This is Beirut

Netanyahu and Trump Discuss “Iranian Threat” in Phone Call

This is Beirut, 2024-11-06 21:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Tehran USA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President-elect Donald Trump discussed the "Iranian threat" over the phone on Wednesday, following Trump’s victory, which Netanyahu hailed as a "strong re-commitment to the great alliance" between their two countries. Earlier, Naim Qassem, the new head of Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran, ...

The Persians... Lurking in the Shadows of the US Election

Marc Saikali, 2024-11-05 16:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tehran US election Lebanon Iraq Yemen

Will it retaliate, or will it hold back? It seems the die is cast… Iran finds itself with little option but to respond. After initially downplaying the Israeli strikes on October 26, Tehran's leaders have struggled to mask the significant blow dealt to them. A segment of their ballistic program was annihilated… leaving the Iranians stunned to ...

Iran Criticises "Destabilizing" Deployment of B-52 Bombers to the Middle East

This is Beirut, 2024-11-04 12:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Tehran United States

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday criticized what he called the United States' "destabilizing presence", after the deployment of B-52 bombers in the region. "We have always believed that the presence of America in the region is a destabilizing presence," Baghaei said during a news conference, in response to a question ...

The Failure of a Project, Not of a Community

Michel Touma, 2024-11-04 10:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Middle East Tehran Shia

Accountability is seldom found in Lebanese political life, and this is largely understandable. The societal dynamics that shape Lebanon’s social fabric—specifically the entrenched communal, regional, familial, tribal, feudal and partisan loyalties—have consistently influenced the daily lives of its people. Consequently, it is extremely ...

Trump May Reassess US Military Aid to Israel

Mondafrique, 2024-11-03 20:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Saudi Arabia Tehran Ukraine US Congress

A potential Donald Trump presidency in 2024 would likely represent a sharp departure from the current Biden administration’s foreign policy approach. Reviving the “America First” slogan, this strategy would prioritize US national interests, scale back military involvement abroad, and rely on assertive nationalism and unilateral action. The ...

Iran Holds Rallies to Mark 1979 Hostage Crisis

This is Beirut, 2024-11-03 10:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Tehran United States

Iranian demonstrators gathered on Sunday outside the former US embassy in Tehran to mark the anniversary of the 1979 hostage crisis that has for decades shaped relations between Washington and Tehran. The hostage crisis began in November 1979 following the Islamic revolution led by Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which ...

America Deploys B-52 Bombers to Middle East

This is Beirut, 2024-11-03 10:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Middle East Tehran USA Washington

American B-52 bombers have arrived in the Middle East, the US military said on Saturday, a day after Washington announced their deployment in a warning to Iran. "B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers from Minot Air Force Base's 5th Bomb Wing arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility," the military command for the Middle East and ...

Khamenei Pledges "Crushing Response" to Hostile Actions

This is Beirut, 2024-11-02 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tehran United States Ali Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Saturday to retaliate against attacks by Israel and its ally the United States targeting Tehran and groups it supports in the region. "The enemies, both the USA and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response to what they are doing ...

Operation Days of Repentance: Israel's Strike on Iran

Malo Pinatel, 2024-10-30 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Middle East Tehran Washington

According to the Israeli army, this attack involved no less than a hundred aircraft, including F-15s, F-16s and stealth F-35s. Drones were also employed in the offensive. Jordanian Reservations The scale of the resources deployed highlights the complexity of the operation, which was made even more challenging by the distance between Israel and ...

Berlin, EU Vow Response After Tehran Executes German-Iranian

This is Beirut, 2024-10-29 14:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union Josep Borrell Tehran

Germany and the European Union on Tuesday strongly condemned Iran's execution of a 69-year-old German-Iranian dissident after years behind bars and warned they were considering retaliatory measures. Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Jamshid Sharmahd's execution on Monday a "scandal" and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned ...

Iran Moves to Triple Military Budget Amid Israel Tensions

This is Beirut, 2024-10-29 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hamas Middle East Tehran United Nations

Iran's government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani outlined the move that would see "a significant increase of more than 200 percent in the country's military budget" at a news ...

Naim Qassem in Nasrallah's Shoes

Vanessa Kallas, 2024-10-29 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Tehran Naim Qassem

Hezbollah announced in a press release on Tuesday that it had elected Naim Qassem to head the pro-Iranian group. Qassem succeeds Hassan Nasrallah, killed on September 27 by an Israeli strikeon Beirut's southern suburbs. Just after Nasrallah’s death was confirmed, the group announced that the Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem would ...

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