This is Beirut - Defense

Trading Peace for Firepower? Europe’s Rush to Rearm

Sarah Martin, 25/06 21:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nato Defense Defense Budget European Union Donald Trump

At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague, under mounting pressure from both the Russian threat and the United States’ demands, the Alliance crossed a historic threshold: member states committed to raising defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. But behind the bold figure lies a fractured Europe, torn between rearmament ...

Merz Announces Germany and Ukraine to Jointly Produce Long-Range Weapons

This is Beirut, 28/05 18:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Friedrich Merz Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine Russia Defense

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Berlin will help Kyiv develop new long-range weapons that can hit targets well inside Russian territory. Both countries' defense ministers later signed a memorandum of understanding for the production of long-range weapons systems, ...

Iran and Azerbaijan Hold Joint Military Drill

This is Beirut, 18/05 14:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Azerbaijan Iran Defense

Iran and Azerbaijan have launched a joint special forces exercise, state media in the Islamic republic said Sunday, weeks after Iran's president visited the neighboring country. The "Aras-2025" exercise, running through May 21, involves Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Azerbaijani troops, the IRNA news agency ...

Saudis Invest Big in US Weapons, AI as Trump Basks in Welcome

This is Beirut, 13/05 22:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Donald Trump Mohammed bin Salman United States Defense Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday promised billions of dollars in deals with the United States, from defense to artificial intelligence, as it threw a lavish welcome for President Donald Trump on the first state visit of his second term. Trump returned the favor by lavishing praise on the kingdom's crown prince and moving on a key Saudi policy request ...

US Defense Chief Shared Sensitive Information in Second Signal Chat

This is Beirut, 21/04 09:03 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Pentagone Defense Security

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information on forthcoming US air strikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, the New York Times and CNN reported on Sunday. AFP was not able to independently verify the reports, which detailed what would be the second time Hegseth has been accused ...

German MPs Approve Colossal Fiscal Spending for Defense and Infrastructure

This is Beirut, 18/03 21:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Germany Europe Defense Reichstag

German lawmakers gave the green light on Tuesday for a colossal spending boost for defense and infrastructure pushed by chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz amid deep fears in Europe over the future strength of the transatlantic alliance. The unprecedented fiscal package—dubbed "XXL-sized" and a cash "bazooka" by German media—could pave the ...

Germany Set for Massive Rearmament as Divide with US Widens

This is Beirut, 05/03 20:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Germany Defense Europe US Russia Ukraine

Germany is set to ramp up defense spending with the incoming government saying it wants to invest hundreds of billions of euros to bolster Europe's security as US guarantees look increasingly fragile. Likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday he planned to reform the country's strict constitutional "debt brake" to pump up defense ...

North Korea Sent 10 000 Soldiers to Russia, US Says

This is Beirut, 2024-10-29 05:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

North Korea Russia Defense

North Korea has sent 10,000 troops to train in Russia and likely fight Ukraine in weeks, Washington said, as Seoul warned Tuesday that the accelerating deployment posed a "significant security threat." Seoul has long accused the nuclear-armed North of sending weapons to help Moscow fight Kyiv, and after Kim Jong Un signed a mutual ...

Biden Announces $425 Million Ukraine Arms Package

This is Beirut, 2024-10-16 22:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Joe Biden United States Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Defense

US President Joe Biden announced a $425 million arms package for Kyiv Wednesday in a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, ahead of a farewell visit to Berlin to discuss Ukraine, the White House said. The package includes air defense and armored vehicles, said a readout of the call, adding that Biden had briefed Zelensky "on ...

Israel Labels Macron a 'Disgrace' Following Defense Show Ban

This is Beirut, 2024-10-16 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Defense Euronaval France

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday slammed French President Emmanuel Macron, calling him a "disgrace" after Israeli delegations were banned from exhibiting at the Euronaval defense show. "Macron's actions are a disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world, which he claims to uphold. The decision to discriminate ...

Defense