White House

Mossad Director Visits U.S. for Iran Consultations, Axios Reports

The director of Israel's Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, arrived in the U.S. on Friday morning for talks on the situation in Iran, according to an Israeli source and another source with knowledge of the meeting. Barnea is expected to meet in Miami with White House envoy Steve Witkoff, who is managing the direct channel of communication ...

Trump Says Killings in Iran Subsiding

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had received assurances that the deadly crackdown on protests in Iran had come to an end. The U.S. president nevertheless maintained ambiguity over a possible American military intervention, as the international community remains on high alert in the face of a major crisis in the Middle ...

White House: U.S. Backs Israel Against Hezbollah, Warns of Military Action

The U.S. administration supports Israel’s military efforts to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas and Hezbollah, arguing that diplomacy has failed to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon.  “The United States backs Israel’s efforts to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas and Hezbollah, as diplomacy has failed to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon,” a ...

BBC Apologizes to Trump, but Rejects Defamation Claim

The BBC said Thursday that its chairman had sent a letter to US President Donald Trump apologizing for a misleading edit of one of his speeches but rejected that it was grounds for a defamation lawsuit. The comments came after Britain's embattled public broadcaster said earlier that it was investigating a possible second instance in which a Trump ...

Disarming Hezbollah Starts with the Banks

One billion dollars. That is the sum Hezbollah is said to have received from Iran in 2025. An astonishing figure, revealed during the highly political visit of the U.S. Treasury delegation led by Sebastian Gorka, the White House’s counterterrorism director. How did the militia manage to receive such an amount? Through currency exchange offices, ...

Syria Foils Two Islamic State Plots to Assassinate Sharaa

According to Reuters, Syrian authorities have thwarted two separate Islamic State (IS) plots to assassinate President Ahmed al-Sharaa in recent months, in what officials described as a direct threat to the leader as he prepares to join a U.S.-led coalition against the militant group. Two senior officials, one Syrian and one from the broader ...

Syrian President to Visit White House for Landmark Talks

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa is to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday for unprecedented talks, just days after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, will be the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the ...

U.S. Treasury Delegation in Beirut, Sanctions Top of the Agenda

This is Beirut has learned that President Joseph Aoun will meet tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Baabda Palace with a delegation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, headed by Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley, and accompanied by officials from the White House. Talks are expected to focus on counterterrorism ...

Former Jihadist Syrian Leader Makes Unprecedented White House Visit

President Ahmed al-Sharaa will become Syria's first leader to pay an official visit to the White House on Monday, a crowning achievement for the ex-jihadist who, since taking power, has ended his country's isolation. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, will meet President Donald Trump during the ...

White House Withdraws Joel Rayburn’s Nomination for Deputy Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, according to the American media outlet Axios. Rayburn’s nomination had stirred controversy over his alleged role in concealing U.S. troop levels in Syria from then-President Donald Trump during his first term, ...

Trump Completes Demolition of White House East Wing

Demolition workers have finished tearing down the White House's entire East Wing to make way for US President Donald Trump's giant new $300 million ballroom, satellite pictures showed Thursday. The completion of the wrecking work came as the White House released a list of donors to the ballroom including Apple, Google and Meta. A gray ...

US Vice President JD Vance to Visit Israel as Trump Administration Pushes Gaza Ceasefire Implementation

US Vice President JD Vance is expected to visit Israel on Monday as part of efforts by the Trump administration to accelerate the implementation of the agreement ending the recent Gaza war, Axios reported Friday, citing US and Israeli sources. While US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was initially expected to lead the delegation, the White House ...