President Donald Trump arrived Wednesday in Qatar, where he was greeted by the country鈥檚 ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, as he kicked off the second leg of his three-nation Middle East tour this week.
In a stunning engagement earlier in the day in Saudi Arabia, , Ahmad al-Sharaa 鈥 who as an insurgent had spent years imprisoned by U.S. troops in Iraq. Trump said the rapprochement with Syria came at the urging of Saudi Crown Prince and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
鈥淭here is a new government that will hopefully succeed,鈥 said Trump, who announced he'll move to lift sanctions on Syria to give the country 鈥渁 chance at peace.鈥
鈥淚 say good luck, Syria. Show us something special," Trump said.
In Saudi Arabia, Trump focused on dealmaking with the kingdom, a key Mideast ally. Trump and Prince Mohammed, the kingdom鈥檚 de facto ruler, signed a host of economic and bilateral agreements. Trump also touched on shared concerns about the and . Trump said he wants to avoid conflict with Tehran, as he pushes for a new nuclear deal.
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In a scenario mimicking the lavish Saudi welcome, Trump lands in Qatar
On his flight from Saudi Arabia, Air Force One was escorted by Qatari F-15 jets, according to a post on X by White House official Margo Martin. It was a repeat of , which was a high-profile move without recent precedent.
Trump was greeted at the airport by Qatar鈥檚 emir Sheikh Tamim Al Thani. Both leaders then walked down a receiving line of representatives from each country at the Amiri Diwan, the government palace. The ceremonial greeting also included an escort of riders on camelback.
While Al Thani shook hands with U.S. officials, he had a warmer greeting for Steve Witkoff, Trump鈥檚 envoy who has played a key role in Middle East negotiations. They clasped hands and pulled each other in for an embrace. Trump then sat down briefly with Al Thani and marveled at the government palace.
鈥淎s a construction person, I鈥檓 seeing perfect marble,鈥 said the former real estate developer. He described it as 鈥減erfecto.鈥
Meals provided by charity kitchens in Gaza plunge dramatically
The number of meals that charity kitchens are providing to Palestinians in Gaza has plunged to around 260,000 under Israel鈥檚 10-week-old blockade 鈥 down from more than 1 million a day in late April, the U.N says.
Charity kitchens are the last lifeline of food for most of Gaza鈥檚 population of some 2.3 million, but they are rapidly shutting down because supplies are running out.
In the first two weeks of May, at least 112 kitchens 鈥 more than 60% of the total 鈥 shut down, the U.N. humanitarian office, or OCHA, said in a report Wednesday. Only 68 kitchens still operate, it said.
Israel has barred all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies from entering the Gaza Strip since March 2. It says the blockade is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release its remaining hostages and disarm.
warned this week that Gaza will likely fall into famine unless Israel lifts the blockade and ends its military campaign. They found that one in five Palestinians in Gaza are already on the brink of starvation.
Is Putin leading Trump on?
President Donald Trump says he doesn鈥檛 think Russian President Vladimir Putin will go to Turkey for ceasefire talks with Ukraine unless he also goes.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if he would be there if I鈥檓 not there,鈥 Trump said, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he was flying from Saudi Arabia to Qatar.
He noted that his schedule on Thursday is 鈥渁ll booked out鈥 with a state visit in Qatar, set to include an engagement with U.S. troops in the region. Trump didn鈥檛 categorically rule out visiting Turkey, but said he planned to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his stead.
Trump also said he鈥檒l know more in a few days if Putin is just leading him on on its openness to negotiations to end its war on Ukraine.
Asked if he believed Putin was just 鈥渢apping鈥 him, as he suggested earlier this month, Trump said in response: 鈥淚鈥檒l let you know in a few days.鈥
Trump's impressions of Syria's new leader: 鈥楶retty amazing鈥
Trump praised Syria's new leader after their meeting in Saudi Arabia.
He鈥檚 a 鈥測oung, attractive guy,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淭ough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.鈥
Trump also said he thought al-Sharaa has 鈥済ot a real shot at holding it together.鈥
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 got the potential to do 鈥 he鈥檚 a real leader. He led a charge and he鈥檚 pretty amazing,鈥 Trump said, adding that he believes al-Sharaa will eventually join the Abraham Accords and recognize Israel.
鈥淚 think they have to get themselves straightened up,鈥 Trump says. 鈥淚 told him, 鈥業 hope you鈥檙e going to join when it鈥檚 straightened out.鈥 He said, 鈥榊es.鈥 But they have a lot of work to do.
No clue about stablecoin, Trump says
Trump says he 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 know鈥 how an Emirati investment firm chose a stablecoin launched by one of his businesses for a $2 billion investment.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know anything about it,鈥 Trump says when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One about the transaction.
A state-backed investment company in Abu Dhabi announced it had chosen USD, World Liberty Financial鈥檚 , to back a $2 billion investment in , the world鈥檚 largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Critics say that allows Trump family-aligned interests to essentially take a cut of each dollar invested. Trump on Thursday is set to travel to Abu Dhabi on the final leg of his Gulf states trip that has seen his business and official interests intersect.
Gaza's death toll from Israeli strikes rises to at least 60
The Gaza Health Ministry says that about 60 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza overnight and early on Wednesday morning.
In addition to strikes in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, that killed more than 50 people, including 22 children, additional strikes killed at least 10 people in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to the European Hospital.
Overnight in Jabaliya, rescue workers smashed through collapsed concrete slabs using hand tools, lit only by the light of cellphone cameras, to remove bodies of some of the children who were killed.
Iran unhappy with Trump's moves on Syria
Iran鈥檚 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed displeasure at Trump鈥檚 announcement about the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria.
Araghchi, who is Iran鈥檚 nuclear negotiator, slammed Trump as having a 鈥渧ery deceitful viewpoint.鈥
鈥淲hat he stated about the hope of regional nations for a progressive, flourishing path, is the same path that people of Iran decided through their revolution,鈥 Araghchi said.
鈥淚t was the U.S. that blocked progress of Iranian nation through sanctions for more than 40 years as well as its pressures, military and nonmilitary threats,鈥 he added.
Trump dives into Mideast crises in his speech to GCC leaders
Trump told GCC leaders in Riyadh that he wanted to secure a deal that would prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
He said he hoped for a 鈥渇uture of safety and dignity of the Palestinian people鈥 but not with Gaza鈥檚 current leaders, Hamas, who he said 鈥渄elight in raping, torturing and murdering innocent people.鈥 He said his sanctions relief for Syria would 鈥済ive them a fresh start.鈥
He told the room of regional leaders that the the world was watching them 鈥渨ith envy鈥 but added: 鈥渋f we can simply stop the aggression from a small group of pretty bad actors.鈥
Trump also dove into U.S. politics, making sure to mention his victory in the 2024 election, which he called historic. He said the Biden administration 鈥渃reated havoc and bedlam.鈥
Photos show up of Trump's meeting with Syria's al-Sharaa
The photos show Syrian interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, shaking hands with the Saudi crown prince, with Trump standing behind them. The three leaders later posed for a photo, Trump smiling broadly. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had joined the gathering by phone.
The source of the photos was not immediately clear, though Syrian activists and others shared them and local Saudi-owned media began publishing them.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said later in a statement that Trump urged al-Sharaa to 鈥渄o a great job for the Syrian people.鈥
He also asked him to diplomatically recognize Israel, 鈥渢ell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria鈥 and help the U.S. stop any resurgence of the Islamic State group, as well as having Syrian government 鈥渁ssume responsibility鈥 for detention centers holding IS militants.
For his part, al-Sharaa expressed "hope that Syria would serve as a critical link in facilitating trade between east and west, and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas,鈥 Leavitt wrote.
France's Macron says the Netanyahu government's blockade of aid to Gaza is a 鈥榙isgrace鈥
French President Emmanuel Macron strongly denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 decision to block aid from entering Gaza as 鈥渁 disgrace鈥 that is causing a major humanitarian crisis.
鈥淚 say it forcefully, what Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 government is doing today is unacceptable,鈥 Macron said Tuesday evening on TF1 national television as he was asked about the situation in Gaza.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no medicine. We can鈥檛 get the wounded out. Doctors can鈥檛 get in,鈥 Macron said. 鈥淲hat he鈥檚 doing is a disgrace, it鈥檚 a disgrace!鈥
Macron, who visited injured Palestinians in El Arish hospital in Egypt last month, called on reopening the Gaza border to humanitarian convoys as a priority. 鈥淭hen, yes, we must fight to demilitarize Hamas, free the hostages and build a political solution,鈥 he said.
Netanyahu had asked Trump not to remove sanctions on Syria, Israeli official says
The Israeli prime minister made the request during his visit to Washington last month, according to the official. The official says the request was made out of concern that a cross-border attack similar to Hamas鈥 Oct. 7, 2023, assault, could come from Syria.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the request with the media.
Israel fears that the new Syrian president and his Islamist past could pose a threat on its northern border.
Trump on Tuesday said he would ease sanctions on Syria and move to restore ties with its new leader. The move is just the latest disagreement between the U.S. and Israeli leaders who have differed on how to approach Iran and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, among other regional issues. Trump鈥檚 first term policies were overwhelmingly favorable to Israel.
鈥 By Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel;
Trump meets Syria's new leader, once imprisoned by US troops in Iraq
The meeting between Trump and Syria鈥檚 interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was the first such encounter between the two nations鈥 leaders in 25 years.
It took place on the sidelines of Trump sitting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Reporters were not allowed in to witness the stunning engagement.
It was a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family.
People across Syria cheered in the streets and shot off fireworks Tuesday night to celebrate after Trump announced he would move to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, hopeful their nation locked out of credit cards and global finance might rejoin the world鈥檚 economy when they need investment the most.
Punishing Israeli strikes in northern Gaza kill 48, including at least 22 children
The strikes took place overnight on Tuesday and early Wednesday, the Indonesian Hospital in Jabaliya reported.
They came a day after Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage in a deal brokered by the United States, and as Trump was in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there was 鈥渘o way鈥 Israel would halt its war in Gaza, dimming hopes for a ceasefire spurred by the Trump administration's efforts in the region.
Israeli military warns people in 3 ports in Yemen to evacuate
Israel's military spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee has urged people to evacuate the ports of Ras Isa, Hodeida and Salif, where he says the Iran-backed Houthi rebels operate.
The warnings came as Trump continues his visit to the region and after the U.S. reached a ceasefire deal with the Houthis. The Israeli military made a similar warning for people to evacuate the ports on Sunday but did not follow that up with strikes.
Last week, Israel carried out a two-day strike on the Houthis, including the airport in Yemen鈥檚 capital, after the Houthis launched a missile that struck the grounds of Israel鈥檚 main international airport.
Syrians cheer Trump's announcement on sanctions
Syrians cheered Trump's announcement that America will move to lift sanctions on the beleaguered Middle East nation. People in the capital, Damascus, whistled and cheered the news as fireworks lit the night sky.
The state-run SANA news agency published video and photographs of Syrians cheering in Umayyad Square. Others honked their car horns or waved the new Syrian flag in celebration.
Trump鈥檚 planned meeting with the country鈥檚 rebel-turned-leader Ahmad al-Sharaa represents a remarkable political turnaround for Syria, which has been locked in a bitter war since the 2011 Arab Spring. In December, rebels led by al-Sharaa toppled Syrian autocrat Bashar Assad鈥檚 government.
Al-Sharaa, who was imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, will be the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.
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From a former insurgent who led Assad鈥檚 overthrow to a meeting with Trump
The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about the whereabouts of the insurgent then known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani. He had joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq.
Syria鈥檚 new president came back to his home country after the conflict began in 2011, and led al-Qaida鈥檚 branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front.
He later changed the name of his group and cut links with al-Qaida before they finally succeeded in overthrowing President Bashar Assad in December.
Syrian鈥檚 interim government hails US sanction decision
Syria鈥檚 Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night called Trump's statement about the sanctions a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as they "seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war.鈥
The statement also was careful to describe the sanctions as coming 鈥渋n response to the war crimes committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people,鈥 rather than the war-torn nation鈥檚 new interim government.
鈥淭he removal of these sanctions offers a vital opportunity for Syria to pursue stability, self-sufficiency and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people,鈥 the statement added.
Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels likely fired another missile at Israel
The Israeli military issued a statement on Wednesday morning announcing the missile fire from Yemen after sirens sounded in the country.
鈥淎 missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,鈥 the Israeli military said. 鈥淪irens were sounded in accordance with protocol.鈥
The Houthis had launched another missile just after Trump addressed an investment summit in Riyadh on Tuesday. Trump had earlier announced a ceasefire between America and the rebel group.
The Houthis have been attacking Israel over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel鈥檚 decision to bar aid to the beleaguered Palestinian enclave. The Iranian-backed rebels also are locked in a stalemated war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the country鈥檚 long-exiled government.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take hours or even days for them to acknowledge an assault.
New Zealand tells its travelers to the US to expect more 鈥榮crutiny鈥 at America's border
The foreign ministry bolstered its travel cautions for New Zealanders visiting the United States, the first such update since Trump took office, officials said Wednesday. The travel advice hadn鈥檛 been fully updated since 2023, the statement said.
Language added to the guidance for U.S.-bound travelers included an alert that visitors 鈥渕ay encounter scrutiny from U.S. border authorities,鈥 including inspection of their travel documents, reason for travel and personal belongings.
It also warned travelers to 鈥渆xpect strict enforcement鈥 of entry conditions and caution of 鈥渄etention, deportation and ban from re-entry鈥 if travelers don鈥檛 comply.
