United Nations

Iran Says Giving Diplomacy 'Genuine Chance' in Oman Talks with US

Iran said Friday it was giving diplomacy a "genuine" chance in surprise nuclear talks with the United States in Oman, despite mounting pressure from Washington. Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Saturday in Muscat, aimed at reaching a potential nuclear deal. President Donald Trump on Monday made a shock ...

WHO Donation Secures Life-Saving Dialysis Supplies

In a much-needed boost to Lebanon’s strained healthcare system, the Ministry of Public Health received on Thursday a significant donation of dialysis supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO), funded by Ireland and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The shipment will support 24,000 dialysis sessions, helping around 500 ...

US Backtracks on Some Food Aid Cuts: UN

The United States has backtracked on emergency food aid cuts it announced for 14 countries, restoring assistance to six of them, the UN's World Food Program said Wednesday. The UN agency, already struggling with financing woes, said Monday that the United States advised it Washington was eliminating emergency food aid to those 14 poor and ...

France Could Recognize Palestinian State 'in June'

France is planning to recognize a Palestinian state within months and could make the move at a UN conference in New York in June on settling the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday. "We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months," Macron, who this week visited Egypt, ...

UN Chief Says Gaza Transformed Into 'Killing Field'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that Gaza had become "a killing field," blaming Israel for blocking aid and failing in its "unequivocal obligations" to meet the needs of the Palestinian territory's residents. "More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. No ...

President Aoun to ATFL: Time for Reforms and Disarmament

President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to implementing vital reforms and upholding UN Security Council Resolution 1701, during a meeting on Monday with the American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL). He also emphasized that structural reforms and the disarmament of Hezbollah are not only international and American demands but also ...

Schenker: Lebanon Must Step Up Efforts to Disarm Hezbollah

Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs David Schenker stated that “Lebanon must continue its efforts to disarm Hezbollah.” He also said, “Peace is essential, but it will only last if other measures are taken beforehand.” Speaking on MTV's Sar el-Waet program, which aired on Thursday night, Schenker noted that the ...

UN Accuses Israel of Destabilizing Syria, New Strikes in Damascus

The United Nations on Thursday accused Israel of destabilizing Syria after a wave of strikes on military targets, including an airport, and a ground incursion killed 13 people. A war monitor later reported another two Israeli air attacks. Since Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has launched an ...

The Unbearable Burden of the Syrian Crisis in Lebanon

With the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the justification long used by the international community – particularly the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) – for maintaining the Syrian presence in Lebanon no longer holds. The agency had argued that “political refugees” would face serious danger if they returned and that coordinating their repatriation with ...

Cyprus Says 'Progress' in UN-Backed Talks on Divided Island

Cypriot leaders agreed Wednesday to press on with trust-building measures that could revive the abandoned peace process on the divided island, the UN said after a meeting in the capital, Nicosia. President Nikos Christodoulides of the Greek-speaking, internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus reported "progress" after the meeting with Turkish ...

Shiite Council Files Legal Complaint Over Rocket Attacks and Pro-Israel Rhetoric

The Supreme Islamic Shiite Council has filed a legal complaint against unidentified individuals responsible for launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel, as well as those accused of spreading Israeli military propaganda and fueling sectarian tensions. Filed on Wednesday through the council’s attorney, Dr. Hassan Fadlallah, the ...

Gaza Rescuers say Nine Children Among Dead in Israel Strike on UN Building

The Israeli army said it targeted Hamas militants in a strike on a UN building in Jabalia refugee camp Wednesday that Gaza's civil defence agency said killed 19 people, nine of them children. The army said in a statement that it struck the militants "inside a command and control centre that was being used for coordinating terrorist activity", and ...