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Trump Confirms Speaking to Iran, Says He Plans to Again
This is Beirut 30/01 11:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Israel Tehran USA Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday evening that he intends to hold talks with Iran. When asked by reporters about the possibility of talks with Tehran, Trump said, "Yes. I intend that. We have a lot of very large and powerful ships heading to Iran right now, and it would be great not to have to use them.” Asked if ...
U.S. Launches Regional Air Readiness Drill in the Middle East
This is Beirut 26/01 10:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
USA Middle East Donald Trump USMilitary USNavy Iran
The United States will conduct a multi-day air readiness exercise across the Middle East, aimed at demonstrating the ability to deploy, distribute, and sustain combat air capabilities throughout the region, according to a statement issued Sunday by U.S. Central Command, as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the region ...
Chevron Signs Agreement with Syria and Qatari Conglomerate for Syrian Energy Exploration
This is Beirut 04/02 19:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syria United States Qatar Energy
Chevron has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Syrian Petroleum Company and UCC Holding, a Qatari conglomerate, on assessing offshore oil and gas exploration off Syria’s coast, according to a Reuters report on Wednesday. U.S. Syria envoy Tom Barrack also attended the signing of the agreement, signaling U.S. approval as the ...
French FM: Iran Must Stop Being a 'Destabilizing Power'
This is Beirut 06/02 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanese Army Emmanuel Macron Lebanon Internal Security Forces Joseph Aoun Michel Issa France United States
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said during a visit to Lebanon that Iran should stop being a "destabilizing power", citing its nuclear program and support for "terrorist" groups that threaten regional and European countries. During a press conference in Beirut, where the government has committed to disarming the ...
Do Syria’s Former Regime Networks Really Command 168,000 Fighters?
This Is Beirut 03/01 00:05 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Syria Lebanon AssadRegime AhmadAl-Sharaa
As Syria tries to stabilize after years of devastating war, a new and unsettling narrative has emerged: claims that remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s former regime command an armed force of up to 168,000 fighters, allegedly preparing for renewed confrontation. The figure, revealed through leaked documents and intercepted communications obtained ...
Trump Expects Iran to Seek Deal to Avoid U.S. Strikes
This is Beirut 31/01 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump USA Tehran Iran IranProtests
President Donald Trump predicted on Friday that Iran would seek to negotiate a deal rather than face American military action, despite Tehran warning that its arsenal of missiles would never be up for discussion. "I can say this, they do want to make a deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Asked if he had given Iran a deadline to enter ...
Iranian Authorities Arrest Several Prominent Reformist Figures: Fars News Agency
This is Beirut 09/02 09:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iranian authorities on Sunday arrested three reformist figures including the head of Iran's Reform Front coalition, Azar Mansouri, the Fars news agency reported. "Azar Mansouri, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, and Mohsen Aminzadeh were arrested by security and judicial institutions," the agency said. "The accusations against these individuals include ...
Iraq Says to Start Legal Proceedings against IS Detainees Moved from Syria
This is Beirut 22/01 22:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Iraq's judiciary said Thursday it would launch legal proceedings against Islamic State group detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq as part of a US operation. "The Iraqi judiciary will begin standard legal proceedings against the defendants who are received and placed in the relevant correctional institutions," the Supreme Judicial Council ...
Graham Cuts Haykal Meeting Short After LAF Chief Refuses to Label Hezbollah Terrorist
This is Beirut 06/02 00:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon United States Rodolphe Haykal Lindsay Gram Hezbollah
Lebanese Armed Forces Chief of Defense Gen. Rodolphe Haykal’s Thursday meeting with Senator Lindsay Graham ended early after Haykal stated that he did not consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. In a post on X describing his meeting, Graham stated that “I asked [Haykal] if he believes Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. He ...
UNIFIL to Withdraw Majority of Troops in Lebanon by Mid 2027
This is Beirut 10/02 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Lebanese Army UN Security Council United Nations Hezbollah UNIFIL UN Italy France Israel
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is preparing to withdraw most of its troops from Lebanon by mid-2027, following the expiration of its mandate, spokesperson Kandice Ardiel told AFP on Tuesday. UNIFIL, which has served for decades as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon, has recently been supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces ...
Hezbollah’s Qassem Rejects State Authority, Frames Conflict as Existential Battle
This is Beirut 03/02 15:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army United States Naim Qassem
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem on Tuesday adopted a defiant tone toward Lebanese officials and state institutions, rejecting any internal pressure on the group and reaffirming Hezbollah’s commitment to armed confrontation, while framing regional tensions as an existential battle against what he described as American and Israeli ...
Iran FM: U.S.-Iran Talks Held In a “Very Positive Atmosphere”
This is Beirut 06/02 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
USA Donald Trump Gulf Israel Middle East Abbas Araghchi Iran Tehran Oman
Iran and the United States held indirect, high-level talks in Oman on Friday over Tehran’s nuclear program, in their first such encounter since the June Israel-Iran war, amid sharp disagreements over the agenda and growing fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks were held in a “very ...
Syria Expected to Form a New Government, Reports I24 News
This is Beirut 16/02 11:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Damascus Donald Trump Turkey Washington
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in the coming weeks to convene a workshop aimed at forming a new, inclusive government with expanded powers, a Syrian source close to the president told i24NEWS. The planned government is expected to include representatives from across Syrian society in an effort to address the concerns of minority ...
Syrian Interior Ministry Sets February Deadline to Absorb SDF Into State Institutions
This is Beirut 16/02 18:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The Syrian Ministry of the Interior announced on Monday that it would impose a deadline on the Syrian Democratic Forces for integration into the government by the end of February. Focusing on governorates in northeastern Syria, the ministry will mandate that SDF members to regularize their status as of March, with the threat of legal troubles if ...
Senior Hezbollah Official Wafiq Safa Steps Down as Qassem Reshapes Leadership
This is Beirut 06/02 18:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Wafiq Safa Naim Qassem Hezbollah Lebanon
Wafiq Safa, the head of Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit, resigned from his position on Friday as Secretary General Naim Qassem has pushed to reshape the organization’s leadership, sources close to Reuters confirmed. Safa has maintained a senior position within Hezbollah since 1987 and was appointed to his role as a powerful ...
UAE Rules Out Use of Its Territory as Region Braces for Possible Attacks on Iran
This is Beirut 26/01 20:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
United Arab Emirates Iran Gulf
The Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement asserting the United Arab Emirates’ position on a U.S.-Iran conflict on Monday, stressing that it will not allow its territory to be used for any attacks on Iran. The release states: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has reaffirmed the United Arab Emirates’ ...
Talks Between Damascus And Kurdish-led Forces "Collapse"
This is Beirut 20/01 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Donald Trump Turkey USA Kurds SDF
Negotiations have collapsed between the Syrian president and the chief of the country's Kurdish-led forces, a Kurdish official told AFP, as the army deployed reinforcements to flashpoint areas in the north. President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, who heads the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), were meeting to discuss a ceasefire ...
Iran Says U.S. Stance on Nuclear Issue 'More Realistic'
This is Beirut 16/02 16:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran said Monday that the US position on Tehran's nuclear programme "has moved towards a more realistic one" ahead of a second round of talks. "A cautious assessment is that, from the discussions that have taken place in Muscat to date, at least what we have been told is that the US position on the Iranian nuclear issue has ...
Iran Open to Discussing Missile, Proxy Issues Ahead of U.S. Talks in Muscat
This is Beirut 05/02 17:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran United States Nuclear Talks
Iranian officials have indicated on Thursday that they have agreed to discuss the ballistic missile and proxy group issues at Friday’s nuclear talks with U.S. officials in Muscat, Oman, according to the Jerusalem Post. On Wednesday, the U.S. briefly signaled that it would cancel talks with Iran, with a stated reason that Iranian officials ...
Deposits at Risk: Gap Law Shifts Burden on Depositors and Banks; State Off the Hook
Antoine Saade 2025-12-20 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Banks Lebanon Banque du Liban Gap Law economy
The fate of depositors’ funds lies at the heart of Lebanon’s financial crisis. It is not merely a matter of figures or balance sheets; it directly affects the lives of thousands of families and undermines the country’s overall economic stability. Amid the ongoing financial collapse and the sharp erosion of the national currency’s ...
What Iran’s Fate Could Mean for Hezbollah and Lebanon
Marwan El Amine 16/01 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Hezbollah Iran Protests Lebanon Muslim Brotherhood Tehran
As Iran’s nationwide protest movement intensifies, a key question is dominating regional and international discourse: what lies ahead for the Islamist regime if unrest continues, and how might its potential collapse impact Middle Eastern states shaped by four decades of Iranian policy? Since Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, Iran has ...
Syrian Kurdish Authorities Release 34 Australians Related to Jihadists
This is Beirut 16/02 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Thirty-four Australian relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists had to return to Syria's Roj detention camp due to coordination issues with Damascus after Kurdish authorities released them on Monday, a Kurdish official told AFP. Camp director Hakmieh Ibrahim had earlier said the women and children from 11 families were handed over to ...
Israeli Report: Damascus Does Not Rule Out Military Action Against Hezbollah
This is Beirut 16/02 15:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Damascus Hezbollah Israel
Israel’s Kan News reported that the Syrian government, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, is not ruling out potential military action against Hezbollah, as tensions escalate between the two sides despite a relative improvement in official relations between Damascus and Beirut. The report cited a Syrian security source as saying that ...
Lebanon and Syria Ink Deal on Prisoner Handover
This is Beirut 06/02 15:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Damascus Hezbollah Lebanese Forces
Lebanon signed an agreement with Syria on Friday to hand around 300 convicts over to Damascus, a move seen as key to helping turn a new page in ties between the countries. Overcrowded Lebanese prisons host more than 2,200 Syrians held on various charges. Many of them are still awaiting trial, while hundreds accused of "terrorism" or ...
U.S. Expands Sanctions on Iran’s Shadow Fleet Following Nuclear Talks in Oman
This is Beirut 06/02 19:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
United States Iran Sanctions Nuclear Talks
The U.S. State Department announced on Friday that it would impose new sanctions against Iranian individuals and assets with a stated goal of interrupting the capital flow that the regime uses to “support terrorism” domestically and abroad. The statement expresses that the “Department of State is sanctioning multiple entities, ...
Aoun Hails State Control of Arms and Pledges Continued Reforms
This is Beirut 20/01 13:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanese Army Emmanuel Macron Lebanon Internal Security Forces Joseph Aoun South Lebanon United States Qatar France Egypt
President Joseph Aoun stressed on Tuesday that the Lebanese government last year took a historic step by endorsing a plan aimed at confining weapons to state authority and extending state control over Lebanese territory exclusively through its own forces, calling the move a major turning point despite the challenges of implementation. Addressing ...
Lebanon Must Become Independent of Saudi Arabia Too
Hussain Abdul-Hussain 05/01 12:35 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Lebanon Saudi Arabia Lebanese Army Hezbollah Israel
If Lebanon’s Shia are to finally divorce Iran and reclaim patriotism for their nation, other sects must also place Lebanon’s national interests above the diktats of foreign patrons. That means the Sunnis, the Christian Lebanese Forces, and Walid Jumblatt’s Druze political bloc must end their humiliating dependence on Saudi Arabia. For too ...
Syria Says Hezbollah Weapons Used in Damascus Airport Attacks
This is Beirut 02/02 11:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syria Damascus Hezbollah MezzehAirport PostAssad
Syrian authorities said on Sunday they had detained a group responsible for a series of rocket attacks targeting the Mezzeh military airport in the capital, adding that investigators traced the weapons used in the strikes to Hezbollah. In a statement, the Syrian Interior Ministry said security units arrested all members of the group after weeks ...
UN Warns Islamic State Threat Is Growing More Complex Worldwide
This is Beirut 05/02 11:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
UN ISIS CounterTerrorism Terrorism MiddleEast
The United Nations warned on Wednesday that the global threat posed by Islamic State has increased steadily since mid-2025 and is becoming more sophisticated, as the group adapts its tactics and expands its reach across multiple regions. Briefing the UN Security Council, Alexander Zuev, Acting Assistant Secretary-General at the UN Office of ...
Iran Warns of 'Destructive' Influence on Diplomacy Ahead of Netanyahu's U.S. Trip
This is Beirut 10/02 14:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran USIran USA Israel Netanyahu Trump NuclearTalks
Iran warned Tuesday of "destructive" influence on diplomacy ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington for talks expected to focus on U.S. negotiations with Tehran. "Our negotiating party is America. It is up to America to decide to act independently of the pressures and destructive influences that are detrimental to ...