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Netanyahu to Ask Trump for Green Light on Lebanon Escalation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to make Lebanon a top priority in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday in Florida, with reports indicating he will seek Washington’s approval to escalate Israeli military strikes there. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu will seek U.S. approval to intensify military ...

Aoun: Exclusivity of Weapons Is a Non-Negotiable

President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday said that the renewed confidence and support of foreign countries toward Lebanon is a natural outcome of ongoing efforts to rebuild the state on solid foundations, stressing that the rule of law and the exclusivity of weapons remain irreversible pillars of his agenda. In his remarks during a meeting with a ...

Explosion Reported at Building in Iran Gulf City, Cause Unknown: State Media

An explosion took place on Saturday at a building in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf Coast, state media reported, though the cause of the blast was as yet unknown. State television said the explosion occurred at an eight-story building, "destroying two floors, several vehicles, and shops" in the area of Moallem Boulevard in the ...

An Unprecedented Christmas Message and a Call for Peace in the Levant

For the first time since returning to office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a Christmas message to Christians around the world last night. Broadcast from Jerusalem, his address carried symbolic weight, signaling a notable shift in rhetoric that extended far beyond a traditional seasonal greeting. By highlighting the ...

Seven Dead as Saudi Coalition Strikes UAE-Backed Forces in Yemen

Seven separatist fighters died in air strikes Friday as the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen hit back against a sweeping advance by the UAE-backed Southern Transition Council that threatens to spiral into a major confrontation. The deaths are the first from coalition fire since the secessionist STC seized swathes of Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last ...

Iran Announces Enquiry Team to Investigate Deadly Protests

The Iranian government announced on Friday the establishment of a commission of enquiry to look into protests against the high cost of living that turned into anti-government rallies that left thousands dead. "A fact-finding committee has been formed with representatives from relevant institutions and is collecting documents and hearing ...

Festive Lights, Security Tight for Christmas in Damascus

Christmas lights illuminate Damascus's Old City while government forces patrol its shadows as security fears haunt Syria's Christian community. They recall the shooting and suicide attack in June at the Saint Elias church in the Syrian capital that killed 25 people and wounded dozens more. "People are going home early, and are afraid," said Tala ...

Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strike Kills Three Journalists

Gaza's civil defense agency said an Israeli strike in the center of the territory on Wednesday killed three journalists, including a freelancer who regularly contributed for AFP, despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, ...

Almost 140 Foreigners Arrested in Central Iran Over Protests

Iranian authorities arrested 139 foreign nationals in central parts of the country during recent anti-government protests, local media reported Tuesday. Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted the police chief in the city of Yazd as saying those arrested were involved "in organising, inciting and directing riotous actions, and in some cases were in ...

Lebanese Forces Party Delegation Meets Syrian Officials in Damascus

A delegation from the Lebanese Forces, one of Lebanon’s main Christian political parties, held talks in Damascus on Tuesday with Syria’s Information Minister Hamza Mustafa, Lebanese media reported. According to MTV, the delegation included Lebanese MP Melhem Riachi, a former information minister, and the party’s head of foreign relations, ...

Iran Formally Allows Women to Ride Motorcycles

Women in Iran can now formally obtain a license to ride a motorcycle, local media reported Wednesday, ending years of legal ambiguity surrounding two-wheelers. The law previously did not explicitly prohibit women from riding motorbikes and scooters, but in practice authorities refused to issue licenses. Due to the legal grey area, women have ...

Over 4,500 IS Detainees Brought to Iraq from Syria

More than 4,500 suspected jihadists have been transferred from Syria to Iraq as part of a U.S. operation to relocate Islamic State group detainees, an Iraqi official told AFP on Tuesday. The detainees are among around 7,000 suspects the U.S. military began transferring last month after Syrian government forces captured Kurdish-held territory ...

U.S. Approves Major Arms Deals to Israel, Saudi

The United States on Friday approved multibillion-dollar weapons sales to both Israel and Saudi Arabia, at a point of high tensions with Iran. The State Department said it green-lighted a $3.8 billion sale of 30 Apache attack helicopters to Israel, which has agreed to a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. "The United States is committed to the security ...

Salam, Macron Discuss Lebanese Sovereignty, Security and Reforms in Paris

On Friday evening, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss Lebanon’s internal reforms and consolidation of state control.  Salam reiterated that the Lebanese state is committed to its goal of confiscating all non-state weapons on Lebanese territory. Macron stated that France will ...

Over 400 Prominent Women Urge Iran to Halt Execution of Woman Activist

More than 400 prominent women, including four Nobel laureates and several former presidents and prime ministers, demanded Tuesday that Iran immediately release engineer and activist Zahra Tabari, fearing she faces imminent execution. The urgent public appeal charged that Tabari, a 67-year-old mother, was handed a death sentence in October ...

Witkoff: Prefers Diplomacy With Iran But Warns of Consequences

Speaking Thursday night at the Israeli-American Council conference in Florida, Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for Middle East diplomacy, was asked during an onstage interview whether he believes a U.S. military strike against Iran is likely. He signaled a renewed preference for diplomacy with Iran while pointedly warning that failure to ...

Salam Says Lebanon to Expand State Control as International Confidence Grows

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday that Lebanon has full operational control over southern Lebanon and will expand operations north of the Litani river as international engagement with Lebanon increases.  Salam outlined a two-part policy driving the Lebanese state’s governance goals: institutional and ...

UN Says Yemen's Houthis Seized Telecoms Equipment, Vehicles

Yemen's Houthi rebels have confiscated telecommunications equipment and vehicles from unstaffed United Nations offices in Sanaa, the world body said in a statement Friday, decrying potential disruptions to its humanitarian work. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted UN agencies and detained dozens of its staff as part of a crackdown on alleged ...

Syrian President Makes Kurdish a 'National Language'

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree on Friday declaring Kurdish a "national language", in an apparent gesture of good will towards the minority following clashes in past days. The move came as the Syrian army warned of new strikes east of Aleppo, despite a meeting between the US-led coalition and Kurdish forces seeking to ...

Qatar Pledges Continued Economic and Political Support to Lebanon

During a visit to Beirut, Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi announced a new aid package for Lebanon, including $40 million dedicated to the electricity sector, alongside development, and humanitarian initiatives. President Aoun reaffirmed the importance of Qatar’s support and expressed gratitude for ...

Turkey Calls EU Statements on Syria 'Misguided'

Ankara on Friday accused the EU of adopting "misguided" resolutions condemning violence in Syria and Turkey and said the bloc was interfering in Turkish affairs. European Union lawmakers had on Thursday voted in favour of two resolutions, one condemning violence against civilians in northeastern Syria and calling on regional actors, particularly ...

Israel Kills Hezbollah Operative in Tallousa in Second Monday Airstrike

A second Israeli strike in Lebanon on Monday evening killed one person, targeting a car in the town of Tallousa in southern Lebanon’s Marjayoun district, according to the Public Health Emergency Operations Center.  The person killed by the drone strike was allegedly involved in recouping Hezbollah infrastructure, according to the Israeli army, ...

Turkey Urges U.S.-Iran Disputes Be Resolved ‘One by One’

Turkey's foreign minister on Wednesday urged the U.S. to resolve its disputes with Iran "one by one" instead of through a sweeping deal, saying this would avoid humiliating Iranian officials, and added that Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme. "If you put them as a package all of them, it will be very difficult for our Iranian ...

Iran Warns Shipping Ahead of Live-Fire Naval Drills Near Strait of Hormuz

Iran has sent out warnings to passing ships of live-fire naval exercises expected to be conducted next week near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Associated Press. The Strait of Hormuz is a significant bottleneck in global energy supply chains, seeing 20% of global oil shipments, and would be vulnerable in the event of a conflict with ...

UN Visit to Sudan's El-Fasher Finds Traumatised Civilians in 'Unsafe Conditions'

Traumatised civilians left in Sudan's El-Fasher after its capture by paramilitary forces are living without water or sanitation in a city haunted by famine, UN aid coordinator Denise Brown told AFP on Monday. El-Fasher fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in October after more than 500 days of siege, and last Friday a small UN ...

Israeli Strikes Destroy Hezbollah Weapons' Depot, kill Operative

Israel struck a vehicle near Phoenicia University on the Zahrani–Tyre highway in southern Lebanon. Shortly after the attack, the Israeli army said it had targeted a Hezbollah member in the Saida district, north of the Litani River. The raids killed one person and injured eight others. Later in the day, the Israeli army issued an urgent ...

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 ...