Abdi Latif Dahir
@lattif.bsky.social
Middle East Correspondent at The New York Times
In southern Lebanon, Eid came with the deafening booms of Israeli strikes, the thud of artillery shelling and the buzz of drones. “It’s a difficult Eid,” said Hanan Khalil, a resident of Baysarieh, where deserted streets and shuttered storefronts reflected the unease hanging over the border region.
Residents Watch as Israeli War Planes Circle Over Southern Lebanon
nytimes.com
Thousands of people displaced by Israeli strikes in Lebanon now shelter along the Beirut promenade that hugs the Mediterranean Sea. They share it with joggers, cyclists and dog walkers — alongside dizzying displays of wealth. My latest report.
On Beirut’s Waterfront, Loss Meets Life, and Luxury, Amid War
nytimes.com
Internet Blackout Keeps Iranians From Reaching Loved Ones During New Year Holiday 👇🏼 Read our latest @nytimes.com 🛜 #DigitalBlackOutIran
Internet Blackout Keeps Iranians From Reaching Loved Ones During New Year Holiday
nytimes.com
“This is a difficult Eid day”: For many in Lebanon, the spiritual stillness of Ramadan and the joy of Eid have been replaced by the constant hum of uncertainty: where to sleep, what to eat, whether home still exists. My dispatch from Beirut.
‘We Are at Zero’: War-Weary Lebanon Marks Eid With Muted Celebration
nytimes.com
Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia was released from an ICE detention facility in Texas after a year in custody. The 33-year-old from the occupied West Bank was the last person connected to the Columbia University pro-Palestine protests still held by US immigration authorities.
As Israel begins a ground invasion into southern Lebanon, hundreds of thousands of uprooted people wonder when they will ever return home. “We love our land,” said Fidaa Malhas from Sidiqeen village, who now sleeps by the seaside in Beirut. “We want to go back.”
‘We Miss Home’: Displaced Lebanese Face Cold Streets and an Uncertain Future
nytimes.com
Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 31 health workers and wounded 51 more in Lebanon this month, illustrating the intensity of the conflict and the strain on a health system caring for over 2,000 injured civilians.
Dozens of Medical Workers Killed as Israel Hits Lebanon
nytimes.com
A father comforting his kids, telling them the deafening bangs were fireworks. A man blown from his bed onto the floor. Debris and mangled rebar everywhere. Our report on the morning residents in a central Beirut area woke up to Israeli bombardment.
Lebanese residents are left in shock and fear as Israeli strikes reach the center of Beirut.
nytimes.com
Israel’s military said on Saturday that it sent special forces into Lebanon to search for information on an Israeli airman who has been missing for four decades. The airstrikes and clashes in the eastern Bekaa Valley left at least 41 people dead.
Deadly Clashes in Lebanon as Israel Renews Search for Missing Airman
nytimes.com
Parents waking children at night to flee. Traffic jams crawling for hours before reaching safety in Beirut. Hungry families unsure where to get food or water to break their fast. Our dispatch from Beirut on the first day this ever-expanding war reached Lebanon. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/w...
More Lebanese Flee Their Homes as Israel Strikes Back at Hezbollah
nytimes.com
I heard the Israeli strikes in Beirut, which were so loud they echoed across multiple neighborhoods. The explosions could be heard in Dahiya, the Hezbollah bastion in southern Beirut. The Israeli military said it carried out targeted strikes against Hezbollah members in Beirut and southern Lebanon
As the United States and Israel began a coordinated military offensive against Iran early Saturday, Tehran acted swiftly on its promise to hit back, targeting U.S. interests and allies across the Middle East in a wide-ranging retaliation that risks a broader regional conflict. My latest.
Iran Hits Back Across the Mideast, Targeting U.S. Bases and Allies
nytimes.com
We won the George Polk Award in Foreign Reporting for our investigation on how powerful people and firms exploited East African women recruited for domestic work in the Gulf. Special thanks to the Polk jury and to everyone involved in this project from the start.
The New York Times Wins 3 Polk Awards
nytimes.com
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the head of the Dubai-based ports giant DP World, resigned on Friday, the company said, amid mounting scrutiny of his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Dubai Ports Boss Resigns Amid Fallout From Epstein Files
nytimes.com
A budding fashion designer, a prospective engineering student, and a mother, father and son who once considered emigrating in hopes of a better life. All were killed in protests that rocked Iran starting in late December. My latest with Leily Nikounazar.
Iran Killed Thousands of Protesters. Here Are Five of Their Stories.
nytimes.com
Some news: I’m moving to Lebanon to be a Middle East Correspondent for @nytimes.com. I was honored to cover East Africa for nearly six years during a momentous and shifting period. I’ll miss the region and my wonderful colleagues across Africa. Excited for new stories and great collaborations ahead.
Updates on International’s Middle East Team | The New York Times Company
nytco.com
China has racked up a $60 billion trade surplus with Africa so far in 2025, nearly surpassing last year’s total, as Chinese companies redirect trade to the region while President Trump’s tariffs crimp the flow of goods into the United States.
China’s Exports to Africa Are Soaring as Trade to U.S. Plunges
nytimes.com
Witnesses said the second strike took place after rescue workers, journalists and other people had rushed to the site of the initial attack. The Reuters live video feed from the hospital, which was operated by Masri, suddenly shut down at the moment of the initial strike reut.rs/41pmNLb
BREAKING: Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Gaza killed at least 15 people, including three journalists, one of whom worked for Reuters, Palestinian health officials said reut.rs/45OFPfr
South Sudan should not “use the issue of Palestinians as negotiating chips to improve their foreign relations,” said Edmund Yakani, the leader of a South Sudanese civil society organization. “This is ethnic cleansing that we are supporting.”
Israel Is in Talks to Send Gazans to South Sudan, Officials Say
nytimes.com
Fascinating and deeply reported piece from Aida Alami in @nybooks.com on what makes a uniquely Muslim American imam, and how they are helping themselves and their community navigate the demands of a secularizing, pluralistic, and Islamophobic country.
The New Imams | Aida Alami
For years I have been working on a documentary film about young Muslims in France, centered on the 2017 trial that convicted a police officer of killing a
nybooks.com
More than 100 aid agencies and rights groups, including Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders, warned on Wednesday that mass starvation was spreading across Gaza, adding to calls for Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave. nyti.ms/46TKTRO
My piece on the protests in Kenya against President William Ruto and his government leads @nytimes.com The Morning newsletter. Here's a gift link.
Protests in Kenya
nytimes.com
Could America gamble away its scientific and educational leadership in the service of ideology? Together with my colleagues, we write about what Trump's crackdown on universities will mean for America and the world.
How Trump’s crackdown on Harvard and other universities is affecting the world
Mr. Trump’s ideological war on universities is putting students, professors and scientists under pressure. That could undermine the global dominance that American science has enjoyed for decades.
nytimes.com
“There was a brief silence among the three of us, a beat of shared recognition of the difficulties of staying alive.” Hanif Abdurraqib reflects on meeting Mahmoud Khalil and Zohran Mamdani at a comedy show.
Zohran Mamdani and Mahmoud Khalil Are in on the Joke
What it feels like to laugh when the world expects you to disappear.
newyorker.com
From @theathletic.bsky.social: Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon fell short in her bid to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile. Kipyegon ran 4:06.92, the fastest time over the distance recorded by a woman, breaking her own world record. nyti.ms/44AXZll
Kenyan police used live rounds, tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters on Wednesday, as thousands marched nationwide to mark a year since huge demonstrations against a contentious tax plan turned deadly and laid bare the growing anger at President William Ruto’s government.
Kenyans Return to the Streets a Year After Deadly Tax Protests
nytimes.com
The U.S. struck three key nuclear sites in Iran overnight on Saturday. President Trump claimed that three facilities had been “totally obliterated,” but top Pentagon officials said that it was too soon to say whether Iran still retained some nuclear ability. nyti.ms/45AFnD1
The Trump administration’s tightening of visas for international students has raised fears the U.S. could lose its status as a top higher education destination. For tens of thousands of African students, that shift was already underway. Their destination: China. My latest.
China’s Quiet Win: Outmaneuvering U.S. for Africa’s Future Leaders
nytimes.com
From @theathletic.bsky.social: Coco Gauff won the French Open, prevailing over the No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka in a tense and chaotic final match on Saturday. She is the first American woman to win on the clay since Serena Williams in 2015. nyti.ms/43OLRf7
