This is Beirut

Tehran’s Grip on Lebanon: Will the Shia Duo Break Free or Fall in Line?

Philippe Abi-Akl, 23/09 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Amal Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army Iran Lebanon

On the eve of the first anniversary of the September war, Israel escalated its strikes. A raid on Bint Jbeil on Sunday killed five civilians, including three children, and wounded two others. The attack has reignited speculation over the possible activation of “Plan B,” as outlined by US Senator Lindsey Graham, who declared that Hezbollah’s ...

IAEA Chief Warns of Challenges in Iran Nuclear Talks, Sees Hope for Diplomacy

This is Beirut, 22/09 21:33 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran Iran Nuclear Program IAEA Rafael Grossi

Discussions with Iran over its nuclear program are at a “difficult juncture,” the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, acknowledged Monday, while leaving open the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough by the end of the week. “Clearly, this is a rather difficult moment,” Grossi said in an ...

Iran’s Top General Warns of “Strategic Surprises” Amid Sacred Defense Week

This is Beirut, 22/09 20:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran Sacred Defense Week Israel United States Abdolrahim Mousavi Iraq

The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, issued a stern warning on Monday, asserting that the country is prepared to deliver “strategic surprises” in response to any attack. In a message marking the commencement of Sacred Defense Week, he emphasized Iran’s growing deterrent capabilities and stated ...

IAEA Says Iran Nuclear Diplomacy at a "Difficult Juncture"

This is Beirut, 22/09 17:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Nations IAEA Rafael Grossi Iran Iran Nuclear Program

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, told AFP Monday that diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program were at a "difficult juncture," but dialogue would continue. The UN Security Council voted on Friday to reimpose UN sanctions that had been frozen, after three European governments activated the ...

US Offers $10 Million for Data on Hezbollah’s Financial Networks

This is Beirut, 22/09 12:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah US State Department Rewards for Justice Iran Paraguay Argentina Brazil Lebanon

The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program offers up to $10 million for any information regarding Hezbollah’s financial networks, particularly in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. According to the State Department, Hezbollah financiers and operatives in this region generate revenue for the Iran-aligned group through illicit ...

Apocalypticism and War Ending

Charles Chartouni, 22/09 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Hamas Iran Israel United States Lebanon

The paradoxes of the Islamic summit are blatant and quite equivocal. One wonders what elicited this mobilization after two years of apathy and diplomatic inaction. An early summit could have spared Gaza and its population the tragedies brought about by the apocalyptic vision of Hamas, the cynicism of its handlers and leaders and their ruinous ...

The Deception of the Obstructionist Axis: Did You Say ‘Resistance’?

Michel Touma, 22/09 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Naim Qassem Saudi Arabia Iran

A textbook example of deceit and blatant bad faith — that’s how one could describe the speech delivered late last week by Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem. With a straight face, he called on Saudi Arabia to “open a new page in its relations with the resistance,” and he added, almost innocently, that “the weapons of the ...

UN Security Council Rejects Bid to Stop Iran Sanctions “Snapback”

This is Beirut, 19/09 17:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

UN Iran Sanctions

The U.N. Security Council on Friday voted down a resolution that sought to prevent the automatic reimposition of sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program, just days before world leaders gather for the annual U.N. summit. The draft, introduced by South Korea, fell short of the nine votes needed. Only China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria backed ...

UN Security Council Votes on Reimposing Iran Nuclear Sanctions

This is Beirut, 19/09 15:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

UN Iran Nuclear

The United Nations Security Council will vote Friday on reimposing deep economic sanctions on Iran over its resurgent nuclear program. Britain, France and Germany -- signatories to a 2015 deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) intended to stop Tehran obtaining nuclear weapons -- allege that Iran has broken its ...

Iran Withdraws Draft Resolution to Ban Attacks on Nuclear Facilities

This is Beirut, 19/09 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Israel United States Iran nuclear IAEA

Iran late Thursday withdrew a draft resolution at the UN nuclear watchdog that called to ban attacks against nuclear facilities after its war with Israel, citing reported US pressure for the last-minute change. In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that saw Israeli and US strikes on ...

UN Security Council to Vote on Reimposing Sanctions Against Iran

This is Beirut, 18/09 20:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Iran UN Security Council Sanctions

The UN Security Council will vote Friday on whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, the Council's presidency said, after Britain, France, and Germany triggered the process that led to the vote. The three European countries, signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) intended to stop Tehran from obtaining ...

US Designates Four Pro-Iranian Militias as 'Foreign Terrorist Organizations'

This is Beirut, 17/09 16:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Donald Trump USA terrorist milicia Iran Irak

The US State Department issued a statement on Wednesday designating four pro-Iranian militias as “terrorist organizations.” The four groups are Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali. The State Department also stressed that “Iran continues to provide support enabling these ...

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