Trump Signals Push for Broader Middle East Deal After Announcing 10-Day Israel–Hezbollah Ceasefire

This is Beirut 16/04 23:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Hezbollah Lebanon United States Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in a series of Truth Social posts set to take effect at 5 p.m. EST, following what he described as “excellent conversations” with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump presented the deal as an initial step ...

Trump Announces Temporary Ceasefire in Lebanon

This is Beirut 16/04 19:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Lebanon Ceasefire Nawaf Salam Benjamin Netanyahu

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, set to take effect at 5 p.m. EST, following what he described as “excellent conversations” with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Trump, both leaders agreed the temporary ...

Iran Supreme Leader's Adviser Threatens to Sink U.S. Ships in Hormuz Strait

This is Beirut 16/04 03:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States USA

The military adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday warned that Iran would sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decided to "police" the key shipping bottleneck. The U.S. is imposing a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran blocked shipping during over six weeks of war in a conflict ...

Trump Says Iran Talks Could Resume Within 'Days'

This is Beirut 15/04 13:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump US Secretary of State Lebanon Hezbollah Israel

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that U.S.-Iran peace talks could resume this week, adding in a Fox Business interview that the war in Iran is “very close to being over.” He added that there would be “no deal” if Iran continues to pursue a nuclear weapons. He explained that the U.S. has the ability to strike ...

Israel Strikes South of Beirut as Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel

This is Beirut 15/04 13:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon United States Washington

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, soon after Lebanon and Israel agreed to continue holding direct talks.  The Israeli military also renewed its call for residents of a swathe of southern Lebanon to leave as it continues to bomb the area. Despite its ...

Rare Precedents for Lebanon-Israel Peace Talks

This is Beirut 15/04 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel United Nations Ceasefire Hezbollah

1949, Fragile Armistice The first Arab-Israeli war began on May 15, 1948, the day after the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel. Five countries -- Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq -- had rejected a UN plan adopted in November 1947 to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states and went to war against the new ...

Aoun Sees Israel Talks as Path to Ending Lebanon’s Suffering

This is Beirut 14/04 19:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Washington

Moments before direct Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday he hoped negotiations would mark “the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese in general, and of the people of the south in particular,” following weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah. “Stability will not be ...

Netanyahu Conditions Talks on 'Real Peace Agreement' With Lebanon

This is Beirut 11/04 23:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu Iran

In a statement to the press on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military campaign has reshaped the regional landscape, revealing that Beirut had approached Israel in recent weeks to pursue direct negotiations, something he described as unprecedented. He confirmed approving the talks but set clear conditions, ...

Israeli Ambassador to U.S.: Israel and Lebanon Moving Toward 'Complete Peace Treaty'

This is Beirut 14/04 18:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Washington Lebanon Israel Hezbollah Joseph Aoun

Lebanon and Israel engaged in the first round of United States-brokered talks in Washington DC today to discuss cooperation on Hezbollah disarmament. The talks were a major historic milestone, the first in-person meetings between Lebanese and Israeli representatives since 1993. Following two hours of talks, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel ...

Israel-Lebanon Negotiations: Who Are the Key Participants?

This is Beirut 14/04 14:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Washington Lebanon Banks Gulf Hezbollah

As Israel and Lebanon enter their first direct diplomatic talks in decades, a group of senior diplomats and officials have taken center stage in Washington. Hosted by the United States, the meeting brings together representatives from all three sides amid ongoing war and deep political tensions. Below is a profile of each key participant, their ...

Lebanon, Israel to Meet for Tough Talks in Washington

This is Beirut 14/04 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Washington Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu

Lebanese and Israeli representatives are scheduled to meet in Washington Tuesday for US-mediated talks on ending the war in Lebanon. Lebanon was pulled into the region-wide Iran war on March 2 after Hezbollah attacked Israel.Since then Israeli strikes -- including an extremely heavy attack on Beirut on April 8 -- have killed more than 2,000 ...

Lebanon Charts a Separate Path from Tehran in Israel Talks

Samar El-Kadi 14/04 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Tehran Benjamin Netanyahu Nawaf Salam

Lebanon is set to begin talks with Israel in Washington on Tuesday, the first direct negotiations since 1983, as Beirut seeks to reassert its role in regional affairs and prevent the country from becoming a bargaining chip in broader international negotiations. Political activist and former MP Fares Souaid described the move as a historic break. ...

Hezbollah Resumes Attacks After Short Lull, Report Says

This is Beirut 13/04 15:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon

After a brief lull in fire following the April 8 ceasefire with Iran, Hezbollah has resumed attacks on Israeli territory, according to an assessment by the Alma Research and Education Center. According to the report, a total of 1,310 Hezbollah attack waves targeting Israel have been recorded since March 2, with an average of around 30 attacks per ...

Israeli Foreign Minister Calls for “Severing Iran’s Influence” Over Lebanon Ahead of Talks

This is Beirut 13/04 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Tehran

Israel’s Foreign Minister said on Monday that Iran must be cut off from Lebanon, arguing that Tehran exerts effective control over the country through Hezbollah, ahead of anticipated diplomatic discussions between Israel and Lebanon set to begin in the coming days. In a statement, the Israeli minister said the upcoming talks “are ...

After Islamabad

David Hale 13/04 10:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Israel Tehran United States

Whatever different people may think about the Trump Administration's approach to Iran, 21 hours of talks led by the American vice president demonstrated a seriousness of diplomatic purpose.  However, it was never likely that the wide gap between the goals of Washington and those of Tehran would be bridged in a day.  Eight American presidents ...

Iran Says Carries Out Strikes on U.S., Israeli Targets

This is Beirut 11/03 04:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Bahrain Gulf Israel Middle East Saudi Arabia

Iran has launched new strikes on Israeli and American targets in the Middle East, state broadcaster IRIB said on Wednesday. The barrage was "the most intense and heaviest since the start of the war", lasting three hours, the broadcaster said, citing a statement from Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. It targeted Israeli cities ...

Iran Says Missile Attacks to Continue, U.S. Talks 'Not on Agenda'

This is Beirut 10/03 10:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran USA Israel USIranWar

Iran's foreign minister said Tuesday that talks with the United States were not on the agenda as their war entered its 11th day. "I don't think talking with the Americans would be on our agenda anymore," Abbas Araghchi told PBS News, saying Tehran had a "very bitter experience" during previous negotiations with the U.S. On February 28, the U.S. ...

NBA: Gilgeous-Alexander Stars as Thunder Roll Past Celtics

This Is Beirut 2024-01-03 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 36 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped Boston’s six-game winning streak with a 127-123 victory on Tuesday. A heavyweight clash between two of the league's top teams lived up to its billing as Oklahoma City's youthful line-up went toe-to-toe with the Celtics, who lead the NBA's Eastern ...

Israel Tightens Control With West Bank Land Policy Change and Citizenship Revocations

This is Beirut 11/02 21:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Benjamin Netanyahu

This week, Israel strengthened its control over territory under its authority with new measures on West Bank land acquisition policies and citizenship revocations. The Israeli security cabinet approved measures to modify Israel’s land acquisition policy in the West Bank, allowing for individual Israelis to purchase land directly rather than ...

Iran FM in Geneva for Second Round of U.S. Talks

This is Beirut 16/02 11:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran USA USIranTalks NuclearTalks Israel

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, in Geneva on Monday, ahead of a second round of indirect nuclear talks there with the United States on Tuesday. Araghchi said he would also meet with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, whose country is mediating the talks and ...

Israeli Strike Eliminates Hezbollah Member in Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut 16/02 09:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah South Lebanon Lebanese Army Israel Syria Beqaa

An Israeli drone strike killed a Hezbollah member on Monday morning in the southern Lebanese town of Hannin, in the Bint Jbeil district. The strike eliminated Mohammad Tahsin Hassan Qashqash after targeting two vehicles parked outside his home with multiple missiles. According to local reports, Qashqash was preparing to start a van parked in ...

This Is Beirut and MIND Israel Make History at Munich Security Conference 2026

This is Beirut 15/02 02:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Munich Security Conference

In an unprecedented moment at the Munich Security Conference 2026, Lebanese organization This Is Beirut and Israeli organization MIND Israel co-hosted a landmark panel discussion on regional integration, marking the first-ever formal cooperation between Lebanese and Israeli civil society groups at the conference. The event, titled “Conversation ...

IDF Targets Hezbollah Operative in Al-Tayri

This is Beirut 12/02 22:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Lebanon Hezbollah

The IDF carried out an airstrike targeting a Hezbollah operative near al-Tayri in southern Lebanon on Thursday evening, the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced on X.  The attack hit a car with three missiles and killed one person.  This strike follows a series of attacks along the Lebanon-Israel border ...

Iran Rejects Military Pressure as Nuclear Talks Resume Under Shadow of U.S. Naval Buildup

This is Beirut 12/02 15:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Gulf Israel Tehran United States Trump NuclearTalks

Jalal Dehqani Firouzabadi, secretary of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, said Thursday there is “no military solution” to Iran’s nuclear file, arguing that recent history has already proven the limits of force. Speaking to Iran’s ISNA news agency, Firouzabadi said the current talks differ fundamentally ...

Turkey Says Washington and Tehran Showing New Flexibility as Nuclear Talks Resume

This is Beirut 12/02 14:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tehran Turkey Washington Donald Trump Gulf USIran NuclearTalks

Turkey’s foreign minister said the United States and Iran are displaying rare signs of pragmatism in efforts to revive negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, suggesting Washington may now be prepared to tolerate limited uranium enrichment under strict conditions. In an interview with the Financial Times published Thursday, Hakan ...

Iranian Diplomats Allegedly Smuggled Millions in Cash to Hezbollah via Beirut

This is Beirut 11/02 15:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Hezbollah Lebanon USA Syria

Iranian diplomats used diplomatic passports to ferry large sums of U.S. dollars to Lebanon in recent months, allegedly channeling cash directly to Hezbollah as the group struggles to recover from heavy military and financial losses, according to an investigation published by Iran International. The outlet reported that at least six senior Iranian ...

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 ...

U.S. Rep. LaHood to This Is Beirut: “No Progress, No Support,” Lebanon Must Act Now

Amal Chmouny 10/02 18:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Lebanese Army Amal Donald Trump Hezbollah

When Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal arrived in the U.S. capital during the first week of February, he entered a fundamentally transformed strategic landscape. The meetings that unfolded—from tense political exchanges to a dramatic walkout by Sen. Lindsey Graham—crystallized a stark reality: Lebanon’s decades-long balancing act ...

Eight Muslim Countries Condemn Israel's 'Illegal' West Bank Control Measures: Statement

This is Beirut 09/02 12:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Banks West Bank Israel Saudi Arabia Turkey

Saudi Arabia and seven other Muslim countries on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements on the occupied Palestinian territory. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey "condemned in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and ...

Lebanon Warns of Economic Fallout as Syria Bars Foreign Trucks

This is Beirut 09/02 10:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Trade Agriculture Economy

Lebanese transport unions sounded the alarm on Monday after Syria imposed new restrictions on foreign trucks entering its territory, a move they say threatens Lebanon’s land transport sector and risks disrupting trade flows between the two countries. The decision, issued by Syria’s General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs ...