USA

Khamenei Has a Plan to Flee Iran if Unrest Escalates

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has prepared a contingency plan to leave the country if security forces fail to contain protests or begin to defect, according to an intelligence report shared with The Times. The report says Khamenei, 86, would leave Tehran with a close circle of up to 20 aides and family members if he ...

Syria Says Talks on Military Integration of Kurds Inconclusive

Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi held talks with officials in Damascus on Sunday on integrating his forces into the central government, but state media said no tangible results were achieved. Abdi signed a deal in March with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to merge the civil and military institutions of the Kurds' semi-autonomous ...

US Conducting Military Strikes Against Venezuela: US Media

The United States military was behind a series of strikes against the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, US media reported. US media outlets including CBS News and Fox News reported that unnamed Trump administration officials confirmed US forces were involved. CBS said an attack was ordered by President Donald Trump. The Pentagon referred ...

Fresh Clashes Kill Six in Iran Cost-of-Living Protests

Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six reported killed, the first deaths since the cost-of-living demonstrations broke out. The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, where shopkeepers went on strike over high prices and economic stagnation, and have since spread to other parts of the country. On ...

Iran President Tells Government Listen to Protesters 'Legitimate Demands'

Iran's president urged his government to listen to the "legitimate demands" of protesters, state media reported Tuesday, after demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over economic hardship. Shopkeepers in the capital shut their stores on Monday, after Iran's embattled currency hit new lows on the unofficial market. Photos from ...

Lebanon Signs Deal to Purchase Natural Gas from Egypt

Lebanon said Monday it plans to purchase natural gas from Egypt, seeking to reduce its reliance on fuel oil for its ageing power plants in a country hamstrung by regular electricity cuts. The electricity sector has cost Lebanon more than $40 billion since the end of its 1975-1990 civil war, and successive governments have failed to reduce losses, ...

Hezbollah Operative Claims Widespread Israeli Penetration, Questions Leadership

A Hezbollah military operative told Israel’s N12 channel on Thursday that Israel has infiltrated the militant group so extensively that “70% of Hezbollah members work with Israel.” The anonymous military operative highlighted a significant intelligence gap in Hezbollah, noting the persistent uncertainty over how Israel has ...

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

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 ...

Syria Says Killed Senior IS Leader

Syrian authorities on Thursday said they killed a senior leader in the Islamic State group in coordination with the US-led coalition, hours after the arrest near Damascus of another leader. Syrian security and intelligence forces, working in coordination with the international coalition, conducted what the interior ministry described as a ...

Christmas in South Lebanon: Villages Orphaned of Their Youth

In the villages of South Lebanon, Christmas flickers like a fragile flame. Despite the ever-present fear and palpable tension, church bells toll and evening gatherings are held. In Alma al-Shaab, Yaroun, Deir Mimas, Khiam, and Marjayoun, garlands and nativity scenes timidly pierce the deserted streets. Once alive with laughter and reunion, these ...

Syria Welcomes Lifting of US Sanctions

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday welcomed the permanent lifting by the United States of the so-called Caesar sanctions, paving the way for the return of investments to the war-ravaged nation. The US Congress on Wednesday permanently ended the sanctions imposed on Syria under Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December last year. The ...

Scathing Message by “Shiite Depositor” Targets Yassine Jaber

The page “Lebanon Pulse” published on its X account a message purportedly from a “Shiite depositor”, addressed to Finance Minister Yassine Jaber. In the message, the author accuses the minister of having, in the past, incited members of the Shiite community in front of the US ambassador and called for their bombardment and removal of ...