Israël

French Foreign Minister to Visit Beirut on Tuesday

The recently appointed French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stephane Sejourne, is set to visit Beirut on Tuesday as part of international efforts to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and South Lebanon. This visit follows a recent trip by the British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, last Thursday. This also follows visits from the Qatari envoy, and ...

Syria: Iranian Military Adviser Killed in Israeli Airstrike

As the conflict continues in Gaza, the Israeli army conducted an airstrike on Friday morning against a site housing pro-Iranian fighters in Syria. At least three of them were reported dead. Three pro-Iran fighters were killed in Israeli strikes south of Damascus Friday, a war monitor said, with Iranian media reporting an adviser from the ...

Barbara Leaf: US Keen on Diplomatic Solution in Southern Lebanon

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf underlined in a press briefing on Thursday the formidable challenges facing the region since October 7, stressing, however, that Washington is keen and committed to finding a lasting settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and a diplomatic solution on the Lebanon-Israel ...

Assailant Takes Hostages in Gaza Protest Near Istanbul

Amid rising tensions over the conflict in Gaza, an assailant targeted a Procter & Gamble plant near Istanbul, taking people hostage in a protest. Details about the number of hostages were initially unclear, with a police spokesman indicating an ongoing situation. An assailant on Thursday took people hostage at a plant owned by US cosmetics ...

Qatar: Hamas Gives 'Initial Positive Confirmation' on Truce Plan

Hamas has given "initial positive confirmation" to a proposal for the cessation of fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday. US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators met with Israeli intelligence officials in Paris on Sunday, where they proposed a six-week pause in the Gaza war and a ...

US Imposes Sanctions on Settlers over Attacks on Palestinians

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on a handful of extremist Jewish settlers over violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, in a rare step against Israelis as war rages with Hamas, officials said. Israeli settler violence has reached "intolerable levels," President Joe Biden says. Joe Biden was also issuing an ...

Haniyeh Expected in Cairo Amid Ongoing Gaza Offensive

As violence persists in Gaza on the 118th day of the Israel-Hamas war, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is due in Cairo on Thursday, February 1st, to discuss a proposed six-week truce. The leader of Hamas is due in Cairo on Thursday for talks on a proposed truce in Gaza as Israel keeps up its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory. Hamas was ...

Israel’s Future Lies in Lebanon

President Charles Helou (1913-2001) titled one of his written works Liban, cette part de Dieu (Lebanon, This Part of God). He should have said, "Lebanon, this dream of God." Lebanon, defined by its historical calling, is a nation in the making, not a static entity. And it always will be. The ongoing struggle for Lebanon's soul will never stop, ...

Escalating Flames Engulf Southern Front as Day Ends

The exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah intensified late on Wednesday. One man was killed in the Israeli bombardment of the town of Beit Lif, and a team of first-aid workers from the Al Risala el-Islamiya (Hezbollah) scouts miraculously escaped when their ambulance was targeted in Blida. In the late afternoon, the Israeli army ...

Three-Stage Gaza Truce Plan Being Examined by Hamas

A source within the Palestinian militant group Hamas informed AFP on Wednesday that Hamas is currently reviewing plans for a three-stage truce with Israel. These plans envision a temporary halt to the Gaza war, to last several weeks. Hamas is reviewing plans for a three-stage truce with Israel, which foresee a weeks-long halt to the Gaza war, a ...

Tripartite Committee: Meetings in Naqoura Suspended Since September

Since the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the Lebanese-Israeli-UN tripartite committee temporarily suspended its regular monthly meetings at the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Ras al-Naqoura, southern Lebanon. According to a well-informed source who spoke to This Is Beirut ...

Israel Strikes Syrian Army Targets

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that its warplanes struck Syrian army infrastructure overnight “in response” to rocket fire from the country. "Last night, a number of launches from Syria toward the southern Golan Heights were identified," the military said in a statement. "In response, the army fighter jets struck military ...