Israël

Israel Says Intercepted Missile From Yemen

The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Friday, after air raid sirens sounded in several cities, including Jerusalem. "Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted" by the Israeli air force, a military statement ...

Hamas Armed Wing Publishes Video of Gaza Hostage

The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas released a minute-long video Friday of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza looking weak and malnourished inside a narrow concrete tunnel. The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades video showed an emaciated and bearded man that AFP and Israeli media identified as Evyatar David, seized on October 7, 2023. AFP ...

From Strategy to Reality: What Will It Take to Disarm Hezbollah?

The question of disarming Hezbollah in Lebanon, long a political taboo, is now back at the heart of both political and diplomatic discussions. This shift comes amid mounting international pressure and a changing balance of power in the region. Although the topic remains deeply divisive within Lebanon’s political class, experts believe there are ...

Trump Envoy to Inspect Gaza Aid as Pressure Mounts on Israel

President Donald Trump's envoy met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday ahead of a visit to inspect aid distribution in Gaza, as a deadly food crisis drove mounting international pressure for a ceasefire. Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in months of stalled negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, met ...

Haykal Marks Army Day with Border Pledge and Tribute to Troops

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander General Rodolphe Haykal reaffirmed on Friday the army’s firm commitment to national security, announcing a “large-scale and important deployment” in the southern Litani region, conducted in close coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), as Israel continues to occupy several ...

Trump Expresses “Discontent” Over Plans To Recognize a Palestinian State

Donald Trump “expressed his discontent and disagreement with the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada” over their plans to recognize a Palestinian state, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Thursday. The U.S. president has thus somewhat hardened his stance on the matter. While he had already sharply criticized ...

Syria Forms Committee to Investigate Violence in Druze Heartland

Syria's justice ministry announced on Thursday the formation of a committee to investigate deadly violence in the southern Druze-majority province of Sweida. The week-long clashes which began on July 13 killed more than 1,400 people, many of them Druze civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. In a decree issued ...

Series of Israeli Strikes on the Beqaa and South Lebanon

Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on Thursday evening targeting the Beqaa and South Lebanon. The consecutive raids struck the areas of Brital, Nabi Sreij, Nabi Chit and Nasiriyeh (Baalbeck), as well as parts of Northern Beqaa. Several strikes also hit Aichiyeh, Mahmoudiya (Jezzine), Dimachkiyeh, Borghoz and Jormok (Tyre), as well as ...

Azerbaijan: The Triumph of Pragmatism over Religious Identity

In the heart of the Caucasus, Azerbaijan stands out for its unconventional geopolitical alignments. Though predominantly Shia in religious composition, this secular post-Soviet republic has positioned itself as one of Israel’s closest allies and a strategic partner to the West, all while maintaining a strained relationship with neighboring ...

Aoun on Army Day: Disarmament of All Militias Including Hezbollah

On the occasion of Lebanese Army Day, President Joseph Aoun delivered on Thursday a speech of rare resolve, calling for a national awakening around the military institution and demanding that all weapons – without exception – be placed under the exclusive authority of the Lebanese Army. In an address clearly directed at all Lebanese, including ...

Trump's Envoy in Israel as Gaza Criticism Mounts

US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff held talks in Israel on Thursday on ways to end the crisis in Gaza, where nearly 22 months of grinding war and dire shortages of food have drawn mounting international criticism. Witkoff, who has been involved in months of stalled negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, met Prime ...

Germany Says Israel 'Increasingly in The Minority' on Palestinian Issue

Germany's foreign minister said Thursday that Israel was increasingly isolated diplomatically over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the push by some countries to recognize a Palestinian state. Johann Wadephul said in a statement before heading to Israel that the recent UN conference on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ...