Iran on Saturday named a new intelligence chief for its powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, state media reported.

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"Guard Corps chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami appointed Gen. Mohammad Kazemi as the new head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization," a spokesman for the IRGC Ramezan Sharif said in a statement.

Kazemi will replace Hossein Taeb, who served in the role for over a decade, and was not "promoted" to the role of the special adviser to Salami, Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported.

Taeb's apparent dismissal came on the heels of scathing criticism he faced following a failed attempt to carry out a terrorist attack against Israelis in Turkey.

Tehran vowed retaliation against Israel for a string of suspicious deaths of nuclear program personnel and IRGC officers, for which the ayatollahs' blame Israel.

Taeb's has been held responsible for the "operational failures" which were panned as a setback for Iran in its "shadow war" against Israel.

The IRGC's chief also named Gen. Hasan Mashroueifar as head of the Vali Amr Unit – the special forces unit that provides personal security for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Opposition sources cited unnamed senior security officials as calling to disband the IRGC's intelligence service over its "embarrassing" performance of late.

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Israel has warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that it would include one of his palaces in its counter-Iran target bank if he continues to allow Tehran to transfer "quality weapons" to Syria and Hezbollah, Arab news website Elaph reported Tuesday.

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The London-based outlet's report cited an unnamed senior Israeli source as saying that such a strike could be part of the deep raids the IDF is gearing up for to counter the Iranian presence in Syria.

Elaph's report came several hours after websites affiliated with the Syrian opposition claimed that a large explosion rocked the city of Bukamal, in the Deir ez-Zor area of eastern Syria, near the border with Iraq, on Monday night.

According to the reports. Unidentified fighter jets targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps positions in Bukamal. Syrian state media made no mention of the incident.

If the area was indeed bombed, the strike comes on the heels of two strikes on Damascus International Airport that took place last week, and which Arab media attributed to Israel.

Syria's Transport Ministry confirmed that the airport suffered major damage in the strikes, including to runways, forcing it to shut down.

Several weeks ago, intelligence was made public showing that a Hezbollah official was using civilian flights from Tehran to Damascus to smuggle weapons to its forces in Syria as well as to the Lebanon-based Shiite terrorist group, which is Iran's largest proxy in the Middle East.

Israel has made it clear it would not tolerate Iranian military presence on its borders. The IDF has carried out hundreds of strikes against Iranian assets in Syria – Israel's neighbor to the north – as part of the government's declared policy of preventing Iran from entrenching itself militarily in the war-torn country.

Elaph further noted that Russia, which stepped into the Syrian fray in late 2015 to save the Assad regime from collapse, had denounced the strike on the airport.

Moscow and Jerusalem set up a coordination mechanism once the Kremlin sent forces to Syria, to avoid any unintentional clash between their forces. However, according to the report, Israel began preparing for operations deep inside Syria without informing Russia, and the latter has been growing increasingly impatient with them – to the point of allegedly threatening to "change the rules of the game" in Syria.

The coordination mechanism set up between Russia and Israel has faltered since Prime Minister Naftali Bennett came to power in 2021, the report continued, and the Russians are now allowing pro-Iranian forces to move more freely toward southern Syria – contrary to the understanding previously reached between Jerusalem and Moscow.

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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech by telephone from his office in Ramallah on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to quell rumors about his medical condition.

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The 87-year-old leader suffers from heart problems and overcame prostate cancer over 10 years ago. His health has been noticeably deteriorating, and he routinely undergoes medical checks abroad, away from the public eye, but he has been adamant about remaining in office.

Speculation about Abbas' health has been rife for years. The latest rumor was sparked when BBC Arabic published an unsourced report last week that Hussein al-Sheikh, a close associate of the PA leader, was given certain responsibilities due to Abbas' deteriorating condition.

The report was later deleted from the BBC's website and Twitter account.

Al-Sheikh immediately denied the report information, describing it as "an attempt to falsify the internal Palestinian situation."

Wednesday's speech was Abbas' first public appearance since that report.

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The Palestinian Authority's leader has been in office since 2005 after winning a four-year term. No presidential elections have taken place over the past 17 years, as Abbas repeatedly finds excuses for canceling them, and to date, no one has been able to successfully challenge him for the role.

The line of succession at the PA in the event of Abbas' death in office remains unclear, which could plunge the Palestinian leadership into chaos.

Following the death of top Fatah official and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in 2020, al-Sheikh has emerged as a potential successor to the ailing Abbas, but he faces strong opposition within Fatah, where others who are senior to him see themselves as the rightful successors, most notably Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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The Houthi rebels' government in Yemen on Wednesday passed legislation banning any normalization process with Israel, and criminalizing any contact with the Jewish state or its citizens.

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The move follows a law passed in Iraq last week, which banned any normalization with Israel, including business ties, making them punishable by life imprisonment or death.

A statement by Houthi Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtoor said that the move was driven by the fact that "Palestine is the foremost and principal issue of the Muslim world.

"We stand by the side of the Palestinian nation and its struggle in the face of Israeli threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the occupied al-Quds city," Habtoor said, using Jerusalem's Arab name.

According to reports in Arab media, he further noted that "blatant Israeli provocations and violations" the Al-Aqsa – the third holiest site is Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia – are "part of the Israeli regime's attempts to put itself in a victorious position" in the wave of the 2020 Abraham Accords.

On Sunday, a senior member of Iranian-backed Ansar Allah, the Houthis' so-called umbrella organization, urged the Arab world to boycott products made in countries that maintain any ties with Israel.

"As Arabs and Muslims, we must enforce the boycott of products made by countries supporting the Zionist regime," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told Al-Mayadeen television, a Lebanese outlet affiliated with another Iranian proxy – Hezbollah.

"Zionists have made a gross miscalculation in their assessments due to erroneous information compiled by traitors. The Zionist regime did not expect a firm response from Palestinians and ensuing stiff resistance. Palestinians' resilience has had a great impact on the feelings of Arab and Muslim nations," Bukhaiti said.

According to Iranian news agency PressTV, he also warned that "the United States, Britain, and the countries that are the main supporters of Israel will suffer a great deal through an embargo campaign."

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An explosion at an Iranian military facility has left two people dead and several others wounded, the country's media reported Thursday.

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The Tasnim news agency cited Iranian officials as saying that an "industrial accident" had taken place in one of the facilities on the Parchin military base, resulting in several casualties.

Other Iranian media outlets reported that an explosion took place at the heart of the military compound, killing two "military experts."

The Intellitimes intelligence blog cited media reports alleging that the explosion was the result of a drone strike.

According to foreign sources, the explosion in the heart of the #Perchin base occurred following an attack by armed drones, similar to the attack on the centrifuge plant near Karj.

— אינטלי טיימס - Intelli Times (@IntelliTimes) May 26, 2022

Parchin is a large military complex located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) southeast of Tehran. It is closely linked to the Islamic republic's missile program and is also believed to house sites associated with the Iranian nuclear weapons.

While Iran denies any nefarious activity is taking place at the complex, it consistently denies International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors access to the site.

A massive blast rocked the Parchin base on June 26, 2020. The Iranian Defense Ministry said at the time that there had been an explosion at a gas storage facility in the "public area" of Parchin – not the military site, yet some foreign media reports insisted it was an act of Israeli sabotage.

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The United Arab Emirates's long-time de facto ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was elected as president on Saturday, following the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

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Bin Zayed's widely expected ascension thus formalizes his position as leader of the Gulf kingdom, which is home to 10 million people.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan died aged 73 on Friday after battling illness for several years.

"The Ministry of Presidential Affairs condoles the people of the UAE and the Islamic world opn the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Friday, May 13," state news agency WAM said.

The kingdom announced a 40-day mourning period. Flags nationwide were lowered to half-mast staff and work at all government ministers and the private sector was suspended for three days.

"The UAE has lost a loyal son, and the leader of its blessed empowerment journey," the crown prince twitted after his brother's death was officially announced. "Khalifa bin Zayed, my brother, supporter and mentor, may Allah Almighty grant you eternal peace."

The late head of state suffered a stroke in 2014 and was rarely seen in public, leaving Mohamed bin Zayed, his half-brother, at the country's helm. Colloquially known as MbZ, the 61-year-old crown prince propelled his country's meteoric rise on the international scene even more than his brother, emerging as a savvy statesman.

World and Arab leaders from the US, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco, Iraq, France, Oman, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority sent condolences to the United Arab Emirates, as did the heads of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

"Sheikh Khalifa's legacy and tremendous deeds are greatly admired in Israel," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. "The State of Israel stands alongside the United Arab Emirates at this difficult time."

President Isaac Herzog called the Emirati ruler's death "a great loss for our friends in the UAE and for the whole region."

"Sheikh Khalifa's bold leadership contributed so much to the advancement of the UAE and its people and to the growing partnership between our countries and is a great legacy for his successors," he said.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also expressed his condolences and congratulated the crown prince on his election as UAE president.

Lapid expressed confidence that MbZ "will continue the ways of his father and brother who established a state. He has demonstrated his leadership in reshaping the face of the Middle East for partnership, peace, and cooperation for the good of future generations. The State of Israel will continue to cooperate with his vision for a better world and brotherhood between our peoples."

On behalf of the people of Israel I send my deepest condolences to my friend Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and his family on the death of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. This is a great loss for our friends in the UAE and for the whole region.

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) May 13, 2022

US President Joe Biden said the late Sheikh Khalifa "was a true partner and friend of the United States. We will honor his memory by continuing to strengthen the longstanding ties between the governments and people of the United States and the United Arab Emirates."

In a statement, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken described Sheikh Khalifa "as a true friend of the United States," adding that the US remains committed to its steadfast friendship and cooperation with the UAE. Vice President Kamala Harris also expressed her condolences.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Sheikh Khalifa, adding he was a "wise and respected leader who will be missed enormously."

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said that he "mourns one of the most precious men and one of the greatest leaders, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan." El-Sissi continued to say that the UAE leader was known for his giving nature, offering abundantly to his nation and people.

PM Bennett: On my behalf and that of the Government and citizens of Israel, I express condolences to my friend Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Gov. & people of the UAE on the passing of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 13, 2022

Pakistani Politician Maryam Nawaz tweeted, "With the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Pakistan has lost a great friend who has stood with it through thick and thin. My condolences and prayers for the people and members of the Royal Family of the United Arab Emirates."

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said the country's Foreign Finister Hossein Amirabdollahian also expressed condolences.

Sheikh Khalifa was the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, widely revered by Emiratis as the country's founding father. The federation recently marked its 50th anniversary.

Though he had been out of public sight since his stroke, Sheikh Khalifa's image was ubiquitous, gracing every hotel lobby and major government office across the country. On occasion, Emirati state media published rare photographs and videos of Sheikh Khalifa.

The president holds the most powerful position among the seven semi-autonomous city-states of the UAE, which stretches along the shores of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Historically, the president is from Abu Dhabi, the largest and richest of the seven emirates. The vice president and the prime minister is from Dubai, titles currently held by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

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Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhala on Sunday warned Israel that its "continued aggression" in east Jerusalem and the West Bank could spark fresh hostilities.

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Speaking with Hezbollah's Al-Manar television channel, Nakhala said that the same conditions that saw tensions erupt into a full-scale military operation in May 2021 still exist, making a conflict not only possible, but likely.

Operation Guardian of the Walls saw PIJ and Hamas terrorist fire over 4,000 rockets at south and central Israel, as military strikes decimated terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

The recent wave of terrorism has again raised the issue of whether Israel should mount a wide-scale counterterrorism operation in the West Bank, as it did in 2002, when Operation Defensive Shied eradicated terrorist infrastructure in the area.  

"The Palestinian resistance organizations will not neglect their duty to the residents of Jenin, Jerusalem and all of Palestine, and together they will make a decision regarding activity on the ground."

The city of Jenin is a known PIJ stronghold in the Palestinian territories. It was also the hometown of Ra'ad Hazem, who killed three Israelis in a shooting attack in Tel Aviv on April 7. The nearby village of Ya'bad was home to  Diaa Hamarsheh, who murdered five Israelis in a terrorist attack in Bnei Brak on March 29.  

 "At any moment, the situation among the Palestinian people may come to a boiling point," Nakhala added, noting that last year's hostilities erupted over "the occupation's attempts to expel the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood [in Jerusalem] … the same factors also exist today".

Palestinian "resistance organizations are all inclined to support the position of Islamic Jihad – that the Palestinian bloodshed must be avenged. … We are in a direct confrontation with the occupation and at any moment we must expect a comprehensive confrontation."

He urged more terrorist attacks, saying, "Every Palestinian today can carry out an attack. Today, attacks are taking place in a certain way within Israeli territory or as part of the resistance within the West Bank, but we hope that there will be other types of attacks."

Calling on Arab Israelis to join the Palestinian "cause" Nakhala said, "We expect a confrontation with Israel. The Palestinian people are one – it is impossible to separate the different fronts."

Also on Sunday, Palestinians in Jerusalem are threatening that the entry of Jewish residents into the Petra Hotel complex near the Jaffa Gate in the Old City could ignite a new crisis in the capital.  

For decades, the Petra Hotel has been a favorite for tourists from all over the world who visit Jerusalem, and over time it has become a hallmark of the Old City. In 2004, the Greek Orthodox Church sold the hotel to the Jewish Ateret Cohanim organization, in what turned into a major controversy that saw the Greek patriarch try to renege on the deal, which was eventually held up by the court. The matter is currently still under appeal and the legal proceedings are ongoing. 

In recent days, local Palestinians have been organizing protests against Jews' entry to the hotel compound, calling it the "first step in "establishing a Jewish presence" in the Jaffa Gate area, where Christian churches own most of the real estate.

Hamas, the terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip, has also condemned the "new crime aimed at Judaizing the city" and called on the Palestinian public to resist the move. 

Other Palestinian organizations have also warned that any entry by "settlers' to the compound would lead to violent riots, similar to those that took place in Sheikh Jarrah. 

A Jerusalem-based Fatah official also warned that the Palestinian Authority "cannot prevent Palestinians in east Jerusalem from protecting their land. This could lead to an explosion.

"This isn't about Fatah or Hamas – there's no political issue here. the Palestinian factions are united around issues like this and there is solidarity. If Israel in its actions pushes us into this, then the response will be Sheikh Jarrah number 2, where you tried all means of repression and failed, as well as in Khan al-Ahmar."

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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently made a secret visit to Tehran, Channel 12 News reported Wednesday.

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Nasrallah, who for years has been hunkered in a bunker in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahiya, a known stronghold of the Iranian-backed Shiite terrorist group, rarely makes public appearances fearing assassination. Trips overseas are even rarer.

According to the report, the visit took place two months ago and included meetings with senior officials with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and centered on a potential Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Nir Dvori, a senior military correspondent for the outlet, said that in all likelihood, the Iranians seek to assure – and perhaps plan – a Hezbollah retaliation against Israel if such a strike takes place.

The question of whether Nasrallah, who just marked 30 years at Hezbollah's helm, is truly wary of another war with Israel is the subject of many speculations, as it is unclear whether he has the ability to back his belligerent rhetoric with actions.

According to foreign media reports, Israel has eliminated Hezbollah operatives in dozens of strikes on Iranian assets in Syria – where Tehran and its Lebanon-based proxy are shoring up the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Nasrallah has opted to contain these losses rather than retaliate, leading defense experts to believe that an equation of mutual deterrence exists to a certain extent.

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The Fatah movement, which controls the Palestinian Authority has been riled up by rumors of potential successors to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Arab news outlet Rai al-Youm reported Sunday.

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Abbas, 85, elected for a four-year term in 2005, has been facing growing opposition to his grip on power. Despite his failing health he has refused to name a successor and Middle East experts have warned that sans a clear plan for the post-Abbas era,  the Palestinian Authority could easily fall into chaos, which would serve Hamas interests, as the Gaza Strip-based terrorist group seeks to take over the West Bank as well.

The report named Hussein al-Sheikh, the PA's civil affairs minister, as the next potential PA leader, but Fatah officials have rejected that possibility, saying Marwan Barghouti remains the leading candidate.

Barghouti is serving five life sentences for terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada. It is unclear whether his candidacy is even possible.

Other Arab media reports have also been hedging that Mohammed Dahlan, the former leader of Fatah in Gaza and once a close Abbas ally could make a play for Ramallah's leadership. Fearing Dahlan's growing power, Abbas turned against him and Dahlan was expelled from the West Bank in 2011.

Dahlan, who resided in the United Arab Emirates, is widely seen as a possible contender to replace Abbas, and has often said he would challenge Abbas in the next presidential election.

Abbas, for his part, is in no rush to have the Palestinians go to the polls. He has canceled elections in the PA several times over the past few years, most recently in May 2021. Had the elections taken place it would have been the first time in 15 years that the Palestinian people got to vote on their government.

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The Iranian-backed Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah and Shiite militia Amal said on Saturday they would end a boycott of cabinet sessions, opening the way for ministers to meet after a three-month gap that has seen the economic crisis deepen and currency collapse further.

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The groups, which back several ministers in a government made up of members from across the political and sectarian spectrum, said the decision was driven by a desire to approve the 2022 budget and to discuss an economic recovery.

The groups had been refusing to attend cabinet sessions in a dispute over the handling of an investigation into the deadly Beirut Port blast in 2020.

The failure to hold cabinet meetings has delayed talks on a recovery plan with the International Monetary Fund, seen as vital to unlocking international support to lift the country out of a crisis that has driven swathes of the nation into poverty.

Hezbollah, Iran's largest and most well-armed proxy in the Middle East, and Amal have sought the removal of a judge who has been overseeing the blast probe.

They have accused Judge Tarek Bitar of bias after he sought to question two senior Amal figures charged over the blast.

Bitar, who does not make public statements, has been quoted by the families of blast victims as saying he would press on with his investigation that has repeatedly been stalled by a slew of lawsuits filed by powerful suspects in the case.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose post is held by a Sunni Muslim under Lebanon's sectarian political system, said in a statement he welcomed the decision to end the boycott and would call for a cabinet meeting as soon as he received a draft 2022 budget from the Finance Ministry.

A government source told Reuters there was not expected to be cabinet session in the coming week as budget preparations were still under way and figures for a financial recovery plan were being drawn up.

Mikati has said his government was seeking to sign a preliminary agreement for an IMF support program in February.

An IMF spokesperson told Reuters that virtual talks would be held with Lebanese authorities in the last week of January.

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