Many global media outlets have published reports about an imminent invasion of Lebanon by Israel. Several Western governments have advised their citizens to leave Lebanon. Bild, Germany’s largest daily newspaper, citing diplomatic and military sources in the Middle East, has published an article claiming that Israel may embark on a large-scale military invasion of southern Lebanon towards the end of July.

On May 27-28, 2024, a delegation of the Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan, headed by Vice-President Moulawi Rozi Mohammad Rashid, visited Moscow at the invitation of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (OIS RAS). This is the first visit of Afghan scientists to Russia after the Taliban came to power in August 2021.

A new year, 2024, in the Middle East has begun with even more massive bombing by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) of the Gaza Strip. The International Confederation of Independent NGO groups Oxfam (secretariat based in Nairobi, Kenya) estimates that 250 Palestinians are being killed per day, far exceeding the daily death toll in other conflicts in recent years. According to the UN, as of 11 January, 23,469 people have been killed by the IDF in Gaza, 59064 wounded, 7,000 missing or buried under the rubble of buildings. Among the dead, 70 per cent are women and children…

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. At the 150 litres per day recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Jordan has an average of 70 litres per person per day. Groundwater is rapidly depleting (in some parts of the country the level is dropping by more than a metre a year), rainfall has fallen by 60 per cent in recent years and six of the 14 reservoirs have dried up. All this is happening against the backdrop of the Kingdom’s growing population and the influx of more than a million Syrian refugees…

The Israeli media began to release increasingly frequent publications on the actual casualties of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and other security, defense and law enforcement agencies during the clashes in the Gaza Strip. The most sensational publication, causing a massive reaction especially in the Arab world and Iran, was the investigative report of the Israeli journalist Ariel Shimon, fired from Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper after his controversial publication was released. Unfortunately, the author could not find the original of Shimon’s report, even in Hebrew…