Nawaf Salam

Graham: Disarm Hezbollah to End Israeli Attacks in Lebanon

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said Thursday that Israeli military operations in Lebanon would end “if Hezbollah were disarmed,” describing the ongoing cross-border strikes as a direct response to the militant group’s continued armed presence. Graham argued that Israel’s incursions into Lebanese territory are intended to “suppress ...

Universal Music and Udio Partner to Launch Licensed AI Music Platform

Recording industry giant Universal Music Group said Thursday it had struck a licensing deal with AI music generation startup Udio, in an industry-first tie-up aiming to launch an AI creation platform next year. Universal and Udio said in a statement that their platform, as yet unnamed, "will be powered by new cutting-edge generative AI technology ...

Gaza in the Grip of Hamas’s Reign of Terror

Since the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a new conflict has erupted in the Gaza Strip: an internal struggle as the Islamist movement targets its Palestinian rivals. The campaign has involved executions, raids, and armed clashes across multiple neighborhoods. Officially, Hamas says it is “restoring order” after two years of war ...

U.S. Seeks to Finalize Plan for International Security Force in Gaza

U.S. officials are engaged in sensitive talks with several countries about creating an international force to be deployed in Gaza, with a plan expected to be presented in the coming weeks, three sources closely involved told Axios. The urgency of the initiative was underscored by an attack last Tuesday, which exposed the fragility of the ...

Ortagus in Lebanon: A Low-Profile Visit with a Clear Message

In a region increasingly fraught with tension, U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus’s visit to Beirut unfolded as part of a diplomatic sequence in which Lebanon once again finds itself on the fault line between war and negotiation. High-Level Meetings Morgan Ortagus began her Lebanese tour on Wednesday with a meeting in Ain al-Tineh with Parliament ...

Lebanese Officials Condemn Deadly Israeli Attack on Blida

Top Lebanese officials on Thursday denounced Israel’s latest attacks on southern Lebanon, including a deadly overnight strike on the Blida municipal building that killed municipal employee Ibrahim Salameh, describing it as a “flagrant assault on Lebanese sovereignty and state institutions.” Following the incident, President ...

Gold Demand Hit Records as Price Soared

Demand for gold hit a record high in the third quarter as the precious metal's price hit all-time highs on geopolitical unrest, industry data showed Thursday. Total demand grew three percent year-on-year in the July-September period to 1,313 tonnes, the World Gold Council said, as the metal, perceived as a safe haven investment, benefitted from ...

The ‘Mechanism’: Open Sesame

Five photos. One very short statement in Naqoura. That’s all it took for U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus’s visit to Lebanon to make its point. The symbolism was clear: the era of endless chatter is over. Time to actually get things done. In a country where talking for the sake of talking is practically a national sport, that’s… a plot ...

European Intelligence: Iran Rebuilding Missile Program

Western intelligence agencies have revealed that Iran is actively rebuilding its ballistic missile program in defiance of renewed UN sanctions, with significant assistance from China, according to a CNN report. European intelligence sources said that several shipments of sodium perchlorate, a key ingredient in the solid fuel used to power ...

What is the “Yellow Line” in Gaza?

Stretching east to west across the Gaza Strip, the “yellow line” is a new sort of boundary where the Israeli army has pulled back as part of the ceasefire. Marked with concrete blocks topped by yellow signs, it effectively splits the Palestinian territory in two. On October 20, the Israeli army unveiled the first of these yellow concrete ...

Syria Attracted $28 Bn in Investment Since Assad's Fall

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Wednesday his country had managed to secure $28 billion worth of investments in the past 10 months following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's government last year. The president cited the figure while speaking in Riyadh at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, where he ...