This is Beirut

Iran Arrests Alleged 'Monarchist' Networks, Suspected Spies as War Rages

This is Beirut, 18/03 12:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Iranian authorities said on Wednesday they had arrested more than 100 alleged "monarchist cells" plotting against the Islamic Republic, along with suspected spies and individuals accused of cooperating with an outlawed television channel. Forces from the Intelligence Ministry "have identified and arrested 111 monarchist cells across 26 provinces ...

Netanyahu Issues Directive Allowing Strikes Without Prior Authorization

This is Beirut, 18/03 10:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Lebanon Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a change in operational directives to the IDF and Mossad, granting advance authorization to carry out targeted killings of senior Iranian and Hezbollah officials without prior political approval when time-sensitive intelligence emerges, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News. The directive aims to ...

Ron Dermer: ‘It Is Possible to Talk about Potential Peace Agreement’ with Lebanon

This is Beirut, 17/03 21:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Ron Dermer, recently-appointed head of the Israeli negotiating delegation with Lebanon, expressed that he is “making progress with Lebanon” regarding a political agreement between the two countries. On a deal with Lebanon, he expressed that “it is possible to talk about a potential peace agreement, but for a deal to be ...

Oil Prices Climb as Fresh Strikes Target Infrastructure

This is Beirut, 17/03 14:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Oil prices surged Tuesday as Iran launched fresh attacks on crude-producing neighbors, while several countries pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's demand to help secure the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Prices rebounded from the previous day's sharp losses, which came after the head of the International Energy Agency said more ...

Gulf States Urge U.S. to Neutralize Iran for Good

This is Beirut, 17/03 13:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Gulf Arab states are increasingly pressing the United States to continue its military campaign against Iran, warning that a premature halt could leave Tehran capable of threatening the region’s critical energy infrastructure and economic stability, according to sources cited by the Times of Israel. While Gulf governments initially opposed the ...

Is Israel Shifting from Containing Hezbollah to a Resolution in Lebanon?

Marwan El Amine, 17/03 13:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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A historical examination of Israel’s military campaigns in Lebanon against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hezbollah reveals striking parallels and key differences, while raising the question of whether Jerusalem is moving toward a more decisive strategy against Hezbollah. Israel has regarded both the PLO in the 1970s and 80s ...

Ali Larijani, Iran’s strategic mastermind and de Facto Ruler

This is Beirut, 17/03 12:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Tehran United States Ali Larijani Iran

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Tuesday that the Israeli army had killed Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an airstrike in Tehran as part of its operation against Iran. Larijani’s death comes amid an open war following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February—an event that ...

Israel Says Killed Iran National Security Chief Larijani

This is Beirut, 17/03 12:20 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

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Israel said Tuesday it had killed Iran's powerful national security chief, Ali Larijani, in what would be a huge blow to the Islamic republic as fresh strikes rocked the Middle East from Tehran to Baghdad. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Larijani was "eliminated last night," although this has not been confirmed by ...

Time for Lebanon to Partner with Israel Against Hezbollah

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 17/03 12:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel UN Security Council Nawaf Salam

Now that Lebanon and Israel’s interests are so clearly aligned in disarming Hezbollah, the time has come for the two states to cooperate toward this shared goal and lay the groundwork for peace. On March 2, Lebanon’s cabinet convened an emergency meeting and declared Hezbollah’s military and security activities illegal, ordered it to ...

Three Lebanese Soldiers Killed by Israeli Strikes in Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut, 17/03 10:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced on Tuesday that one of its soldiers was killed, and four were wounded, after an Israeli strike struck a military vehicle in southern Lebanon, marking the first direct hit on the national army since this round of fighting began on March 2. According to an official statement published by the Lebanese Army ...

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say 10 'Foreign Spies' Arrested

This is Beirut, 17/03 09:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday their forces had arrested 10 "foreign spies" as the war with Israel and the United States continued. "Ten mercenary, treacherous elements were identified and arrested," the Guards intelligence organisation in the northeastern Razavi Khorasan province said, according to ISNA news ...

One Man Wounded in Northern Israel Following Hezbollah Rocket Launch

This is Beirut, 16/03 20:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Lebanon's Hezbollah said it launched an attack on Monday targeting the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, where first responders reported a man was wounded. The Iran-backed militant group said in a statement that its fighters targeted Nahariya "with a barrage of rockets and a swarm of attack drones". Israel's Magen David Adom ...

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