This is Beirut - United States

The Lebanese Army and UNIFIL Caught in Friendly Fire

Bassam Abou Zeid, 2024-11-03 19:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Amal Joseph Aoun Lebanese Army United Nations United States

The campaign against Army Chief General Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese Army has intensified, particularly among Hezbollah supporters and some of its political leaders. The recent Israeli raid on Batroun, which led to the abduction of Imad Amhaz, has provided further grounds for these groups to criticize the army, claiming it is unable to protect ...

Iran Holds Rallies to Mark 1979 Hostage Crisis

This is Beirut, 2024-11-03 10:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Tehran United States

Iranian demonstrators gathered on Sunday outside the former US embassy in Tehran to mark the anniversary of the 1979 hostage crisis that has for decades shaped relations between Washington and Tehran. The hostage crisis began in November 1979 following the Islamic revolution led by Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which ...

Khamenei Pledges "Crushing Response" to Hostile Actions

This is Beirut, 2024-11-02 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tehran United States Ali Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Saturday to retaliate against attacks by Israel and its ally the United States targeting Tehran and groups it supports in the region. "The enemies, both the USA and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response to what they are doing ...

How Credible Is Iran-Israel's War of Words?

Mario Chartouni, 2024-11-02 11:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Middle East United States Iran Threats

Listening to the reverberating rhetoric between the key players in the Middle Eastern conflict feels akin to witnessing a trivial quarrel. However, when words become the currency of fools, how can we gauge the credibility of the threats exchanged between Iran and Israel? A Volatile Rhetoric In the aftermath of the attack launched by Israel last ...

Ukraine Watches U.S. Election with Mounting Anxiety

This is Beirut, 2024-11-02 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine United States election

Ukrainians are nervously following the final days of the US presidential election campaign, some fearing a victory for Donald Trump could halt Washington's vital aid. Tuesday's US vote will take place as the war with Russia grinds through its third year, with the outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian army on the back foot against Russia's advancing ...

US Hiring Drops to Lowest Since Biden Took Office

This is Beirut, 2024-11-01 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States 2024 US Presidential Elections Labor Market

US job growth slowed drastically in October, hit temporarily by hurricanes and labor strikes, in a final major economic snapshot at the end of a razor-edge presidential election campaign where cost-of-living worries dominated voter concerns. The world's biggest economy added 12,000 jobs last month, far below expectations and down from a ...

Qatar’s Diplomacy: Strengths and Limitations

Sana Richa Choucair, 2024-11-01 14:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Gulf Middle East Saudi Arabia United States Qatar Diplomacy

For over a year now, Qatar has been acting as the principal mediator, alongside the United States and Egypt, in negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza. The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023. However, this is not the first time this oil-rich Gulf emirate has emerged on the international stage. Qatar has established itself ...

US Claim Thousands of North Koreans Preparing to Fight in Ukraine

This is Beirut, 2024-11-01 10:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Ukraine United States Volodymyr Zelensky North Korea Russia

The United States revealed Thursday that up to 8,000 North Korean soldiers are preparing to fight in Ukraine, as Pyongyang heightens tensions with the launch of an intercontinental missile just days before the U.S. elections. Citing U.S. intelligence services, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that of the 10,000 North Korean soldiers, ...

Blinken Reports 'Good Progress' on Lebanon Ceasefire Agreement

This is Beirut, 2024-10-31 21:41 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Benjamin Netanyahu Yoav Gallant Antony Blinken Amos Hochstein

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that negotiators have made "good progress" toward a deal that would bring a ceasefire in Israel's offensive in Lebanon. The top US diplomat said that Washington was "working very hard" on concluding arrangements on a deal that would include the withdrawal of Shiite militia ...

Saudi Arabia Hopes for Swift Non-Military Agreements with US

This is Beirut, 2024-10-31 16:06 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Faisal bin Farhan Saudi Arabia United States Bilateral Agreement

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Thursday that Riyadh could potentially move "quite quickly" on some bilateral agreements with Washington even if a mega-deal involving recognizing Israel remains out of reach. Since last year Saudi Arabia has been bargaining hard for a defence pact with the United States as well as assistance with a ...

Trump in a Garbage Truck, Harris in Wisconsin

This is Beirut, 2024-10-31 05:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Kamala Harris United States US Presidential election

Donald Trump pulled an election stunt with a garbage truck Wednesday as the White House campaign was forced off-piste by muddled remarks from President Joe Biden about the Republican's supporters that caused a headache for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Harris had hoped to spend the day expanding on the final week "closing argument" she made ...

US Officials Heading to Israel to Discuss Lebanon, Gaza Deals

This is Beirut, 2024-10-30 19:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Gaza Lebanon war

Senior US officials were traveling to Israel on Wednesday to seek progress on deals to end the Gaza and Lebanon wars, the State Department confirmed. Amos Hochstein, the US pointman on Israel-Lebanon tensions, and Brett McGurk, the top White House official on the Middle East, will lead the talks with Israel. The two "are traveling to Israel to ...

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