach their crops for security reasons, it can be assumed that they have abandoned the crops.

“If they planted trees that bear fruit, such as olives, the principle of despairing of recovering them applies to them. Therefore, if they are unable to harvest them for security reasons, it should be assumed that they have given up on them — and all the more so that they have given up on olives that have already been picked," the rabbi said.

He adds that even if the owners of the trees were entitled to compensation for cultivating them, they had already received sufficient produce from them over previous years. He maintains that the land and its fruits should ultimately return to what he describes as the ownership of the Jewish people.

Lior goes so far as to declare that settlers harvesting olives from Palestinian land is “entirely permissible". He adds that this act contains an “additional virtue”, given the security risks supposedly posed by Palestinians approaching settlements and settlement outposts.

His position is not limited to olive harvesting on land adjacent to settlements. He extends the ruling to groves farther away, stating: “Jews are permitted to harvest olives even in areas far from Jewish settlements, in order to publicly demonstrate our ownership of the land, and thereby fulfil the commandment to conquer the land.”

Dov Lior is one of the most prominent rabbis associated with Israel’s religious-nationalist movement. He previously served as the chief rabbi of the Kiryat Arba settlement near Hebron. Lior is known for his hard-line religious and political positions towards Palestinians and his support for expanding settlements in the West Bank. He wields influence among settlers and religious movements associated with the settlement movement.

Israeli media reported that Lior’s ruling came in response to a religious ruling issued last Tuesday by seven rabbis from settlements in the Gush Etzion bloc, south of Bethlehem. Those rabbis prohibited settlers from stealing olives from Palestinian land, even when Israeli forces prevent the owners from accessing their property for security reasons.

The rabbis, including Ze’ev Whitman, Uri Lifshitz, Avi Bliedstein and Moshe Shifter, argued that preventing Palestinians from reaching their groves does not mean they have relinquished ownership of the harvest. They stressed that seizing the olives constitutes "theft forbidden by religious law and a desecration of God’s name".

The seven rabbis based their position on provisions of Jewish religious law prohibiting the theft of property belonging to non-Jews. They emphasised that even if the landowners were assumed to have abandoned their fruit, this would not make it permissible for others to take it.

The Tzohar movement, which includes prominent rabbis, also joined the opponents of Lior’s ruling on Friday. It stated that “theft is forbidden from any person, whether Jewish or non-Jewish”, and that individuals do not have the authority to confiscate property.

The circulation of the ruling comes amid escalating attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian farmers during the current olive harvest season. These attacks have included beatings, gunfire, the theft of crops, the burning of trees and vehicles, and preventing farmers from accessing their land.

Several areas of the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate witnessed widespread settler attacks on olive pickers on Friday. The attacks targeted the villages of Abu Falah, Turmus Ayya, Burqa and Deir Jarir, causing injuries among Palestinians and resulting in olive trees and vehicles being set on fire.

Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land are considered illegal under international law.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday that he would not seek to remain in office when his current term expires in 2030, describing the matter as "completely settled".

Sisi, 71, a former army general who became president in 2014, made the remarks at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital, one of his flagship megaprojects.

Speaking to graduates and state officials in the sprawling new city east of Cairo, Sisi said the Egyptian constitution "would not be touched".

"The period leading up to 2030 will be the end of my term as president of the state, if I am still alive. This is completely settled, and there will be no discussion about it," he said.

The Egyptian constitution, approved in 2014 following the 2013 military ouster of late president Mohamed Morsi, originally limited presidents to two four-year terms.

Constitutional amendments approved in a 2019 referendum extended presidential terms from four to six years and included transitional provisions that allowed Sisi to run for an additional term.

Under those amendments, Sisi was re-elected in 2023 for a six-year term that expires in 2030.

Critics and opposition figures have speculated about further constitutional changes that could allow him to remain in office beyond 2030.

Before running for president, Sisi denied having political ambitions, but he resigned as defence minister in 2014 and entered the race he went on to win.

On Saturday, he said the run-up to 2030 would groom a new generation of leaders, with the Military Academy training hundreds of prospective officials, ministers and presidential candidates in statecraft and leadership.

During his 12 years in power, Sisi has overseen an ambitious state-led development programme centred on megaprojects which critics say have relied heavily on borrowing and contributed to Egypt's mounting debt burden and economic pressures.

Sisi's presidency has also faced sustained criticism from international human rights organisations over restrictions on political opposition, civil society and freedom of expression, allegations the government rejects, saying its policies are necessary to preserve stability and security.

The US Embassy in Jerusalem said on Friday it condemned the “criminal violence” by Israeli settlers and demanded an investigation into the attack on Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine a day earlier.

"The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans," the embassy said in a statement, adding that it is calling for “investigations, arrests, and convictions, of those responsible”.

Reports late on Friday said Levine had suffered from a broken rib, four broken vertebrae and a serious injury to her finger and would be undergoing surgery on Saturday morning.

She also suffered from multiple stabbing wounds, and was bruised from the beatings.

Israeli settlers attacked the photographer as she was documenting the moment masked Israeli settlers were beating and targeting Palestinian villagers as they were tending to their olive groves.

The veteran photographer was wearing a press vest clearly distinguishing her as a media worker, but was knocked to the ground and her camera and phone seized.

“They just kept kicking me and kicking me, like probably 50 times,” Levine told media reporters.

The attack has garnered widespread criticism from around the world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the incident “remains unclear and are under investigation”, despite footage of the attack circulating online from various journalists and activists who were present at the scene at the time.

“We will not allow disputed incidents to be exploited to demonize the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria,” he added.

Meanwhile, the executive editor of the Washington Post, Matt Murray, said the outlet was “outraged” by the settler attack and also called on Israeli authorities to investigate the over dozen individuals involved.

"While we are relieved that Heidi has received medical care and is safe, we are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities,” Murray said.

Levine remains in a stable condition, but has told reports from her hospital bed that if it was not for her flak jacket and helmet, the attack may have been fatal.

"They forced me to get up and then kicked me again," she said. "The next thing I remember is Palestinians arriving and rescuing me. It was absolute madness, and I didn't see anyone trying to stop it."

The Committee to Protect Journalists has lambasted the settler attack and said it was part of a broader pattern of systematic attacks on Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank.

"The brutal beating of Heidi Levine is neither isolated nor the first on a journalist covering the olive harvest in the West Bank," said the Committee to Protect Journalists' Middle East regional director Sara Qudah.

"Israel's failure to ensure accountability is emboldening those who attack journalists, while the international community's continued silence sends a dangerous message that these violations can continue unchecked," she continued.

The development comes after Israeli settler terrorists set three vehicles belonging to Palestinians alight early on Friday morning in the occupied West Bank.

Video footage circulating of the attack showed the cars completely engulfed in flames, with emergency services grappling to put out the fire between plumes of dark smoke.

One of the cars burned belonged to Palestinian civil defence teams, local media reported.

Missiles struck Aden International Airport in southern Yemen on Friday, while a Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile headed for the Red Sea city of Yanbu, a key Saudi oil hub that allows exports to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

The coalition said it had also destroyed two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones in Saudi Arabia's Southern and Riyadh regions. It did not identify those behind the attacks.

In Aden, two missiles landed on the airport grounds, the Aden Security Department said, blaming the Iran-aligned Houthi group. It said the incident was the second attack on the facility in less than a week. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility.

No casualties were reported. A Yemenia Airways flight bound for Cairo was preparing for takeoff when the missiles landed, the security department said.

Yanbu is a key outlet for Saudi oil exports, allowing the kingdom to ship crude to international markets via the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz, where heightened regional tensions and security threats have raised concerns over the safety of shipping.

Brent crude briefly touched $110 a barrel on Friday for the first time since May, as worries over escalating Middle East tensions raised concerns about tighter global supplies.

Saudi Civil Defense authorities earlier issued alerts in the Jazan region and the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, where such warnings have become frequent since fighting resumed last month.

Fighting between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's government has raised fears of a further deterioration in the country's humanitarian crisis. Aid agencies have warned that conditions are worsening rapidly.

The Yemen conflict has become another front in the wider regional war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Yemen's war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and forced the internationally recognised government south.

A Saudi-led intervention began the following year, leading to years of stalemate before a 2022 truce that held until this year.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia since the conflict reignited, targeting airports, oil facilities and other infrastructure. In recent days, the group has also targeted sites in government-held parts of Yemen, including Aden airport and the presidential palace in the interim capital.

A spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry said on Friday that 124 civilians had been killed and 327 wounded in what he described as "Saudi aggression" since the escalation began on September 3. 

The United Nations aviation agency has found Lebanon's main airport lacks valid certification, according to a report summary, in a setback to US President Donald Trump's move to revive direct US-Beirut flights.

Trump made the announcement in July and signed an order last month for the US government to allow direct flights from the US to Lebanon, reversing a four-decade-long suspension after TWA Flight 847 was hijacked and forced to land in Beirut in 1985.

While the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration would still need to conduct safety reviews before flights could resume, the Lebanese embassy in Washington called Trump's order "a significant first step toward restoring direct air service between Lebanon and the United States."

However, the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) technical assistance mission to Lebanon in July identified shortcomings at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport and in the aviation system.

The findings, which two senior industry officials familiar with the matter expect to delay the resumption of service, complicate efforts to follow up on an order Trump signed after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Washington has backed Aoun as it pushes for Iran-backed Hezbollah to be disarmed.

The agency sent its internal report, made at the request of the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), to Lebanon in September.

AIRPORT LACKS EMERGENCY PLAN: ICAO

Beirut airport's firefighting resources are equipped for single-aisle planes, but not twin-aisle jetliners used for long-haul flights, according to a summary of ICAO's report. The airport also lacks an emergency plan, and its conditional certification has expired, the report said.

"This is a serious and time-critical matter that must be addressed immediately to preserve the airport's operational status," the summary said.

The report also found the Lebanese regulator LCAA lacks qualified inspectors to oversee air traffic control licensing, and has no fully established, operational and independent aircraft accident investigation authority with clearly defined roles.

Such concerns were flagged during a two-day workshop last month where officials from ICAO, Lebanon's government, the FAA and others discussed efforts to revive direct air service, according to the industry officials and an agenda of the meeting seen by Reuters.

Lebanon's Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny said Lebanon was taking steps to address the concerns, with efforts to certify the airport starting on Saturday. The LCAA expects to issue conditional certification in the coming days.

"Most of the issues highlighted in the report had already been identified by the LCAA, and corrective action had already been initiated," Rasamny said in a statement, adding that progress had been delayed by war.

Israeli forces remain in southern Lebanon and have continued strikes despite a US-brokered framework agreement signed in June between Israel and Lebanon.

Hezbollah, which was not party to the deal, has rejected it.

The FAA declined to comment. ICAO said it cannot comment on matters concerning specific countries, but said it conducts targeted analyses for member states.

The US State Department advises Americans not to travel to Lebanon given safety concerns. It said the FAA advises caution for flights operating in Lebanese airspace due to heightened military activity in or around Syria, including the risks of errant long-range surface-to-air missiles originating from Syrian territory.

MIDDLE EAST UNREST DISRUPTS AIR TRAVEL

Foreign airlines have avoided large swathes of Middle East airspace because of missile and drone threats since US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February triggered regional hostilities, with an airport in Saudi Arabia the latest site to come under attack.

Lebanon and its national carrier have been praised domestically for maintaining air navigation services and flights, helping to prop up an economy that depends on tourism and remittances.

Reuters reported, citing three US airline officials on the condition of anonymity, they do not think any American carriers would resume flights to Lebanon in the near term due to security concerns.

While there are no direct flights between Beirut and the United States, such service exists between Lebanon and some large European cities.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it was aware of the ICAO report and added that EU airlines must conduct their own assessment of an airport's safety and operational readiness before launching services.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI formally appointed on Friday the members of his country's new government, led for the first time in its history by a woman prime minister, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri.

Her centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) came out on top in September elections, and has entered into a coalition with the right-wing Istiqlal party and two smaller left-wing parties. Together they hold 210 of the parliament's 395 seats.

Thirteen out of 31 ministers from the previous government were retained in the incoming cabinet, including Nasser Bourita as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Abdelouafi Laftit as Minister of the Interior.

PAM newcomer Fouzi Lekjaa -- a budget minister in the outgoing government better known as the head of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation -- has been promoted to economy minister.

The new government also includes seven women, counting the prime minister, as did the previous one.

Following her royal audience on Friday, Mansouri touted an "ambitious government programme that can meet citizens' expectations".

September's vote, which saw the lowest turnout in nearly 20 years, was marked by concerns about the cost of living, employment and inequality.

The incoming government will have to address those concerns while also preparing for the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted with Spain and Portugal.

Israeli settlers on Friday attacked an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post while she was covering violence against Palestinian olive farmers in the occupied West Bank.

Heidi Levine, a veteran photographer, was taken to hospital in Ramallah following the attack, with photos showing her lying on a gurney with injuries to her leg and hand.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days ahead of elections in which he is seeking settlers' support, insisted the circumstances behind the incident were unclear, in contrast with the full-throated condemnation offered by his chief rival.

The attack comes 10 days after settlers beat an AFP photographer covering the West Bank olive harvest, Jaafar Ashtiyeh, leaving him also requiring hospital treatment.

Speaking to journalists from her hospital bed, Levine said that "more than 50" masked settlers holding sticks suddenly attacked her while she was working near the Palestinian villages of Abu Falah and Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank.

"All of a sudden they jumped me and I luckily had my helmet and flak jacket on and I... kept my face to the ground to try to protect my face," she said.

"They just kept kicking me and kicking me," she added.

After receiving initial care in Ramallah, Levine was transferred to Israel's Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where doctors found she had suffered four broken vertebrae and would need surgery.

The Washington Post said Levine had been wearing a flak jacket clearly marked "Press".

"We are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities," Matt Murray, the paper's executive editor, said in a statement.

'No mercy'

Netanyahu's office said Levine had been "allegedly assaulted", adding that the circumstances were "unclear and are under investigation".

"Those responsible will be held accountable," it said in an X post, giving a version of events in which "some 200 Arabs and far-left activists confronted approximately 40 Israeli youths", with both sides throwing objects at the other.

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main rival in the upcoming polls, blamed Friday's "unacceptable" attack on a "handful of rioters" whose actions, he said, "stain an entire nation".

A US State Department official said it condemned "criminal violence by any party in the West Bank" and called for "legal accountability for those responsible".

The official added the department had "reached out to the Washington Post to offer consular assistance".

AFP news agency reported that a journalist working for the agency reported witnessing Palestinian medics tending to someone in the area and Israeli soldiers pushing away journalists trying to approach.

The Israeli military said troops and border police forces were deployed to the area "following a report of a violent confrontation".

"A female journalist had been injured during the confrontation," it said, adding the circumstances would be examined.

"Attacks and violence against innocent civilians are grave and unacceptable acts," the military said.

The Israeli police said it had opened an investigation into incidents in Abu Falah and Turmus Ayya.

"We were on our land, picking olives, and suddenly the settlers came down on us and started hitting us, throwing stones," said Mukhlis Zuhdi, a farmer from Abu Falah.

"There was even a foreign journalist whom they beat. These people have no mercy or compassion in their hearts," he told AFP.

'Brazen violence'

The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said the settlers stole Levine's passport, phone, wallet and equipment.

"This is the latest in a long line of violent attacks by Israeli settlers against journalists and other civilians in the occupied West Bank," it said.

Reporters Without Borders said it strongly condemned the attack and called on Israeli authorities to "put an end to this impunity and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous assault".

"This brazen violence... is evidence of the impunity with which extremist Jewish settlers operate, often under the protection of Israeli armed forces," added the advocacy group, known by its French initials RSF.

Violence has flared in recent months in the West Bank, with near-daily attacks, thefts or vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

Excluding east Jerusalem, around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, alongside more than 500,000 Israelis residing in settlements considered illegal under international law.

On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Ministry summoned Colombia’s chargé d’affaires in Cairo to express its objection to the opening of the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, a ministerial source told the official news agency MENA. Egypt described the relocation of the diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv as a unilateral and unacceptable move.

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Bogotá March Rejects Colombia-Israel Ties Under De la Espriella

During the meeting, Cairo conveyed a strong protest and categorical rejection of the relocation of the Colombian diplomatic mission to Jerusalem. According to the source, Egypt stated that the decision contradicts the established legal and historical status of the city.

The Egyptian Ministry warned that such irresponsible actions would have negative repercussions for international efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that they would only serve to fuel tensions in the region.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to respect the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem and urged that all parties refrain from unilateral measures that could undermine the prospects for peace based on a two-state solution.

A Palestinian source indicated to EFE that the summons was in response to a resolution adopted last week by the Arab League Council. The resolution urged member states of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to summon the Colombian ambassadors accredited to their respective governments.

“Colombia está con nosotros”. Las palabras de nuestro primer ministro @netanyahu en la recepción organizada por el @IsraelMFA por la inauguración de la Embajada de Colombia en Jerusalén 🇮🇱🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/9znJgegzu5

— Israel en Colombia (@IsraelinCol) October 14, 2026

The text reads, ““Colombia is with us.” The words of our prime minister @netanyahu at the reception organized by @IsraelMFA for the inauguration of the Embassy of Colombia in Jerusalem”

The objective is to lodge a formal protest against what Arab nations describe as an illegal decision by Colombia, as well as to assess the impact of this move on bilateral relations with Bogotá.

On Friday, the foreign ministers of 19 Arab and Islamic nations—including Egypt—issued a joint statement strongly condemning the opening of the Colombian diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. The opening of the embassy followed the rise to power of Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella, who announced in July that the diplomatic mission would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This move is part of the restoration of diplomatic relations with Israel, which had been severed by the previous president, Gustavo Petro.

According to the UN and the majority of the international community, East Jerusalem is Palestinian territory that has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel annexed it in 1980 through a law declaring it its “eternal and indivisible” capital—a decision that the UN Security Council deemed a violation of international law.

The controversy centers on the impact of this diplomatic relocation on the status of Jerusalem, the rights of the Palestinian people, and the prospects for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella signed Decree 1525, a measure that facilitates police repression by broadening the definition of “violence” during popular protests.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara warned that the new regulation will take effect before demonstrations… pic.twitter.com/YYfouyRGyt

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 14, 2026

The Syrian government has accused Israel of exploiting the Druze community in the southern province of Suweida for political and electoral purposes, and of arming a militia in the area.

In a statement on Thursday evening carried by Syria’s state-run news agency, a government source said the Druze community in Suweida "has been and will remain an integral part of the national fabric of the Syrian Arab Republic," rejecting what it described as attempts to draw the community into Israeli political campaigning.

The statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had spoken by phone with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the violence in Suweida in July 2025.

Addressing an election campaign gathering of Druze citizens in the northern Israeli town of Yarka, Netanyahu described the call as "short and very sharp" and claimed he had helped stop a massacre.

"We took down the Ministry of Defense [headquarters] in Damascus, just like that, it’s gone. We struck inside the [Presidential] Palace compound, and I made a phone call to Sharaa. It was a very brief, very sharp conversation, and the massacre stopped," Netanyahu said.

Damascus has neither confirmed nor denied that the call took place.

The Syrian government source said Israel had played a "major and deliberate role" in undermining civil peace in Suweida in July 2025, accusing it of arming an outlawed militia to foment unrest and create a pretext for drawing Syria into a wider war. The source also said the government had thwarted those efforts and was monitoring what it described as continued Israeli attempts to destabilise the province.

The source said US mediation had led to a halt in Israeli airstrikes in July 2025, which it claimed had prevented the Syrian government from intervening to end the clashes between Druze and Bedouin groups.

It also said Damascus was continuing to work with the United States and Jordan to implement a joint roadmap for Suweida, aimed at reintegrating the province under a national framework that safeguards residents’ rights and promotes security and stability.

In September 2025, Syria, Jordan and the United States announced the roadmap, which included commitments to rebuild trust, promote community reconciliation, investigate violations and hold those responsible to account, as well as facilitate humanitarian aid and restore essential services. It remains unclear how far these commitments have been implemented.

A ceasefire has been in place in Suweida since July 2025, following deadly clashes that began between Bedouin tribes and Druze groups before escalating with the intervention of government forces and tribal fighters who arrived in the province to support the Bedouin side.

The fighting involved grave human rights abuses against Druze civilians, including summary executions, according to reports documenting the violence.

A Syrian investigative committee said in March that 1,760 people from all sides had been killed and 2,188 injured. Other monitoring groups have reported higher death tolls.

Suweida remains largely outside central government control. Some factions aligned with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri have called for Israeli protection or closer ties with Israel, while other Druze religious figures, activists and armed groups have rejected Israeli intervention and called for the province to remain part of a unified Syria.

Israel currently occupies parts of southwestern Syria, which Israeli forces stormed in December 2024 following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Damascus has repeatedly called on Israel to withdraw from these territories and return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.

The Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights are also home to a Druze community. Israel has occupied the territory since 1967 and later annexed it, a move recognised by the United States and Colombia but rejected by most of the international community.

Syria is emerging from a brutal 14-year civil war, and the new government has struggled to reassert central authority across the country amid continuing security, social and economic challenges.

The Israeli settlement movement Nahala announced on Friday that it had attempted to establish a new settlement outpost near the fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip, naming it “Pioneers of Gaza”.

The move was intended to pressure the Israeli government into allowing settlements to be re-established inside the enclave. Israeli police intervened to disperse the settlers, while the Israeli military closed roads leading to the area and declared it a closed military zone to prevent them from returning or attempting to cross the border into Gaza.

In a post on X, the settler group said it had established the outpost overnight with the participation of more than 700 people, including bereaved families, wounded Israeli soldiers, rabbis, members of the Knesset and public figures. It added that participants had erected structures and laid basic infrastructure near the border fence, in an area opposite Gaza City, in preparation for moving the outpost into the Strip.

Nahala called on the Israeli government to immediately approve the transfer of the outpost to the buffer zone occupied by the Israeli military in northern Gaza, urging it not to yield to external pressure. The movement claimed that “Gaza is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel” and argued that taking control of territory and establishing settlements were the means to impose defeat on the Palestinians.

It also called for the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza, the repeal of the Disengagement Law and the encouragement of Palestinian emigration to be included among the core principles of the next Israeli government.

The movement said that Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, a member of Likud, had participated in the settlement activity overnight. In a video recording, he was seen saying: “One more step forward; we are getting closer and closer to the desired goal,” referring to the re-establishment of Israeli settlements inside the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the Hebrew-language news website Walla reported that Israeli police had dispersed settlers who attempted to establish the outpost in Simhoni Forest, located between the Israeli settlements of Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza and the border fence with Gaza. It added that the military had closed roads leading to the area and declared it a closed military zone, fearing that settlers might bypass the barriers, reach the border fence or cross into the Strip.

The website quoted Israeli military sources as saying that around 50 settlers had actually been present at the site, contradicting Nahala’s announcement that more than 700 people had participated in the operation. It explained that the settlers had erected structures in the area between Israeli communities and the border fence but had not entered the Gaza Strip during this attempt.

For its part, the Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Nahala had established the outpost as a first step towards moving settlers into the Strip. It noted that the organisers were demanding that the government adopt a decision permitting the establishment of settlement communities in Gaza. The Israeli government has not announced its approval of the outpost’s establishment or its transfer into the Strip.

This latest attempt is part of a series of initiatives led by the Nahala movement, whose prominent leaders include settler activist Daniella Weiss, to re-establish settlements in the Gaza Strip since the war began in 2023.

In January 2024, the movement organised a conference in Jerusalem in cooperation with other settlement groups, under the title “Victory Conference”. The event called for the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza and the northern West Bank and was attended by Israeli political figures, including 10 ministers from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and members of the governing coalition in the Knesset. Among them were National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

 

Israeli settler terrorists set three vehicles belonging to Palestinians alight early on Friday morning in the occupied West Bank, amid fierce attacks on farmers in their olive groves.

The settlers descended on the villages of Turmus Ayya, Abu Falah, and Deir Jarir early in the morning, with local sources stating that they also beat farmers during olive harvesting season.

Video footage circulating of the attack showed the cars completely engulfed in flames, with emergency services grappling to put out the fire between plumes of dark smoke.

One of the cars burned belonged to Palestinian civil defence teams, local media reported.

At least four people were also wounded in a settler attack on residents picking olives in the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah.

The Red Crescent Society confirmed its crews received four people who were wounded, who were later transported by the Deir Dibwan ambulance to the hospital.

It added that one of the victims was a 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man.

A photojournalist was also wounded in attacks by settlers in a raid on the village of Abu Fallah, northeast of Ramallah.

Settlers further burned olive trees while under the protection of Israeli forces, with the latter firing live ammunition and tear gas at Palestinians to force them away from their land.

A 70-year-old Palestinian man was among those attacked by settlers in the village of Burham, causing him fractures and injuries across his body.

The mayor of the village of Abwein, Mahmoud Dheeb Hamad, said that settlers attacked locals and farmers, seized their harvest and two cars, before vandalising the property of Palestinians and pushing them out of their land.

The string of violent attacks comes after settlers on Thursday evening stole a tractor from an area northwest of Nablus, belonging to a Palestinian man identified as Hossam Saif.

The Palestinian Authority’s Commission against the Wall and Settlements said earlier this week that it had documented at least 136 attacks since the start of the olive harvesting season, which commenced in October.

The commission noted that the attacks comprised of beatings, forced expulsions, intimidation, shooting, tear gas, arrests, and the stealing of harvests and equipment.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, Israeli settlers and forces have ramped up their attacks targeting Palestinians and their property.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also said in September that over 1,600 settler attacks had been recorded from the start of this year until 14 September, with at least 275 Palestinian communities affected.

The United States is stepping up pressure on Lebanon to repeal or amend laws criminalising contact with Israel, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio raising the issue directly with President Joseph Aoun.

Rubio discussed Lebanon's 1955 Boycott of Israel law during a phone call with Aoun on Thursday, according to a statement from the US embassy in Beirut.

He described the legislation as "impractical" and said it was being used in politically motivated prosecutions that obstructed efforts towards peace.

Rubio also urged Lebanon and Israel to establish direct military-to-military communication to reduce the risk of clashes and help implement a US-backed framework agreement between the two countries.

The renewed pressure follows controversy over a legal complaint against Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad.

The complaint was filed after Lebanese and Israeli media reported that Moawad had contacted Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter following an attack in the occupied West Bank in which his son was injured.

Moawad did not publicly confirm or deny the reports.

The complaint was referred to Lebanon's military judiciary, prompting a strong response from Washington.

The State Department said it was "shameful" for a military court to consider a complaint against an ambassador "simply for implementing her legitimate government's policy and participating in US-led negotiations".

Judge Claude Ghanem, the government commissioner at the Military Court, closed the case on Wednesday after finding insufficient evidence that Moawad had violated Lebanon's boycott legislation.

President Aoun also defended the ambassador, saying the alleged contact had not taken place.

"If the aim of those doing this is to target the path we have taken to end the state of war and save Lebanon, then they are committing a crime against the country," he said.

The case has nevertheless brought Lebanon's anti-normalisation legislation back to the centre of political debate.

The 1955 Boycott of Israel law prohibits Lebanese individuals and companies from entering into agreements or transactions with Israeli entities or people based in Israel.

Lebanon's Penal Code also criminalises certain forms of contact with an enemy state, with some offences classified as treason.

Although Lebanon and Israel remain formally in a state of hostility, they began direct US-mediated negotiations in April and signed a framework agreement in Washington on 26 June.

US officials now argue that Lebanon's existing laws are incompatible with that diplomatic process.

Sources told The New Arab that US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa has been pressing Lebanese political figures, particularly MPs opposed to Hezbollah, to support changes to the legislation.

Washington reportedly sees repeal or amendment of the laws as part of a broader package of demands on Beirut.

These include accelerating efforts to disarm Hezbollah, reforming the Military Court and implementing financial, monetary and political reforms.

US officials have also expressed frustration at what they see as slow implementation by the Lebanese government.

The pressure comes as Lebanon and Israel prepare for another round of US-sponsored negotiations, expected to take place in Florida later this month.

The legal debate has grown as direct contact between Lebanese and Israeli officials becomes increasingly routine under US mediation.

Some Lebanese legal experts argue that the existing framework has effectively become harder to enforce as official negotiations expand.

Lebanese media outlets have also increasingly interviewed Israeli officials and journalists, while contacts once considered politically or legally taboo have become more common.

Washington's latest intervention is likely to intensify a wider domestic debate over whether Lebanon can continue formal negotiations with Israel while retaining legislation that criminalises many forms of contact with it.

A series of statements by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has raised questions over whether the former military general will step down when his current term ends in 2030.

Speaking at the 44th Armed Forces Educational Symposium on Wednesday, Sisi reaffirmed that Egypt's constitution would remain protected and unchanged, remarks that were welcomed by supporters but also drew scepticism.

The president said the constitution would remain untouched, and warned against attempts to incite unrest in Egypt.

“There is a constitution for this state, there is a constitution that we approved for this state, no one will touch it … no one will touch it," Sisi reiterated.

The remarks have sparked debate in Egypt, with some interpreting them as a sign that he does not plan to pursue constitutional changes that would allow him to remain in power for longer.

Here, The New Arab takes a closer look at what the constitution states and what his comments could be hinting at. 

What does the constitution say?

Egypt's 2014 constitution, prior to being amended in 2019, stipulated in Article 140 that the country's president is elected to serve a four-year term, with the possibility of re-election only once.

In 2019, an amendment that maintained the two-term limit but extended each term to six years forwarded by a pro-government bloc, was approved by parliament.

The amendment was later approved in a public referendum which saw 88.8 percent of voters vote in favour and 11.1 percent against, with a turnout of 44 percent.

Rights groups and monitors warned at the time that the moves would entrench repression in Egypt, with reports of intimidation of referendum voters and journalists, arrests of opponents of the amendments, and vote buying by state-aligned entities.

Why is Sisi making these statements now?

Sisi's latest statements come amid calls from supporters for him to extend his rule over the country, including the launch of an online petition calling for the president to stay in his post until 2050.

This, however, has prompted widespread backlash, as many have decried it as undemocratic and have cited Sisi's crackdown on dissent. 

Saeed Sadek, a professor of political sociology, told The New Arab that the president's statements appear to be aimed at closing the door to speculation about his political future. 

The comments also come at a time when Egypt is facing several challenges, particularly from upheaval in the region and a sustained domestic economic crisis.

Sadek added, however, that the statement raises the political cost of any attempt to amend the constitution in the near future, though it does not completely shut the door to changes.

The constitution, he highlighted, contains mechanisms for amendments which can be activated with the necessary political will and backing of parliament.

Sadek notes that Sisi had made similar statements prior to the 2019 amendments.

What has been the response?

While Sisi did not explicitly say he would step down or rule out standing for re-election in 2030, his words have sparked some optimism for many.

Hamdeen Sabahi, Karama Party founder and former presidential candidate who stood against Sisi in 2014, described the president's comments as the "best of words", and expressed his hope that they would be followed up by the "best of actions".

In statements to the press, Sabahi expressed hope that Sisi would hand over power in 2030, paving the way for a new era in Egypt.

Amr Hashem Rabie, an expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, also told The New Arab that Sisi's statements indicate that Egypt is heading towards the election of a new president in 2030, unless unforeseen circumstances alter this course.

He added that some political parties, such as Nation's Future Party, Homeland Protectors, and the National Front Party, might push for street rallies to demand the president's continued rule, in addition to the role of some media figures who might promote the idea that there is no viable alternative to the president.

Sisi's remarks were also welcomed by Justice Party leader Abdel Moneim Imam, who similarly expressed hope for a peaceful transfer of power.

Egypt's Civil Democratic Movement was among those who welcomed the remarks, though cautioned that the constitution should not be subject to amendment according to circumstances or individuals.

Many Arabic-language reports from outside of Egypt have further expressed skepticism about the president's remarks, given that he holds such a tight grip on the state's institutions.

Sisi took power after removing Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamad Morsi, in 2013, and has led a crackdown on dissent within Egypt. By 2030, the former military general would have served as Egypt's president for 16 years.