israel

Why Lebanon Still Lacks a Viable Shia Alternative

An important question is increasingly being raised among sovereigntist political circles in Lebanon and within regional and international forums, particularly in Washington: where is the Shia alternative to the Hezbollah-Amal political alliance? Some parties ask this question in good faith, based on the conviction that any meaningful path toward ...

Khamenei Orders Iran’s Enriched Uranium Stockpile to Remain Inside Country: Report

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a directive that the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remain inside Iran, according to two senior Iranian sources cited by Reuters on Wednesday. The directive directly challenges one of the key American and Israeli demands in the talks: the removal of Iran’s ...

Lebanon Pursuing State “Free From Illegal Weapons,” Foreign Minister Says Amid Talks With Israel

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said Wednesday that Lebanon had taken what he described as a “courageous decision” to enter direct negotiations with Israel in pursuit of a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and the establishment of a state “free from occupation and illegal weapons.” The remarks, ...

Iran Claims U.S. Seeking to ‘Start a New Round of War’ and Threatens ‘Forceful Response’ 

Iran accused the United States on Wednesday of seeking to reignite the regional war, after President Donald Trump renewed threats of military action against Tehran while Washington continues tightening its naval blockade around Iranian shipping routes. The escalation came as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had forced 90 commercial ...

Lebanese Politicians and Activists Advocate “Just and Lasting Peace” Through State Institutions

Multiple Lebanese parliament members joined political activists and civil society representatives Wednesday at a conference titled “For the Lebanese State to Negotiate for a Just and Lasting Peace,” which brought together advocates of Lebanese sovereignty and exclusive state authority over war and diplomacy amid renewed debate over the ...

Israel Claims Hezbollah Used Church as Cover for Attack That Killed Reservist

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Major (Res.) Itamar Sapir, 27, was killed in what it described as a Hezbollah terrorist attack launched from a church in southern Lebanon. Israeli authorities alleged that Hezbollah had once again transformed a religious site into a military stronghold, accusing the group of violating international law ...

U.S. Signals Readiness for New Military Action Against Iran While Leaving Door Open for Diplomacy

U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States was “one hour away” from launching strikes on Iran on Monday before deciding to delay military action to allow more time for negotiations. Speaking during a White House press briefing alongside Vice President JD Vance, Trump revealed that several Gulf countries had contacted ...

Lebanese Parliamentary Committees Approve Amendments to Controversial General Amnesty Law

Lebanon’s joint parliamentary committees on Tuesday approved amendments to a long-debated draft general amnesty law. Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri called for a plenary legislative session on Thursday, May 21, to review the amended draft. Under the amendments, death sentences would be commuted to 28 years in prison, life sentences reduced ...

Iran Stages Mass Weddings for Couples Ready for War 'Sacrifice'

Iranian authorities held mass public weddings in Tehran for couples who signed up to a state-sponsored scheme declaring their readiness to sacrifice their lives in the war against the U.S. and Israel. The ceremonies conducted late on Monday involved hundreds of couples in several major squares in the capital, including more than 100 in the vast ...

Iran Says New Proposal to Washington Includes Ending Lebanon War

Iran said Tuesday that its latest proposal to the United States includes demands to end hostilities across the region, including in Lebanon, alongside sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets and the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade imposed on Tehran. In comments carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Deputy Foreign ...

Breaking the Myth of Hezbollah's Captive Constituency

Israel’s Alma Center is wrong about Lebanon’s Shia population. In a recent article, the institute claimed that Hezbollah’s Shia constituency is a “captive audience” chained by dependency, fear, and ideology. In reality, Hezbollah’s committed ideologues are a minority, while dependency and fear can be reversed. Those dependent on ...