Raya Jalabi

Monday, 5 June, 2023

News in-depthLebanon

Foot-dragging over central bank chief underscores Lebanon dysfunction

Country was grappling with a leadership vacuum and an economic collapse even before the arrest warrants for Riad Salameh

Friday, 19 May, 2023

Middle Eastern politics & society

Syria’s president al-Assad welcomed back into fold at Arab League summit

Countries to discuss initiative with leader to encourage millions of refugees to return

Tuesday, 16 May, 2023

Lebanon

France issues arrest warrant for Lebanon central bank chief

Riad Salameh failed to appear before Paris investigators over corruption and money-laundering

Monday, 15 May, 2023

COP28

Syrian leader Assad invited to COP 28 climate summit in Dubai

Move likely to cause disquiet among those expressing disdain for the pace of reconciliation with Damascus

Sunday, 14 May, 2023

Oil & Gas industry

How Iran will profit from Shell’s Iraqi gas project

Tehran-based company receives most of the revenues from the power plant used by UK group’s joint venture in Iraq

Thursday, 4 May, 2023

Lebanon

Judge investigating Lebanon’s central bank chief is ousted

Ghada Aoun dismissed amid multiple corruption probes against country’s political and financial elite

Monday, 1 May, 2023

News in-depthMiddle Eastern politics & society

Arab world weighs price for Assad’s rehabilitation

Diplomats say Syria’s pariah leader will be expected to make concessions to enable his return to Arab League

Monday, 1 May, 2023

Middle Eastern politics & society

Erdoğan says Isis leader killed in operation by Turkish forces

US has not confirmed Ankara’s strike on Islamist leader Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi

Wednesday, 12 April, 2023

Middle Eastern politics & society

Saudi Arabia hosts Syrian foreign minister for first time since civil war

Visit is the latest sign that Arab countries who once opposed regime are moving closer to embracing Damascus

Monday, 10 April, 2023

FT News Briefing podcast10 min listen

The rising influence of Mrs Assad

China corruption probes are going after financial executives for 'hedonism'

Sunday, 9 April, 2023

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israeli strikes on Syria targets cap week of tensions

Attacks come after 48 hours of tit-for-tat violence ignited by police raid at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque

Saturday, 8 April, 2023

Iraq

Iraq demands Turkey apologise for drone strike on Syrian Kurdish leader

Mazloum Abdi, a US ally against Isis, escaped the attack on an airport in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region

Friday, 7 April, 2023

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza and Lebanon

Weapons manufacturing sites and tunnels hit, says Israeli military

Friday, 7 April, 2023

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israel hits targets in Lebanon and Gaza as tensions mount

Netanyahu says response will ‘exact heavy price’ after rockets are fired at Israel amid clashes at al-Aqsa mosque

Wednesday, 5 April, 2023

TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies strikes deal with Iraq to revive $27bn energy projects

Gas, oil and solar initiatives had become bogged down in political negotiations

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

Syria

Two people killed in Israeli air strikes on Damascus suburb

Attacks come days after Israel downed what it said was an Iranian drone that crossed into its territory from Syria

Sunday, 2 April, 2023

Iraq

Iraqi authorities reach preliminary deal to resume oil exports to Turkey

Final agreement expected ‘within days’ to restart flow of crude halted by tribunal decision

Sunday, 2 April, 2023

The Big Read

Syria’s state capture: the rising influence of Mrs Assad

The first lady now has a leading role in a regime that is plundering the wealth of its people

Tuesday, 28 March, 2023

Bashar al-Assad

Assad cousins hit with sanctions over amphetamine trade that funds regime

Captagon is estimated to be worth $57bn annually to the Syrian government

Tuesday, 28 March, 2023

OutlookLebanon

Lebanon fails the test of time

The decision to delay daylight savings plunged the country into a crisis of conflicting time zones

Monday, 27 March, 2023

News in-depthIraq

Crippling dollar shortage underscores vulnerability of Iraq’s oil-based economy

Attempts to control a monetary crisis have had unintended consequences for a country struggling to get back on its feet

Saturday, 25 March, 2023

Oil

Iraq wins landmark case against Turkey over Kurdish oil exports

Nine-year dispute over region’s energy sales settled by international court

Thursday, 16 March, 2023

Money laundering

Lebanon’s central bank chief in court to face money-laundering allegations

Riad Salameh for the first time appears in front of European investigators probing the accusations

Tuesday, 14 March, 2023

Lebanon

Lebanon’s banks begin strike action over ‘arbitrary’ judicial decisions

Closures are the latest blow for the country’s depositors who are already struggling to access their own money

Wednesday, 8 March, 2023

News in-depthTurkey-Syria earthquake

Spy chief’s daughter highlights UN’s tangled relations with Syrian regime

Sanctioned figure’s daughter works for UN agency as quake exposes compromises in aid provision benefiting regime

Middle East correspondent

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