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Lebanon's State Security Chief: “Cleansing Institutions” and Rule of Law Essential to Survival of the State
This is Beirut 18/05 12:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Washington
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 Faces Defining Moment in Talks With Israel
Marwan El Amine 18/05 10:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Israel Lebanese Army Hezbollah Joseph Aoun
President Joseph Aoun’s decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel marks a strategic turning point. For the first time in years, the Lebanese state is attempting to reclaim its diplomatic sovereignty after long being subordinated to regional calculations, foremost among them Iran’s influence. The direct negotiations represent the ...
Why Hezbollah’s Use of FPV Drones Against Israel Will Backfire
Seth J. Frantzman 18/05 09:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu Gulf
Hezbollah has begun using first-person view (FPV) drones against Israel, causing casualties among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops deployed along the Lebanese border. While the threat is growing, it will also backfire for Hezbollah. Israel is already mobilizing its defense technologies against drones across multiple fronts, which will result in ...
Oil Prices Surge as Middle East Tensions Escalate
This is Beirut 18/05 03:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Middle East Donald Trump United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia
Global oil prices continued their upward trajectory on Monday amid mounting geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, as diplomatic efforts to halt the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran appeared to falter. Brent crude futures rose by $1.44, or 1.32%, reaching $110.70 per barrel by 23:37 GMT after hitting their highest level since May 5 ...
'Staggering' Iran Toll Drives Up Global Executions: Amnesty
This is Beirut 18/05 03:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Iran put to death over 2,150 people last year, a "staggering" increase that pushed recorded worldwide executions to their highest level since 1981, Amnesty International said Monday. Amnesty said it had confirmed the executions of at least 2,707 people globally in 2025. Of these cases, 2,159 were in Iran, a figure more than double that of 2024, ...
Trump Warns Iran ‘There Won’t Be Anything Left’ as US-Israeli Strike Preparations Intensify
This is Beirut 18/05 03:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Israel USA Iran Trump Netanyahu Hormuz Negotiations USIranWar
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new warning to Iran on Sunday evening, declaring that Tehran must move quickly toward a peace agreement or face devastating consequences. “For Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The ...
UAE Air Defenses Intercept 3 Drones Entering From Western Border
This is Beirut 17/05 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
United Arab Emirates Gulf Israel Saudi Arabia Tehran
The United Arab Emirates announced Sunday evening that its air defenses intercepted three drones that entered the country from the western border direction, with two successfully neutralized while a third struck an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region. The UAE Ministry of ...
Iran Media Says 'No Tangible Concessions' in U.S. Response to Iran Proposal
This is Beirut 17/05 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump Lebanon Israel Tehran United States
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 ...
Israeli Strikes Hit Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and South Lebanon
This is Beirut 17/05 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon South Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Washington
Israeli strikes hit multiple areas across southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, including the western Bekaa Valley and villages in Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts. Two Israeli strikes hit the town of Sohmor in the western Bekaa Valley, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) said, adding that additional raids struck multiple areas across ...
Hezbollah Rejects Peace Talks With Israel, Warns Lebanese State Against ‘Concessions’
This is Beirut 16/05 20:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanon Israel Iran USA Ceasefire Disarmament
Hezbollah on Saturday escalated its rhetoric against ongoing Lebanese-Israeli negotiations, rejecting any path toward a “comprehensive peace agreement” with Israel and warning Lebanese authorities against what it described as a “concessionary track” imposed under American pressure. In a lengthy statement released on the ...
Pakistani Minister Arrives in Tehran to 'Facilitate' U.S.-Iran Peace Talks: Media
This is Beirut 16/05 17:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Iran USA Pakistan Negotiations Hormuz USIranWar
Pakistan's Minister of Interior arrived in Tehran on Saturday "to facilitate" the peace talks between Iran and the United States that have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, Iranian media reported. "Mohsin Naqvi arrived today in the Islamic Republic of Iran on an official two-day visit as part of Pakistan's ongoing ...
Iran State TV Says European Countries in Talks with Tehran for Hormuz Transit
This is Beirut 16/05 15:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran Hormuz EU USA China Japan Pakistan
Iranian state television said on Saturday that European countries were in talks with Tehran over transit for ships through the Strait of Hormuz. "Following the passage of ships from East Asian countries, notably China, Japan, and Pakistan, we received information today indicating that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Revolutionary ...
Israel Announces Killing of Senior Hamas Commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad
This is Beirut 16/05 12:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The Israeli military and Shin Bet security agency announced on Saturday that they had killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, a senior commander in Hamas’s military wing whom Israeli officials described as one of the last high-ranking leaders involved in the October 7, 2023 attacks. In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet ...
Iraq Exports Through Hormuz Fell to 10 Million Barrels in April: Oil Minister
This is Beirut 16/05 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
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 ...
Trump Says Patience With Iran Is Running Out Over Strait Closure
This is Beirut 16/05 05:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump Tehran United States Washington White House
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 ...
U.S. arrests senior Kata’ib Hezbollah commander over plotted international terror campaign
This is Beirut 16/05 00:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Europe Los Angeles New York United States
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-Israel Talks to Resume June 2 as Ceasefire Extended by 45 Days
This is Beirut 15/05 21:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Israel Ceasefire Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu
The United States announced Friday that Lebanon and Israel concluded two days of “highly productive” talks in Washington, agreeing to extend the April 17 ceasefire by 45 days as negotiations continue amid ongoing cross-border tensions. In a statement, the State Department said the talks, held on May 14 and 15, focused on ...
Iran FM Says U.S. Willing to Continue Talks, Open to China's Help
This is Beirut 15/05 15:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Iran USA China Israel Pakistan Hormuz
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday he had "received messages" from the United States saying it is willing to continue talks and that he was open to any support, including from China. "We received messages again from the Americans saying that they are willing to continue the talks and continue the ...
Can the Lebanese Army Move Against Hezbollah Before Washington Loses Patience?
Amal Chmouny 15/05 13:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Lebanese Army Hezbollah Washington Donald Trump Hassan Nasrallah
In the windowless corridors of the Rayburn House Office Building and the high-stakes briefing rooms of Foggy Bottom, Washington’s long-standing consensus on Lebanon is fracturing. For years, U.S. policy toward the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) was treated as a "sacred cow," a low-cost investment to keep a fragile state from collapse. But as of ...
Trump: ‘Decimation’ of Iran 'To Be Continued' After Talks With Xi
This is Beirut 15/05 12:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Iran Trump USA China Hormuz Israel
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled Thursday that Washington could resume military operations against Iran despite the fragile ceasefire currently in place, while simultaneously seeking Chinese support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and contain the regional crisis threatening global energy markets. The remarks came after Trump met Chinese ...
Iraq PM Vows Monopoly on Arms as Parliament Approves Government
This is Beirut 15/05 11:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Iraq USA KataebHezbollah Iran Disarmament
Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government on Thursday led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons amid growing US pressure to dismantle Tehran-backed groups. Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighboring Iran and the United States. Iraq's parliament voted ...
IDF Intensifies Strikes in Southern Lebanon and Bekaa Valley as Washington Hosts Third Round of Talks
This is Beirut 14/05 21:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Lebanon Washington Ain el-Tineh Hezbollah Israel
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 ...
CENTCOM Pushes Lebanese Army Support as Hezbollah Supply Routes Collapse
This is Beirut 14/05 20:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanese Army Lebanon Hamas Middle East
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing held today, Chairman Roger Wicker questioned Admiral Brad Cooper on Iran’s continued support for regional proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, amid ongoing U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Wicker stressed that Iran’s influence extends beyond its nuclear ...
State Department Offers $15 Million Reward Targeting IRGC Financial Networks
This is Beirut 14/05 17:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hamas Hezbollah US Treasury Washington
The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program announced a reward of up to $15 million for information that could help disrupt the financial mechanisms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. According to the statement, the initiative specifically targets financial channels linked ...
Israeli Ministry of Defense Signs Deal to Extend Range of F-35I Adir Fleet
This is Beirut 14/05 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
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 ...
Lebanon, Israel to Hold New Direct Talks in Washington as Ceasefire Nears End
This is Beirut 14/05 13:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Israel Washington Ceasefire Donald Trump
Lebanon and Israel are set to hold a new round of peace talks in Washington on Thursday as their latest ceasefire agreement, which remains formally in effect, approaches its expiration. Israel's military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Thursday after warning residents of several towns and villages there and in the ...
Vessel Off UAE Coast 'Taken', Now Bound for Iran Waters: UK Maritime Agency
This is Beirut 14/05 12:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
United Kingdom United Arab Emirates Israel United States
A ship off the UAE coast near the Strait of Hormuz has been taken by unknown people and is now headed towards Iranian waters, a UK maritime agency said on Thursday. The vessel was "taken by unauthorised personnel whilst at anchor" 38 nautical miles (70 kilometres) northeast of Fujairah, and "is now bound for Iranian territorial ...
Israeli Ambassador to U.S. Says Any Deal With Lebanon Depends on Hezbollah Disarmament
This is Beirut 14/05 11:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army United States
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 Has 'Right to Respond' After Kuwait Arrests Four Citizens
This is Beirut 13/05 21:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Iran Kuwait Gulf IRGC USA USIranWar
Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday that Tehran had the right to respond after he accused Kuwait of attacking an Iranian boat and arresting four of its citizens in the Gulf, calling for their release. "In a clear attempt to sow discord, Kuwait has unlawfully attacked an Iranian boat and detained 4 of our citizens in the Persian Gulf. This ...
UAE 'Denies Reports' of Secret Netanyahu Visit
This is Beirut 13/05 21:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The United Arab Emirates said Thursday it "denies reports" that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the country, after Netanyahu's office said he had met with the UAE president during the war with Iran. Netanyahu's office said Wednesday he had "paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates" ...