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Qassem Urges Lebanese Government to Cancel Negotiations with Israel

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a televised address tonight, his sixth since the militant group initiated this round of fighting on March 2. He spoke one day before Lebanese and Israeli envoys are set to begin negotiations at the U.S. State Department on April 14, a watershed moment in the history of ties between the two ...

Hezbollah Resumes Attacks After Short Lull, Report Says

After a brief lull in fire following the April 8 ceasefire with Iran, Hezbollah has resumed attacks on Israeli territory, according to an assessment by the Alma Research and Education Center. According to the report, a total of 1,310 Hezbollah attack waves targeting Israel have been recorded since March 2, with an average of around 30 attacks per ...

Lebanese FM: Direct Talks With Israel Reinforce Separation From Iran Track

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said that Beirut is pursuing direct negotiations with Israel aimed at reaching a ceasefire, while stressing what he described as a growing separation between Lebanon’s diplomatic track and Iranian influence in the region. In a post on X following a call with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, ...

Israeli Foreign Minister Calls for “Severing Iran’s Influence” Over Lebanon Ahead of Talks

Israel’s Foreign Minister said on Monday that Iran must be cut off from Lebanon, arguing that Tehran exerts effective control over the country through Hezbollah, ahead of anticipated diplomatic discussions between Israel and Lebanon set to begin in the coming days. In a statement, the Israeli minister said the upcoming talks “are ...

IDF Says It Has Encircled Bint Jbeil, Expands Ground Offensive in Southern Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces said over the past week its troops “completed the encirclement and began an offensive in the town of Bint Jbeil,” a locality long considered a stronghold of Hezbollah. The IDF announced on Monday that its forces have intensified ground operations in southern Lebanon, particularly around ...

After Islamabad

Whatever different people may think about the Trump Administration's approach to Iran, 21 hours of talks led by the American vice president demonstrated a seriousness of diplomatic purpose.  However, it was never likely that the wide gap between the goals of Washington and those of Tehran would be bridged in a day.  Eight American presidents ...

U.S. Oil Benchmark Jumps 8%, Surpasses $100 After Failed U.S.-Iran Talks

The US oil benchmark rebounded above $100 a barrel on Monday after peace talks between the United States and Iran failed to make a breakthrough, and with US President Donald Trump ordering a blockade of Iranian ports. Shortly after trading began, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery rose around eight percent to $104.50, ...

Iran Executes Over 1,639 People in 2025: Report

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, two NGOs said Monday, warning it risked using capital punishment even more extensively after protests in January and the war against Israel and the US. The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in ...

Mideast Prepares for More Fighting as Talks Fail

A sense of dread spread across the Middle East after talks between the US and Iran collapsed, as fears of renewed fighting rattled an already tense region with Donald Trump ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Following more than 20 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, US Vice President JD Vance admitted the yawning ...

Israel Prepares for Rapid Return to War with Iran as Talks Collapse

The Israeli military has moved to an unprecedented level of combat readiness amid growing expectations that the war with Iran could resume within days, following the collapse of U.S.-Iran negotiations in Pakistan. According to Israeli media reports citing military sources, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has ordered a sweeping escalation in operational ...

Trump Announces U.S. Naval Blockade on Hormuz Strait, Says Iran 'Unyielding' on Nuclear Ambitions

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the imposition of a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, saying that in 20 hours of direct negotiations yesterday, Iran proved it was “UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!” His lengthy post on Truth Social comes on the heels of the first direct U.S.-Iran negotiations since the war ...

Kuwait Says 24 Arrested Over 'Financing of Terror'

Kuwait has arrested 24 people as part of an investigation into the "financing of terrorist entities," authorities said late Saturday, without revealing who was involved. A security source told AFP that five former Kuwaiti lawmakers were among those detained. Since Iran began attacking Kuwait and other Gulf states last month as part of the Middle ...

Iran's Ex-FM Zarif Blames Talks Failure on U.S. Push to 'Dictate' Terms

Iran's former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who led his country's delegation at 2015 nuclear talks, on Sunday blamed the failure of negotiations to end the Middle East war on U.S. attempts to "dictate" its terms. "No negotiations, at least with Iran, will succeed based on 'our/your terms,'" said Zarif, one of the architects of the ...

U.S. Vice President JD Vance: ‘We Were Unable to Reach an Agreement’ With Iran

On Sunday morning, U.S. Vice President JD Vance held a press conference following 21 hours of negotiations with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, announcing that “we were unable to reach an agreement.” He emphasized that “Iran decided not to accept our terms” as U.S. negotiators sought to adhere to the agenda and demands it set ...

Israel PM Slams Erdogan After Comments on Iran Ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday after comments he made about the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, vowing that Israel would continue fighting Tehran and its regional proxies. Shortly after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire earlier this week, Erdogan warned U.S. ...

Netanyahu Conditions Talks on 'Real Peace Agreement' With Lebanon

In a statement to the press on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military campaign has reshaped the regional landscape, revealing that Beirut had approached Israel in recent weeks to pursue direct negotiations, something he described as unprecedented. He confirmed approving the talks but set clear conditions, ...

Iran Sacrifices Lebanon on the Altar of Its Own Interests

The U.S. and Israel have entered a two-week ceasefire, an arrangement that paves the way for negotiations aimed at resolving a wide range of complex and contentious issues. Yet Lebanon, despite Iran’s rhetoric, appears to remain a marginal concern in the talks for Tehran, which has shown little care for the suffering of Lebanese Shia. Despite ...

Amal Boycotts Hezbollah-Backed Protests Amid Rising Tensions in Lebanon

Following a wave of protests by supporters of Hezbollah throughout the week, culminating on Saturday, the Amal Movement announced it would not participate in the demonstrations and urged its supporters to boycott them. In a statement, Amal warned that insults directed at state leadership risk fueling internal unrest, stressing that political ...

Hezbollah-Linked Cell Foiled in Damascus Plot Targeting Religious Figure

Syrian authorities said Saturday they foiled a planned attack in Damascus, arresting a five-member cell allegedly linked to Hezbollah that was preparing to target a religious figure near a church in the capital. In a statement, the Syrian Interior Ministry said its Counter-Terrorism Department, in coordination with security forces in the ...

Vance Arrives in Pakistan for Iran Talks

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on Saturday for talks with Iran that the Pakistani premier hosting the warring sides called a "make or break" effort to permanently halt weeks of fighting in the Middle East. An Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is also in the city, having arrived ...

Iran Delegation Arrives in Pakistan Capital Ahead of U.S. Talks

A delegation of top Iranian officials has arrived in Islamabad ahead of ceasefire talks with the United States in the Pakistani capital, Iranian state television reported Friday. The delegation was led by Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other security and economic officials, ...

Lebanon Says Israel Talks Set for Tuesday in U.S.

Lebanon's presidency said Friday that a meeting would be held with Israel in Washington next week to discuss a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war and the start of negotiations between the neighbours. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has repeatedly expressed readiness for direct talks with Israel since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle ...

Senior U.S. Official to TIB: “Serious Consequences” if Lebanon Fails to Disarm Hezbollah

A senior U.S. official told This is Beirut that Washington has urged Israel to move toward a diplomatic track with Lebanon, adding that Israel has agreed and discussions could be convened as early as next week. The official said the United States expects the Lebanese government to take concrete steps to address and ultimately disarm Hezbollah, ...

Beirut Weapons Ban: Too Late to Restore State Control?

Lebanon’s government on Thursday instructed security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions. The move came one day after Israel launched its most intense and coordinated wave of airstrikes on Lebanon since the start of the war, hitting more than 100 targets across the country. "The army and security forces are ...

Hezbollah’s War Role Challenged as Ministers Cite Legal, Constitutional Violations

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, along with Ministers Joseph Saddy, Joe Issa El Khoury, and Kamal Shehadeh submitted a legal memorandum to the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, signed on Wednesday ahead of the Cabinet meeting, calling for immediate action to restore state authority and hold accountable those responsible for involving the ...

Operation Roaring Lion: Iran's Missile Program Takes a Hit

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Air Force carried out more than 8,500 sorties over Iran as part of a sustained aerial campaign during Operation Roaring Lion. In total, the Air Force deployed over 18,000 munitions, conducting approximately 10, 800 individual strikes. These attacks targeted a broad network of Iranian military ...

Hezbollah’s Grip on Displacement Centers Threatens Civilians and Aid

More than a million Lebanese have been displaced since Hezbollah plunged Lebanon into war with Israel, with many now seeking refuge in communal shelters draped in Iranian flags and guarded by the militant group’s fighters. Hamed Abou Zahr, head of the Aamalouna displacement center in Sidon, warned that other shelters were “openly ...