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Hezbollah Emerged from Iran’s Revolution, Not “Resistance” to Israel

A false claim, now common in Western media and academia, portrays Hezbollah as having emerged in response to Israel’s 1982 invasion and subsequent occupation of Lebanon. In reality, Hezbollah arose in the wake of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution as part of an effort to establish an Islamic state in a Lebanon fractured by warring militias. Since ...

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 ...

Israel Strikes Tehran as Trump Says Iran Deal May be Reached 'Soon'

Israel said Monday it was striking military targets across Tehran, a day after US President Donald Trump insisted a deal could "soon" be reached, while not ruling out ground operations. Iran also launched fresh strikes on Israel, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia after its electrical facilities came under attack at the weekend, cutting power to parts of ...

Oil Prices Jump, Stocks Retreat on U.S.-Iran Deadlock

Oil prices rallied and stock markets fell Tuesday as investors braced for further volatility after talks appeared to stall on ending the war in the Middle East and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to tanker and cargo ship traffic. Iran's chief negotiator said Tuesday that Washington must accept Tehran's latest peace plan or face failure after U.S. ...

Lebanon Says Two Paramedics Affiliated With Hezbollah Killed By Israeli Strikes in South

Lebanon's health ministry said two paramedics from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee were killed and five others wounded on Sunday in Israeli strikes on the country's south despite a ceasefire. A ministry statement said that Israel "directly targeted, with two strikes, two Health Committee sites", killing one paramedic and ...

Lebanese Army Arrests Iraqi Man for Impersonating a Security Official

The Lebanese army said on Sunday that it had arrested an Iraqi national for impersonating an Iraqi security official in Lebanon, the second alleged high-level imposter caught in recent months. A military source told AFP that the man had managed to network with Lebanese security and intelligence officials, telling them he worked at Iraq's ...

Iran Creates Agency to Collect Strait of Hormuz Tolls: Shipping Journal

Iran has created an authority to approve transit through the Strait of Hormuz and to collect tolls from vessels, a shipping journal said Friday, even as Washington pushed for a deal to reopen the strategic waterway that Tehran has closed. "The Persian Gulf Strait Authority has already introduced a new framework requiring ships to obtain transit ...

President Aoun Says He Seeks Washington Visit

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday expressed hope of traveling to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump as Beirut intensifies diplomatic efforts to extend the fragile ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel and launch formal negotiations to end hostilities with Israel. The statement came at the close of a Lebanese cabinet session ...

Israel Says Exposed Iranian “Covert Terror Network” Targeting Officials and Strategic Sites

The Israeli government released a statement Monday announcing that its intelligence services have uncovered a secret Iranian-operated network responsible for planning attacks against Israeli officials and strategic infrastructure worldwide. According to a post on X by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has for the first ...

Defiant Iran Ramps up Attacks After Trump Warning

Iran launched fresh attacks across the Middle East on Monday and threatened "devastating" retaliation, after US President Donald Trump's expletive-laced warning that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Israel, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates reported a barrage of missile and drone strikes early Monday. The attacks came as Tehran ramped ...

Hezbollah Secretary General Calls for Indirect Negotiations and Rejects Disarmament

In a written statement released Tuesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected calls for the group’s disarmament and urged a return to indirect negotiations with Israel in place of the ongoing direct Lebanese-Israeli talks. “We will not leave the battlefield, and we will turn it into hell for Israel,” Qassem declared. ...

U.S. Sanctions 12 Iran-Linked Individuals, Entities Over China Oil Sales

The United States on Monday issued sanctions against 12 individuals and entities that it said facilitated the sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China, days ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing. In a statement, the U.S. Treasury alleged that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "relies on front companies in ...

Iraq Exports Through Hormuz Fell to 10 Million Barrels in April: Oil Minister

Iraq's oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz plunged to just 10 million barrels in April, the country's new oil minister said Saturday. A founding member of the OPEC oil cartel, Iraq normally exports the majority of its crude through the crucial waterway, but like other exporters in the oil-rich region, it has been left scrambling for ...

U.S.-Iran Truce Hangs in Balance as War Flares in Lebanon

The fragile two-week truce between Iran and the United States was hanging in the balance on Wednesday, with Tehran threatening to resume hostilities as Israel launched a major bombardment of Lebanon. Washington and Tehran both claimed victory after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and negotiations aimed at ending a war that has killed thousands ...

U.S. Sanctions Iraqi Oil Officials and Iran-Linked Militias in Major Crackdown

The United States Treasury Department announced sweeping new sanctions targeting Iraqi oil officials and Iran-backed militias accused of exploiting Iraq’s oil sector to finance armed groups aligned with Tehran. At the center of the measures is Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Oil. In the press release, the department accuses ...

U.S. Says Warplane Disabled Ship that Tried to Break Iran Port Blockade

A U.S. Navy warplane fired on and disabled the rudder of an oil tanker that tried to break Washington's blockade of Iranian ports, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. It is the second time the U.S. military has fired on a ship it said was attempting to violate the blockade, which has been in place since April 13. U.S. forces warned the ...

WSJ: Israel Allegedly Built Secret Base in Iraq Ahead of Iran Conflict

Israel allegedly established a covert military outpost deep inside Iraq’s western desert ahead of its recent confrontation with Iran, using the facility to support air operations and special missions, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal citing U.S. officials and regional sources. The report claims the secret base was ...

Lebanon on Edge: Mass Displacement and Hezbollah Threats Stir Tensions

The threat of civil unrest looms over conflict-stricken Lebanon as a deepening displacement crisis fuels rising tensions between host communities and predominantly Shia refugees, many of whom come from Hezbollah's support base. “This is a volatile environment and it could lead to serious internal problems,” former MP and political activist ...

Blurring the Lines: How Hezbollah Obscures Civilian and Combatant Deaths

Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported 1,268 dead in Israeli strikes as of March 31, but offers no breakdown between civilians and Hezbollah fighters, leaving the real human toll shrouded in uncertainty. Dr. Joseph Helou, head of the Medical Care Directorate at the Ministry of Public ...

Hegseth warns of ‘overwhelming’ response as Hormuz tensions rise despite ceasefire

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday a ceasefire with Iran remains in place despite rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Washington has deployed forces to protect commercial shipping. Speaking at the Pentagon alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, Hegseth said the United States is “not seeking a wider conflict” in ...

Iran Strikes UAE in First Breach of Ceasefire

The United Arab Emirates confirmed on Monday that its air defense systems intercepted missiles and drones launched from Iran, marking the first direct attack on the country since the ceasefire took effect on April 8, according to official Emirati statements. The UAE Ministry of Defense announced that four cruise missiles were detected heading ...

Will Lebanon Finally Break Its Cycle of Inaction?

As Lebanon and Israel prepare to deepen diplomatic contact amid a 10-day truce, attention is shifting to what comes next, including the fate of Hezbollah’s weapons and whether the ceasefire marks a temporary pause or a strategic shift. During the war, both President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam navigated a perilous political ...

Berri Navigates Lebanon’s Ceasefire Opening

A fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire has opened a narrow political window for Lebanon, with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s stance on the talks evolving amid diplomatic contacts with Saudi Arabia. The latest came in a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud hours before a second round of talks with Israel on ...

Trump Threatens 'Higher Level' Bombing of Iran if Deal Not Agreed

President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum Wednesday for Iran to accept a deal to end the war or face renewed, more intense U.S. bombing, in the latest of a series of abrupt policy shifts. "Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is perhaps a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end," Trump posted on ...

Lebanese Army Arrests Suspects in Beirut's Southern Suburbs After Gunfire at Funeral

The Lebanese Armed Forces carried out arrests in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday, a stronghold of Hezbollah, detaining several individuals accused of opening fire during a funeral procession on Sunday. In a statement, the army said its units raided the homes of those involved in the gunfire, arresting two individuals in the southern ...

Israel FM Calls on Lebanon to 'Work Together' with Israel Against Hezbollah

Israel's foreign minister on Wednesday urged Beirut to make joint efforts with Israel to counter Hezbollah on the eve of talks between the two countries set to resume in Washington. It will be the second preparatory meeting paving the way for direct negotiations. "Tomorrow the direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will resume in Washington, DC. ...

Panic in Lebanon as Israel Carries Out Most Violent Strikes on Capital

Israeli strikes on Lebanon Wednesday killed 182 people and wounded 890, according to an initial toll from authorities, with the capital Beirut hit by the most violent bombardment since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel announced Wednesday it did not consider Lebanon covered by the Iran-US truce announced ...

Maritime Incidents Underscore Fragility of Trump-Extended Iran Ceasefire

A series of maritime incidents occurred on Wednesday in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, at the heart of the standoff between United States and Iran, highlighting the fragility of the truce unilaterally extended by Donald Trump with Iran. Just hours after the U.S. president announced the extension of the ceasefire, which has been in ...