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Gulf States in Limbo as US-Iran Crisis Drags On

After weathering unprecedented attacks from Iran, the wealthy Gulf states are now stuck between war and peace as talks stall and the vital Strait of Hormuz remains all but closed—threatening economic recovery. Iran has hit Gulf energy exports with its Strait of Hormuz blockade, while its attacks have caused damage to energy infrastructure ...

Will Lebanon Repeal Its Law Criminalizing Contact With Israel?

As Lebanese and Israeli officials conclude their second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Washington, a contradiction is becoming harder for Beirut to ignore. The state is now negotiating with Israel, while its citizens can still face prosecution for far less. Following Thursday’s meeting between Lebanese and Israeli envoys at the White House, ...

Israeli Army and Hezbollah Clash in Bint Jbeil

Israeli Army spokespeople said six Hezbollah fighters were eliminated in a firefight in Bint Jbeil on Friday, over a week since Israel said it had encircled the town on April 13, and just a day after a Lebanon-Israel ceasefire was extended by three weeks. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army continues to hold a forward ...

Netanyahu Lauds Opportunity for 'Historic Peace' Between Israel, Lebanon

A day after the second meeting of direct negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli Ambassadors in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had “begun a process to achieve a historic peace” between the two countries. The Prime Minister’s pre-recorded video on ‘X’ comes after talks in ...

Six Decades Without the State: Southern Lebanon’s Long Shadow of Militias

For nearly 60 years, the Shia of southern Lebanon have known only the rule of militias. This reality dates to 1969, when the Lebanese state ceded part of its sovereignty to Palestinian armed groups, allowing them to launch attacks against Israel. Since then, the region has fallen under a succession of armed actors, culminating in the firm ...

IDF Exposes Hezbollah’s Use of Ambulances and Civilian Sites for Military Operations

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Friday that the Israeli military identified what it described as new evidence of Hezbollah using ambulances and civilian infrastructure for military purposes in southern Lebanon.  In a series of posts published on X, Adraee alleged that Hezbollah has “repeatedly and systematically” used ...

Hezbollah-Linked Suspect Extradited to Panama in Long-Running Terror Investigation

The U.S. Embassy in Panama announced a major breakthrough in the decades-long investigation into the 1994 bombing of Alas Chiricanas Flight 901, stating that suspected Hezbollah-linked operative Ali Zaki Hage Jalil has been extradited to Panama to face trial. The announcement described the move as the result of coordinated efforts between the ...

UN Peacekeeper Dies Weeks After Injury in Southern Lebanon

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Friday announced the death of an Indonesian peacekeeper who was critically injured last month following a projectile explosion at a UN position in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of peacekeepers killed in the war to six. Corporal Rico Pramudia, 31, succumbed to his injuries on 24 April ...

Hezbollah’s Global Financial Network Exposed in European Study

An investigation by the Documentation Center Political Islam (DPI) shed light on the extensive global financial networks of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, including its operations across Europe.  The report draws on publicly available sources such as court records, corporate registries, and government documents. It highlights how Hezbollah combines ...

Oil Extends Gains, Stocks Sink as Peace talk Hopes Fade

Oil prices extended gains Friday, and stocks struggled as investors worried about a lack of progress in ending the Middle East crisis, with Tehran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and the US maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports. A week that started with hopes the two sides would eventually hold peace talks was set to end on a negative note, ...

U.S. Weighs New Military Plan in Strait of Hormuz

Senior U.S. military officials are developing new operational plans targeting Iran’s strategic capabilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN. The proposed options focus on a more aggressive and geographically concentrated military approach, particularly emphasizing ...

U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Leader of Iraqi Armed Group

The US State Department is offering up to $10 million for information on the leader of the Tehran-backed Iraqi armed group Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), which Washington designates as a terrorist organization. US officials said in a social media post Thursday they were seeking information on KSS leader Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, also known ...

White House Hosts Second Round of Direct Lebanon-Israel Talks

On Thursday afternoon, Secretary of State Marco Rubio convened with Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter in the second round of talks in the first series of direct Lebanon-Israel dialogue since 1993. The talks were planned to take place at the State Department, but prior to the ...

Berri Navigates Lebanon’s Ceasefire Opening

A fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire has opened a narrow political window for Lebanon, with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s stance on the talks evolving amid diplomatic contacts with Saudi Arabia. The latest came in a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud hours before a second round of talks with Israel on ...

Majd Harb: 1955 Israel Boycott Law Should Be Repealed Immediately

Attorney and Legal Activist Majd Harb told This is Beirut in an exclusive interview that the 1955 Israel Boycott Law should be abolished immediately, arguing it has been misused as a political tool. He said the law is hindering economic development while exposing individuals, including journalists and business professionals, to disproportionate ...

President Aoun Says He Seeks Washington Visit

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday expressed hope of traveling to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump as Beirut intensifies diplomatic efforts to extend the fragile ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel and launch formal negotiations to end hostilities with Israel. The statement came at the close of a Lebanese cabinet session ...

Trump Orders U.S. Navy to Destroy Vessels Laying Mines in Hormuz

President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed the United States would destroy any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as he ratchets up pressure on Iran to reopen the crucial sea passage. "I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be... that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait ...

Iran Executes Another 'Political Prisoner,' NGO Says

Iran on Thursday hanged a man convicted of membership in a banned opposition group, the judiciary said, with an NGO describing him as the latest "political prisoner" to be executed in an unprecedented trend. Sultan Ali Shirzadi Fakhr was hanged on charges of membership of the People's Mujahedin (MEK) and "collaboration with the Israeli regime's ...

Severe Injuries to Mojtaba Khamenei, Power Consolidates Among Military Elite: Report

According to a report by The New York Times, decision-making in Iran has narrowed to a small circle of senior military figures following a recent attack that left Mojtaba Khamenei severely wounded and reportedly killed members of his immediate family. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the newspaper said his injuries are more extensive than ...

Lebanese PM: Israeli Pullout Key to Peace Agreement

Hours before a second meeting between Israeli and Lebanese Ambassadors is scheduled to take place in Washington, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized that “the state's monopoly on weapons is in Lebanon's interest, regardless of Israeli demands.” Speaking to the Washington Post, the Prime Minister said Lebanon ...

UK Channels Support to Displaced Families of Lebanese Army Personnel

The United Kingdom announced an expansion in aid to Lebanon on Thursday aimed at the families of Lebanese Armed Forces personnel, saying “LAF families are amongst those who are directly affected, undermining their sense of security and dignity.” The action brings total UK support since March to $40 million, with $27 million announced last ...

Israel Expands Precision Strike Capability, $200 Million Deal Awarded to Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems announced on Thursday that it has been awarded a series of contracts worth approximately $200 million by the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) for the supply of advanced airborne munitions.  The contracts, disclosed in an official company statement, cover the delivery of air-launched weapon systems, reinforcing Elbit’s role as a ...

Lebanese President Pushes to Extend Ceasefire Ahead of Washington Talks

On the eve of talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Beirut would seek an extension of the 10-day, U.S.-mediated ceasefire, which is set to expire on Sunday. The talks, set to continue on Thursday at the U.S. State Department, represent a diplomatic track that has so far paused strikes in ...

Iran Says Won't Reopen Hormuz as Long as U.S. Blockade Remains

Iran's vow not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz -- so long as a U.S. naval blockade remained in place -- was held into Thursday despite a ceasefire extension, as the Gulf nation announced the seizure of two ships trying to cross the strategic waterway. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Wednesday that it had also "directed 31 vessels ...

Al-Akhbar Journalist Killed in Airstrike in Southern Lebanon

A Lebanese journalist working for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar News was killed in an Israeli airstrike and another was wounded on Wednesday while they were working near the border with Israel, according to their employer and rescuers. The civil defence agency's press office said rescuers were "able to recover the body of martyred journalist ...

Beyond Mediation: How Washington Is Recasting Lebanon–Israel Negotiations

The U.S. is set to mediate a second round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials on Thursday as part of the first such series of direct negotiations between the two sides since 1993. These diplomatic engagements come nearly a year and a half after the previous Lebanon-Israel ceasefire framework. In November 2024 under the Biden ...

Iran Hangs Former Nuclear Employee on Spying Charges: NGOs

Iran hanged a man on Wednesday convicted of links to Israel's Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said, with two NGOs based outside the country saying he worked for the Iranian atomic energy organization. The execution of Mehdi Farid was the latest in a number of hangings of high-profile convicts in an accelerating trend that has alarmed rights ...