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U.S. Policy Toward Lebanon: Obstacles to Dismantling Hezbollah’s Grip on Power

At 10:00 a.m. EST, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa will convene a hearing titled “U.S. Policy Toward Lebanon: Obstacles to Dismantling Hezbollah’s Grip on Power” to assess the political, security, and institutional challenges confronting U.S. policy in Lebanon. The hearing will feature ...

Trump Says Iran Wants to "Negotiate"

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s leadership had called him seeking “to negotiate” after he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters. He added, however, that the U.S. "may have to act before a meeting.” Trump has not elaborated on what the U.S. is considering, but said on Sunday that ...

Taylor Swift’s Wine Choice Shines a Spotlight on French Sancerre

A French winemaker has hailed the impact of his Sancerre appearing in Taylor Swift's latest documentary, which looks set to deepen America's love affair with the famed Loire appellation. A bottle of Sancerre by the Terres Blanches Domaine, which sells for around $40 in the United States, is glimpsed briefly by a mixing desk during episode five of ...

Trump Says U.S. Still Watching Iran, Fleet Sailing to Region

President Donald Trump said Thursday a US naval "armada" was heading toward the Gulf, maintaining pressure on Iran, although he has recently downplayed the prospect of imminent military action. Last week, Trump pulled back from a threat to strike Iran over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests after the White House said Tehran had ...

U.S.-Led Coalition Meets With Kurds to Ease Tensions With Damascus: Kurdish Spokesman

A US-led coalition delegation met with Kurdish forces east of Syria's Aleppo on Friday in a bid to ease tensions with Damascus following clashes over the past week, a Kurdish spokesman said. Farhad Shami, spokesman for the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, told AFP the meeting took place in Deir Hafer, as Syrian government ...

Trump, Netanyahu Signal Hard Line on Lebanon as Hezbollah Disarmament Takes Center Stage

U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a tougher stance toward Hezbollah following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in Florida, warning that the group is “behaving badly” and stressing that efforts to disarm it remain a central focus of U.S. policy toward Lebanon. Speaking after the meeting at his ...

Northern Israeli Residents Tell This Is Beirut They Hope for Peace With Lebanon

Israeli independent journalist and political analyst Selena Ryan traveled across northern Israel to speak with residents of border communities about peace with Lebanon. From Metula to Shlomi, Malkia, Hanita, and Adamit, she interviewed coffee cart owners, farmers, teachers, students, couriers, and artisans. Despite their different backgrounds and ...

Israel Says Ban on Aid Groups Operating in Gaza to Hit 37 Organisations

Israel has said that 37 aid organizations will be banned from operating in Gaza starting on Thursday unless they comply with its new guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff. "They refuse to provide lists of their Palestinian employees because they know, just as we know, that some of them are involved in terrorism or linked ...

Iran FM Says Davos Appearance Cancellation Based On 'Lies'

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi hit out at the World Economic Forum in Davos for cancelling his appearance over a crackdown on recent protests, saying the decision was based on "lies and political pressure". Protests in Iran sparked by economic strain in late December exploded into the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years, ...

Greta Thunberg Arrested at Pro-Palestinian Protest in London

London police on Tuesday arrested Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg during a demonstration held in support of pro-Palestinian hunger strikers, according to Palestinian activist groups. The group Prisoners for Palestine said in a statement that Thunberg was detained under the UK’s Terrorism Act while attending what it described as a ...

UAE Senior Official Says Iran Needs to Reach Deal with U.S.

Iran needs to reach a deal with the United States, a senior United Arab Emirates official said on Tuesday, ahead of talks between the two sides after repeated threats of American military action. "Iran today needs to reach a deal," presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, adding that Iran ...

CEO of Iranian Telecom Operator Fired for Failing to Block Internet

The chief executive of Irancell, Iran's second-largest mobile phone operator, was dismissed for failing to comply with the government's decision to shut down the internet, the Fars news agency reported Sunday. In an unprecedented move, Iran cut off all communications on January 8 without warning, as calls intensified for anti-government protests, ...

Syrian Government Announces Ceasefire in Aleppo

Syria's defence ministry announced a ceasefire in Aleppo on Friday after days of deadly clashes between the army and Kurdish fighters forced thousands of civilians to flee. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Friday welcomed a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo after days of deadly fighting between the army and Kurdish fighters forced thousands of ...

Hamas to Hold Leadership Elections in Coming Months: Sources

Hamas is preparing to hold internal elections to rebuild its leadership following Israel's killing of several of the group's top figures during the war in Gaza, sources in the movement said on Monday. "Internal preparations are still ongoing in order to hold the elections at the appropriate time in areas where conditions on the ...

Iran President Tells Government Listen to Protesters 'Legitimate Demands'

Iran's president urged his government to listen to the "legitimate demands" of protesters, state media reported Tuesday, after demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over economic hardship. Shopkeepers in the capital shut their stores on Monday, after Iran's embattled currency hit new lows on the unofficial market. Photos from ...

Iran Security Chief Meets Oman Ruler After U.S. Talks

Iran's top security official met Oman's ruler in Muscat on Tuesday, days after a new round of talks there between officials from Washington and Tehran. Ali Larijani, who heads the Supreme National Security Council, and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq "discussed the latest developments in the Iranian-American negotiations", the official Oman News Agency ...

Israeli Media: Trump Gives Netanyahu ‘Green Light’ for War Against Hezbollah

Israel’s public broadcaster reported Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told senior ministers he had received an American “green light” to carry out a military operation in Lebanon, amid a sharp uptick in Israeli strikes and renewed diplomatic pressure on Beirut to accelerate steps aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s ...

WB Approves $350 Million to Support Lebanon’s Recovery and Digital Transformation

On Monday, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved $350 million in new financing to help Lebanon address the basic needs of its poorest and most vulnerable populations while advancing the digital transformation of public services. The funding, split between two projects, aims to provide social protection, promote economic ...

Winds from the East and North: Lebanon Faces Pressure on Multiple Fronts

Recent developments suggest that Lebanon is a stage for the activities of supporters of Syria’s former regime. Amid these movements, they have also been preparing operations inside Syria, particularly along the coast and in Homs, where Alawite communities are concentrated. Their activities appear to be supported, to some extent, by ...

Jailed Turkish Kurd Leader Calls on Government to Broker Deal for Syrian Kurds

Jailed Turkish Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan said Tuesday that it was "crucial" for Turkey's government to broker a peace deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government. Clashes between Syrian forces and the SDF have cast doubt over a deal to integrate the group's fighters into the army, which was due to ...

Iran Prosecutor Pledges 'Decisive' Response if Protests Destabilize Country

Iran's prosecutor general said on Wednesday that economic protests that had gripped the country were legitimate, but any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a "decisive response". "Peaceful livelihood protests are part of social and understandable realities," Mohammad Movahedi-Azad told state media after three days of protests by ...

Conference in Support of Lebanese Army to be Held on March 5 in Paris

Lebanon said Wednesday that a conference in support of the country's army as it seeks to disarm militant group Hezbollah would take place in Paris on March 5. The announcement follows recent promises of support to the military, which lacks funds, equipment and technical expertise. Presidency spokeswoman Najat Charafeddine said President Joseph ...

Syria's Leader Set to Visit Berlin With Deportations in Focus

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in Berlin on Tuesday for talks, as German officials seek to step up deportations of Syrians, despite unease about continued instability in their homeland. Sharaa is scheduled to meet his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president's office said. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's office ...

The Syndicate of Traders and Importers of Alcoholic Beverages Denounces the Gap Law

The Syndicate of Traders and Importers of Alcoholic Beverages issued a statement on Saturday denouncing the Gap Law, which they said shifts the state’s responsibilities onto traders and businesses. “While respecting the draft presented by the Prime Minister concerning financial restructuring and the recovery of deposits, the currently ...

Syrian President al-Sharaa Meets Putin as Russia Repositions Military Presence

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa traveled to Moscow on Wednesday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the future of the two countries’ relationship. Their meeting is expected to focus on Russia’s military presence in Syria and bilateral economic relations. On Tuesday, Russian troops and military assets were withdrawn from ...

Deadlock in the Second Phase of the State Monopoly on Arms

By the last day of 2025, the Lebanese government was expected to have completed the disarmament of Hezbollah nationwide, following a decision made at a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace on August 5. The official statement tasked the Lebanese Army with drawing up an operational plan to restore the monopoly of weapons exclusively to the ...

Trump Says US Will Hit Iran 'Very Hard' if Protesters Are Killed

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to take severe action against Iran if its authorities "start killing people" who are protesting in the country, where an economic crisis has led to mounting civil unrest, according to AFP.  "I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during ...

+114% in 2025: Silver Breaks Free and Takes Center Stage

Silver has delivered a historic performance in 2025. Since the beginning of the year, the white metal has surged by more than 114 percent, reaching an all-time high of 64 dollars per ounce. For the first time in years, silver is no longer following gold’s lead. Its rise has clearly outpaced gold, whose price has increased by around 60 percent, ...

Lebanon’s Cabinet Divided Over Controversial Financial Gap Law

The controversial financial Gap Law presented as key to resolving Lebanon’s enduring banking crisis that deprived depositors of their savings, topped discussions at Monday’s cabinet meeting, exposing differences among ministers.  The session, attended by Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid, was adjourned and will resume Tuesday to ...