timeline · 320 dated events
Regional timeline
Every dated event in the dataset, plotted year by year. Pulse is the recent-first list view; this is the scroll-through-history view. Color-coded by confidence — solid bars for confirmed events, dashed for reported, dotted for rumored or speculative.
Confirmed Reported Rumored Speculative
- January 1948
Israel Party formed Mapam founded as Israel's Marxist-Zionist leftMapam was established in January 1948 by the merger of the kibbutz-based Hashomer Hatzair and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion, espousing a Marxist Labor-Zionism initially sympathetic to t…
- May 14, 1948 Israel Other Mapai-led leadership declares Israeli independence; Ben-Gurion becomes first PM
On 14 May 1948 Mapai leader David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel and headed its provisional government. Mapai then won the first Knesset election in…
- June 1948 Israel Party formed Begin founds Herut from the Irgun
In June 1948 Menachem Begin transformed the Irgun underground into the Herut ("Freedom") party, the standard-bearer of Revisionist Zionism and the Greater Israel idea. For nearly t…
- March 20, 1956
Tunisia Other Neo-Destour leads Tunisia to independence; Bourguiba takes powerNeo-Destour's negotiations under Habib Bourguiba secured Tunisian independence from France on 20 March 1956, after which Bourguiba became prime minister. The party abolished the mo…
- July 26, 1956
Egypt Other Nasser nationalizes the Suez CanalOn 26 July 1956 President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal Company, defying Britain and France. Their joint invasion with Israel (the Suez Crisis) was reversed under …
- June 5, 1967 Egypt Other Nasser's catastrophic defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War
In the war of 5–10 June 1967, Israel destroyed the Egyptian air force on the ground and captured Sinai and Gaza from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan and the Golan from Syria. The …
- December 1967
Sudan Party formed Democratic Unionist Party (re)formed around the Khatmiyya orderThe Democratic Unionist Party took its modern form in December 1967 when Ismail al-Azhari's urban nationalists and the Khatmiyya Sufi order led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani reunite…
- December 11, 1967
Palestine Party formed George Habash founds the PFLPOn 11 December 1967, in the aftermath of the Arab defeat in the June 1967 war, George Habash founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a Marxist-Leninist mo…
- January 23, 1968 Israel Party merged Mapai merges into the Israeli Labor Party
In January 1968 Mapai merged with Ahdut HaAvoda and Ben-Gurion's breakaway Rafi to form the Israeli Labor Party, ending Mapai's separate existence after nearly four decades as the …
- July 17, 1968
Iraq Other Ba'ath Party seizes power in the 17 July 1968 coupOn 17 July 1968 the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party took power in Iraq through a coup, installing Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr as president with Saddam Hussein as the regime's enforcer and eve…
- 1969 Israel Coalition formed The Alignment forms as Israel's dominant Labor bloc
Building on the 1965 Mapai–Ahdut HaAvoda alignment, the Israeli Labor Party and Mapam formed the Alignment (Ma'arach) in 1969 as a unified electoral bloc. From 1965 to 1977 the Ali…
- February 22, 1969 Palestine Party formed Hawatmeh splits from the PFLP to found the DFLP
On 22 February 1969 Nayef Hawatmeh broke from the PFLP to found the (Popular) Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Marxist-Leninist/Maoist faction that judged the PF…
- 1971 Israel Party formed Meir Kahane founds the ultranationalist Kach party
Rabbi Meir Kahane founded Kach in 1971 on a Jewish-supremacist, anti-Arab platform that called for halakha as state law in a Greater Israel and the expulsion or subordinated reside…
- July 10, 1971
Morocco Other Hassan II survives a coup and entrenches the "Years of Lead"King Hassan II narrowly survived a bloody military coup attempt at his Skhirat palace on 10 July 1971 (and an air-force attempt in 1972). He responded by deepening the repression o…
- July 19, 1971 Sudan Other SCP-linked 1971 coup against Nimeiry fails; party leaders executed
On 19 July 1971 officers led by Hashem al-Atta, close to the Sudanese Communist Party, briefly seized power from Jaafar Nimeiry. Nimeiry loyalists retook Khartoum within three days…
- September 13, 1973 Israel Party merged Herut merges into the Likud
On 13 September 1973 Herut joined the Liberals (as Gahal), the Free Centre, the National List and the Movement for Greater Israel to form the Likud bloc under Menachem Begin — cons…
- October 17, 1973
Saudi Arabia Other King Faisal wields the oil weapon in the 1973 embargoDuring the October 1973 Arab–Israeli war, King Faisal led Saudi Arabia and OPEC's Arab members in an oil embargo (from 17 October 1973) against the United States and other backers …
- March 25, 1975 Saudi Arabia Leader killed King Faisal assassinated by his nephew
On 25 March 1975 King Faisal — the modernizing monarch who had abolished slavery, expanded education and championed pan-Islamism — was shot dead by his nephew, Prince Faisal bin Mu…
- November 6, 1975 Morocco Other Hassan II launches the Green March into Western Sahara
On 6 November 1975 King Hassan II mobilized some 350,000 unarmed Moroccans to march south into the Spanish Sahara, pressuring a collapsing Franco-era Spain to cede the territory to…
- 1976 Egypt Party split Sadat dismantles the ASU into three "platforms"
Seeking to undo Nasser's single-party state, Anwar Sadat split the ASU into left, centre and right "platforms" in 1974–76 and then elevated them to parties — the National Democrati…
- April 1976 Egypt Party formed Tagammu founded as the legal "Left platform" of Sadat's opening
In April 1976, as Anwar Sadat loosened the one-party Arab Socialist Union into a limited multiparty system, former Free Officer Khaled Mohieddin and Kamal Rifaat broke away to foun…
- May 17, 1977 Israel Other The Alignment loses power in the 1977 "upheaval"
In the 17 May 1977 election the Alignment collapsed to 32 seats (24.6%) behind Begin's Likud (43), ending 29 years of Labor-Zionist control of government — the "Mahapach." It was t…
- May 17, 1977 Israel Other Herut's Begin leads Likud to the 1977 "upheaval"
In the 17 May 1977 election the Herut-led Likud won 43 seats, and Menachem Begin became prime minister — the "Mahapach" (upheaval) that ended 29 years of Labor-Zionist dominance an…
- November 19, 1977 Egypt Other Sadat breaks the taboo with his visit to Jerusalem
On 19 November 1977 President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel, addressing the Knesset in Jerusalem and offering peace. The astonishing reversal — from the …
- April 1980
Lebanon Leader changed Berri takes over the Amal MovementIn 1980, after the 1978 disappearance of Amal's founder Imam Musa al-Sadr, Nabih Berri assumed leadership of the Shia Amal Movement and turned it into one of the most powerful mili…
- July 1980
Syria Legal status changed Law 49 of 1980 makes Muslim Brotherhood membership a capital offenceIn July 1980 the Syrian government ratified Law No. 49, making membership in the Muslim Brotherhood punishable by death. A brief grace period drew a couple of thousand to turn them…
- June 6, 1981 Tunisia Party formed Ghannouchi founds the movement that becomes Ennahda
In 1981 Rached Ghannouchi co-founded the Islamic Tendency Movement (MTI), later renamed Ennahda — Tunisia's main Islamist movement. Repressed and exiled under Bourguiba and Ben Ali…
- September 3, 1981 Egypt Other Tagammu leaders swept up in Sadat's September 1981 crackdown
Tagammu's open criticism of Sadat — over the peace with Israel and economic liberalization — drew his fury, and its leaders were among the roughly 1,500 dissidents across the spect…
- October 6, 1981 Egypt Leader killed Islamists assassinate Sadat at a military parade
On 6 October 1981 President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by soldiers linked to Egyptian Islamic Jihad during a parade marking the 1973 war, in retaliation for the peace with Israel…
- 1982 Palestine Party formed Palestinian Communist Party founded (later the People's Party)
Founded in 1982 as the Palestinian Communist Party, the movement joined the PLO in 1987 and was one of the four components of the Unified National Leadership that steered the First…
- February 2, 1982 Syria Other Hama massacre crushes the Muslim Brotherhood uprising
In February 1982 the Syrian army and Defense Companies, on Hafez al-Assad's orders, besieged Hama for 27 days to crush a Muslim Brotherhood-led revolt that had declared the city "l…
- August 24, 1982
Yemen Party formed Saleh founds the General People's CongressOn 24 August 1982 President Ali Abdullah Saleh established the General People's Congress in Sanaa as a catch-all "umbrella" organization in North Yemen; after unification it became…
- September 16, 1982 Israel Other Sharon's war and the Sabra and Shatila massacre
As defense minister, Ariel Sharon was the architect of Israel's June 1982 invasion of Lebanon to expel the PLO. On 16–18 September 1982, allied Phalangist militiamen massacred hund…
- 1986 Tunisia Party formed Workers' Communist Party of Tunisia (PCOT) founded underground
Founded in 1986 as the Tunisian Workers' Communist Party (PCOT), the Marxist-Leninist party operated clandestinely through the Bourguiba and Ben Ali eras, its leader Hamma Hammami …
- January 13, 1986 Yemen Other Intra-YSP factional war erupts in South Yemen (1986)
On 13 January 1986 a power struggle inside the ruling YSP between the factions of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail exploded into the South Yemen civil war. Thousands were…
- May 6, 1986 Sudan Coalition formed Umma Party wins 1986 election; Sadiq al-Mahdi becomes prime minister
After the 1985 popular uprising toppled Jaafar Nimeiry, the Umma Party won the largest share in Sudan's 1986 multiparty election and its leader Sadiq al-Mahdi — great-grandson of t…
- May 6, 1986 Sudan Coalition formed DUP joins the 1986 Umma-led coalition; Mirghani heads of state
After finishing second in Sudan's 1986 multiparty election, the DUP joined Sadiq al-Mahdi's Umma-led coalition government, and Ahmed al-Mirghani became chairman of the Supreme Coun…
- March 16, 1988 Iraq Other Ba'athist regime carries out the Anfal genocide and Halabja gas attack
During the 1988 Anfal campaign the Ba'athist government under Saddam Hussein killed an estimated 50,000–100,000 Kurds and razed thousands of villages; on 16 March 1988 it gassed th…
- October 1988 Israel Legal status changed Kach barred from the 1988 election as racist
Ahead of the November 1988 election, Kach was disqualified from running under the amended Knesset Elections Law banning parties that incite racism; the Supreme Court upheld the ban…
- 1990
Algeria Party formed Louisa Hanoune founds Algeria's Trotskyist Workers' PartyAfter Algeria's 1989 turn to pluralism, Louisa Hanoune — jailed in the 1980s as a member of the then-illegal Trotskyist Socialist Workers Organization — founded the Workers' Party …
- August 2, 1990 Iraq Other Saddam invades Kuwait, triggering the Gulf War
On 2 August 1990 Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and annexation of Kuwait, claiming it as Iraq's 19th province. A US-led coalition expelled Iraqi forces in the 1991 Gulf War, a…
- September 13, 1990 Yemen Party formed Islah founded in newly unified Yemen
The Yemeni Congregation for Reform (al-Islah) was founded on 13 September 1990 in Sana'a — months after Yemeni unification — by tribal paramount sheikh Abdullah al-Ahmar together w…
- December 6, 1990 Algeria Party formed Nahnah founds Hamas/MSP, choosing participation over the FIS
On 6 December 1990 Mahfoud Nahnah founded the Islamist party Hamas — later the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) — pointedly declining to join the more confrontational Islamic Sa…
- 1991 Palestine Other Party drops "Communist" to become the Palestinian People's Party
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the party renamed itself the Palestinian People's Party in 1991, arguing that the class struggle should be deferred while Palestinians waged…
- October 7, 1991 Israel Party merged The Alignment dissolves into the Labor Party
On 7 October 1991 the Alignment formally dissolved, with its factions fully absorbed into the Israeli Labor Party ahead of the 1992 election that returned Yitzhak Rabin to power — …
- December 26, 1991 Algeria Election held FIS sweeps the first round of Algeria's 1991 election
On 26 December 1991 the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) won the first round of Algeria's first multiparty legislative election in a landslide — 188 seats to the ruling FLN's 16 — and…
- January 11, 1992 Algeria Other Military cancels the election to deny the FIS power
On 11 January 1992 the Algerian army forced President Chadli Bendjedid from office and cancelled the second round of the election to prevent a FIS victory, installing a High Counci…
- February 1992 Lebanon Leader changed Nasrallah becomes Hezbollah's leader at 32
In February 1992, after Israel assassinated Hezbollah secretary-general Abbas al-Musawi, the 32-year-old cleric Hassan Nasrallah was chosen to lead the movement. Over the next thre…
- March 1, 1992 Israel Party formed Meretz formed as a merged Zionist-left alliance
On 1 March 1992 the civil-rights party Ratz, the socialist Mapam and the liberal Shinui agreed to run as a joint list, Meretz, uniting the secular Zionist left around two-states, h…
- March 1, 1992 Israel Party merged Mapam co-founds Meretz, ending its independent run
After joining Labor's Alignment in 1969 and breaking away in 1984 over the national-unity government with Likud, a weakened Mapam merged with Ratz and Shinui to form Meretz in 1992…
- March 4, 1992 Algeria Party dissolved FIS banned, leaders jailed — Algeria slides into civil war
An Algiers court dissolved the FIS on 4 March 1992; leaders Abbassi Madani and Ali Benhadj had already been arrested (and were later sentenced to 12 years), and thousands of member…
- July 13, 1992 Israel Coalition formed Meretz joins the Rabin government and backs the Oslo Accords
After winning 12 seats in the 1992 election, Meretz became the main coalition partner of Yitzhak Rabin's Labor-led government formed on 13 July 1992 and was a driving force behind …
- October 20, 1992 Lebanon Other Berri becomes parliament speaker — a post he never relinquishes
Nabih Berri was first elected Speaker of Lebanon's Parliament in 1992 and has held the post continuously ever since — the Arab world's longest-serving parliament speaker. Controlli…
- October 31, 1992 Lebanon Other Billionaire Rafik Hariri becomes PM and rebuilds postwar Lebanon
Self-made construction billionaire Rafik Hariri became prime minister of Lebanon in October 1992 (serving 1992–1998 and 2000–2004), driving the reconstruction of Beirut's war-shatt…
- March 13, 1994 Israel Designation changed Kach outlawed as a terrorist organization after the Hebron massacre
After Kach supporter Baruch Goldstein murdered 29 Palestinian worshippers at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on 25 February 1994 — and Kach figures praised it — the Israeli ca…
- April 21, 1994 Lebanon Figure imprisoned Geagea jailed — the only warlord imprisoned after Lebanon's civil war
On 21 April 1994 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea was arrested and subsequently sentenced to multiple life terms for civil-war-era killings and a church bombing, and for "mainta…
- May 21, 1994 Yemen Other YSP leaders declare southern secession and lose the 1994 war
Amid post-unification disputes, on 21 May 1994 YSP secretary-general Ali Salem al-Beidh and southern leaders declared a breakaway Democratic Republic of Yemen. Saleh's northern for…
- July 1, 1994 Palestine Other Arafat returns from exile to head the Palestinian Authority
On 1 July 1994, following the Oslo Accords, Yasser Arafat returned to Gaza after 27 years in exile to lead the newly created Palestinian Authority, becoming its elected president i…
- January 13, 1995 Algeria Other FFS co-signs the 1995 Sant'Egidio (Rome) Platform
On 13 January 1995, amid Algeria's civil war, the FFS under Hocine Aït Ahmed joined the FLN, the banned Islamist FIS and others in signing the Sant'Egidio (Rome) Platform — an oppo…
- November 4, 1995 Israel Leader killed Rabin assassinated by a right-wing extremist over Oslo
On 4 November 1995 Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by Yigal Amir, a right-wing religious Israeli opposed to the Oslo peace process, as he left a peace rally in Tel Aviv. The killing…
- November 16, 1995 Algeria Election held Nahnah finishes second in Algeria's 1995 presidential election
With the FIS banned and the civil war raging, MSP leader Mahfoud Nahnah ran in the 16 November 1995 presidential election and came second with about 25% behind General Liamine Zéro…
- February 1997 Algeria Party formed RND founded as a pro-presidential party and sweeps the 1997 election
The Democratic National Rally (RND) was created in February 1997 by figures close to President Liamine Zéroual and the security establishment; only months later it won the June 199…
- September 25, 1997 Palestine Other Mossad's botched poisoning of Meshaal in Amman
On 25 September 1997 Mossad agents sprayed a fentanyl-derivative poison into Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal's ear in Amman. The operation unraveled: agents were caught, and King Husse…
- 1998 Sudan Party formed National Congress Party founded as Bashir's ruling vehicle
The National Congress Party (NCP) was established in 1998 as the successor to the National Islamic Front, becoming the ruling party of Omar al-Bashir's Islamist-military regime. It…
- March 14, 1998 Morocco Coalition formed USFP leads Morocco's "alternance" government — first opposition-led cabinet
After the USFP won the most seats in the November 1997 election, King Hassan II appointed its leader, veteran socialist Abderrahmane Youssoufi, prime minister on 4 February 1998; t…
- 2000
Mauritania Party formed Union of the Forces of Progress takes shape as a Mauritanian left partyRooted in the clandestine leftist Kadihine movement of the 1960s–70s, the Union of the Forces of Progress (UFP) emerged from a 1998 split that elected Mohamed Ould Maouloud preside…
- September 2000 Israel Figure imprisoned Shas founder Aryeh Deri imprisoned for bribery
Aryeh Deri, founding leader of Shas, was convicted in 1999 of taking about $155,000 in bribes, fraud and breach of trust committed while he served as interior minister, and sentenc…
- June 17, 2002 Palestine Party formed Barghouti launches al-Mubadara as a democratic "third force"
On 17 June 2002 Mustafa Barghouti, veteran Gaza leader Haidar Abdel-Shafi and Ibrahim Dakkak (with Edward Said among its inspirers) founded the Palestinian National Initiative (al-…
- October 24, 2002
Bahrain Election held Al-Menbar emerges as a leading Sunni Islamist bloc in 2002In Bahrain's 2002 election the Al-Menbar Islamic Society — the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Al-Eslah society — won a leading share of Sunni seats in the new Coun…
- October 24, 2002 Bahrain Election held Asalah wins 7 seats in Bahrain's first parliamentary election, becoming the main Salafi bloc
In Bahrain's October 2002 election — the first for the restored Council of Representatives under the new constitution — the Salafi Islamic Asalah Society won seven seats, its best-…
- January 28, 2003 Israel Election held Shinui surges to 15 seats on a secular anti-Haredi platform
Led by journalist Tommy Lapid, the secular-liberal Shinui ("Change") won 15 seats in the 28 January 2003 election — the third-largest party — campaigning against ultra-Orthodox inf…
- May 16, 2003 Iraq Party dissolved Ba'ath Party banned by CPA Order 1 (de-Ba'athification)
On 16 May 2003 the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority under Paul Bremer issued Order Number 1, banning the Ba'ath Party in all forms and purging its senior members from public …
- 2004 Algeria Coalition formed MSP joins the pro-Bouteflika Presidential Alliance
From 1999 the MSP backed President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and in 2004 formally joined the "Presidential Alliance" with the FLN and RND, taking cabinet seats. The Islamist party's lon…
- February 3, 2004 Morocco Other Mohammed VI drives the landmark 2004 Family Code reform
Early in his reign King Mohammed VI championed a sweeping reform of the Moudawana (Family Code), adopted in early 2004, which raised the marriage age to 18, granted women near-equa…
- April 8, 2004 Algeria Election held Hanoune becomes the Arab world's first female presidential candidate
In the 8 April 2004 election Workers' Party leader Louisa Hanoune became the first woman to run for president of Algeria — and the first female presidential candidate in the Arab w…
- September 2004 Yemen Leader changed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi takes command of the Houthi movement
After Yemeni forces killed his brother and movement founder Hussein al-Houthi in September 2004, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi emerged as leader of the Zaydi-Shia Houthi movement (Ansar Al…
- November 11, 2004 Palestine Leader changed Yasser Arafat dies in Paris
Arafat dies at the Percy military hospital outside Paris after weeks of declining health. His death ends 35 years of Fatah leadership and ushers in Mahmoud Abbas as PA president af…
- December 4, 2004 Israel Other Shinui dismissed from Sharon's government over Haredi budget funds
In December 2004 Shinui was expelled from Sharon's cabinet after its MKs voted against the 2005 budget in protest at the restoration of ~290 million shekels for ultra-Orthodox educ…
- January 9, 2005 Palestine Leader changed Abbas elected Palestinian president after Arafat
On 9 January 2005 Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) was elected president of the Palestinian Authority following Yasser Arafat's death, with about 62% of the vote. A long-time Fatah negoti…
- January 9, 2005 Palestine Other Mustafa Barghouti finishes second in the 2005 presidential election
In the 9 January 2005 Palestinian Authority presidential election to succeed Yasser Arafat, al-Mubadara leader Mustafa Barghouti ran as an independent and finished second to Fatah'…
- February 14, 2005 Lebanon Leader killed Rafik Hariri assassinated, triggering the Cedar Revolution
On 14 February 2005 a massive truck bomb killed former PM Rafik Hariri and 21 others on the Beirut seafront. Widely blamed on the Syrian-Hezbollah security order (a UN tribunal lat…
- July 26, 2005 Lebanon Figure released Geagea freed under amnesty after the Cedar Revolution
On 26 July 2005, months after the anti-Syrian March 14 bloc won parliament in the wake of Rafik Hariri's assassination and the Syrian withdrawal, parliament granted Samir Geagea an…
- August 15, 2005 Israel Other Sharon executes the unilateral disengagement from Gaza
In August 2005 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon — long the patron of the settlement movement — carried out a unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip, evacuating all 21 Israeli sett…
- November 24, 2005 Israel Party formed Sharon founds Kadima after the Gaza disengagement
On 24 November 2005 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon quit Likud to found Kadima, a new centrist party, after the bruising fight over his August 2005 unilateral disengagement from the Ga…
- January 25, 2006 Palestine Election held Hamas wins Palestinian Legislative Council election
Hamas takes 74 of 132 seats in the PLC election, ending decades of Fatah dominance and precipitating the Western boycott of the PA government. The Battle of Gaza eighteen months la…
- March 28, 2006 Israel Election held Kadima wins the 2006 election; Olmert forms a government
After Sharon was incapacitated by a stroke in January 2006, Ehud Olmert led Kadima to victory in the 28 March 2006 election with 29 of 120 seats — the largest party — and formed a …
- March 29, 2006 Palestine Other Haniyeh becomes PM after Hamas's 2006 election win
After Hamas won the January 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council election, Ismail Haniyeh was sworn in as Palestinian Authority prime minister on 29 March 2006. The Western boycott…
- November 19, 2006 Mauritania Election held UFP wins eight seats in Mauritania's 2006 election
Running within the Coalition of the Forces of Democratic Change after the 2005 coup that ousted Maaouya Ould Taya, the UFP won eight seats in the November–December 2006 parliamenta…
- November 25, 2006 Bahrain Election held Al-Menbar wins seven seats in Bahrain's 2006 election
In the November–December 2006 election Al-Menbar won seven seats, among the largest pro-government Sunni blocs in the 40-member Council of Representatives, balancing the Shia oppos…
- December 30, 2006 Iraq Leader killed Saddam executed after the Dujail trial
Captured by US forces in December 2003, Saddam Hussein was tried by the Iraqi Special Tribunal for the 1982 Dujail massacre of 148 Shia villagers and executed by hanging on 30 Dece…
- 2007 Mauritania Party formed Tewassoul founded as Mauritania's legal Islamist party
The National Rally for Reform and Development (Tewassoul), the Mauritanian Muslim Brotherhood's legal political vehicle, was founded in 2007 once party formation was permitted. It …
- June 15, 2007 Palestine Coalition collapsed Battle of Gaza: Hamas takes over
After the 2006 Palestinian legislative election won by Hamas and the breakdown of the unity government, Hamas defeated Fatah forces in Gaza in a week-long armed conflict ending 200…
- March 4, 2009 Sudan Other ICC issues arrest warrant for NCP leader Bashir over Darfur
On 4 March 2009 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, adding genocide charges…
- October 25, 2009 Tunisia Election held Ben Ali's RCD wins 84% in the sham 2009 election
In the 25 October 2009 election — the last under Ben Ali — his Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) took 84.6% of the vote and 161 of 214 Chamber of Deputies seats, while Ben Ali …
- March 7, 2010 Iraq Election held Iraqi 2010 election: Allawi wins, Maliki forms government
The 2010 Iraqi parliamentary election ended with Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc narrowly winning the most seats. However, Maliki's State of Law Coalition outmaneuvered Allawi over 9 mo…
- October 23, 2010 Bahrain Election held Asalah's parliamentary presence shrinks to 3 seats in the 2010 election
Asalah's representation in the Council of Representatives declined steadily — 7 seats (2002), 4 (2006), 3 (2010) and 2 (2014) — as it remained a loyalist Sunni Salafi bloc backing …
- November 28, 2010 Egypt Election held Mubarak's NDP sweeps the fraud-marred 2010 election
In the November–December 2010 People's Assembly election, Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party took about 420 of 508 seats while the Muslim Brotherhood collapsed from 8…
- December 5, 2010 Egypt Other New Wafd's muddled boycott of the fraudulent 2010 election
In the NDP-rigged 2010 parliamentary election the New Wafd contested the first round, won only two seats, then declared the vote fraudulent and called a boycott of the second round…
- December 17, 2010 Tunisia Other Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolates
Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid on 2010-12-17 in protest against police harassment. His act triggered the Tunisian revolution that overth…
- 2011 Tunisia Party formed People's Movement emerges as a legal Nasserist party after the revolution
After Ben Ali's fall, the Nasserist, pan-Arab and socialist current led by Mohamed Brahmi organized openly as the People's Movement (Harakat al-Cha'b), winning two seats in the Oct…
- January 14, 2011 Tunisia Leader changed Ben Ali flees Tunisia
Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on 2011-01-14 after 23 years in power, the first Arab Spring leader to fall. Tunisia transitioned to a democratic sy…
- February 11, 2011 Egypt Leader changed Hosni Mubarak resigns
18 days into the Tahrir Square uprising, VP Omar Suleiman announces Mubarak's resignation; power transfers to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Ends 30 years of Mubarak pres…
- February 14, 2011 Bahrain Other Bahraini uprising and Saudi/UAE intervention
A Shia-majority popular uprising at Pearl Roundabout began on 2011-02-14 demanding political reform. Saudi Arabia and UAE intervened militarily in March 2011 under the GCC Peninsul…
- February 20, 2011 Morocco Other February 20 Movement and Moroccan constitutional reform
Pro-reform protests across Morocco starting 2011-02-20 prompted King Mohammed VI to announce a new constitution (passed July 2011) that nominally devolved some powers to parliament…
- March 9, 2011 Tunisia Party dissolved Court dissolves Ben Ali's RCD after the Jasmine Revolution
On 9 March 2011 a Tunis court ordered the Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) dissolved and its assets liquidated, fulfilling a key demand of pro-democracy activists after Ben Al…
- March 15, 2011 Syria Other Syrian uprising begins
The Syrian uprising began on 2011-03-15 with protests in Deraa after Assad regime security forces tortured children who had spray-painted anti-regime graffiti. Assad's violent resp…
- March 29, 2011 Egypt Party formed Egyptian Social Democratic Party founded after the revolution
On 29 March 2011 liberal and leftist figures — among them Mohamed Aboul Ghar and Amr Hamzawy — merged two small parties to found the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, a social-libe…
- April 3, 2011 Egypt Party formed Sawiris launches the liberal Free Egyptians Party
On 3 April 2011, after the fall of Mubarak, billionaire Naguib Sawiris and a group of intellectuals founded the Free Egyptians Party on an explicitly liberal, democratic and secula…
- April 16, 2011 Egypt Party dissolved Court dissolves Mubarak's NDP and seizes its assets
On 16 April 2011 Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court ordered the National Democratic Party dissolved — for corruption and election fraud during Mubarak's rule — and its assets tra…
- July 1, 2011 Morocco Other Mohammed VI defuses the Arab Spring with the 2011 constitution
Responding to the February 20 protest movement, King Mohammed VI offered a new constitution approved by referendum on 1 July 2011 (officially 98.5% yes). It required the king to na…
- September 25, 2011 Saudi Arabia Other King Abdullah grants Saudi women the municipal vote
On 25 September 2011 King Abdullah announced that women would be allowed to vote and run in municipal elections from 2015 and be appointed to the Consultative (Shura) Council, wher…
- October 20, 2011
Libya Leader killed Muammar Gaddafi killedNATO-backed rebel forces captured and killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi outside Sirte on 2011-10-20, ending 42 years of his rule. Libya descended into civil war and the country …
- November 19, 2011 Libya Figure imprisoned Saif al-Islam Gaddafi captured; ICC-wanted heir held in Zintan
Once seen as his father's reformist heir, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was indicted by the ICC on 27 June 2011 for crimes against humanity over the lethal crackdown on Libya's uprising, a…
- November 23, 2011 Yemen Other Islah anchors the 2011 uprising and the GCC transition that ousted Saleh
Islah was the principal organized force behind the 2011 popular uprising against Ali Abdullah Saleh — its tribal and Brotherhood networks and the defection of General Ali Mohsen al…
- November 28, 2011 Egypt Election held ESDP joins the Egyptian Bloc to counter the Islamists in 2011–12
The ESDP co-founded the secular Egyptian Bloc alliance for the 2011–12 parliamentary election (begun 28 November 2011), emerging as one of its largest components and a leading libe…
- January 2012 Egypt Election held Nour-led Islamist Bloc finishes second in Egypt's 2011–12 election
In the People's Assembly election staggered from November 2011 to January 2012 — Egypt's first after Mubarak's fall — the Salafi Nour party led the "Islamist Bloc" to second place …
- January 3, 2012 Morocco Coalition formed PJD forms Morocco's first Islamist-led government (Benkirane I)
After winning a plurality (107 seats) in the 25 November 2011 election — the first under the post-Arab-Spring 2011 constitution — the Justice and Development Party (PJD) provided M…
- February 2012 Palestine Other Meshaal moves Hamas's leadership out of Assad's Syria
As head of Hamas's political bureau, Khaled Meshaal relocated the movement's exiled leadership out of Damascus in early 2012 and sided with the largely Sunni uprising against Basha…
- February 27, 2012 Yemen Leader changed Saleh cedes power after 33 years under the GCC transition
Forced from office by the 2011 uprising and the GCC-brokered deal, Ali Abdullah Saleh formally handed the presidency to his deputy Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on 27 February 2012, endin…
- March 3, 2012 Libya Party formed Muslim Brotherhood launches the Justice and Construction Party
On 3 March 2012 Libya's Muslim Brotherhood formally launched the Justice and Construction Party at a Tripoli convention of some 1,400 delegates, electing Mohammed Sawan leader. It …
- March 14, 2012 Libya Party formed Jibril launches the liberal National Forces Alliance
The National Forces Alliance (NFA), a liberal umbrella coalition pledging a "civil democratic" state, was created in February 2012, with former wartime prime minister Mahmoud Jibri…
- June 24, 2012 Egypt Election held Mohamed Morsi elected president
Muslim Brotherhood–backed Morsi defeats Ahmed Shafiq with 51.7% in the second-round runoff — the first democratically elected civilian president in Egyptian history.
- July 7, 2012 Libya Election held NFA wins Libya's 2012 election, bucking the Islamist trend
In the 7 July 2012 General National Congress election the NFA took about 48% of the list vote and 39 of the 80 party-list seats, finishing ahead of the Muslim Brotherhood's Justice…
- July 7, 2012 Libya Election held JCP takes second place in Libya's 2012 GNC election
In Libya's first free national election on 7 July 2012, the Justice and Construction Party won 17 of the 80 party-list seats (with more party-aligned independents) for around 34 se…
- October 7, 2012 Tunisia Coalition formed Workers' Party leads the founding of the Popular Front
In October 2012 Hamma Hammami's Workers' Party spearheaded the creation of the Popular Front, a coalition of roughly a dozen leftist and Arab-nationalist parties that became the ma…
- November 11, 2012 Syria Coalition formed Syrian National Coalition formed in Doha
On 11 November 2012 Syrian opposition factions, under Qatari and Western sponsorship, formed the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces in Doha to unify …
- March 6, 2013 Syria Other Arab League grants Syria's seat to the opposition Coalition
On 6 March 2013 the Arab League awarded Syria's seat to the Syrian National Coalition, and numerous states, the EU and Gulf monarchies recognized it as the legitimate representativ…
- July 3, 2013 Egypt Coalition collapsed Morsi ousted, Brotherhood government ends
Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi removed elected President Mohamed Morsi from power on 2013-07-03 after mass protests against the Brotherhood government, suspended the constit…
- July 3, 2013 Egypt Other Nour party backs the military ouster of President Morsi
On 3 July 2013, when General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced the army was removing Egypt's elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and suspending the constitution, Nour chairman Yo…
- July 25, 2013 Tunisia Leader killed People's Movement leader Mohamed Brahmi assassinated
On 25 July 2013 People's Movement founder Mohamed Brahmi was shot dead outside his Tunis home — the second assassination of a leftist opposition figure in 2013 (after Chokri Belaid…
- August 14, 2013 Egypt Other Rabaa massacre
Egyptian security forces cleared the Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda Square sit-ins on 2013-08-14, killing at least 817 Muslim Brotherhood supporters in a single day. Human Rights Watch…
- August 20, 2013 Egypt Figure imprisoned Muslim Brotherhood guide Badie arrested and sentenced to death
Mohammed Badie, the Muslim Brotherhood's Supreme Guide since 2010, was arrested on 20 August 2013 in the mass crackdown that followed the military's ouster of President Morsi and t…
- August 21, 2013 Syria Other Ghouta chemical attack
Sarin rockets hit rebel-held suburbs of Damascus; UN investigators confirm chemical-weapons use. Hundreds killed. The episode triggers Obama's decision to back away from the "red l…
- December 9, 2013 Syria Other Syrian rights lawyer Razan Zaitouneh abducted in Douma
On 9 December 2013 the prominent human-rights lawyer Razan Zaitouneh — co-founder of the Violations Documentation Center, who chronicled abuses by both the Assad regime and armed g…
- June 10, 2014 Iraq Other Mosul falls to ISIS
Iraqi army collapses in Mosul; ISIS captures Iraq's second-largest city in two days, looting central bank cash and US-supplied military equipment. Ten days later, al-Baghdadi decla…
- July 8, 2014 Palestine Other Operation Protective Edge begins
51-day war between Israel and Hamas. ~2,200 Palestinians killed (UN), ~73 Israelis killed. Triggered by the Hamas kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teens followed by escalati…
- September 21, 2014 Yemen Coalition collapsed Houthis take Sanaa
Houthi forces, allied at the time with ousted ex-President Saleh, took control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on 2014-09-21, forcing the recognized government south to Aden. Triggered…
- December 21, 2014 Tunisia Leader changed Essebsi wins Tunisia's first free presidential election
On 21 December 2014 Beji Caid Essebsi — a veteran of the Bourguiba and Ben Ali states and founder of the secular Nidaa Tounes — won Tunisia's first free, direct presidential electi…
- January 23, 2015 Saudi Arabia Leader changed King Salman accedes to the Saudi throne
Salman bin Abdulaziz became King of Saudi Arabia on 23 January 2015 on the death of his half-brother King Abdullah. His reign quickly broke with the gerontocratic, consensus-based …
- March 26, 2015 Yemen Other Saudi-led coalition military intervention in Yemen
A Saudi-led nine-country coalition began military operations against the Houthis in Yemen on 2015-03-26 (Operation Decisive Storm). The intervention has continued in various forms …
- September 30, 2015 Syria Other Russian military intervention in Syria
Russian Aerospace Forces begin air operations from Khmeimim airbase against anti-Assad armed groups. The intervention reverses regime territorial losses and reshapes the war's dipl…
- November 17, 2015 Israel Legal status changed Israel outlaws the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement
On 17 November 2015 the Israeli cabinet outlawed the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement and 17 affiliated NGOs under the 1945 Emergency Regulations, alleging links to terroris…
- December 2015 Egypt Election held Free Egyptians becomes the largest party in the 2015 parliament
In the October–December 2015 parliamentary election — the first under President Sisi — the Free Egyptians Party emerged with the most seats of any party, anchoring a parliament dom…
- February 15, 2016 Israel Figure imprisoned Former Kadima PM Ehud Olmert imprisoned for corruption
Ehud Olmert, who led Kadima and served as prime minister 2006–2009, became the first Israeli head of government to be imprisoned when he entered Maasiyahu Prison on 15 February 201…
- April 25, 2016 Saudi Arabia Other Saudi Vision 2030 launched
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Vision 2030 on 2016-04-25 — a sweeping economic and social transformation plan aimed at reducing Saudi dependence on oil. The frame…
- July 2016 Morocco Other PJD government pushes through the contested 2016 pension reform
In mid-2016 the PJD-led Benkirane government enacted a reform of the public-sector pension fund (CMR): the retirement age was raised from 60 to 63 (phased to 2022) and worker/emplo…
- October 31, 2016 Lebanon Leader changed FPM founder Michel Aoun elected President of Lebanon, ending a 29-month vacancy
On 31 October 2016, on its 46th attempt to reach quorum, parliament elected FPM founder Michel Aoun president with 83 of 127 votes, ending a presidential vacancy that had lasted si…
- March 17, 2017 Morocco Other King dismisses PJD's Benkirane after a five-month deadlock, names El Othmani
Though the PJD again won the 7 October 2016 election (125 seats), party leader and incumbent PM Abdelilah Benkirane spent five months unable to assemble a coalition (the "blocage")…
- May 11, 2017 Yemen Party formed Southern Transitional Council founded under Aidarus al-Zoubaidi
On 11 May 2017 Aidarus al-Zoubaidi — days after President Hadi dismissed him as governor of Aden — announced the formation of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a UAE-backed …
- June 5, 2017
Qatar Other GCC blockade of Qatar beginsSaudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar on 2017-06-05 over allegations of Qatari support for terrorism and ties to Iran. The block…
- June 21, 2017 Saudi Arabia Leader changed MBS named Crown Prince
King Salman elevated his son Mohammed bin Salman from deputy to Crown Prince on 2017-06-21, displacing his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef. MBS's subsequent Ritz-Carlton anti-corruption …
- July 10, 2017 Iraq Other Mosul liberated from ISIS
Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition retook Mosul on 2017-07-10 after a nine-month battle, ending three years of ISIS control over Iraq's second-largest city. The defeat mar…
- July 2017 Iraq Party formed Ammar al-Hakim leaves ISCI to found the National Wisdom Movement (al-Hikma)
In July 2017 Ammar al-Hakim announced he was leaving the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), which he had led since 2009, to found a new "national" movement, the National Wisdo…
- September 25, 2017 Iraq Other KRG independence referendum backfires, costing Kurdistan Kirkuk
On 25 September 2017 the Kurdistan Regional Government held an independence referendum in which over 93% voted to secede. Within the ruling KDP, security chief Masrour Barzani back…
- September 25, 2017 Iraq Election held Kurdish independence referendum
Iraqi Kurdistan votes 92.7% in favour of independence. Baghdad rejects the result; within weeks, federal forces retake Kirkuk and most disputed territories, ending KRG's post-2003 …
- November 4, 2017 Lebanon Other Saad Hariri's bizarre resignation from Riyadh
On 4 November 2017 Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation in a televised statement from Saudi Arabia, denouncing Iran and Hezbollah and citing assassination fears. Le…
- November 4, 2017 Saudi Arabia Other Ritz-Carlton anti-corruption purge
Saudi Crown Prince MBS detained over 200 senior Saudi princes, businessmen, and officials at Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel on 2017-11-04 under the banner of an anti-corruption campai…
- December 4, 2017 Yemen Leader killed Houthis kill GPC founder Saleh after he switches sides
On 4 December 2017, days after Ali Abdullah Saleh broke with the Houthis and signaled openness to the Saudi-led coalition, Houthi fighters killed him near Sanaa as he tried to flee…
- January 28, 2018 Yemen Other STC forces seize government headquarters in Aden
Beginning 28 January 2018, armed forces loyal to the STC seized the Yemeni government's headquarters and most of Aden in fighting against forces of the internationally recognized H…
- February 21, 2018 Bahrain Figure imprisoned Bahrain jails rights defender Nabeel Rajab over tweets
Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and a leading figure of the 2011 uprising, was in and out of prison from 2012 and in February 2018 sentenced to five …
- April 25, 2018 Yemen Leader changed Al-Mashat becomes the Houthis' top political leader
After the Houthis' Supreme Political Council chairman Saleh al-Sammad was killed in a Saudi-coalition airstrike in mid-April 2018, Mahdi al-Mashat was elevated to chairman of the C…
- May 12, 2018 Iraq Election held Sadr's Sairoon alliance wins the most seats in Iraq's 2018 election
In the 12 May 2018 parliamentary election, Muqtada al-Sadr's cross-ideological Sairoon ("On the Move") alliance — pairing the Sadrist movement with the Iraqi Communist Party and se…
- May 12, 2018 Iraq Election held Al-Hikma wins 19 seats in its first election and enters government
Contesting the 12 May 2018 parliamentary election as a new party, al-Hikma won 19 seats while its former parent ISCI collapsed to three. Al-Hikma joined the Islah (Reform) alliance…
- May 14, 2018 Israel Other US embassy moved to Jerusalem
The United States formally opened its embassy in Jerusalem on 2018-05-14, ending decades of US policy that kept the embassy in Tel Aviv pending a negotiated resolution of Jerusalem…
- May 15, 2018 Saudi Arabia Figure imprisoned Saudi Arabia jails women's-rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul
In May 2018 — weeks before the kingdom lifted the ban on women driving that she had campaigned against — Saudi authorities arrested Loujain al-Hathloul and other women activists. S…
- June 7, 2018 Egypt Other Madbouly appointed prime minister of Egypt
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi appointed Mostafa Madbouly — an engineer and former housing minister who had overseen the New Administrative Capital — prime minister on 7 June 2018,…
- September 1, 2018 Mauritania Election held Tewassoul becomes the main opposition in the 2018 election
In the 1 September 2018 legislative election (run-off 15 September), Tewassoul won 14 of 146 seats with 11.3% — second to the ruling UPR and the largest opposition party, confirmin…
- September 15, 2018 Iraq Other Halbousi becomes Iraq's leading Sunni as parliament speaker
In September 2018 Mohammed al-Halbousi, a former Anbar governor, was elected Speaker of Iraq's Council of Representatives, becoming at 37 the youngest holder of the post and the fo…
- October 2, 2018 Saudi Arabia Other Saudi agents murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi
On 2 October 2018 the dissident Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by a team of Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate i…
- November 4, 2018 Bahrain Figure imprisoned Ali Salman sentenced to life
Al-Wefaq Secretary-General Ali Salman, originally detained in 2014, was sentenced to life in prison on 2018-11-04 on espionage charges. He remains imprisoned. The 2016 court-ordere…
- November 5, 2018 Israel Other Regev advances the "Loyalty in Culture" bill to police the arts
As culture minister, Miri Regev championed the "Loyalty in Culture" bill, which would let her ministry strip state funding from arts institutions deemed disloyal — for marking Inde…
- November 14, 2018 Israel Other Lieberman resigns as defense minister over the Gaza ceasefire
On 14 November 2018 Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman resigned as defense minister in protest at the Netanyahu government's ceasefire with Hamas after a major escalation in…
- December 19, 2018 Sudan Other SCP helps lead the 2018–2019 revolution against Bashir
The Sudanese Communist Party — through its base in the Sudanese Professionals Association and the Forces of Freedom and Change — was a leading organizer of the uprising that began …
- January 27, 2019 Tunisia Party formed Sitting PM Chahed splits from Nidaa Tounes to found Tahya Tounes
On 27 January 2019, amid the implosion of the ruling Nidaa Tounes over the role of President Essebsi's son, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and dozens of defecting deputies launched …
- February 21, 2019 Israel Party formed Hadash and Ta'al form a joint list after the Joint List splinters
On 21 February 2019, after the Joint List broke apart, the Arab-Jewish communist party Hadash (Ayman Odeh) and Ahmad Tibi's Ta'al formed the Hadash-Ta'al list, with Odeh at the top…
- February 22, 2019 Algeria Other Algerian Hirak begins
Mass protests across Algeria began on 2019-02-22 against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term despite his 2013 stroke. The "Hirak" forced his resignation on 2019-0…
- April 2, 2019 Algeria Leader changed Algeria: Bouteflika resigns after Hirak protests
After six weeks of mass weekly protests rejecting his bid for a fifth term, Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned the presidency. The Hirak movement — broad, peaceful, leaderless — kept ma…
- April 11, 2019 Sudan Leader changed Omar al-Bashir overthrown
A military coup overthrew Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on 2019-04-11 after months of mass protests. Initially seen as a democratic opening, the transition was derailed by the …
- June 2019 Iraq Leader changed Barzani family consolidates KRG: Nechirvan president, Masrour PM
After Masoud Barzani's post-referendum resignation, the KDP installed his nephew Nechirvan Barzani as President of the Kurdistan Region (taking office June 2019) and his son Masrou…
- September 15, 2019 Tunisia Other Tahya Tounes flops in 2019; Chahed fails to reach the presidential runoff
In the autumn 2019 elections Tahya Tounes won only about 14 of 217 seats and Youssef Chahed was eliminated in the first round of the September presidential vote — a collapse that m…
- October 1, 2019 Iraq Other Tishreen protest movement begins
Cross-sectarian protests across Baghdad and the Shia south demanding the resignation of the post-2003 political class. PM Adel Abdul Mahdi resigns by December; protests continue th…
- October 17, 2019 Lebanon Other Lebanese October Revolution begins
Mass anti-sectarian protests across Lebanon began on 2019-10-17 after a proposed WhatsApp tax, demanding the resignation of the entire political class. The "thawra" forced PM Saad …
- November 28, 2019 Sudan Party dissolved Transitional authorities dissolve Bashir's NCP
On 28 November 2019, months after the popular uprising and military removal of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's transitional Sovereignty Council passed a law dissolving the National Congres…
- December 10, 2019 Algeria Figure imprisoned RND chief and ex-PM Ahmed Ouyahia jailed for corruption
Ahmed Ouyahia — RND secretary-general and four-time prime minister (1995–98, 2004–06, 2008–12, 2017–19) — was arrested in June 2019 amid the Hirak-era anti-graft purge and on 10 De…
- December 12, 2019 Algeria Other Tebboune elected amid a Hirak boycott and record-low turnout
Abdelmadjid Tebboune — a former prime minister and the military establishment's favored candidate — was elected president of Algeria on 12 December 2019 with the lowest turnout eve…
- January 11, 2020
Oman Leader changed Haitham bin Tariq becomes Sultan of OmanAfter the death of the long-ruling Sultan Qaboos on 10 January 2020, Haitham bin Tariq — a cousin and veteran cabinet minister — was named sultan the next day in accordance with Qa…
- March 2, 2020 Israel Election held As the Joint List's core, Hadash-Ta'al reaches a record 15 seats in 2020
For the September 2019 and March 2020 elections Hadash-Ta'al rejoined the other Arab parties in the revived Joint List, which won 13 and then a record 15 seats on 2 March 2020 — th…
- April 2020 Yemen Other STC declares self-administration over southern Yemen
Citing a stall in implementing the November 2019 Riyadh Agreement, the STC declared self-administration (self-rule) over Aden and southern governorates in April 2020 and imposed a …
- August 4, 2020 Lebanon Other Beirut port explosion
2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonated at Beirut's port on 2020-08-04, killing over 200 people and devastating much of the city. The blast accelerated Lebanon's financial colla…
- September 15, 2020 Bahrain Other Bahrain normalizes relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa agreed to normalize Bahrain's relations with Israel in a deal announced on 11 September 2020 and signed in Washington on 15 September 2020, making Bah…
- September 15, 2020
United Arab Emirates Other UAE normalizes relations with Israel under the Abraham AccordsOn 13 August 2020 the UAE, under then-crown prince Mohamed bin Zayed, agreed to normalize relations with Israel — the deal signed in Washington on 15 September 2020. It made the UA…
- November 6, 2020 Lebanon Other US Treasury sanctions FPM leader Gebran Bassil for corruption
On 6 November 2020 the US Treasury's OFAC designated Gebran Bassil — FPM president, MP, and former foreign, energy and telecommunications minister (Aoun's son-in-law) — under the G…
- November 11, 2020 Bahrain Other Crown Prince Salman becomes prime minister of Bahrain
On 11 November 2020 Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa was appointed prime minister of Bahrain on the death of his great-uncle Khalifa bin Salman, who had held the post since…
- December 8, 2020 Israel Party formed Gideon Sa'ar breaks from Likud to found New Hope
On 8 December 2020 Gideon Sa'ar quit Likud — calling it "a tool for the personal interests of its leader" Benjamin Netanyahu — and founded New Hope, resigning his Knesset seat the …
- January 11, 2021 Oman Other Sultan Haitham reforms the Basic Law and creates a Crown Prince
On 11 January 2021 Sultan Haitham issued a royal decree formalizing succession for the first time — making the sultan's eldest son crown prince (his son Theyazin becoming Oman's fi…
- March 15, 2021 Libya Other Menfi becomes head of Libya's Presidential Council
Selected at the UN-backed Libyan Political Dialogue Forum on 5 February 2021, Mohamed al-Menfi — a former ambassador to Greece from the east — took office on 15 March 2021 as chair…
- March 15, 2021 Libya Other Dbeibah sworn in as Libya's interim unity-government PM
Selected through the UN-backed Libyan Political Dialogue Forum on 15 February 2021, Misratan businessman Abdul Hamid Dbeibah was sworn in on 15 March 2021 as prime minister of the …
- April 3, 2021
Jordan Other Abdullah II quells the Prince Hamzah "sedition" affairOn 3 April 2021 Jordanian authorities placed former crown prince Hamzah under house arrest and detained around twenty people — including ex-royal-court chief Bassem Awadallah — ove…
- April 29, 2021 Palestine Other Abbas indefinitely postpones the 2021 Palestinian elections
On 29 April 2021 Mahmoud Abbas called off what would have been the first Palestinian elections in 15 years, blaming Israel's refusal to guarantee voting in East Jerusalem. Critics …
- May 10, 2021 Palestine Other Sheikh Jarrah crisis and the May 2021 Gaza war
11-day Israel–Hamas war triggered by clashes over Sheikh Jarrah evictions and Al-Aqsa Mosque police raids during Ramadan. ~250 Palestinians killed, ~13 Israelis killed. First major…
- June 13, 2021 Israel Coalition formed Yisrael Beiteinu joins the Bennett–Lapid "change government"
On 13 June 2021 Yisrael Beiteinu entered the eight-party Bennett–Lapid "change government" that ended Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year run as prime minister. Party leader Avigdor Liebe…
- June 13, 2021 Israel Other Mansour Abbas makes Ra'am the first Arab party in an Israeli government
On 13 June 2021 Mansour Abbas led the Islamist Ra'am (United Arab List) into the Bennett–Lapid coalition — the first time an independent Arab party joined an Israeli governing coal…
- June 13, 2021 Israel Coalition formed New Hope joins the Bennett–Lapid government; Sa'ar becomes justice minister
New Hope entered the eight-party Bennett–Lapid coalition sworn in on 13 June 2021, taking three cabinet seats: Gideon Sa'ar as justice minister and deputy PM, Yifat Shasha-Biton at…
- June 13, 2021 Israel Coalition formed Bennett-Lapid "change government" formed
An eight-party coalition — the first to include an Arab party (Ra'am) — was sworn in on 2021-06-13, briefly displacing Netanyahu after 12 years. Bennett served as PM until June 202…
- July 25, 2021 Tunisia Other Tunisia: Saied freezes parliament and dismisses Mechichi
On the anniversary of Tunisia's republic, President Kais Saied invoked Article 80 of the constitution to dismiss the prime minister, freeze parliament, and lift legal immunity from…
- September 8, 2021 Morocco Election held Morocco: PJD collapses, RNI wins — Islamists fall from 125 seats to 13
After a decade in government, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) lost more than 90% of its parliamentary seats in a single election. The National Rally of Independents (RNI), …
- September 10, 2021 Lebanon Other Billionaire Mikati becomes PM amid Lebanon's collapse
Najib Mikati — by Forbes the richest man in Lebanon ($2.8bn) and a three-time premier — formed a government on 10 September 2021 amid the country's historic financial meltdown, the…
- October 7, 2021 Morocco Coalition formed RNI wins the 2021 election and forms the Akhannouch coalition government
The National Rally of Independents (RNI), led by Aziz Akhannouch, won 102 of 395 seats in the 8 September 2021 general election (up from 37). King Mohammed VI appointed Akhannouch …
- October 10, 2021 Iraq Election held Sadrist bloc wins 73 seats — the single largest — in the 2021 election
In the 10 October 2021 early election (called after the 2019 Tishreen protests), the Sadrist movement won 73 of 329 seats, its best-ever result and the largest single bloc. Sadr so…
- October 25, 2021 Sudan Coalition collapsed Sudanese 2021 coup
Generals Burhan and Hemedti seized full control of the Sudanese transitional government on 2021-10-25, dissolving the civilian-led cabinet that had been in power since the 2019 ove…
- December 20, 2021 Egypt Figure imprisoned Egypt's best-known activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah jailed again
A leading figure of Egypt's 2011 revolution, the blogger Alaa Abd El-Fattah was sentenced in December 2021 to five years for "spreading false news," one of a long series of detenti…
- January 24, 2022 Lebanon Other Saad Hariri suspends his political career and boycotts the 2022 vote
On 24 January 2022 Saad Hariri announced he was suspending his role in politics and that his Future Movement would not contest the May 2022 parliamentary election — a stunning with…
- March 2022 Libya Other Dbeibah refuses to cede power after the cancelled 2021 election
When the 24 December 2021 election was indefinitely postponed, Dbeibah refused to hand over to Fathi Bashagha, whom the eastern-based parliament named prime minister in early 2022,…
- April 7, 2022 Yemen Other Al-Alimi becomes chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council
On 7 April 2022 President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, under heavy Saudi pressure, irreversibly transferred his powers to a new eight-member Presidential Leadership Council chaired by R…
- April 7, 2022 Yemen Coalition formed STC joins Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council; Zoubaidi made vice-president
When President Hadi transferred his powers to a new eight-member Presidential Leadership Council on 7 April 2022, the STC was formally incorporated into Yemen's governing body and …
- May 11, 2022 Palestine Other Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh shot dead in Jenin
On 11 May 2022 the veteran Palestinian-American Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was shot in the head and killed while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin, wearing…
- June 13, 2022 Iraq Other Sadr orders all 73 of his MPs to resign from parliament
After eight months of deadlock in which he could not form a government, on 12–13 June 2022 Muqtada al-Sadr ordered all 73 Sadrist MPs to resign en masse from parliament. The seats …
- June 30, 2022 Israel Other Bennett's diverse coalition collapses after a year
Naftali Bennett — Israel's first kippah-wearing, religious-Zionist prime minister, who took office in June 2021 leading the smallest party (Yamina, 7 seats) in an unwieldy eight-pa…
- July 25, 2022 Tunisia Other Saied's 2022 constitution entrenches a hyper-presidential system
On the first anniversary of the coup, 25 July 2022, Saied held a referendum on a new constitution he had largely authored, concentrating power in the presidency and gutting the che…
- September 27, 2022 Saudi Arabia Leader changed Saudi Arabia: Mohammed bin Salman appointed Prime Minister
King Salman appointed his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the prime ministership — a post the monarch has historically held in concurrent capacity. The move codified what w…
- October 13, 2022 Iraq Leader changed Parliament elects Abdul Latif Rashid president of Iraq
On 13 October 2022 Iraq's parliament elected the veteran Kurdish engineer Abdul Latif Rashid president with more than 162 votes, defeating incumbent Barham Salih — breaking the yea…
- October 27, 2022 Iraq Coalition formed Iraq: Sudani forms government after the longest deadlock in Iraqi history
Iraq spent over a year without a sitting government after the October 2021 elections — through Sadrist withdrawal from parliament, mass resignations of Sadrist MPs, deadly Green Zo…
- October 27, 2022 Lebanon Other Israel-Lebanon maritime border agreement
Lebanon and Israel signed a US-mediated agreement demarcating their maritime border on 2022-10-27, resolving a long-standing dispute over offshore gas fields. The agreement was rea…
- November 1, 2022 Israel Other Meretz wiped out of the Knesset, falling below the threshold
In the 1 November 2022 election Meretz won 3.16–3.18% of the vote — just under the 3.25% threshold — and lost all its seats for the first time since 1992, leaving the Knesset witho…
- December 7, 2022 Israel Other Strock becomes Israel's first Settlements and National Missions minister
In December 2022 Orit Strock — a leader of the Hebron settler community and founder of a "Judea and Samaria" rights NGO — became the first holder of the new Settlements and Nationa…
- December 29, 2022 Israel Coalition formed Israel: Netanyahu's sixth government — the furthest-right coalition in Israeli history
After his fifth electoral run in under four years, Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the prime minister's office at the head of a coalition that for the first time placed Itamar Ben-G…
- December 29, 2022 Israel Coalition formed Shas and UTJ join the 37th Netanyahu government
The ultra-Orthodox parties Shas (11 seats) and United Torah Judaism (7 seats) entered Israel's 37th government, sworn in on 29 December 2022 — the most right-wing/religious coaliti…
- December 29, 2022 Israel Other Noam's Avi Maoz made deputy minister for "Jewish national identity"
Under his coalition deal with Netanyahu, Avi Maoz — the sole MK of the anti-LGBT Noam party — was appointed deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Office and head of a new "Jewish…
- January 1, 2023 Israel Other Tech-mogul ex-Jerusalem mayor Barkat becomes economy minister
Nir Barkat — a high-tech multimillionaire who served two terms as mayor of Jerusalem (2008–2018), reshaping the city's economy while overseeing contentious planning in East Jerusal…
- January 3, 2023 Israel Other Ben-Gvir's Temple Mount visit draws a UN Security Council session
On 3 January 2023, days into his tenure, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Temple Mount / al-Aqsa compound — his first as minister — despite warnings it would …
- January 18, 2023 Israel Other High Court disqualifies Shas leader Deri as minister; Netanyahu dismisses him
On 18 January 2023 an expanded 11-justice panel of the High Court of Justice ruled 10–1 that Aryeh Deri's appointment as interior and health minister was "unreasonable in the extre…
- February 2023 Israel Other Smotrich handed sweeping civilian control over the West Bank
In February 2023, beyond the finance ministry, Bezalel Smotrich was made a minister inside the Defense Ministry with authority over much of COGAT and the Civil Administration — the…
- February 2023 Israel Other Cabinet gives Noam's Maoz authority over external school programming
In early 2023 the cabinet approved giving Avi Maoz's new authority — with a budget of at least NIS 100 million — control over external (non-curricular) programming in Israeli schoo…
- March 7, 2023 Qatar Other Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman named prime minister of Qatar
In March 2023 Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani — Qatar's long-serving foreign minister — was additionally appointed prime minister, concentrating the country's d…
- March 10, 2023 Saudi Arabia Other Iran-Saudi diplomatic restoration
China brokered a Saudi-Iranian agreement on 2023-03-10 to restore diplomatic relations after seven years of rupture. Both states reopened embassies. Significantly reduced the direc…
- March 29, 2023 United Arab Emirates Other MBZ names his son Khaled crown prince of Abu Dhabi
On 29 March 2023 UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed designated his eldest son, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed — already chair of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and the emirate's…
- April 15, 2023 Sudan Coalition collapsed Sudan: Civil war breaks out between SAF and RSF
Two years after they jointly overthrew the civilian transitional government, the Sudanese Armed Forces under Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces under Hemedti turned on each other.…
- April 15, 2023 Sudan Coalition collapsed Sudanese civil war begins
Open warfare broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (led by Sovereignty Council chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan) and the Rapid Support Forces (led by Hemedti) on 2023-04-15. T…
- April 17, 2023 Tunisia Figure imprisoned Rached Ghannouchi imprisoned
Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi was detained on 2023-04-17 and subsequently sentenced to multiple years in prison on a series of charges widely viewed as politically motivated by …
- May 13, 2023 Mauritania Other El Insaf wins a parliamentary majority in Mauritania's 2023 election
In the 13 May 2023 National Assembly election (first round; run-off 27 May), the ruling El Insaf (Equity) party, de facto led by President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, won an …
- May 13, 2023 Mauritania Election held Tewassoul remains the leading opposition party in 2023
In the 13 May 2023 election Tewassoul took 9 of the 176 seats (10.2%) — fewer than in 2018 but still the largest of the opposition (which held only 24 seats overall), keeping the I…
- June 25, 2023 Lebanon Leader changed Walid Jumblatt hands PSP leadership to his son Taymour
After leading the Progressive Socialist Party for 46 years, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt announced his resignation as party chief on 25 May 2023; at the PSP general conference in Ai…
- July 24, 2023 Israel Other Israeli judicial overhaul first reading passes
The Knesset passed the first major bill of the Netanyahu government's judicial overhaul on 2023-07-24 — the "reasonableness" amendment limiting Supreme Court review of executive de…
- October 3, 2023 Tunisia Figure imprisoned Abir Moussi imprisoned
Free Destourian Party leader Abir Moussi, the most prominent secular opposition voice to President Saied, was detained on 2023-10-03 on charges widely viewed as politically motivat…
- October 7, 2023 Palestine Other 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel
Hamas-led infiltration through the Gaza border fence. ~1,200 Israelis killed, ~240 hostages taken. Triggered the subsequent Israeli ground operation in Gaza, the longest and deadli…
- October 7, 2023 Israel Other October 7 Hamas attack on Israel
Hamas launched a coordinated assault from Gaza on Israeli border communities on 2023-10-07, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The deadliest single day for Jews si…
- October 30, 2023 Israel Other Smotrich freezes tax-revenue transfers to the Palestinian Authority
As finance minister, on 30 October 2023 — early in the Gaza war — Bezalel Smotrich froze the transfer of clearance (tax) revenues Israel collects on the PA's behalf, part of a sust…
- November 11, 2023 Algeria Other Tebboune appoints his chief of staff Larbaoui prime minister
On 11 November 2023 President Abdelmadjid Tebboune dismissed PM Aymen Benabderrahmane and named his own chief of staff, the career diplomat Nadir Larbaoui (a former Algerian envoy …
- November 14, 2023 Iraq Other Federal court ousts Halbousi as parliament speaker
On 14 November 2023 Iraq's Federal Supreme Court abruptly terminated Mohammed al-Halbousi's membership in parliament — and thus his speakership — over a forgery allegation brought …
- November 19, 2023 Yemen Other Yemen: Houthis begin attacking Red Sea shipping in solidarity with Gaza
Six weeks into the Gaza war, Houthi forces in Yemen began launching missiles and drones at commercial shipping in the Red Sea — and at southern Israel — framing the attacks as a bl…
- December 12, 2023 Egypt Election held Sisi re-elected with 89.6% vote
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was re-elected for a third term as President of Egypt on 2023-12-12 with 89.6% of the vote. Major opposition figures were either barred from running or impriso…
- December 18, 2023 Egypt Election held Egypt: Sisi wins a third term with 89.6% in a tightly managed election
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was re-elected to a third term in a vote his three official challengers conceded was uncompetitive before counting finished. The most-watched opposition candid…
- December 28, 2023 Morocco Other Akhannouch government launches the Direct Social Support cash-transfer program
On 28 December 2023 the RNI-led government began disbursing direct cash aid under the Aide Sociale Directe program — a minimum of MAD 500 per family per month plus per-child allowa…
- 2024 Israel Other UTJ uses Finance Committee to restore subsidies for draft-age yeshiva men
After the High Court ordered the state to stop funding yeshivas for draft-eligible students who fail to enlist, the Knesset Finance Committee — chaired by UTJ's Moshe Gafni — moved…
- January 26, 2024 Israel Other ICJ provisional measures in South Africa v. Israel genocide case
The International Court of Justice issued provisional measures in the South Africa v. Israel case on 2024-01-26, finding it plausible that Israeli operations in Gaza could be in br…
- March 6, 2024 Egypt Other Madbouly government floats the pound and expands the IMF program to $8bn
Under Madbouly, Egypt let the pound sharply depreciate and, on 6 March 2024, won an expansion of its IMF loan from $3 billion to $8 billion — unlocked by the $35 billion Ras El-Hek…
- March 14, 2024 Palestine Other Abbas appoints economist Mohammad Mustafa as PA prime minister
On 14 March 2024 President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Mohammad Mustafa — a US-educated economist and long-time World Bank official and Abbas adviser — to head what was billed as the P…
- May 10, 2024
Kuwait Coalition collapsed Emir Mishal dissolves National AssemblyKuwaiti Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad dissolved the National Assembly and suspended parts of the constitution for up to four years on 2024-05-10, ending Kuwait's tradition of a vocal electe…
- May 10, 2024 Kuwait Other Kuwait's emir dissolves parliament and suspends the constitution
On 10 May 2024 Emir Mishal al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved Kuwait's National Assembly and suspended several constitutional articles for up to four years, with the cabinet assuming some…
- June 9, 2024 Israel Coalition collapsed National Unity exits emergency war cabinet
Benny Gantz and the National Unity party withdrew from Israel's emergency wartime unity government, citing the absence of a post-war Gaza plan. The exit ended the unity arrangement…
- June 29, 2024 Mauritania Election held Ghazouani re-elected for second term
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was re-elected President of Mauritania on 2024-06-29 for a second five-year term.
- July 2024 Israel Party formed The Democrats formed from Labor–Meretz merger
Israeli Labor Party and Meretz formally merged in July 2024 to form The Democrats, with Yair Golan elected leader. The merger consolidated the Zionist left into a single bloc after…
- July 31, 2024 Palestine Leader killed Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran
Hamas political bureau chief killed by a guided projectile at a Revolutionary Guard guesthouse in Tehran, hours after attending the inauguration of Iranian president Masoud Pezeshk…
- August 7, 2024 Tunisia Other Saied installs Kamel Madouri as prime minister
On 7 August 2024, weeks before a tightly controlled presidential election, President Kais Saied abruptly dismissed PM Ahmed Hachani and named social-affairs minister Kamel Madouri …
- September 2024 Israel Other Levin stonewalls the Judicial Selection Committee in defiance of the High Court
After the overhaul stalled, Levin for many months refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee to fill Supreme Court vacancies — including the court presidency — seeking to …
- September 3, 2024 Lebanon Figure imprisoned Lebanon: former central-bank governor Salameh arrested on corruption charges
Riad Salameh, Lebanon's central-bank governor for three decades and architect of the Ponzi-like financial-engineering scheme that collapsed in 2019, was arrested in September 2024 …
- September 7, 2024 Algeria Election held Tebboune re-elected with 84 percent vote
Abdelmadjid Tebboune was re-elected President of Algeria on 2024-09-07 with 84 percent of the vote.
- September 10, 2024 Jordan Election held Jordan: Islamic Action Front wins biggest opposition bloc since the 1989 thaw
Jordan's first elections under a reformed party law gave the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing — the Islamic Action Front — 31 of 138 lower-house seats, its strongest showing in …
- September 10, 2024 Jordan Other National Charter Party becomes the largest pro-government bloc in Jordan's 2024 election
In Jordan's 10 September 2024 parliamentary election — the first under the 2022 political-parties law that reserved a national party list — the National Charter Party (Hizb al-Mith…
- September 15, 2024 Jordan Other King Abdullah names technocrat Jafar Hassan prime minister
On 15 September 2024, after the parliamentary election, King Abdullah II accepted Bisher al-Khasawneh's resignation and appointed Jafar Hassan — a Harvard- and Geneva-educated econ…
- September 17, 2024 Lebanon Other Lebanon: Pager and walkie-talkie explosions across Hezbollah ranks
Across roughly twelve hours, thousands of pagers and then walkie-talkies issued to Hezbollah members and affiliates detonated simultaneously across Lebanon and parts of Syria. The …
- September 27, 2024 Lebanon Leader killed Lebanon: Hassan Nasrallah killed in Israeli airstrike on Beirut
The Israeli air force destroyed Hezbollah's underground headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs with a series of bunker-buster bombs, killing secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah a…
- September 27, 2024 Lebanon Leader killed Hassan Nasrallah killed in Israeli airstrike
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut on 2024-09-27. Nasrallah had led Hezbollah since 1992.
- October 1, 2024 Lebanon Other Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon
Israeli forces began ground operations in southern Lebanon on 2024-10-01, escalating the year-long war with Hezbollah. Came after the September 2024 pager attacks and a sustained I…
- October 6, 2024 Tunisia Election held Saied re-elected with 90 percent vote
Kais Saied was re-elected President of Tunisia on 2024-10-06 with over 90 percent of the vote in a contest from which most opposition candidates were barred. Turnout was below 30 p…
- October 16, 2024 Palestine Leader killed Yahya Sinwar killed in Rafah
Hamas leader and architect of the 7 October attacks killed in a chance encounter with an Israeli infantry patrol in Tel al-Sultan, Rafah. The killing was confirmed by DNA matching …
- October 29, 2024 Lebanon Leader changed Naim Qassem becomes Hezbollah Secretary-General
Hezbollah named long-time deputy Naim Qassem as its new Secretary-General on 2024-10-29, succeeding Hassan Nasrallah.
- November 5, 2024 Israel Other Netanyahu fires Gallant and makes Likud loyalist Katz defense minister
On 5 November 2024 Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — who cited clashes over Haredi conscription, hostage deals and a state inquiry into October 7 —…
- November 21, 2024 Israel Other ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on 2024-11-21 for alleged war crimes and crimes a…
- November 27, 2024 Lebanon Other Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire holds with intermittent violations
The November 2024 ceasefire required Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River, the Lebanese army to deploy to the south, and Israeli forces to gradually return to the 1948 l…
- November 27, 2024 Lebanon Other Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
A US-mediated 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on 2024-11-27, ending the year-long escalation. The agreement called for an Israeli withdrawal from sou…
- December 8, 2024 Syria Other Syria: Assad regime falls after a twelve-day rebel offensive
A rebel offensive from Idlib province under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, swept south through Aleppo, Hama, and Homs in under two weeks. Damascus fell on 8 December…
- December 9, 2024 Syria Other Israeli operations into Syria post-Assad
Following the fall of the Assad regime, Israel conducted widespread airstrikes on former Syrian military assets in December 2024 and seized additional territory in the Golan buffer…
- December 9, 2024 Syria Other Israeli forces enter southern Syria as Assad regime falls
Within 24 hours of the Assad regime's fall, Israeli ground forces crossed the 1974 disengagement line into the UN buffer zone in the Golan Heights, occupying positions including Mo…
- December 21, 2024 Syria Other HTS figures take key ministries in Syria's post-Assad government
After Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham led the offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad on 8 December 2024, the HTS-dominated transitional government installed on 21 December 2024 named Asaad a…
- January 9, 2025 Lebanon Election held Joseph Aoun elected President of Lebanon
After a two-year presidential vacuum, Lebanese Armed Forces commander Joseph Aoun was elected President on 2025-01-09, ending the institutional impasse.
- January 11, 2025 Yemen Other US and UK begin sustained strike campaign on Houthi targets
The first Biden-era coalition strike against Houthi positions in Yemen came in January 2024; the second Trump administration scaled up the campaign in early 2025, targeting drone p…
- January 15, 2025 Qatar Other Qatar's PM brokers the January 2025 Gaza ceasefire
On 15 January 2025 Qatari PM and foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman announced a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange — mediated jointly by Qatar, Egypt and the Unite…
- January 19, 2025 Palestine Other Gaza ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal takes effect
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led factions in Gaza took effect on 19 January 2025, in three 42-day phases mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar. The first phase had Hamas rele…
- January 29, 2025 Syria Party dissolved Ba'ath Party dissolved by transitional authority
The Syrian Regional Branch of the Ba'ath Party was formally dissolved by the HTS-led transitional government in January 2025 as part of broader de-Baathification, ending the Ba'ath…
- January 29, 2025 Syria Leader changed Ahmad al-Sharaa named Syria's transitional president
On 29 January 2025, Ahmad al-Sharaa was named president of Syria for the transitional period at a conference of the factions that toppled Bashar al-Assad. The founder and head of H…
- February 8, 2025 Lebanon Coalition formed Nawaf Salam becomes Prime Minister
Former ICJ President Nawaf Salam was named Prime Minister of Lebanon on 2025-02-08 and tasked with forming a reform-oriented cabinet.
- March 13, 2025 Syria Other Syrian constitutional declaration
The transitional Syrian government under al-Sharaa issued a constitutional declaration on 2025-03-13 establishing the legal framework for a five-year transition period. Islam was n…
- March 13, 2025 Israel Party merged New Hope agrees to merge back into Likud
Having rejoined a Netanyahu-led government in 2024 — with Gideon Sa'ar serving as foreign minister — New Hope agreed in March 2025 to merge back into Likud and run on a joint list …
- April 2025 Iraq Coalition formed Iraq prepares for late-2025 elections under Sudani
Iraq's parliamentary elections scheduled for November 2025 set the stage for either a renewal of Sudani's Coordination Framework government or a return of Sadrist influence after M…
- May 3, 2025 Yemen Other Bin Braik appointed prime minister of Yemen's recognized government
On 3 May 2025 the Presidential Leadership Council, chaired by Rashad al-Alimi, appointed finance minister Salem Saleh bin Braik prime minister (Decision No. 156), replacing Ahmed A…
- June 13, 2025 Israel Other Israel-Iran 12-day war
Israel launched a preemptive strike campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities and senior IRGC commanders on 13 June 2025; Iran responded with the largest ballistic-missile barrag…
- September 2025 Saudi Arabia Other Saudi-Iran rapprochement deepens after the 12-day war
The 2023 China-brokered Saudi-Iran restoration of relations survived the June 2025 war intact. By September 2025, both governments had elevated cooperation: Saudi Arabia notably di…
- November 11, 2025 Iraq Election scheduled Iraqi parliamentary election scheduled for November 2025
Iraq's next parliamentary election is scheduled for 2025-11-11. The Sadrist Movement (Sairoon) has not announced whether it will end its 2022 political withdrawal and contest seats…