This is Beirut - United States

U.S. Appoints Its Ambassador to Ceasefire Mechanism

This is Beirut, 16:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Ceasefire United States USA Michel Issa Morgan Ortagus

Lebanon was officially informed on Monday that Ambassador Michel Issa will represent the United States in all upcoming meetings of the ceasefire mechanism. According to official Lebanese sources, the notification was interpreted as a formal conclusion of Morgan Ortagus’s role in Lebanon related to the ceasefire mechanism. The most recent ...

2026 NDS: America First Ushers in a New Era of Selective Engagement in the Middle East

Amal Chmouny, 24/01 19:40 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

United States Middle East Iran

The newly released 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marks a dramatic pivot in American foreign policy, embracing what officials call “pragmatic realism” while fundamentally redefining U.S. engagement in the Middle East. Under an “America First” framework, the strategy moves away from large-scale military interventions in favor of ...

U.S. to Sanction Iran’s Shadow Fleet as Details of Protest Crackdown Surface

This is Beirut, 23/01 20:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Iran Sanctions Protests

On Friday, the U.S. announced that it had imposed sanctions on nine vessels and eight entities that are part of Iran’s shadow fleet, according to a press statement from State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott. The imposition of sanctions on Iranian shadow fleet vessels is a move of U.S. escalation against the 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 ...

Trump Open to Dialogue with Iran as Aftermath of Protests Comes into Focus

This is Beirut, 22/01 19:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran United States Trump Protests

President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran in remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, while reiterating his opposition to Iran’s nuclear program. These comments came as Trump was speaking about the Gaza ‘Board of Peace,’ as he highlighted the U.S. strikes against ...

U.S. Urges Syria to Support Jihadist Transfer to Iraq

This is Beirut, 22/01 15:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Middle East United States USA

The commander of US forces in the Middle East has called on Syria's president to support the transfer of thousands of jihadist prisoners from Syria to Iraq, the US military said. In a phone call on Wednesday, Admiral Brad Cooper urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to "avoid any actions that could interfere" with the process. The United States ...

Trump Warns of “Overwhelming Force” if Iran Carries Out Assassination Threats

This is Beirut, 21/01 21:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Trump United States Iran

President Trump escalated his rhetoric against Iran on Wednesday, vowing to respond with crippling force in the event that assassination attempts are carried out against him or other U.S. officials. Speaking to the press, Trump stated that “if anything happens, the whole country is going to blow up. I will hit them so hard, and I have given ...

Aoun Hails State Control of Arms and Pledges Continued Reforms

This is Beirut, 20/01 13:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Emmanuel Macron Lebanon Internal Security Forces Joseph Aoun South Lebanon United States Qatar France Egypt

President Joseph Aoun stressed on Tuesday that the Lebanese government last year took a historic step by endorsing a plan aimed at confining weapons to state authority and extending state control over Lebanese territory exclusively through its own forces, calling the move a major turning point despite the challenges of implementation. Addressing ...

Iran FM Says Davos Appearance Cancellation Based On 'Lies'

This is Beirut, 20/01 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel United States USA Iran WorldEconomicForum IranProtests

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi hit out at the World Economic Forum in Davos for cancelling his appearance over a crackdown on recent protests, saying the decision was based on "lies and political pressure". Protests in Iran sparked by economic strain in late December exploded into the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years, ...

Iraq Announces Complete Withdrawal of U.S.-Led Coalition From Federal Territory

This is Beirut, 19/01 09:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

UN Security Council United Nations United States USA Washington

Iraq said on Sunday US-led coalition forces had finished withdrawing from bases within the country's federal territory, which excludes the autonomous northern Kurdistan region. "We announce today... the completion of the evacuation of all military bases and leadership headquarters in the official federal areas of Iraq of advisers" of the US-led ...

Khamenei Accuses Trump of "Incitement, Destruction"

This is Beirut, 17/01 20:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Tehran United States

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday alleged U.S. President Donald Trump was responsible for the slaughter of protesters in Iran, saying "We see the president of the United States as a criminal, because of the deaths, destruction and incitement he has committed against the Iranian nation.” “We do not intend to lead the country to ...

Syria Army Takes Territory East of Aleppo After Kurdish Forces Withdraw

This is Beirut, 17/01 14:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus United States USA

Syria's army said Saturday that its forces had taken control of swathes of the region east of Aleppo city after Kurdish forces agreed to withdraw following recent clashes. The advance comes a day after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a "national language" and granting the minority official recognition in ...

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