This is Beirut

Eight Muslim Countries Condemn Israel's 'Illegal' West Bank Control Measures: Statement

This is Beirut, 09/02 12:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Banks West Bank Israel Saudi Arabia Turkey

Saudi Arabia and seven other Muslim countries on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements on the occupied Palestinian territory. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey "condemned in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and ...

Turkey Arrests Two on Charges of Spying for Israel

This is Beirut, 06/02 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Turkey Europe Hamas Palestine

Turkish intelligence has arrested two people on suspicion of spying for Israel's Mossad and providing information that helped the spy agency target its enemies, state news agency Anadolu reported Friday. Security sources said Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoglu had been arrested in Istanbul, saying they had long been on the radar of ...

Turkey Again Blocks Aid Convoy for Kurds in Syria: NGO

This is Beirut, 04/02 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Kurds Kobane SyriaConflict HumanRights Turkey

Turkish authorities have blocked for a second time an aid convoy from reaching the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane that's been overwhelmed by people fleeing fighting, a local NGO said on Wednesday. As the Syrian army and Kurdish forces clash in Syria, Kobane has been inundated by people trying to escape the hostilities. Last week, Turkish ...

U.S. Downs Iranian Drone Flying Toward Aircraft Carrier

This is Beirut, 04/02 09:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey USA Iran Oman

A U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday. The drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and kept flying toward it “despite deescalatory measures taken by ...

Turkey's Erdogan Visits Saudi as Ties Between Former Rivals Warm

This is Beirut, 04/02 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Gulf Israel Palestine Saudi Arabia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Riyadh on Tuesday in his first visit in more than two years, as ties warm between Saudi Arabia and its rival-turned-ally. Ankara hopes to "finalise negotiations towards a free trade agreement between Turkey and the member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)", the Turkish presidency said. "The two ...

Israel Sets Red Lines Ahead of U.S.-Iran Talks as Witkoff Visits Jerusalem

This is Beirut, 03/02 12:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Iran USA Trump NuclearTalks Turkey USIran

Israel is seeking firm assurances from Washington ahead of anticipated U.S.-Iran talks on Friday in Turkey, with Israeli officials signaling that any agreement falling short of dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities would be unacceptable. The issue will be central to meetings in Jerusalem on Tuesday, as U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle ...

A Month of Crisis in Syria and Its Regional Ramifications

Seth J. Frantzman, 01/02 19:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Damascus Donald Trump Israel Turkey USA

Syria has experienced another dramatic transformation. After a month of clashes that began in Aleppo and spread to eastern Syria, Damascus announced on January 30 that it had reached an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for a ceasefire and its military integration. The Syrian transitional government now controls most of the ...

Turkey Urges U.S. to Resist Israeli Pressure to Strike Iran

This is Beirut, 30/01 11:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tehran Turkey United States Washington

In a joint press conference held on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated their commitment to diplomacy and warned against any military intervention in Iran, as tensions in the region continue to rise. Fidan emphasized Turkey’s opposition to military action, stating that Ankara ...

Turkey to Offer Help Resolving U.S.-Iran Tension When Araghchi Visits Friday: Source

This is Beirut, 29/01 11:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Tehran Turkey Washington

Turkey will offer to mediate between Washington and Tehran during a visit by Iran's foreign minister on Friday, officials said, as Ankara considers reinforcing security along its border should the dispute escalate. Friday's visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi comes after US President Donald Trump threatened a military strike ...

Turkey Urges U.S.-Iran Disputes Be Resolved ‘One by One’

This is Beirut, 28/01 11:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Donald Trump Gulf Tehran United States

Turkey's foreign minister on Wednesday urged the U.S. to resolve its disputes with Iran "one by one" instead of through a sweeping deal, saying this would avoid humiliating Iranian officials, and added that Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme. "If you put them as a package all of them, it will be very difficult for our Iranian ...

Kurdish SDF Fighters Leave North Syria Prison Under Govt Deal: State Media

This is Beirut, 23/01 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey United States USA

Syria said early Friday that government forces had begun transferring Kurdish fighters from a prison in the north where they had been holding Islamic State group detainees, as part of a weekend agreement. An AFP correspondent in Raqa saw buses and cars heading away from the Al-Aqtan prison on the city's outskirts overnight, escorted by ...

Talks Between Damascus And Kurdish-led Forces "Collapse"

This is Beirut, 20/01 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Donald Trump Turkey USA Kurds SDF

Negotiations have collapsed between the Syrian president and the chief of the country's Kurdish-led forces, a Kurdish official told AFP, as the army deployed reinforcements to flashpoint areas in the north. President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, who heads the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), were meeting to discuss a ceasefire ...

Turkey