israel

Israel Accuses Hezbollah of Assassinations in Beirut Port Blast Case

New and highly sensitive allegations emerged on Tuesday after the Israeli army accused a specialized Hezbollah cell—Unit 121—of assassinating four Lebanese figures who allegedly held information implicating the Shiite militia in the August 2020 Beirut port explosion. The claims, made by the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee ...

Israel Says Received Presumed Remains of Gaza Hostage

Israel announced Wednesday it had received hostage remains found in Gaza from the Red Cross, which were being transported to the morgue for identification. It comes as the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violating the terms. Under the first phase of the deal, which came into ...

Israel Says to Allow Gazans to Exit to Egypt 'in Coming Days'

Israel said on Wednesday it would open the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt to allow residents to exit the Palestinian territory "in the coming days," but Egypt denied such a deal with Israel. "In accordance with the ceasefire agreement... the Rafah Crossing will open in the coming days exclusively for the exit of residents from ...

14th Meeting of Mechanism: Civilian Participants Added to Enhance Stability and Success

Senior officials convened for the 14th iteration of the Pentalateral on December 3 in Naqoura to assess ongoing efforts to reach an enduring cessation of hostilities arrangement in Lebanon, reported the US Embassy in Beirut in a statement.  To support a durable peace and shared prosperity of both sides, former Ambassador Simon Karam of Lebanon ...

Lebanon Must Answer the Pope’s Call for Peace

From the heart of Lebanon—a biblical land living under Hezbollah’s shadow—Pope Leo XIV issued a clarion call for genuine peace, not merely a ceasefire, between longstanding adversaries. Although he refrained from naming Israel directly, the implication was unmistakable: the pontiff was urging Lebanon to pursue normalization with its southern ...

A Historic Day: Lebanon and Israel Hold First Direct Talks in Decades

Lebanon and Israel held their first civilian-led direct talks in decades on Wednesday, in a meeting hosted by UNIFIL in Naqura as part of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism established in November 2024. The shift from military to political dialogue marks a historic rupture in Lebanese policy—driven by President Joseph Aoun’s bold ...

A Historic Decision by Joseph Aoun… Lebanon on the Path to Joining the Abraham Accords

The news of appointing former ambassador Simon Karam to head the Lebanese delegation to the “Mechanism” meetings—and the Presidency’s confirmation of his participation in today’s session in Naqoura—can only be understood within the context of the bold steps President Joseph Aoun is taking to move toward direct negotiations to resolve ...

Port Explosion: Israeli Army Claims Hezbollah Eliminated Four Key Witnesses

The Israeli army accused on Tuesday a Hezbollah unit of assassinating four Lebanese figures who allegedly possessed information implicating the Shiite movement in the Beirut port explosion of August 2020, according to its Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on X (formerly Twitter). According to the Israeli army, Hezbollah’s Unit 121 ...

Israel Police Say Received Presumed Remains of One of Last Two Gaza Hostages

Israeli police said Tuesday they had received the presumed remains of one of the last two deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip and were transporting them to the morgue for identification. In a brief statement, the police said they were "currently escorting, with reverence, the coffin of the fallen hostage to the National Centre of Forensic ...

Israel Army Says Killed Two Palestinians After West Bank Attacks

The Israeli military said Tuesday it had killed two assailants it said attacked soldiers in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank. The army said the first attack took place Monday evening near Hebron, in the south of the Palestinian territory, where a female soldier was lightly injured in a car ramming attack. In a statement, it said that ...

Beirut Readies for a Historic Papal Mass

More than 120,000 people are expected to attend Pope Leo XIV's mass in Beirut on Tuesday, the final day of his Lebanon visit and a chance to pay his respects at the site of the huge 2020 port explosion. The pontiff arrived from Turkey on Sunday on his inaugural visit abroad as pope and brought a message of hope, particularly to young people in ...

Trump Warns Israel Not to ‘Interfere’ in Syria

US President Donald Trump told Israel on Monday to avoid destabilizing Syria and its new leadership, days after a deadly operation by Israeli forces killed 13 people. Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him for another White House visit, Netanyahu's office said shortly after Trump issued the warning. "It ...