This is Beirut

Witkoff: Normalization Between Israel and Lebanon Is Possible

This is Beirut, 22/03 12:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

normalization USA Witkoff Lebanon Syria Israel

US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, recently stated that the normalization of relations between Lebanon, Syria, and Israel is no longer a distant dream, but a real and tangible possibility. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff suggested that these countries could eventually establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel, a ...

Rockets Fired at Border Village of Metula, Katz Threatens the Lebanese State

This is Beirut, 22/03 09:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel

A new escalation of tensions was reported on Saturday morning in southern Lebanon following the launch of five rockets from Lebanon toward the border village of Metula. A series of explosions caused by Israeli interceptor missiles was reported in the airspace of southeastern Lebanon. Three rockets were intercepted, while two landed on Lebanese ...

Israel Threatens to Annex Parts of Gaza

This is Beirut, 22/03 05:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Palestine Hamas

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened Friday to annex parts of the Gaza Strip unless Hamas militants release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the war-battered Palestinian territory. The warning came as Israel pressed the renewed assault it launched on Tuesday, shattering the relative calm since a January 19 ceasefire. A ...

War Monitor Says Israel Strikes Military Airport Near Palmyra, Syria

This is Beirut, 21/03 23:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Syria Palmyra

Israeli air strikes on Friday targeted the military airport near Palmyra in central Syria, a war monitor said, reporting the latest Israeli attack in the country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. "Israeli warplanes targeted the Palmyra military airport," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Since Islamist-led rebels ...

Gaza: Israel Announces the Elimination of Senior Hamas Official

This is Beirut, 21/03 21:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Hamas Israel Palestine Gaza

The Israeli army announced on Friday that it had eliminated Osama Tabash, the movement's head of military intelligence. According to the army, Tabash was also head of Hamas's surveillance and targeting unit, and was said to have planned the October 7 attack.

Huthi Rebel Media Reports Strikes on Yemen

This is Beirut, 21/03 21:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Houthi Israel Yemen

Huthi media in Yemen reported strikes on the Iran-backed rebels' homeland of Saada on Friday, blaming "American aggression". The rebels' Al-Masirah TV cited their correspondent in Saada, in Yemen's north, for their latest claim of strikes since the United States on Saturday said it carried out air strikes that killed several Huthi leaders, after ...

UN Warns of 'Massive Trauma' for Gaza's Children Amid Renewed Fighting

This is Beirut, 21/03 17:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine United Nations Gaza

The UN warned Friday that all of Gaza's approximately one million children were facing "massive trauma" as fighting in the war-ravaged territory resumed and amid dire aid shortages. Humanitarians described an alarming situation in Gaza amid a growing civilian death toll since Israel resumed aerial bombardment and ground operations this week after ...

Israel Supreme Court Freezes PM Bid to Sack Intel Chief

This is Beirut, 21/03 15:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel US Supreme Court Benny Gantz Benjamin Netanyahu Democrats

Israel's supreme court Friday froze a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to sack the internal security agency chief, an unprecedented move that has deepened divisions in the country. The court's decision came after opposition parties and a non-governmental organisation filed separate appeals hours after the government ...

MBS's Diplomatic Gamble: Reshaping Saudi Arabia’s Geopolitical Role

Natasha Metni Torbey, 21/03 14:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Donald Trump Houthi Israel Middle East

Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia has undertaken a series of diplomatic maneuvers that are redefining its role in the Middle East. As a key regional power, the Kingdom aims to position itself as an influential mediator, forge new strategic alliances and normalize relations with pivotal players. These ...

Israel Defense Minister Threatens to Annex Parts of Gaza

This is Beirut, 21/03 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Hamas

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Friday to annex parts of the Gaza Strip unless Hamas militants release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the war-battered Palestinian territory. "I ordered (the army) to seize more territory in Gaza... The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be ...

Ronen Bar: Ex-Shin Bet Chief Who Incurred Right-Wing Wrath

This is Beirut, 21/03 09:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Israel Palestine

The days of Ronen Bar as Israel's Shin Bet chief were already numbered after Hamas's deadly attack on October 7, 2023, having hinted he would resign to take responsibility for failing to prevent it. But he was sacked on Friday before he could depart himself, after incurring the wrath of the country's right wing over his positions, including on ...

Israel Expands Gaza Ground Operation as Missiles Intercepted, Herzog "Disturbed" by Renewed Fighting

This is Beirut, 21/03 05:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)