This is Beirut

Jailed Turkish Kurd Leader Calls on Government to Broker Deal for Syrian Kurds

This is Beirut, 2025-12-30 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey PKK Abdullah Öcalan Kurdes

Jailed Turkish Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan said Tuesday that it was "crucial" for Turkey's government to broker a peace deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government. Clashes between Syrian forces and the SDF have cast doubt over a deal to integrate the group's fighters into the army, which was due to ...

From Gaza to Iran: Trump and Netanyahu Review Regional Flashpoints

This is Beirut, 2025-12-30 11:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Trump Netanyahu MiddleEast Gaza Iran Lebanon Syria Turkey

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held wide-ranging talks in Florida on Monday, addressing key regional crises including Gaza, Iran, Syria, and broader Middle East stability, as both leaders signaled continued strategic alignment despite ongoing regional tensions. The meeting, held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago ...

Three Turkish Police, 6 Islamic State Militants Killed in Clash: Minister

This is Beirut, 2025-12-29 11:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Europe Turkey

Three Turkish police were killed and nine other people wounded in an operation Monday against the Islamic State group in the northwest of the country, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The fighting took place at Yalova on the Sea of Marmara during one of scores of raids against the militant group, the minister said, adding that six Islamic ...

Syria Kurds Chief Says 'All Efforts' Being Made to Salvage Deal with Damascus

This is Beirut, 2025-12-26 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey USA SDF Syria

Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said Thursday that "all efforts" were being made to prevent the collapse of talks on an agreement with Damascus to integrate his forces into the central government. The remarks came days after Aleppo saw deadly clashes between the two sides before their respective leaders ordered a ceasefire. In March, Abdi ...

Turkey Detains 115 Alleged IS Members

This is Beirut, 2025-12-25 12:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Turkey IS Arrest

Some 115 alleged members of the Islamic State group suspected of planning attacks during the end of year holidays have been arrested in Turkey, Istanbul's prosecutor general said Thursday. "Following intelligence indicating that the IS terrorist organization was planning attacks during Christmas and New Year celebrations," the prosecutor's office ...

How Syria Can Begin Integrating the SDF

Seth J. Frantzman , 2025-12-24 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Turkey Syria SDF Kurds Ahmad al-Sharaa

Clashes erupted December 22 in Aleppo between Syrian government troops and the local Kurdish security forces (Asayish), killing at least three people and underscoring the challenges facing efforts to unify armed factions under the Syrian transitional government. Even as Damascus seeks to consolidate nationwide security and integrate armed ...

Libya's Top Military Chief Killed in Plane Crash in Turkey

This is Beirut, 2025-12-23 22:51 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Libya Mohammed al-Haddad Turkey

The head of Libya's armed forces and four other passengers died on Tuesday when their business jet crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara, officials in Turkey's capital and Tripoli said. The wreckage of their Falcon 50 aircraft was located by Turkish security personnel in the Haymana district near Ankara, Turkish Interior Minister ...

Hezbollah 'Dissatisfied' with Iran Funding, Demands $2 Billion for Reconstruction

This is Beirut, 2025-12-23 16:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Israel Tehran Turkey

Hezbollah has reportedly requested $2 billion from Iran for reconstruction efforts, double the amount Tehran had initially planned to provide, citing a shortage of funds, according to The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation. The report noted that “despite Hezbollah continuing to purchase weapons, and despite the economic situation not affecting ...

Turkish Ministers to Meet Syria's Sharaa in Damascus

This is Beirut, 2025-12-22 17:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Syria Syrian Democratic Forces Hakan Fidan Ahmad al-Sharaa

Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers held a joint press conference after talks in Damascus, focusing on relations between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey’s foreign minister said discussions covered ongoing talks with the SDF and reaffirmed Ankara’s support for integrating the group into Syrian forces in a ...

Lebanon Must Pick the Abraham Accords over the Muslim Brotherhood

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 2025-12-15 14:25 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Abraham Accords Israel Iran Turkey

Lebanon must pick a side in the regional map of alliances. One seeks peace, prosperity and higher standards of living for all and consists of the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Bahrain, and Morocco, enshrined by the Abraham Accords. The rival alliance—Qatar, its ATM, and Turkey, its NATO muscle, as well as Syria, Algeria, and Tunisia—dismisses ...

Beirut Readies for a Historic Papal Mass

This is Beirut, 2025-12-02 07:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Pope Francis Turkey

More than 120,000 people are expected to attend Pope Leo XIV's mass in Beirut on Tuesday, the final day of his Lebanon visit and a chance to pay his respects at the site of the huge 2020 port explosion. The pontiff arrived from Turkey on Sunday on his inaugural visit abroad as pope and brought a message of hope, particularly to young people in ...

The Layers of Pope Leo XIV’s Inaugural Journey

Charles Chartouni, 2025-12-01 15:32 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Lebanon Turkey Vatican Pope Leo

Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip is striking and prompts a closer look at what motivated his choice of destinations. To those versed in Church history, his decision to travel first to Turkey and Lebanon may appear obvious, but it remains thrilling. Contemporary Turkey harbors the most important venues of paleo-Christian history. Turkey ...

Turkey