Search : 500 result(s)

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 ...

Trump Says Deal Is Days Away, Iran Accuses Him of ‘Lies’

U.S. President Donald Trump said that a deal with Iran could be reached “within days” and that negotiations have “no sticking points,” while Iranian officials on Saturday rejected his claims and said key issues remain unresolved. Trump said talks with Iran could resume as early as this weekend, possibly in Islamabad, and ...

Iran State TV Says European Countries in Talks with Tehran for Hormuz Transit

Iranian state television said on Saturday that European countries were in talks with Tehran over transit for ships through the Strait of Hormuz. "Following the passage of ships from East Asian countries, notably China, Japan, and Pakistan, we received information today indicating that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Revolutionary ...

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 ...

CENTCOM Pushes Lebanese Army Support as Hezbollah Supply Routes Collapse

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing held today, Chairman Roger Wicker questioned Admiral Brad Cooper on Iran’s continued support for regional proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, amid ongoing U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Wicker stressed that Iran’s influence extends beyond its nuclear ...

Hezbollah MP Says Group Will Break Israel's 'Yellow Line' in South Lebanon

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Monday that his group would work to break the "Yellow Line" that Israel established in southern Lebanon, adding that no one could disarm the Iran-backed group. Still, he also maintained that his group wanted to see the current ceasefire last, even as he slammed Lebanese efforts to engage Israel ...

Oil Rises, Stocks Mixed on U.S.-Iran Deadlock

Global stock markets diverged while oil prices rose on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Iran's terms for ending the war in the Middle East. Wall Street's three main indices moved in mixed directions as trading got underway, with the Dow edging higher while the broader S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite both dipped. 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 ...

Disarming Hezbollah's Ideology to Protect Lebanon's Future

The Iranian regime’s threats against U.S. educational institutions in the Middle East have raised alarm across the region, including in Lebanon, where a pro-Hezbollah journalist even spoke of the “benefits” of a potential attack on students in Beirut. Tehran’s bellicose language has been taken seriously by Washington. “Iran and its ...

CENTCOM says U.S. Forces Disabled Iranian-Flagged Tankers in Gulf of Oman Blockade Enforcement

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced U.S. forces disabled multiple Iranian-flagged oil tankers this week as part of ongoing blockade enforcement measures aimed at preventing vessels from entering Iranian ports via the Gulf of Oman. In a statement, CENTCOM said the operation targeted the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda on May 8, as both vessels ...

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 ...

Israel Says Will Strike Lebanon-Syria Border Crossing

The Israeli military said on Saturday it would strike an area near the main crossing between Syria and Lebanon, urging residents to evacuate immediately as it continued its attacks across Lebanon. Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south since March 2, when Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle ...

What Went Wrong for the Shia

The Shia have a problem. While many Sunni-majority states, from the Gulf states to Turkey, have achieved varying degrees of governance success and economic growth, Shia-led political projects have little to show for themselves. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, they have been at the center of wars, terrorist networks, and state failure even as ...

State Department Offers $15 Million Reward Targeting IRGC Financial Networks

The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program announced a reward of up to $15 million for information that could help disrupt the financial mechanisms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. According to the statement, the initiative specifically targets financial channels linked ...

Iran Rejects Immediate Ceasefire as Revolutionary Guard's Vow New 'Order' for Persian Gulf

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they are completing preparations to enforce new operating conditions in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been all but shut since the war with the United States and Israel began. "The IRGC naval force is completing operational preparations for the Iranian authorities' #declared_plan for the new Persian ...

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 ...

Iran Guards Say Allowed 26 Ships to Transit Hormuz Since Tuesday

Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy on Wednesday said they allowed over 25 vessels, including oil tankers, to transit the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours. Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait, a vital global energy conduit, since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on February 28. Iran, which has been under ...

Trump Says U.S. Is Monitoring Iran’s Nuclear Sites and Still Considering Further Strikes

U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday on Full Measure that enriched uranium believed to remain buried beneath rubble at Iranian nuclear sites is under close U.S. surveillance. He added Washington is monitoring the area continuously and would detect any attempt to move material from the ...

Trump Speaks to Press on Iran as Ceasefire Proposals Waver

U.S. President Donald Trump held a series of public speeches on Iran at the White House on Monday as the U.S. and Iran approach Trump’s Tuesday evening deadline for a deal. Trump has claimed success in U.S. operations in Iran so far, asserting that “we can leave Iran now and it will take decades for it to get back to what it was, but ...

South Korea Reviews Phased Support for Strait of Hormuz Security

South Korea is considering a phased contribution to international efforts aimed at ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Wednesday, signaling support measures that would stop short of direct military involvement. Speaking at a press conference with South Korean reporters in Washington, Ahn said ...

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 ...

Israeli Strikes Intensify Across Southern Lebanon as IDF Targets Over 20 Hezbollah Sites

Israeli military activity escalated across southern Lebanon on Sunday, with multiple airstrikes reported throughout the day as the Israeli army said it targeted Hezbollah positions and infrastructure south of the Litani River and beyond the so-called “Yellow Line.” In a statement published on X, Israeli army Arabic-language spokesman ...

UNIFIL Reports Escalating Drone Activity Near Its Positions in Southern Lebanon

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has expressed growing concern over intensified military activity involving both Hezbollah-linked elements and the Israeli military near its positions in southern Lebanon, warning that recent drone incidents have placed peacekeepers at direct risk. In a statement issued on Wednesday, UNIFIL said ...

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, ...

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, ...

Iran Army Says Countries Siding with U.S. to 'Face Difficulties' in Hormuz

Iran's army warned on Sunday that countries complying with U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic would face difficulties crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Early this month, the U.S. government imposed new sanctions on Iranian interests and warned ships against paying authorities in Tehran to pass through the strait. The United States and ...