Mojtaba Khamenei: The Shadow Prince of the Islamic Republic
Malo Pinatel 11:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Middle East Tehran United Kingdom Iran
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was chosen as his father's successor in September at a secret meeting of the Assembly of Experts, according to Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronot. The Assembly of Experts, whose members are 88 clerics elected by direct universal suffrage, is responsible for electing the next ...
Who Was Mohammad Afif, Hezb’s Head of Media Relations?
Malo Pinatel 17/11 15:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah Israel Mohamad Afif
The head of Hezbollah's media department, Mohammad Afif, was killed on Sunday in the offices of the Lebanese branch of the Syrian Baath Party, located in the Ras al-Nabeh district in the heart of Beirut. A prominent figure in Hezbollah, he was the son of Sheikh Afif Naboulsi, an important religious figure in the Lebanese Shiite community. Afif ...
The JCPOA: The Iranian Nuclear Deal Dismissed Too Soon
Malo Pinatel 15/11 17:35 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Donald Trump European Union US Nuclear Iran JCPOA
On Wednesday evening, IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi arrived in Tehran for talks on Iran’s nuclear activities. His visit, spanning several days, is no coincidence. With Trump’s expected return to the White House in early 2025, any hope of reviving negotiations seems increasingly unrealistic. Moreover, the simultaneous appointment of Marco Rubio as ...
Israel’s Diplomatic “Bulldozer” Israel Katz Appointed as Minister of Defense
Malo Pinatel 05/11 23:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine United Nations West Bank
While the world’s attention is focused on the U.S. presidential election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. He has promptly replaced him with his Foreign Minister, Israel Katz—a choice that appears deliberate, as Katz is known for his loyalty to the Prime Minister. The ...
Commando Operation in Batroun: What Are Israel's Capabilities?
Malo Pinatel 02/11 22:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Early on the morning of Friday, November 1, an Israeli special forces unit conducted an operation in Batroun. Their target: Imad Fadel Amhaz, 30, a student at the Institute of Maritime and Technological Sciences (Marsati). While authorities have yet to clarify the details of the incident, initial reports indicate that the operation was launched ...
Operation Days of Repentance: Israel's Strike on Iran
Malo Pinatel 30/10 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
According to the Israeli army, this attack involved no less than a hundred aircraft, including F-15s, F-16s and stealth F-35s. Drones were also employed in the offensive. Jordanian Reservations The scale of the resources deployed highlights the complexity of the operation, which was made even more challenging by the distance between Israel and ...
Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s Potential Successor, Killed by Israel
Malo Pinatel 22/10 23:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hassan Nasrallah South Lebanon Hashem Sadieffine
Likely killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday, October 3rd, Hachem Safieddine, whose body was found on Tuesday, October 22nd, was an influential figure within Hezbollah. Born in 1964 in Deir Qanoun Al Naher, South Lebanon, he was a maternal cousin of the pro-Iranian group’s secretary-general, Hassan ...
Drones that Keep Buzzing in Our Ears
Malo Pinatel 22/10 20:06 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
For nearly a month, their constant buzzing has become a reminder of the new harsh reality for Beirut’s residents. For those displaced from South Lebanon, this sound has been a daily backdrop for over a year. On clear days, these drones are easily visible in the Lebanese sky. What are they? They’re Israeli drones, commonly referred to as ...
What Is THAAD, the US Missile Defense System Sent to Israel?
Malo Pinatel 16/10 10:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Washington announced on Sunday the deployment of a powerful American missile defense system to Israel, along with one hundred soldiers to operate it. Known as THAAD, the system is intended to bolster Israel's defenses against threats from Tehran and its allies. This is not the first time Washington has deployed such a weapons system on Israeli ...
The New Drone Warfare in the Levant
Malo Pinatel 09/10 14:14 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
A constant buzzing fills the skies of some parts of the Middle East, mainly Lebanon. From Beirut to Gaza, the sound of drone engines has become a part of daily life for the populations targeted by the Israeli military. As with other 21st-century conflicts, drones have taken a central role in the Israel-Hamas war. From small, locally-made drones ...
Hezbollah’s Extensive Arsenal Against Israel
Malo Pinatel 01/10 15:01 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Since Monday, the Israeli military has significantly intensified its strikes across Lebanon, killing over a thousand Lebanese civilians in the process. A key objective of this campaign is to counter the main threat Hezbollah poses to Israel: its arsenal of rockets and precision-guided missiles. This concern is echoed by the Israeli government's ...
Pro-Iranian Axis Reactions to Escalation in Lebanon
Malo Pinatel 23/09 21:27 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Hundreds of Israeli strikes hit southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, after Israel advised residents in these areas to "stay away from Hezbollah targets." While the pro-Iranian group continues to launch rocket salvos in response to Israeli bombardments, various components of the Tehran-led axis have begun issuing statements of support. Iran ...
Which Strategic Israeli Installations is Hezb Targeting?
Malo Pinatel 22/09 20:01 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
On Sunday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for attacks on military production sites and an airbase in northern Israel. "In retaliation for the beeper and walkie-talkie explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at the Rafael military industrial complex in northern Israel," the Iran-backed group stated. Rafael Systems, ...
What Is a Pager?
Malo Pinatel 17/09 17:22 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters were injured on Tuesday in Dahiyé, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon. The cause: the explosion of their pagers, likely after being hacked by Israel. Predecessor to Mobile Phones A pager, or beeper, is a mobile communication device widely used before the rise of mobile phones. Its main purpose is to receive ...
Israel-Lebanon: Between Psychological Warfare and Operational Preparation
Malo Pinatel 17/09 11:00 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
In Lebanon, August 2024 was exceptionally intense, characterized by sweltering temperatures and escalating geopolitical tensions. The assassinations of Fouad Shokr in Beirut’s southern suburbs and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran cast a month-long shadow of a potential regional war, with Lebanon once again at risk of becoming a battlefield. However, ...
The West Bank: The Other Challenge in the Israel-Hamas Conflict
Malo Pinatel 02/09 14:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
In the early hours of Wednesday, August 28, the Israeli military announced a major operation in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, targeting localities such as Jenin, Tubas, and Tulkarem. This operation is the largest in the area since October 7. Although this operation is more extensive than previous ones, it is part of a broader ...
How Much Does a Sonic Boom Cost?
Malo Pinatel 13/08 11:53 - Reading : 8 minute(s)
"It is more common to love God than your neighbor because it costs less," said the French writer Alfred Bougeard. A proverb that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) seems to be trying to put into practice in the skies of Lebanon. A practice highlighted, beyond the bombings devastating the south of the country — and sometimes the east — by a scene ...
Tunisia: Final Stretch for a Locked-Up Presidential Election
Malo Pinatel 12/08 11:57 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
The suspense in Tunisia has come to an end this Sunday, August 11: The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), responsible for organizing and supervising elections, has released the final list of candidates for the presidential election, which will take place on October 6. This will mark the fourth election since the 2011 overthrow of ...
Who is Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Potential New Top Diplomat?
Malo Pinatel 11/08 14:37 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The name of the possible new Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, was announced on Sunday by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Araghchi could therefore succeed Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, assuming he receives the approval of Parliament and Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei. As a reminder, his predecessor died in a helicopter crash in May ...
Israeli Intelligence, the Nemesis of Pro-Iranian Axis
Malo Pinatel 02/08 18:30 - Reading : 10 minute(s)
A thunderbolt struck on the morning of July 31: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, visiting Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, was killed in a strike, which was likely carried out by Israel. This was the second assassination of a high-ranking member of the Iranian axis in 48 hours. The previous day, Fouad ...
Zoom in on the Falaq-1 Rocket That Hit Majdal Shams
Malo Pinatel 28/07 13:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
As the town of Majdal Shams, located on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, is still recovering after the missile attack that killed twelve people, the Israeli army has reported that the projectile was likely an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket. We know it is a Falaq rocket with a 53 kg warhead," said Israeli Army Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi. ...
China: Navigating the Gordian Knot of Palestinian Rivalries
Malo Pinatel 24/07 11:01 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Palestinian factions announced the signing of a “national unity” in agreement on Tuesday, July 23, in Beijing. This is Beirut spoke with researcher Guy Burton, a specialist in Sino-Middle Eastern relations, to highlight China's role in the Levant. On Tuesday, July 23, Musa Abu Marzouk, a senior official in Hamas’ political bureau, announced ...
France’s Week of Decisive Political Battles
Malo Pinatel 16/07 20:48 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The results of the July 7 legislative elections have confirmed an unprecedented situation under the Fifth Republic. Three more or less cohesive blocs, none capable of dominating the other two to wield power, are gearing up for a series of consultations in the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, to prepare the new ...
The Secret Service: From Anti-Fraud Enforcement to VIP Protection
Malo Pinatel 15/07 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The image went viral worldwide: Trump, fist raised beneath the star-spangled banner, escorted by his security detail. Men in dark suits and sunglasses, representing an agency whose enigmatic name might mislead many about its true mission: The United States Secret Service (USSS). It is one of the oldest federal agencies in charge of law ...
French Legislative Elections: Where Do We Go Now?
Malo Pinatel 10/07 19:15 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
The day after the second round of the French legislative elections, which defied expectations, the question of forming the next government remains on everyone's lips. Indeed, no bloc seems capable of reaching an absolute majority to govern effectively. While the left-wing alliance around the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) came out on top with 193 ...
Israel: The Submarine Scandal That Could Torpedo Netanyahu
Malo Pinatel 25/06 19:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
An Israeli commission investigating suspicions of wrongdoing in the purchase of submarines and warships from Germany by the Israeli government issued a warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, according to information reported by Reuters. This commission reportedly informed Netanyahu that, based on the evidence gathered so far, it ...
Akrotiri and Dhekelia: The Last British Remnants in Cyprus
Malo Pinatel 21/06 21:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Cyprus is home to two British-operated military bases, Akrotiri and Dhekelia. These bases have been brought to the fore at a time when Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah is directly threatening Nicosia. A key point from Hezbollah's Secretary General's latest speech was the threats directed at the Republic of Cyprus. He warned, "We will ...
Immigration in France: Amidst Divisions and Media Hype
Malo Pinatel 12/06 22:31 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
A ruthless victory. That's how one might label the success of the National Rally (RN) list, led by Jordan Bardella (31.3%) in the European elections in France on Sunday, June 9. This marked a significant lead over the presidential majority by nearly 17 points (14.6%). The campaign that led to this score notably revolved around a pivotal debate: ...
Iran's Interim Ruler VP Mohammad Mokhber, a Pure Product of Islamic Republic
Malo Pinatel 20/05 08:43 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
A prominent and influential figure in Iranian politics today, Mohammad Mokhber has held the position of First Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Iran since August 2021. Following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, he replaces the latter, according to the Iranian constitution. IRGC officer Born into a clerical family on May 11, 1955, ...
Lebanese Skies Are Becoming Increasingly Dangerous for Israel
Malo Pinatel 22/04 19:26 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a "cat-and-mouse game" between Israeli drones and Hezb air defense has steadily emerged in Lebanese skies. As a new Israeli drone was shot down on Monday, Ici Beyrouth takes a look at the main equipment involved. On Monday, Israeli forces reported the interception of one of their drones above the village ...