This is Beirut, 2024-12-30 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump Ukraine United States Russia
The United States announced Monday a $2.5 billion security assistance package for Ukraine as Washington races to provide aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump's November election victory has cast doubt on the future of American support for Ukraine, providing a limited window for billions of dollars in already ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-29 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
European Union Ukraine United States Georgia Russia
Georgia inaugurated a ruling party loyalist as president in the midst of a political showdown on Sunday, moments after Tbilisi's outgoing pro-EU leader declared herself the "only legitimate president". The inauguration of former footballer Mikhail Kavelashvili is set to further escalate a months-long political crisis that has seen huge ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-28 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Middle East Palestine Tehran United States china
The top diplomats of China and Iran agreed Saturday that the Middle East is "not a battleground for the big powers" and should not be an arena of geopolitical competition between countries outside the region. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed that "the international community should respect the ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-27 11:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Israel South Lebanon United States Washington
The press office of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati denied media reports that “Lebanon has been officially informed by intermediaries that Israel will not withdraw from South Lebanon after the sixty-day truce period has expired.” In a statement issued on Friday, Mikati said he had communicated “his firm position to all parties ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-27 11:30 - Reading : less than a minute
On the 11th anniversary of Mohammad Chatah's assassination, several political figures paid tribute to him. Mohammad Chatah, a leading figure in the Cedar Revolution, was killed in a car bomb attack in downtown Beirut on December 27, 2013. He was an ambassador to the United States, Minister of Finance and senior advisor to former Prime Minister ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-24 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced a US man to 15 years in a penal colony for "espionage", Russian news agencies reported. Russia has detained and sentenced a number of US citizens and dual-nationals in recent years, some of whom have been freed in prisoner exchanges. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage in ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-21 23:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Yemen United States United Kingdom US CENTCOM
The United States said it conducted strikes on Houthi targets in the rebel-held capital Sanaa on Saturday, including what it said was a missile storage center and a "command-and-control facility." During the operation, American forces also shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, the US Central Command ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-21 19:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
In the twilight of his political career, Joe Biden is disappearing into the background even before Donald Trump returns to the White House, despite growing turmoil at home and abroad. The 82-year-old US president's silence on a looming government shutdown over Christmas is just the latest example of how critics say the aging leader is in office ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-20 22:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus United States Syria Jolani HTS
A senior US diplomat told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday that Washington was scrapping a reward for his arrest and welcomed "positive messages" from their talks, including a promise to fight terrorism. Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, made the comments after her meeting with Sharaa in Damascus, the first ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-20 15:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
United States Iran sanctions oil
The United States has intensified sanctions against a growing number of oil tankers and companies accused of being involved in the trade of Iranian oil, Bloomberg reported,. Nine ships and eight companies have been added to the sanctions list, according to a government statement released on Thursday. Among the vessels targeted is the MS Enola, ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-20 10:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Antony Blinken Barbara Leaf Damascus Donald Trump United States
US diplomats have arrived in Syria to speak directly to the new rulers, hoping to encourage a moderate, inclusive path and to find clues on missing Americans, the State Department said Friday. It is the first formal US diplomatic mission to Damascus since the early days of the brutal civil war that broke out in 2011 and culminated in a surprise ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-19 20:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanese Army United States US Senate
US Senators introduced on Wednesday the ‘Preventing the Undermining of Lebanon’s Sovereignty and Economy (PULSE) Act’ that authorizes strong US assistance to the Lebanese people, its army and its economy, according to a press statement by the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee. The PULSE Act was introduced by Senators ...