Iran

Anxious Iranians Fear Regional Escalation

Residents of Tehran awoke and went about their business as planned on Saturday after their sleep was troubled by Israeli strikes that triggered blasts that echoed across the city. The night skies had been criss-crossed by light trails from air defence weapons, but by mid-morning the capital had resumed its usual rhythm and buses wove through the ...

Israel army says strike that killed journalists in Lebanon 'under review'

The Israeli army said Friday that a strike that killed three journalists in south Lebanon was "under review", maintaining that it had targeted Hezbollah militants. "Earlier today, following intelligence information, the IDF (army) struck a Hezbollah military structure in Hasbaya in southern Lebanon," the military said in a statement to AFP. "The ...

Joumblatt: 'It Is Time That Iran Acknowledges the Existence of a State in Lebanon'

The former chairman of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Joumblat, said on Friday that “it is time for the Islamic Republic of Iran to realize that there is a state present in Lebanon.” In an interview with Russia today, Joumblatt hoped that the Gaza scenario will not happen in Lebanon. He asked, “How can the war stop if Israel ...

France “Will Not Fail” Lebanon, Pledges Barrot

France stands by Lebanon and “will not fail it,” assured French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Wednesday, on the eve of the international support conference being held in Paris. “The aim is first and foremost to reaffirm the need for a ceasefire, a diplomatic resolution, and an end to hostilities; to mobilize humanitarian aid from as ...

US Probing Leak of Classified Israeli Plans to Strike Iran

The FBI and the Pentagon are investigating a leak of classified United States intelligence on Israel's plans for a retaliatory strike against Iran. "The FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community," the FBI said in a statement on ...

Israeli Police Arrest 7 Palestinians over Assassination Plots

Israeli police said Tuesday they had arrested seven Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem on suspicion of planning to assassinate an Israeli scientist and a city mayor on orders from Iran. "The Shin Bet and the Central Investigations Unit of the Jerusalem district police arrested seven residents from the Beit Safafa neighbourhood in Jerusalem," ...

Naim Qassem: Fugitive and Preacher of the Lebanese?

On Sunday, October 20, several media outlets reported that Hezbollah's second-in-command, Naim Qassem, has been in Tehran since October 5. The Emirati media platform Erem News quoted an anonymous Iranian source holding reliable information, stating that Qassem left Beirut on an Iranian plane on Saturday, October 5, along with Iranian Foreign ...

Israeli Police Detain Seven Suspected of Spying for Iran

Israeli police on Monday said they had arrested a spy network of seven Israeli citizens who were gathering information on Israel's military bases and energy infrastructure for Iranian intelligence. The internal security agency and police "successfully dismantled a spy network involving seven Israeli citizens who were operating on behalf of ...

Lebanon Trapped in the Crossfire Between Iran and Its Rivals

Repeated Israeli strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah have trapped Lebanon between Washington and its allies, who seek to impose a new order, and Tehran, which is resisting, experts say. "This is a standoff between Iran on one side, and the U.S. and Israel on the other," says Michael Young from the Carnegie Middle East Center. "The Israelis and ...

'Out of Fear of Assassination,' Sheikh Naim Qassem Left Beirut for Iran

A report in Israeli media claimed that Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem left Lebanon for Iran out of fear of being assassinated. These Israeli reports, quoted by Sky News Arabia and Lebanese media, added that Qassem departed Lebanon for Iran on October 5. However, as of now, there has been no official statement from ...

Threats and Diplomacy: Iran’s Dual Strategy on Israel

Awaiting Israel's promised retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month, Iran has balanced threats of a fierce response to any Israeli attack with diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation into all-out regional war. Iran launched 200 missiles at its arch-foe on October 1 in response to an Israeli strike that killed Iranian general Abbas ...