This is Beirut - Nawaf Salam

Kazakhstan Joins the Abraham Accords: A Symbolic Move with Strategic Implications

Mario Chartouni, 2025-11-07 14:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Kazakhstan Abraham Accords

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords, a diplomatic framework launched in 2020 to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim states. The announcement came after a phone call between Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart ...

Former Jihadist Syrian Leader Makes Unprecedented White House Visit

This is Beirut, 2025-11-07 14:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam White House Donald Trump United Nations Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa

President Ahmed al-Sharaa will become Syria's first leader to pay an official visit to the White House on Monday, a crowning achievement for the ex-jihadist who, since taking power, has ended his country's isolation. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, will meet President Donald Trump during the ...

Hezbollah and the Endless Bloodshed

Bassam Abou Zeid, 2025-11-07 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Amal Hezbollah Destruction Litani

Hezbollah does not want the Lebanese state to negotiate with Israel, yet it has offered no alternative for liberating occupied areas, releasing prisoners, or resolving the disputed points along the Blue Line. It wants neither negotiation nor fighting against Israel. It aims to maintain the status quo, thereby blocking solutions that would secure ...

Trump Hails Central Asia's 'Unbelievable Potential' at Summit

This is Beirut, 2025-11-07 09:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Asia Washington Central Asia

US President Donald Trump hosted all five Central Asian leaders on Thursday for the first time, a few months after they held separate summits with Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping. The West has upped its interest in the resource-rich region, where Moscow's traditional influence has been questioned since the Kremlin's Ukraine ...

Trump says 'Open' to Considering Lifting Iran Sanctions

This is Beirut, 2025-11-07 09:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Middle East Tehran Sanctions

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has asked for heavy US sanctions against Tehran to be lifted -- and that he is open to having a discussion about it. "Frankly, Iran has been asking if the sanctions could be lifted. Iran has got very heavy US sanctions, and it makes it really hard," Trump said during a dinner with Central Asian ...

Has the Countdown for Collapse Started in Iran?

Salam El Zaatari, 2025-11-07 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Iran Tehran Moscow Beijing

A seismic shift appears to be underway in the Middle East. The tremors so far are faint but detectable, hinting at an upcoming eruption along the region’s geopolitical fault lines. Iran's ruling clerical regime is showing signs of great vulnerability, not just those pointing to potential unrest but also to the beginnings of a systemic collapse. ...

Kazakhstan to Join Abraham Accords as Trump Pushes Mideast Peace

This is Beirut, 2025-11-07 08:56 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Kazakhstan Abraham Accords

Kazakhstan said Thursday it will join the Abraham Accords between Israel and mainly Muslim nations, in a largely symbolic move aimed at boosting US President Donald Trump's push for Middle East peace. The central Asian republic has had diplomatic ties with Israel for decades, unlike the four Arab states that normalized relations with Israel ...

Israel Launches Series of Raids in South Lebanon Following Warnings

This is Beirut, 2025-11-06 17:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon South Lebanon Lebanese Army Hezbollah

Tensions rose sharply in southern Lebanon on Thursday as the Israeli army launched a series of air raids hitting alleged Hezbollah targets in several villages. In the late afternoon, the town of Kfardunin (Bint Jbeil) was targeted after the Israeli army issued a warning to residents located near the building that was hit, located about ten meters ...

Hollywood Welcomes Back Meghan Markle in Upcoming Comedy Film

This is Beirut, 2025-11-06 17:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Film Meghan Markle Royals Britain Culture

Prince Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, is to make her return to the big screen, media reported Wednesday, with a small cameo role in a film being shot around Los Angeles. The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly shooting scenes for Close Personal Friends, which features Emily in Paris star Lily Collins alongside Jack Quaid, Brie Larson, and Henry ...

The U.S. Urges the UN to Lift Sanctions on Syria’s President

Paul Guillot, 2025-11-06 16:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United Nations Donald Trump Damascus Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa

According to a draft obtained by The Associated Press, the U.S. is asking the Security Council to remove a set of sanctions imposed on Ahmad al-Sharaa and his Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab. The resolution could be put to a vote as early as Thursday. To pass, it must secure at least nine votes and avoid a veto from any of the five permanent ...

Israel Declares Egypt Border Area Closed Military Zone Due to Weapon-Smuggling Drones

This is Beirut, 2025-11-06 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine Egypt

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said he instructed the army to turn the area at the border with Egypt into a closed military zone to combat weapons smuggling via drones. "I instructed the IDF (military) to turn the area adjacent to the Israel–Egypt border into a closed military zone and to amend the rules of engagement ...

Hezbollah’s Obstinate Defiance: A State Within a State

This is Beirut, 2025-11-06 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hezbollah United Nations

Hezbollah issued an unprecedented “open-letter” on Thursday, addressed to President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam as well as to the Lebanese people. It presents itself as a solemn political message in defense of Lebanon’s sovereignty and unity. Yet behind its polished language about “national ...

Nawaf Salam