This is Beirut

Lebanese President Says Aiming to End Hostilities With Israel Talks

This is Beirut, 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that planned talks with Israel aim to end hostilities and the occupation in southern Lebanon, even as Hezbollah and its supporters rejected the negotiations. Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has sharply criticised the Lebanese government's negotiations with Israel, which are set to enter a second ...

U.S., Iran Warn Ready for War as Talks in Limbo

This is Beirut, 07:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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The United States and Iran each warned they were ready for war as the clock ticked down Tuesday on a ceasefire, with uncertainty on talks that President Donald Trump had announced would resume in Pakistan. The White House said Vice President JD Vance was ready to fly back to the Pakistani capital Islamabad, which was preparing for a second round ...

Hezbollah MP Says Group Will Break Israel's 'Yellow Line' in South Lebanon

This is Beirut, 20/04 19:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Monday that his group would work to break the "Yellow Line" that Israel established in southern Lebanon, adding that no one could disarm the Iran-backed group. Still, he also maintained that his group wanted to see the current ceasefire last, even as he slammed Lebanese efforts to engage Israel ...

A State Decides: Lebanon's Bet on Direct Talks with Israel

Amal Chmouny, 20/04 13:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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For the first time in decades, the U.S. has brokered direct talks between Lebanon and Israel, beginning with a 10-day cessation of hostilities and a commitment to negotiate in good faith. Washington says lasting calm will require the Lebanese state to reassert sovereignty over non-state arms. President Donald Trump said the initiative had created ...

U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire in Lebanon Shows Early Strains

This is Beirut, 20/04 13:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remains formally in place, but continued military activity, warnings to civilians, and exchanges of fire are raising questions about its durability just days into its implementation. The ceasefire, which came into effect on April 16 under U.S. mediation, allows Israel to take necessary measures in ...

President Aoun Assigns Simon Karam to Head Talks With Israel

This is Beirut, 20/04 13:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The Lebanese presidency announced that upcoming direct negotiations with Israel will be conducted through an official delegation headed by Ambassador Simon Karam, according to a statement attributed to President Joseph Aoun on X. In remarks addressed to a delegation from the “Sovereignty Front,” President Aoun stressed that Lebanon ...

Israel Says Exposed Iranian “Covert Terror Network” Targeting Officials and Strategic Sites

This is Beirut, 20/04 12:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The Israeli government released a statement Monday announcing that its intelligence services have uncovered a secret Iranian-operated network responsible for planning attacks against Israeli officials and strategic infrastructure worldwide. According to a post on X by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has for the first ...

Lebanon Has Another Opportunity of a Lifetime

David Hale, 20/04 10:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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As Lebanese, Israeli, and American teams prepare for their first-ever trilateral leaders summit, it is time to reflect on this opportunity and lessons from the past. Most Lebanese have yearned for decades for a restoration of state sovereignty and peace. There are a host of reasons why they have been deprived of what most people around the ...

Iran Says 'No Decision' on Whether to Attend Next Round of U.S. Talks

This is Beirut, 20/04 09:40 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Iran's foreign ministry said Monday it has yet to reach a decision on whether to attend the next round of talks with the United States. "As of now, while I am at your service, we have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard," said ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press ...

Iran Executes Two Men Over Links to Israeli Intelligence

This is Beirut, 20/04 09:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Iran executed two men on Monday who had been convicted of links to Israeli intelligence services, the judiciary announced, marking the latest in a series of executions since the start of the war with Israel and the United States. “The death sentences of Mohammad Masoom-shahi and Hamed Validi were carried out at dawn,” the judiciary’s news ...

Israel Draws “Yellow Line” in Southern Lebanon as Ceasefire Takes Hold

This is Beirut, 20/04 09:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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On Monday, Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesperson of the Israeli army, issued a public warning on X to residents of southern Lebanon, outlining new movement restrictions along the so-called “yellow line” in areas where Israeli forces remain deployed. In what was described as an “urgent message,” Adraee stated ...

Iran Military Vows to 'Soon Respond' After U.S. Destroyer Hits Cargo Ship

This is Beirut, 20/04 06:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Iran's military has vowed to respond after a U.S. destroyer on Sunday fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade a U.S. naval blockade. "We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy and the U.S. military," said a spokesperson for the ...

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