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Israeli Defense Ministry: Over '115,600 Tons' of Military Equipment Have Arrived Since War Began

Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced the arrival of two ships and several cargo planes with thousands of air and ground weapons and military equipment totaling 6,500 tons on Thursday. The ministry said the shipment was a part of the effort led by the Ministry of Defense to improve readiness for the ongoing war which has included 115,600 tons ...

Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei Claims Gulf Future Requires U.S. Exit

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on Thursday asserting that the future of the Gulf would be “bright” only in the absence of the United States.  He said Iran would take responsibility for securing the Gulf region and “eliminating enemy violations” of the strategic maritime corridor, ...

Rubio is Right, a Vetted and Trained Lebanese Army Could be the Answer

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made an important announcement when he said that Washington is developing a plan to pursue Hezbollah’s disarmament by building up trusted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). “We’re working towards establishing… a system that actually works where vetted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces ...

U.S. Intercepts 42nd Vessel as Iran Port Blockade Disrupts Oil Flows

Late Wednesday, the U.S. military said it had intercepted another commercial vessel attempting to breach a blockade on Iranian ports, marking what officials described as a significant operational milestone. In a statement posted on X, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had successfully redirected the 42nd ship accused of ...

Trump Rejects Iranian Proposal, Says Naval Blockade Will Continue Until Nuclear Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would maintain a naval blockade on Iran until Tehran agrees to a deal addressing Washington’s concerns over its nuclear program, rejecting a proposal that would have prioritized reopening the Strait of Hormuz. In an interview with Axios, Trump dismissed the Iranian offer, which reportedly sought ...

Lebanese President: Lebanon Waiting for U.S. to Set Date for Negotiations

Lebanon is waiting for the United States to set a start date for delegation-level direct negotiations with Israel, according to remarks by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday. Speaking before a gathering of economic bodies, the President discussed ongoing progress toward ending the war, reiterating the sovereignty and unity of the ...

Lebanon Army Says Israeli Strike in South Kills Two Including Soldier

Lebanon's army said Wednesday that one of its soldiers was among two people killed in an Israeli strike in the country's south, the latest deadly raid despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. "A soldier and his brother were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted them in the town of Khirbet Selm in Bint Jbeil (district) while they were ...

Trump Warns Iran Better 'Get Smart Soon' and Accept Nuclear Deal

President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Wednesday that it should "get smart soon" and capitulate to Washington's demands for tight controls on its nuclear programme, as a US naval blockade turned the screws on Iran's economy. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth was due to testify before Congress later in the day, but US press reports ...

Iran Has Executed 21, Arrested 4,000 since Start of Mideast War: UN

Iran has executed at least 21 people and arrested more than 4,000 since the beginning of the Middle East war, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Since the US-Israeli strikes sparked the war in late February, at least nine people have been executed in connection with the protests that rocked Iran in January 2026, another 10 for alleged ...

Lebanese and Syrian Security Forces Bust Cross-Border Drug Ring

The Lebanese General Directorate of Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division announced in an official statement on Wednesday a series of coordinated operations targeting drug trafficking networks operating across borders. According to the statement, the operation was carried out as part of ongoing efforts by the Central ...

IDF Unveils New Counter-Drone Measures in Classified Knesset Session

In a classified follow-up session held this week at the Knesset, representatives of the Israeli military presented a series of operational measures aimed at addressing the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles, particularly advanced drone systems that have challenged existing defenses. The details, first reported by Galei Tzahal, the ...

U.S. Warns Banks Over Sanctions Risks Linked to Chinese 'Teapot' Refineries

The United States has issued a fresh warning to global financial institutions over the risks of engaging with independent Chinese oil refineries—known as “teapot” refineries—amid their continued role in processing Iranian crude. In an alert published Tuesday, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said these refineries, largely ...

Israeli Army Issues New Evacuations, Destroys Hezbollah Tunnels

The Israeli Defense Forces issued new evacuation orders Tuesday on sixteen towns northwest of the Israeli forward defense zone, saying Hezbollah violations had necessitated “forceful” action. Later, following alerts to northern Israeli towns, the IDF destroyed two underground tunnels in Qantara, southern Lebanon, detonating over 450 ...

UAE to Exit OPEC Amid Surging Oil Prices

The United Arab Emirates will withdraw from OPEC and the OPEC+ on May 1, state media reported Tuesday, describing the move as a strategic decision by the major oil producer. "This decision reflects the UAE's long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile," the official Emirates News Agency said.  The United Arab Emirates ...

Five Sentenced to Life in Bahrain for Plotting 'Terrorist' Acts With Iran

Five people were sentenced to life in Bahrain on Tuesday for plotting "terrorist and hostile acts" with Iran, which bombarded the tiny Gulf state during the Middle East war. Two Afghans and three Bahrainis were convicted, and a fourth Bahraini was acquitted by the High Criminal Court, the public prosecution said. They were accused of monitoring ...

Why Hezbollah and Israel May Be Betting Against the Lebanon Truce

The Lebanon–Israel truce, extended by three weeks last Thursday, is already being put to the test. Escalating military exchanges in southern Lebanon are exposing both its fragility and the complicated political realities surrounding it. Both Israel and Hezbollah appear to see a potential breakdown of the truce as an opportunity to reshuffle the ...

Iraqi President Nominates Ali al-Zaidi as PM-Designate

Iraq's newly elected president nominated businessman Ali al-Zaidi as the country's prime minister-designate on Monday, after he was endorsed by the country's main Shia alliance. "President Nizar Amede has tasked Ali al-Zaidi, the candidate of the largest parliamentary bloc, with forming the new government," the presidency ...

Israeli Defense Minister Says Lebanese President is 'Gambling' Country's Future

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz met with UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, on Monday, telling her that "if the Lebanese government continues to shelter under the shadow of the Hezbollah terror organization, fire will burn the cedars of Lebanon."  Earlier in the day, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon ...

Russia Tells Iran Will Do 'Everything' to Restore Peace in Middle East

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia would do “everything” to help restore peace in the Middle East, during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Saint Petersburg. “For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests, and the interests of all the peoples of the region, so that peace can ...

Israeli Army Strikes Bekaa Valley as Targets Expand

The Israeli military said it was “currently striking Hezbollah infrastructure in the Bekaa Valley” on Monday, marking the first time since the Israel–Lebanon ceasefire began that it has hit targets outside southern Lebanon.  Like the south, the Hermel and Baalbeck areas of the eastern Bekaa Valley are predominantly Shia areas and a ...

U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Information on Iraqi Militia Leader

The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi, a militia leader accused of orchestrating attacks against U.S. and allied targets in the Middle East. In a post published on X , the ...

Lebanese President Aoun Accuses Hezbollah of National 'Betrayal'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of “betrayal” and openly challenged the group’s decision to take Lebanon to war, asking whether it had secured national consensus before doing so. “Did you have national consensus when you went to war?” Aoun questioned, in a direct message to Hezbollah, as ...

Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem Rejects Direct Talks, Vows to Maintain Armed Resistance

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Monday rejected direct negotiations with Israel, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to armed resistance, and sharply criticized the Lebanese government’s recent political course in a statement addressing the latest developments in the country. In a written statement, Qassem said Hezbollah ...

If Boycotting Israel Requires a Law, Is It Truly Popular?

Hezbollah and its global Intifada allies claim that the overwhelming majority of Lebanese, Arabs, and people of conscience view Israel as pure evil, a cancer to be eradicated. Yet if this hatred is truly so deep and universal, why does Lebanon still need to enforce its heavy-handed law boycotting Israel? The statute criminalizes any contact with ...

Arrival of Third U.S. Carrier Marks First Triple Deployment in Middle East Since 2003

For the first time since the 2003 Iraq War, the United States has deployed three aircraft carrier strike groups simultaneously to the Middle East, marking a major escalation in its military posture in the region, according to the United States Central Command. The latest deployment follows the arrival of the USS George H. W. Bush strike group, ...

Oil Rises Over 1% as U.S.–Iran Talks Stall

Oil prices rose more than 1% on Monday as stalled U.S.-Iran talks and ongoing disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz tightened global supply, according to Reuters. Last week, Brent and West Texas Intermediate gained nearly 17% and 13%. This marked ​the biggest weekly gains since the start of the war. Tensions in the Gulf have ...

Lebanon Says Israel Strikes Kill 14 in Deadliest day Since Truce

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country's south on Sunday killed 14 people, the deadliest day since a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war came into force over a week ago. It came as Israel and the Iran-backed group traded fresh accusations of breaching the fragile truce, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the ...