Israel

Second Israeli Strike in Two Days Hits Damascus

Syrian state-run media said Israel struck the upscale Mazzeh district of Damascus on Friday, the second such attack in as many days to hit the neighborhood home to embassies, security headquarters and United Nations offices. Attacks blamed on or claimed by Israel have intensified in Syria, including in areas near the Lebanese border mainly ...

Berri Confirms Receipt of US Ceasefire Proposal, Reveals Knot in Negotiations

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri confirmed to Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat that he received a written United States proposal as part of the negotiations to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Denying claims that the proposal included a provision allowing the Israeli army freedom of movement in Lebanon, Berri stated firmly, ...

French Court Orders Release of Lebanese Militant Held Since 1984

A French court on Friday ordered the release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, jailed for 40 years for the 1982 killings of two foreign diplomats, prosecutors said. The court said Abdallah, first detained in 1984 and convicted in 1987 over the murders, would be released on December 6 provided he leaves France, French ...

Saad Hariri Meets Russian FM, Calls for Ceasefire in Lebanon

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Abu Dhabi on Friday, during which he stressed the urgent need to end the brutal Israeli aggression on Lebanon, which targets civilians, as well as humanitarian and health institutions. “There is an urgent necessity for an immediate ceasefire and the ...

Why Fear the New When We Know the Old?

The idea of a "new Middle East" often takes on more weight than it deserves, as it is always associated with assumptions, fears, and troubling considerations as if this new Middle East is inherently an enemy of everything we know today. If we look back at World War I, when the concept of a "new Middle East" was first discussed before the ...

Hamas Official Says ‘Ready’ for Gaza Ceasefire, Urges Trump to ‘Pressure’ Israel

A senior Hamas official said Friday that the group is "ready for a ceasefire" in Gaza and urged US President-elect Donald Trump to pressure Israel to end the war. "Hamas is ready to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if a ceasefire proposal is presented and on the condition that it is respected" by Israel, Hamas political bureau member Bassem ...

Mikati to Larijani: Iran Must Avoid Positions That Create Tensions

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized the importance of Iran “avoiding positions that could create friction between different Lebanese factions or favor one group over another.” During his meeting at the Governmental Palace with Ali Larijani, the advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mikati urged Tehran to ...

Loyalists and Powerhouses: Key Figures of the Trump Administration

RFK Jr., Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longtime health and environmental campaigner, who at 70 proudly shows off his muscular body. But the scion of the famous US political dynasty is also a leading anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist who has promoted the disproven idea that childhood vaccines cause autism and claimed ...

US Submits Proposal to Lebanon Amid Ceasefire Efforts

The United States submitted a written proposal to Lebanon as part of ongoing efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, two senior Lebanese political sources told Reuters. According to the above mentionend media, US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday to deliver the draft, aimed ...

Devastation Mounts Amid Escalating Tensions Between Hezbollah and Israel

The situation on the ground leaves little room for hope of an imminent ceasefire as hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel escalate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly preparing for a potential ground operation deep into Lebanese territory if Hezbollah does not agree to a ceasefire, according to the Wall Street ...