This is Beirut - United States

Iran Warns of Retaliation as President Orders Restraint on Protesters

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

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Tehran United States

Iran's military chief warned on Wednesday that Iran will not stand by and allow itself to be threatened by outside powers, after the United States and Israel backed anti-government protests. "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation a threat and will not tolerate its continuation without ...

Fresh Clashes Kill Six in Iran Cost-of-Living Protests

This is Beirut, 02/01 09:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe Tehran United States USA

Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six reported killed, the first deaths since the cost-of-living demonstrations broke out. The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, where shopkeepers went on strike over high prices and economic stagnation, and have since spread to other parts of the country. On ...

Deadlock in the Second Phase of the State Monopoly on Arms

Bassam Abou Zeid, 2025-12-31 19:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanese Army Disarmament United States

By the last day of 2025, the Lebanese government was expected to have completed the disarmament of Hezbollah nationwide, following a decision made at a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace on August 5. The official statement tasked the Lebanese Army with drawing up an operational plan to restore the monopoly of weapons exclusively to the ...

Iran Designates Royal Canadian Navy a Terrorist Organisation

This is Beirut, 2025-12-30 13:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tehran United States

The Iranian foreign ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organisation on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Canada's 2024 blacklisting of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. In a statement, the ministry said that the move was in reaction to Ottawa declaring the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, a terror group ...

Syria to Start Replacing Currency from Jan 1: Central Bank Chief

This is Beirut, 2025-12-25 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks Damascus United States Syria Currency

Syria's central bank chief said Thursday that the country's currency would start to be replaced with a revamped version from January 1, as Damascus tries to relaunch its economy after emerging from the rule of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad last year. Improving the standing of the Syrian pound is among the greatest challenges for Syria's new ...

Israel Arrests Citizen Suspected of Spying for Iran

This is Beirut, 2025-12-25 12:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel United States Iran Spying

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offenses under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents, days after Tehran executed an Iranian accused of spying for Israel. The arrest is the latest in a series of cases in which Israel has charged its own citizens with spying for its ...

Hezbollah Allegedly Strengthens Hold on Beirut Port Amid Disarmament Doubts

Michael al-Andary, 2025-12-22 13:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Beirut Port Hezbollah Nawaf Salam Beirut International Airport Lebanese Army Israel United States

Despite the Lebanese cabinet’s move to impose a firm deadline for the disarmament of militias, developments on the ground point to a “lack of seriousness” in enforcing the decision against Hezbollah, a security source told This is Beirut on condition of anonymity, questioning whether the government’s commitment is backed by concrete ...

Iran Says Missile Programme Defensive, Non-Negotiable

This is Beirut, 2025-12-22 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel United States Iran Diplomacy

Iran insisted on Monday that its missile program was defensive in nature and designed to dissuade attack, while adding the existence of its arsenal was not up for debate. Israel had presented Iran's ballistic missiles, along with its nuclear program, as the two main threats it sought to neutralize during the 12-day war the foes fought in ...

US Senator Accuses Hamas and Hezbollah of Rearming

This is Beirut, 2025-12-21 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lindsey Graham Hamas Hezbollah Lebanon Israel United States

US Senator Lindsey Graham accused Hamas and Hezbollah of rearming during a visit to Israel on Sunday and charged that the Palestinian Islamist group was also consolidating power in Gaza. After two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territory, a fragile ceasefire has held since October, despite both sides trading accusations ...

Netanyahu Set to Present Iran Strike Options to Trump

This is Beirut, 2025-12-20 20:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel United States Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to present plans for a potential strike on Iran to U.S. President Donald Trump during his forthcoming visit to the United States, NBC News reports, citing several unnamed officials. According to the report, Israel is increasingly alarmed that Iran is rebuilding, and possibly expanding, its ballistic ...

Syria Monitor Says US Strikes Killed at Least Five Islamic State Members

This is Beirut, 2025-12-20 14:32 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Islamic State Group United States US Army

A Syria monitor said Saturday that five Islamic State jihadist group members were killed in US strikes overnight as Jordan confirmed it participated in the raids after a deadly attack on American troops last weekend. US forces said they struck more than 70 IS targets in what President Donald Trump described as "very serious retaliation" ...

Rubio Urges Hamas Disarmament As Key To Gaza Peace

This is Beirut, 2025-12-19 23:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Marco Rubio Hamas Israel

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday urged the disarmament of Hamas but voiced hope for headway on reaching the next stage of a Gaza ceasefire as regional officials met. Top officials of Qatar and Egypt – key mediators of the ceasefire – and regional power Turkey headed Friday to Miami to meet US envoys including Steve Witkoff, ...

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