This is Beirut

US Official Sullivan Says 'Got the Sense' Israel PM Ready for Gaza Deal

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 19:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Benjamin Netanyahu USA Hostages

Visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared prepared to negotiate a deal for the release of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire. "We're now looking to close a hostage release deal and a ceasefire (in Gaza). It's time to finish the job and bring all of the hostages ...

Russia Vows Retaliation After Ukraine Strikes Military Airfield

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 21:32 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Kyiv Ukraine USA Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelensky

Russia on Wednesday vowed retribution against Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of firing Western-supplied missiles on a military airfield in its southern Rostov region. President Vladimir Putin has previously threatened to launch a hypersonic ballistic missile at the centre of Kyiv if Ukraine did not halt its attacks on Russian territory using US-supplied ...

Aoun and Kurilla Discuss US Support for Lebanese Army and Ceasefire Implementation

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 20:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Ceasefire Joseph Aoun Lebanese Army USA

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun hosted US Central Command Chief General Michael E. Kurilla at his office in Yarzeh. The two officials discussed the overall situation in Lebanon and the broader region, as well as strategies for maintaining US assistance to the Lebanese Army. The meeting also covered the progress and implementation of ...

Southern Lebanon: LAF Deploys in Five Positions Around Khiam

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 19:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Lebanese Army South Lebanon United Nations USA

The Lebanese Army Command announced on Wednesday evening that "Army units have deployed to five positions around the town of Khiam, in the Marjayoun region, in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)." According to the official statement, this marks the first phase of the deployment in the region, which coincides ...

Germany and France Urge Restraint as Syria Faces Transition

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 17:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Turkey USA

As Syria enters a new phase following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, international powers, including Germany and France, are urging regional actors to avoid actions that could hinder a peaceful transition in the country. Germany's foreign minister on Wednesday urged Israel and Turkey not to jeopardize a peaceful transition in Syria ...

Blinken Embarks on Syria Crisis Tour After Assad’s Fall

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 16:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Israel Middle East USA Syria

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads Wednesday on an emergency tour after the overthrow of Syria's dictatorship, in a new, last-minute attempt to shape a Middle East legacy after a turbulent year. The top US diplomat of President Joe Biden, who has little more than one month in office, is set to press principles he has outlined for a ...

Islamic State Executes 54 Soldiers Fleeing Rebel Advance in Central Syria

This is Beirut, 2024-12-10 18:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Damascus US Secretary of State USA

A Syria war monitor said Tuesday that Islamic State group jihadists in central Homs province killed 54 soldiers who were fleeing as Islamist-led rebels pressed a major offensive on government-controlled areas. IS jihadists captured "personnel fleeing military service in the desert... during the collapse of the regime" of president Bashar al-Assad ...

Rewards for Justice: $10 Million for Information on American Missing in Syria

This is Beirut, 2024-12-10 17:05 - Reading : less than a minute

USA Syria Austin Tice

The US embassy in Beirut shared an announcement by the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Rewards for Justice, offering a “reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Austin Tice's whereabouts for his recovery, location and return.” Austin Tice, a US law student and freelance journalist has been missing since ...

Netanyahu Welcomes Assad's Fall, Reaffirms Israel's Hold on Golan Heights

This is Beirut, 2024-12-09 21:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu USA Syria

A new chapter has unfolded in the Middle East following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the outset of a press conference in Jerusalem, his first in 99 days. Highlighting Iran's extensive financial and military support for Assad, Netanyahu emphasized the regime's brutality towards its own ...

Ceasefire in Lebanon: US, France, UNIFIL and LAF Hold Their First Meeting

This is Beirut, 2024-12-09 16:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army United States USA UNIFIL France

The international committee tasked with monitoring the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel held its first meeting on Monday. “The United States, France, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Lebanese Army (LAF) and the Israeli army met on December 9 in Naqoura to coordinate their support for the cessation of ...

Hezbollah Shifts from Military Tactics, Targeting Media, Opinion Leaders

Michael al-Andary, 2024-12-09 15:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Forces Palestine USA

Hezbollah appears to be pivoting its strategy from direct military confrontation with Israel to targeting journalists and opinion leaders in Lebanon. This shift was highlighted recently by the assault on journalist Daoud Rammal, who was attacked by suspected Hezbollah members while visiting his parent's grave in Doueir, located in the ...

Lebanon and Syria: Seizing a Historic Moment

Michel Touma, 2024-12-09 12:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Lebanese Forces USA

A chapter of bloodshed and tyranny in Lebanon’s modern history has drawn to a close — a chapter defined by half a century of occupation and killing tyranny. However, today heralds a beacon of hope: an opportunity to seize this historic juncture and flip another equally somber page — the nearly century-long narrative of tumultuous and ...

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