Middle East

The war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza directly impacts many Minnesotans. And while MPR News does not have journalists stationed in the region, we do have a responsibility to our audiences to report on how this ongoing conflict affects people here. Our goal is to provide MPR News audiences with a variety of perspectives, context and factual information. We are committed to using language that is as precise as possible.

As you will see here, the majority of the coverage on our air and our website is provided by our national and international news partners, NPR and the BBC. The language and terminology used to describe the conflict are changing. If you have questions or concerns about our coverage please reach out to us.

How Syria's revolution could reshape the Middle East
The swift downfall of Bashar al-Assad is reverberating throughout the Middle East. Countries are urgently reassessing how to deal with a nation seeking to rebuild itself after years of civil war.
In Syria, the Assads leave a bitter legacy after a half-century of repressive rule
President Bashar Assad and his father, Hafez Assad, combined to rule Syria for more than 50 years, always with an iron fist that crushed dissent and relied on the country's feared security forces.
Israel and Hezbollah have a cease-fire agreement. Here's what it says
The cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel brokered by the United States and France was characterized by President Biden as an attempt to deliver a "permanent cessation of hostilities."
Netanyahu urges his cabinet to approve a cease-fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging Israel's security Cabinet to approve a cease-fire with Hezbollah, paving the way for a possible pause in over a year of fighting with the Iran-backed group.
Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed
Israel says the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found, citing Emirati authorities. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday said Zvi Kogan was killed, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident.”
Hezbollah fires about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in heaviest barrage in weeks
Hezbollah has fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, wounding seven people in one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months. Sunday’s attacks in northern and central Israel came in response to deadly Israeli strikes in central Beirut on Saturday. Israel struck southern Beirut on Sunday.