This is Beirut - United States

“Embargo”: When Economics Becomes a Weapon

Sana Richa Choucair, 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hamas United States Houthis Sanction Russia Iran OFAC

On January 1, 2025, the United States tightened its technological embargo on China, doubling tariffs on a wide range of strategic goods, from semiconductors to industrial equipment. Beijing retaliated ten days later with countermeasures targeting American agricultural products, adding a new chapter to the escalating economic confrontation between ...

Iran Warns of Attempts to Target Supreme Leader Khamenei

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

Iran United States Israel Ali Khamenei

Iran's intelligence ministry has warned of attempts by foreign adversaries, including the United States and Israel, to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and destabilize the Islamic republic. The country's ISNA news agency reported on Saturday that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib cautioned, "The enemy seeks to target the supreme ...

Washington Sends Warning with Cancellation of LAF Chief’s Trip

Amal Chmouny, 20/11 23:55 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon LAF United States Washington

Washington's abrupt cancellation of Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) chief General Rodolphe Haykal's planned visit earlier this week signals deepening U.S. dissatisfaction with both Lebanon's approach to Hezbollah's disarmament and the LAF’s public stances on ongoing Israeli border incursions. Haykal, appointed to his post in March, was poised for ...

The F-35: Cutting-Edge Fifth-Generation Stealth Fighter

Paul Guillot, 20/11 17:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia United States Washington

On November 17, 2025, just ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's visit to Washington, the United States announced the imminent sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, marking a pivotal moment in their strategic alliance. But what is the F-35, and what makes it one of the most sought-after combat aircraft in the ...

US Presses Ukraine to Cede Land as Russian Strikes Kill 26

This is Beirut, 20/11 09:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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A new US peace proposal would see Kyiv ceding land and more than halving its army, a source told AFP Wednesday, as a Russian strike in the west of Ukraine killed 26 people, including three children. The proposal appears to repeat Russia's maximalist terms to end the war -- demands consistently rejected by Ukraine as tantamount to ...

U.S. Envoy Witkoff Not to Attend Zelensky-Erdogan Talks in Turkey

This is Beirut, 19/11 16:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Steve Witkoff Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine Turkey United States

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will not attend talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, a U.S. official said Wednesday. Zelensky will meet Erdogan in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Wednesday afternoon, where he said they would "discuss the best ways to ensure Ukraine achieves a just ...

Revolution, Power, and Repression: The Political Downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

Malo Pinatel, 19/11 16:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Turkey United Kingdom United States

From the 2012 electoral victory to the upheavals that followed, the trajectory of the Muslim Brotherhood in contemporary Egypt reflects a decade of tensions, divisions, and radical transformation. On January 25, 2011, millions of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, and other major cities, demanding an end to Hosni Mubarak’s ...

Why Is Bitcoin Plunging?

This is Beirut, 19/11 09:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Bitcoin Value Economy

What Has Caused the Latest Price Drop? Prior to the recent slump, Bitcoin broke a series of record highs in the wake of Donald Trump's return to the White House. The US president came out strongly in favor of cryptocurrencies before his re-election, and has continued to do so. Bitcoin first surpassed $100,000 in May before reaching its latest ...

Lebanon Faces Donor Backlash After Decision Extending Disability Benefits to Hezbollah Fighters

Tylia El Helou, 18/11 20:30 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah United States U.S. Treasury Sanctions

Lebanon is facing mounting diplomatic backlash after the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) extended state and donor-funded disability benefits to the thousands of Hezbollah fighters wounded in Israel’s September 2024 operation targeting Hezbollah’s communication devices. What the ministry described as a humanitarian exemption is now being ...

Washington Cancels General Rodolphe Haykal's Visit

This is Beirut, 18/11 17:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal’s planned visit to the United States on Tuesday was cancelled at the last minute, after Washington notified Beirut that the program would not be maintained. The cancellation of the visit was reportedly due to the Lebanese army's statement regarding the Israeli army's shooting of two UNIFIL soldiers, in ...

Sayyid Qutb: From the Muslim Brotherhood to Global Influence

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 18/11 15:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Europe United States Muslim Brotherhood Sayyid Qutb

Born in 1906 into a devout family in a village of Upper Egypt, he studied educational sciences, much like Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood’s founder. Alongside his career as a teacher and civil servant in the Ministry of Education, Sayyid Qutb gained recognition as a literary figure, moving within Egypt’s intellectual circles, including ...

Google Boss Warns No Company Immune if AI Bubble Bursts

This is Beirut, 18/11 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Google AI Bubble Alphabet

The head of Google's parent company, Alphabet, warned that every company would be impacted if the AI bubble were to burst, in an interview to the BBC. Sundai Pichai acknowledged there was "irrationality" behind the boom in artificial intelligence investment, which has fueled a tech rally this year. But fears that the AI bubble could burst have ...

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