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Iran Stages Mass Weddings for Couples Ready for War 'Sacrifice'

Iranian authorities held mass public weddings in Tehran for couples who signed up to a state-sponsored scheme declaring their readiness to sacrifice their lives in the war against the U.S. and Israel. The ceremonies conducted late on Monday involved hundreds of couples in several major squares in the capital, including more than 100 in the vast ...

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 ...

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 ...

Lebanon's State Security Chief: “Cleansing Institutions” and Rule of Law Essential to Survival of the State

Lebanon’s State Security Director General, Major General Edgar Lawandos, pledged to intensify efforts to combat corruption, purge state institutions of corrupt officials and strengthen coordination among Lebanon’s security agencies, while warning that the survival of the state depends on enforcing the rule of law. Lawandos said the ...

Lebanon Urges U.S. Ambassador to Push Israel to Halt Bombardments

Lebanese leaders urged the U.S. ambassador to Beirut to pressure Israel to halt its attacks as it pounded the country with airstrikes on Monday despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. Lebanese authorities raised the overall death toll from Israeli strikes since March 2 to 2,869 people. That figure includes dozens killed since the truce ...

Trump Says Patience With Iran Is Running Out Over Strait Closure

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his patience with Iran was wearing thin and claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Tehran should reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though Beijing gave no sign it intended to intervene directly. Speaking aboard Air Force One while returning from Beijing after two days of talks with Xi, Trump ...

Iran Says New Proposal to Washington Includes Ending Lebanon War

Iran said Tuesday that its latest proposal to the United States includes demands to end hostilities across the region, including in Lebanon, alongside sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets and the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade imposed on Tehran. In comments carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Deputy Foreign ...

Iran Media Says 'No Tangible Concessions' in U.S. Response to Iran Proposal

Iranian media said Sunday that the United States had failed to make any concrete concessions in its latest response to Iran's proposed agenda for negotiations to end the war. The Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its ...

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 Intensifies Strikes in Southern Lebanon and Bekaa Valley as Washington Hosts Third Round of Talks

On the same day that the third round of indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel reportedly began in Washington, the Israeli military announced a significant escalation of operations in southern Lebanon. In an official statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that over the past 24 hours it had struck approximately 65 targets ...

Israel Claims Hezbollah Used Church as Cover for Attack That Killed Reservist

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Major (Res.) Itamar Sapir, 27, was killed in what it described as a Hezbollah terrorist attack launched from a church in southern Lebanon. Israeli authorities alleged that Hezbollah had once again transformed a religious site into a military stronghold, accusing the group of violating international law ...

UN Chief Urges Iran to Provide Medical Care to Nobel Laureate Amid Abuse Reports

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called on Iran to ensure urgent medical care for imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, amid mounting reports of severe health deterioration and alleged abuse in custody. Guterres expressed concern over Mohammadi’s condition, urging Iranian authorities to guarantee she receives ...

Iran Officially Announces New Body to Manage Strait of Hormuz: Top Security Council

Iran's top security body announced on Monday the formation of a new body to manage the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively closed and wants to charge ships to traverse. On its official X account, the Supreme National Security Council shared a post for the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) saying it would provide "real‑time updates ...

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 ...

Can Lebanon's Military Court Break Free of Hezbollah's Shadow?

Lebanon’s Military Court has drawn scrutiny for its handling of detainees linked to Hezbollah, reigniting long-standing criticism over its politicization and expansive legal authority. On March 9, the Military Court controversially ordered the release of three individuals arrested by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on charges of illegally ...

U.S. arrests senior Kata’ib Hezbollah commander over plotted international terror campaign

Federal authorities in the United States have announced the arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national identified in a criminal complaint as a senior commander within Kata’ib Hezbollah, a group designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization. Officials say he was arrested overseas, transferred into U.S. custody, ...

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 ...

Trump Says Pausing Hormuz Operation in Push for Iran Deal

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was halting the US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after just one day, in a bid to reach a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war. Trump's so-called "Project Freedom" to help vessels leave the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint to the Gulf where Iran has seized control ...

Trump Sends Peace Plan as Iran Opens to 'Non-Hostile' Oil Vessels

US President Donald Trump sent a peace plan to Iran as he voiced optimism Tuesday at ending nearly a month of warfare, with Tehran announcing that it will let "non-hostile" oil vessels go through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The tentative signs of a diplomatic solution came despite new violence, with an Iranian missile causing injuries ...

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, ...

U.S. Expands Pressure on Iran as Warplanes Patrol Over Hormuz

The United States military announced Wednesday that it has intensified enforcement of its naval blockade on Iran, saying American forces have redirected dozens of commercial vessels and continue military patrols near the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said 67 commercial ships attempting to enter or leave ...

Trump Says U.S. Not Likely to Accept New Iran Peace Proposal

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he would review a new Iranian peace proposal but cast doubt over its prospects as he left open the possibility of future attacks on Iran. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with one round of peace talks to end the more than two-month ...

Lebanese PM Pushes Border Crackdown and Security Coordination During Damascus Visit

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam concluded his visit to Damascus on Saturday by emphasizing tighter border controls, anti-smuggling efforts, and expanded Lebanese-Syrian security coordination, signaling a shift in Beirut’s approach toward Syria amid growing pressure over Hezbollah-linked activity along the border. Speaking at the end of ...

Israeli Ministry of Defense Signs Deal to Extend Range of F-35I Adir Fleet

The Israeli Ministry of Defense has signed a new contract with Cyclone, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, to develop an extended-range capability for Israel’s fleet of F-35I Adir fighter jets. The agreement, valued at more than $34 million (over 100 million shekels), includes the development and integration of external fuel tanks intended to ...

Iran Claims Aluminium Plant Attacks in Gulf as Houthis Join War

Iran claimed on Sunday attacks on two major aluminium plants in the Gulf, further raising the economic stakes of the Middle East war after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis joined the conflict. The war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran has mushroomed throughout the region, sending world energy markets into a tailspin and ...

Trump’s Deal of the Century for Lebanon

Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas do not end wars; they only pause them. They make limited concessions to secure a ceasefire, only to exploit the fragile status quo to rearm and prepare for the next round. This is why they shun direct negotiations, whether between Lebanon and Israel or the U.S. and Iran, preferring instead to haggle over irrelevant ...

Israeli Ambassador to U.S. Says Any Deal With Lebanon Depends on Hezbollah Disarmament

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter issued a series of statements on Thursday ahead of the expected third round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, signaling that any broader political or security arrangement would be conditioned on the dismantling of Hezbollah and stronger Lebanese state action on the ground. In ...

Iran Says Responded to Latest U.S. Peace Proposal

Iran said Monday it had responded to a new U.S. proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict that broke out on February 28. The two sides have held a single ...