Israël

Lebanon’s Cost of Living: A Nation Still Under Pressure

As of June, Lebanon’s Consumer Price Index recorded an annual increase of around 15%, a sharp drop from the staggering 253.55% seen during the same period in 2023. This decline is largely due to the stabilization of the exchange rate following months of severe devaluation of the Lebanese pound (LBP). Yet, despite this slowdown in inflation, ...

Can Hezbollah Still Claim Resistance With Its Arsenal Depleted?

Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, warned on July 30 that any withdrawal of the group’s forces from south of the Litani River would be “a gain for Israel,” insisting that the party’s weapons remained “a domestic Lebanese matter.” Speaking at a memorial ceremony marking the first anniversary of the death of senior Hezbollah ...

Israel Intercepts Houthi Missile Fired From Yemen

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for firing a missile at Israel's main airport on Tuesday, as the Israeli military said it intercepted it. The Iran-backed rebels targeted Ben Gurion airport "using a 'Palestine 2' hypersonic ballistic missile" in support of Palestinians in Gaza, their military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video ...

Israel to Partially Reopen Gaza Private Goods Trade

Israel will partially reopen private sector trade with Gaza to reduce its reliance on humanitarian aid, the defense ministry civil affairs agency for the Palestinian territories said Tuesday. "As part of formulating the mechanism, a limited number of local merchants were approved by the defense establishment, subject to several criteria and ...

Jordan Sees Tourism Slump over Gaza War

Jordan has seen a decrease in the number of tourists visiting its famed ancient city of Petra and other sites since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to officials. Although Jordan does not border the Gaza Strip, it has been among several countries across the region impacted by the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group ...

Israeli Drone Kills Hezbollah Member in Khiam

A Hezbollah member was reportedly killed and four injured, on Monday, in an Israeli drone strike that targeted the Old Slaughterhouse neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Khiam, according to Al-Arabiya television. Hezbollah officially mourned Ali Suleiman Abu Abbas, who was killed in the town of Khiam. The strike came after a relatively ...

Israel PM Says to Instruct Army on Gaza War Plan this Week

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he would convene a cabinet meeting later in the week to decide on how to proceed in the war in Gaza. "Later this week, I will convene the cabinet to instruct the [army] on how to achieve the three war objectives we have set," he said at the opening of a government meeting. He ...

Iran says US Accountability for Attacks on Nuclear Sites Part of Ay Future Talks

Iran said Monday it would hold the United States accountable for attacks on its nuclear sites in any future negotiations, while ruling out direct talks with Washington. The United States struck key Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, briefly joining a war launched by Israel that had derailed talks on Tehran's atomic programme. "In any ...

Israeli Ex-Security Chiefs Urge Trump to Help end Gaza War

Hundreds of retired Israeli security officials including former heads of intelligence agencies have urged US President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war in Gaza. "It is our professional judgment that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media ...

Lebanon, the Unraveling Republic

American political scientists in the sixties were quite pessimistic when analyzing the cascading political crises befalling Lebanon since the late fifties. Leila Meo used the label of “improbable nation” (1963), and Michael Hudson characterized it as a “precarious republic" (1965). This sense of instability prompted numerous scholars to ...

Israeli Hostage Videos: Standoff Between Netanyahu and Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday to aid hostages in Gaza, as outrage built at videos showing two of them emaciated. The premier's office said he spoke to the ICRC coordinator for the region, Julien Lerisson, and "requested his involvement in providing ...

Iran Sets up New Defense Council After War With Israel

Iran's top security body has approved the creation of a new defence council, state media reported on Sunday, more than a month after a ceasefire ended a 12-day war with Israel. "The Supreme National Security Council approved the establishment of the National Defence Council," state television said. The new body -- which will be ...