Trump’s AI Gaza video elicits mockery from Middle East social media users The US president’s video depicting a future Gaza under American authority was widely shared on Arabic and Hebrew social media, with many Palestinian users criticizing it. Palestine
In first since regime fall, Syria’s Asma al-Assad breaks silence: What to know In a series of posts on an X account attributed to her, Syria’s former first lady Asma al-Assad wished the Syrian people safety and said she will not intervene in political issues in the future. Syria
After sharing escape plan, Hafez Bashar al-Assad's alleged X account suspended The son of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad posted about his family’s final days in Damascus before the rebel takeover. Syria
Turkey’s proposed ‘foreign agent’ law threatens press freedom, critics say The bill is seen as a major blow to the already weak independent civil society organizations in Turkey. Turkey
Analysis Telegram CEO's arrest spotlights UAE’s investment-based citizenship laws By Jennifer Gnana In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics
Turkey hands Meta $148K daily fine over antitrust violation Turkey’s competition watchdog also imposed an interim measure to suspend data-sharing between Instagram and Threads. Turkey
Twitter/X removes verified status of Iranian state media accounts The move followed a report suggesting X may be violating US sanctions by offering paid services to sanctioned Iranian organizations. Iran
Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei banned from Facebook and Instagram Khamenei remains active on X and has praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel on the platform. Iran
How France is targeting Hamas financing Representatives of 20 countries gathered in Paris to formulate a plan against the financing of Hamas and expand sanctions against its members. Israel
What's behind Elon Musk's visit to Israel, meeting with Netanyahu? On a visit to Israel, American billionaire Elon Musk called for a halt to the hate propaganda that he said enabled the Oct. 7 attack and also expressed willingness to help reconstruct Gaza. Israel
Saudi campaign to boycott TikTok spreads to private sector Many Saudis are calling for a boycott of the popular social media platform over it allegedly removing pro-Saudi content. Saudi Arabia
Twitter/X erases thousands of Israel-Hamas posts after EU disinfo warning The 27-nation bloc has also issued similar ultimatums to Meta and TikTok, imploring the companies to take fake posts about the conflict off their social media platforms. Israel
Iraqi militias continue to use Telegram despite block Iraq’s state media channel switched to the Israeli-founded Viber in response to the ban. Telegram is popular with protesters and militias alike in Iraq. Iraq
Arab users flock to Meta's Threads as it takes on Twitter Threads has seen a variety of new users from the Middle East since its launch Wednesday including influencers and even heads of state. Gulf
Turkey arrests prominent TV journalist over criticizing Ocalan's isolation Journalist Merdan Yanardag’s arrest comes amid a post-election climate in which many journalists feel threatened, according to media watchdogs. Turkey
Turkey Elections: Fears of internet restrictions mount with over a dozen under Erdogan With a critical presidential election runoff on Sunday, Turks are on high alert for potential censorship and internet shutdowns. Turkey
What's behind removal of Palestinian Mohammed Assaf's song from Spotify? Spotify says the Gazan artist’s song was removed from its streaming service by "the distributor." Social media users call the act discriminatory and part of the ongoing censorship of Palestinian content masked under the guise of eliminating anti-Israeli sentiment. Palestine
