This is Beirut - Israël

Israel Strikes Gaza City After Offensive Gets Green Light

This is Beirut, 21/08 11:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Hamas United Nations Gaza

Israel struck Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday, after the defense ministry approved an expanded offensive to target the remaining Hamas strongholds in the strip. The newly approved plan authorizes the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian ...

Israel Approves Major West Bank Settlement Project

This is Beirut, 21/08 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Hamas Palestine

Israel approved a major settlement project on Wednesday in an area of the West Bank that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. Israel has long had ambitions to build on the roughly 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) parcel known as E1 just east of Jerusalem, but the plan had been ...

Russia, Ukraine, Hezbollah: Drained by Endless Wars

Marc Saikali, 21/08 08:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Ukraine Donald Trump Israel Lebanon

Some wars drag on endlessly. Not because they are unsolvable, but because certain leaders have decided their political survival depends on keeping them alive. Two examples stand out today: the war in Ukraine and Hezbollah’s self-proclaimed “resistance” in Lebanon. Since February 2022, Moscow has clung to a military adventure ...

Israeli Drone Strikes Kills One in Deir Sirian

This is Beirut, 21/08 07:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

South Lebanon Strikes Israel War drone

Tensions continued to escalate Thursday morning in southern Lebanon, where an Israeli drone strike targeted a motorcycle in the town of Deir Sirian, killing at least one person, according to preliminary reports. The raid followed several hours of heightened security tensions in southern Lebanon. Airstrikes struck the villages of Ain Baal and ...

Residents Protest Against UNIFIL Patrol in Deir Siryan

This is Beirut, 20/08 22:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanese Army Europe Hezbollah Israel UN Security Council lebanon UNIFIL

On Wednesday, residents of Deir Siryan, close to Hezbollah, protested after a Finnish UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol reportedly entered private olive groves without being accompanied by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The incident comes ahead of a vote on the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, with the UN Security Council ...

Sweida at the Center of Damascus-Tel Aviv Talks in Paris

Soumia Benmerzoug, 20/08 20:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Israel Washington Paris syria

Syria and Israel resumed direct dialogue on Tuesday in Paris. Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Chaibani met with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer to explore ways to stabilize southern Syria, which has been rocked by violent clashes in recent weeks. This marks the second direct meeting between the two countries in less than a ...

Macron Says Israel's Gaza Offensive Will Lead to 'Disaster'

This is Beirut, 20/08 16:15 - Reading : less than a minute

France Emmanuel Macron Israel Gaza Hamas

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Israel's "military offensive" to conquer Gaza City "can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples," after Israel's defense minister authorized the call-up of around 60,000 reservists. Israel's plan "will drag the region into a permanent war," the French president posted on social media, ...

Salam and Berri Call for Crucial Renewal of UNIFIL’s Mandate

This is Beirut, 20/08 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ceasefire Hezbollah Israel lebanon UNIFIL Nabih Berri

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam underscored on Wednesday the crucial role of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, saying that renewing its mandate is essential for maintaining calm and helping the army assert state authority across the region. During a meeting at the Grand Serail, attended by U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin, members of the congressional ...

Rajji: State Monopoly Over Arms “Irreversible”

This is Beirut, 20/08 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel UN Security Council lebanon Joe Rajji

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji affirmed Wednesday that the state’s monopoly over weapons is “irreversible,” stressing that the plan prepared by the army for this purpose will be submitted to the government in September. “The decision to place all weapons exclusively in the hands of state forces is a historic one taken by the government. ...

Iran says Will Deploy New Missiles if Israel Attacks Again

This is Beirut, 20/08 11:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Tehran United States Missile

Iran said Wednesday it was prepared for any new Israeli attack, announcing it has developed missiles with greater capabilities than those used during their recent 12-day war. "The missiles used in the 12-day war were manufactured... a few years ago," Defense Minister Aziz Nassirzadeh said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency. "Today, we have ...

Syrian, Israeli Diplomats Met in Paris to Discuss De-Escalation: Syrian State Media

This is Beirut, 20/08 10:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Israel USA Paris Israel Sweida

Syria's foreign minister met with an Israeli delegation in Paris to discuss de-escalation and the situation in Druze-majority Sweida province after deadly sectarian violence last month, state media reported Wednesday. State news agency SANA said late Tuesday that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister ...

Israel-France Row Flares Over Macron's Move to Recognize Palestinian State

This is Beirut, 20/08 09:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Europe Australia

A row between Israel and France over Paris's plan to recognize a Palestinian state next month escalated to crisis level on Tuesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Emmanuel Macron of fomenting "antisemitism". The Élysée hit back, calling Netanyahu's allegation "abject" and "erroneous". "This is a time for seriousness ...

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