This is Beirut - United States

Israel, U.S. Double Down on War Effort; Lebanon Reiterates Calls for Israel Negotiations

This is Beirut, 06:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

On Thursday, Israeli officials stated that Israel continues to act decisively against Iran and Hezbollah while the Trump administration sought additional funding for U.S. war efforts and called on allies to assist in operations at the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Lebanese officials reiterated their support to begin direct negotiations with ...

Bessent Says "Starting to See Defections" in Iranian Regime

This is Beirut, 19/03 16:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed major defections were occuring within the Iranian regime, following increasing economic pressure on Iranian officials, saying, “the regime is in collapse, and the people are starting to turn against them.” Speaking to Fox News Thursday, Bessent said, "we're starting to see defections ...

Limited Passage Resumes at Gaza-Egypt Border Crossing

This is Beirut, 19/03 11:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Gaza's border crossing with Egypt reopened on Thursday for a limited number of people, Palestinian and Egyptian officials told AFP, for the first time since Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran. An Egyptian Red Crescent official, speaking anonymously to AFP, said the Rafah crossing had reopened in both directions to allow a ...

Qatar Declares Iranian Attaches Non Grata, Calls Out 'Direct Threats' to its National Security

This is Beirut, 18/03 22:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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On Wednesday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry declared the Iranian embassy’s military and security attaches as persona non grata due to Iran’s repeated attacks on the country. Qatar also said that Iranian attacks on its main gas facility situated on its north coast were a "direct threat to its national security". "Qatar ...

UAE Condemns Targeting of South Pars Gas Field, after Iran Blames U.S., Israel

This is Beirut, 18/03 18:15 - Reading : less than a minute

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The UAE condemned the targeting on Wednesday of Iranian facilities in a gas field shared with Qatar, calling the attack attributed by Iran to the US and Israel a "dangerous escalation" in a rare rebuke. "The United Arab Emirates affirmed that targeting energy facilities linked to the South Pars gas field in the Islamic Republic of ...

Who Are the Iraqi Groups Involved in the Middle East War?

This is Beirut, 18/03 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Since the start of the Middle East war, Tehran-backed Iraqi groups have repeatedly attacked US interests, whether bases hosting troops, diplomatic missions, or oil facilities. The armed groups, which the U.S. designates as terrorist organisations, have, from the onset, warned that the Middle East conflict will become a prolonged war of ...

Iran Arrests Alleged 'Monarchist' Networks, Suspected Spies as War Rages

This is Beirut, 18/03 12:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Iranian authorities said on Wednesday they had arrested more than 100 alleged "monarchist cells" plotting against the Islamic Republic, along with suspected spies and individuals accused of cooperating with an outlawed television channel. Forces from the Intelligence Ministry "have identified and arrested 111 monarchist cells across 26 provinces ...

Security Source Says U.S. Embassy Struck as Explosions Heard in Baghdad

This is Beirut, 17/03 19:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Several loud explosions were heard Tuesday evening in Iraq's capital Baghdad, AFP journalists reported, with a security official reporting a drone and rocket attack on the US embassy. In a restaurant in the city, where diners did not react to the initial sounds of the blasts, a witness told AFP he saw detonations caused by the embassy's ...

Ali Larijani, Iran’s strategic mastermind and de Facto Ruler

This is Beirut, 17/03 12:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Tuesday that the Israeli army had killed Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an airstrike in Tehran as part of its operation against Iran. Larijani’s death comes amid an open war following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February—an event that ...

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say 10 'Foreign Spies' Arrested

This is Beirut, 17/03 09:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday their forces had arrested 10 "foreign spies" as the war with Israel and the United States continued. "Ten mercenary, treacherous elements were identified and arrested," the Guards intelligence organisation in the northeastern Razavi Khorasan province said, according to ISNA news ...

Drone, Rocket Attack Targets U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

This is Beirut, 17/03 05:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisors, security officials said, pulling Iraq deeper into the Middle East war. An AFP journalist reported seeing black smoke rising after an explosion in the embassy complex, as well as air defences ...

Fire at Hotel near U.S. Embassy in Baghdad After Drone Attack

This is Beirut, 16/03 22:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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A fire broke out late Monday on the roof of a hotel in Baghdad's Green Zone, witnesses told AFP, with the interior ministry saying there were no casualties or damage after a "projectile" landed on the building. Two Iraqi security sources said a drone attack had targeted the U.S. embassy, located in the same area as the al-Rasheed ...