This is Beirut - United States

U.S. Arrests Relatives of Qassem Soleimani for Supporting Iran’s Regime

This is Beirut, 04/04 22:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Middle East United States US Secretary of State Washington

Two relatives of slain Iranian General Qassem Soleimani have been arrested in the United States after their legal residency status was revoked, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Saturday. In a statement, the department identified one of the individuals as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, Soleimani’s niece, describing her as an ...

Syria Says Israeli Tank Fire Kills Man in Country's South

This is Beirut, 03/04 23:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Middle East United States

Syrian state media said Israeli fire killed a man in the Qunietra province in the country's south near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. State news agency SANA said that the man was killed in an attack by "an Israeli tank", while state television said a car was targeted. Earlier, SANA reported that Israeli forces in Quneitra ...

B‑52 Operations Over Iran Suggest Broader U.S. Control of Skies

This is Beirut, 03/04 16:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States

The United States Armed Forces has begun deploying B-52 Stratofortress bombers over Iran, signaling a major escalation in its ongoing military campaign and a growing level of control over Iranian airspace, according to a report by Fox News. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine stated that the missions were initiated following an ...

Iran Retains Significant Missile Capabilities Despite Strikes: Report

This is Beirut, 03/04 10:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Tehran United States Washington

According to a CNN report, despite more than five weeks of daily US and Israeli strikes, roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers remain intact and thousands of one-way attack drones are still operational, highlighting Tehran’s continuing ability to threaten the region. Recent intelligence assessments indicate that about half of Iran’s ...

Oil Surges as Trump Signals Escalation Against Iran

This is Beirut, 02/04 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Oil prices jumped in volatile trading on Thursday morning after Donald Trump warned of potential further military action against Iran, dampening hopes for a near-term de-escalation in the conflict, CNBC reported. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May rose 5.9% to $106.02 a barrel as of 3:11 a.m. ET, while June Brent crude ...

Iran FM Says Not Responded to U.S. Plan, 'No Negotiations'

This is Beirut, 01/04 10:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Israel Tehran Turkey United States

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there were no negotiations with the United States and that Tehran had not responded to a reported 15-point proposal from Washington to end the war. "We receive messages from the American side, some direct and some through our friends in the region, and whenever necessary we respond to these messages," ...

American Journalist Abducted in Baghdad as Iraqi Forces Launch Search Operation

This is Beirut, 31/03 20:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hezbollah United States

An American freelance journalist, Shelley Kittleson, was abducted by unidentified individuals in Baghdad on Tuesday, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, prompting an urgent security operation to locate her and apprehend those responsible. The ministry said authorities acted swiftly on what it described as “precise ...

From Baghdad to Beirut: Tehran’s Strategy to Set the Region Aflame

Seth J. Frantzman, 31/03 15:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tehran Lebanon Hezbollah Israel United States

In December 2017, Hezbollah hosted Iraqi militia leader Qais al-Khazali on a tour of Lebanon’s border with Israel. At the time, Israel was careful not to provoke Hezbollah, and Khazali seemed confident that he could threaten the Jewish state from the frontier. Nearly a decade later, Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have become ...

Iran Executes Two More Convicted of Links to Banned Opposition

This is Beirut, 31/03 09:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union Israel Tehran United States US Supreme Court

Iran executed two men on Tuesday convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and plotting to overthrow the Islamic republic, the judiciary said, a day after two others were hanged on similar charges. "Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi... were executed by hanging on Tuesday after legal procedures were completed and their sentences ...

Senior U.S. Official to TIB: ‘The United States Supports the Sovereignty and Authority of the Lebanese Government’

This is Beirut, 30/03 22:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah United States

In an exclusive statement to This is Beirut, a senior U.S. official conveyed support for the Lebanese government’s authority and expressed concern for Iranian infractions against Lebanese sovereignty. The official said that “the United States supports the sovereignty and authority of the Lebanese government to make decisions ...

Iran Confirms Death of IRGC Navy Commander Following Israeli Airstrike

This is Beirut, 30/03 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Gulf Israel United States

Iran confirmed on Monday that Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy (IRGCN), had been killed, days after Israel announced it had targeted him in an airstrike. A statement published by the Guards’ Sepah News website said Tangsiri “succumbed to severe injuries” from the attack, according to AFP. Israeli ...

Power Outages Hit Tehran After Strikes on Energy Infrastructure

This is Beirut, 30/03 10:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Parts of Tehran and the neighboring Alborz Province were plunged into temporary darkness on Sunday night after strikes damaged elements of the local electricity grid, according to Iranian state media and international reports. The disruptions followed a new wave of airstrikes attributed to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), targeting areas in and ...