This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 23:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Lebanon Syria Sweida Nawaf Salam Druzes
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged the Lebanese people, on Wednesday evening, to "avoid discord and prioritize the national interest above all else." In a message posted on his X account, Salam said he had held a series of discussions with the relevant ministers and heads of security agencies, asking them to "take the necessary measures to protect ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 23:08 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Marco Rubio United States Syria
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that an agreement had been reached to restore calm in Syria by the end of the day, describing the current situation as a “misunderstanding” following Israeli strikes on Damascus and southern Syria. “We have agreed on specific measures that will put an end to this troubling and ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 22:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Syria Tom Barrack United States
The United States' special envoy for Syria on Wednesday called on all parties to step back and engage in dialogue for a lasting ceasefire in Syria following clashes with Druze factions in the south and Israeli strikes in Damascus. "We unequivocally condemn violence against civilians in Sweida... All parties must step back and engage in ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 19:03 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Damascus Benjamin Netanyahu Syria
An Israeli strike on Wednesday hit near the Syrian army and defense ministry headquarters in Damascus, the state-run Alekhbariya channel reported on Telegram, after Israel's military said it had struck there. AFP correspondents heard a loud explosion echoing throughout much of the capital shortly after a first air strike had targeted the same ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 19:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Israel bombed the Syrian army's headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the country's Druze minority alone, as authorities announced a ceasefire in the community's southern heartland after deadly sectarian clashes. Syrian government forces entered the majority-Druze city of Sweida on ...
Mario Chartouni, 2025-07-16 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Damascus Syria Sweida Druzes
The majority-Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria has been thrust into an unprecedented spiral of violence since Sunday, as fierce clashes between the Syrian army, backed by Bedouin militias, and local Druze armed groups have escalated dramatically. The fighting has been marked by intense combat, summary executions, a deepening humanitarian ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Lebanon Sweida Syria Walid Jumblatt Joseph Aoun
Israeli strikes on Damascus and escalating sectarian violence in Sweida on Wednesday drew sharp reactions from top Lebanese officials, who voiced strong condemnation and urged de-escalation. President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel’s strikes as "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of a sister Arab state" and warned that continued aggression ...
Natasha Metni Torbey, 2025-07-16 15:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Lebanon Ceasefire Lebanese Army Benjamin Netanyahu Hezbollah
Sixty days—no more! That was the confident, oft-repeated promise declared at the signing of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel in November 2024. This now-mythic deadline was then heralded as the decisive countdown to peace in Lebanon. What followed? Everything but peace: extensions, postponements, shifting timelines and a ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 14:36 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Khamenei Ali Khamenei
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Israel's attacks during last month's 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic republic's system and spark unrest to topple it. "The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 14:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Lebanese Army Nawaf Salam parliament government confidence
Parliament renewed confidence in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government on Wednesday, as it concluded a two-day session dedicated to the general policy debate. The vote of confidence was called for by MP and leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) Gebran Bassil. The majority of the 82 MPs present at the closing session, notably 69 ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 13:43 - Reading : less than a minute
In southern Syria, the city of Sweida has descended into chaos. An NGO accuses government forces of executing Druze civilians following their deployment in the region. Fighting broke out after intercommunal violence that left over 200 people dead. Israel responded with airstrikes on Syrian forces, claiming to protect the Druze population. Despite ...
This is Beirut, 2025-07-16 12:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Palestine Hamas United Nations USA
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said 20 people died at an aid point in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, blaming armed "agitators" in the crowd. "Our current understanding is that 19 of the victims were trampled and one was stabbed amid a chaotic and dangerous surge," the US- and Israel-backed organisation said ...