This is Beirut

Lebanon Charts a Separate Path from Tehran in Israel Talks

Samar El-Kadi, 14/04 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Lebanon is set to begin talks with Israel in Washington on Tuesday, the first direct negotiations since 1983, as Beirut seeks to reassert its role in regional affairs and prevent the country from becoming a bargaining chip in broader international negotiations. Political activist and former MP Fares Souaid described the move as a historic break. ...

Israeli Foreign Minister Calls for “Severing Iran’s Influence” Over Lebanon Ahead of Talks

This is Beirut, 13/04 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Israel’s Foreign Minister said on Monday that Iran must be cut off from Lebanon, arguing that Tehran exerts effective control over the country through Hezbollah, ahead of anticipated diplomatic discussions between Israel and Lebanon set to begin in the coming days. In a statement, the Israeli minister said the upcoming talks “are ...

After Islamabad

David Hale, 13/04 10:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Whatever different people may think about the Trump Administration's approach to Iran, 21 hours of talks led by the American vice president demonstrated a seriousness of diplomatic purpose. However, it was never likely that the wide gap between the goals of Washington and those of Tehran would be bridged in a day. Eight American presidents ...

Iran Delegation Arrives in Pakistan Capital Ahead of U.S. Talks

This is Beirut, 11/04 01:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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A delegation of top Iranian officials has arrived in Islamabad ahead of ceasefire talks with the United States in the Pakistani capital, Iranian state television reported Friday. The delegation was led by Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other security and economic officials, ...

Senior U.S. Official to TIB: “Serious Consequences” if Lebanon Fails to Disarm Hezbollah

This is Beirut, 10/04 20:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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A senior U.S. official told This is Beirut that Washington has urged Israel to move toward a diplomatic track with Lebanon, adding that Israel has agreed and discussions could be convened as early as next week. The official said the United States expects the Lebanese government to take concrete steps to address and ultimately disarm Hezbollah, ...

Iran's Supreme Leader Says Does Not Seek War in Written Message

This is Beirut, 10/04 09:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in his latest written message the Islamic republic did not want war with the United States and Israel, but would protect its rights as a nation, state television reported Thursday. "We did not seek war and we do not want it," he said in the message read out on state TV, weeks after his ...

Iran Announces Alternative Routes in Hormuz Strait

This is Beirut, 09/04 07:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Iran announced alternative routes on Thursday for ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the risk of sea mines in the main zone of the vital waterway. Tehran has agreed to temporarily reopen the strait, through which one-fifth of the world's oil usually passes, as part of a two-week truce. "All ships intending to transit ...

Foreign Fighters Alongside Hezbollah: What Do We Know?

Samar El-Kadi, 08/04 11:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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An Israeli drone strike near Naqoura in southern Lebanon last week raised fresh questions about whether foreign combatants, apart from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are fighting alongside Hezbollah. While Hezbollah announced that the fighters killed in the airstrike were from southern Lebanon, the Israeli military identified ...

Trump Announces Two-Week Pause on Iran Strikes

This is Beirut, 08/04 01:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week suspension of planned military strikes on Iran on Wednesday, citing direct appeals from the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir. “Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal ...

How the Iran War Can Help Reorient Shia Identity

Marwan El Amine, 07/04 12:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Palestine Tehran

As the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran nears the limits of its original target bank, the contours of a new phase are beginning to emerge, one defined by the search for a political exit from the war. Discussions are no longer confined to closed-door deliberations but are now unfolding in public. Fundamental questions are emerging about ...

Oil Prices Rally, Stocks Edge Up After Trump's Latest Iran Threat

This is Beirut, 07/04 11:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Oil prices rose Tuesday while equities edged up tentatively as investors assessed Donald Trump's latest deadline for Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz or be "decimated." As the Middle East war entered its sixth week, the U.S. president warned Tehran that its civilian infrastructure would be destroyed if it did not let ...

Decapitation of Iranian Military and Intelligence Leadership: Timeline and Structure

Ralph Atrach, 06/04 23:40 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

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Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran on February 28, a series of coordinated strikes by both countries has dramatically reshaped Iran’s military and political command structure. The U.S.-led Operation Epic Fury and Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion have systematically targeted senior Iranian officials, top advisors, ...

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