united nations

Iran Says New Framework Needed to Access Bombed Nuclear Sites

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a new approach should be taken for the monitoring of the country's nuclear sites attacked in a recent war with Israel. Tehran is under pressure from Western powers to allow inspectors from the UN's nuclear watchdog into the facilities. "We need a method or a framework for how to inspect ...

82nd Anniversary of Lebanon’s Independence: Army Commander Calls for National Unity

On the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of Lebanon’s independence, Army Commander General Rodolphe Haikal reaffirmed that the military’s deployment plan in the South is “progressing as scheduled,” despite what he described as “exceptional circumstances” requiring “prudence, restraint, and professionalism.” He noted that since the ...

Quarries in Lebanon: An Out-of-Control Industry with Devastating Costs

Item 27 on the agenda of the Council of Ministers, which is scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon, has reignited long-standing anger in Koura. The request by the National Cement Company for a permit to “operate and rehabilitate” its quarries in Kfarhazir and Bedbahon immediately brought back to residents the memory of a two-decade-long ...

UN Nuclear Watchdog Calls for Full Cooperation from Iran

The International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday adopted a resolution that called on Iran to provide it with access and information regarding its nuclear program, as required under UN resolutions. The vote came a day after the head of IAEA renewed his call for Tehran to allow inspections at key nuclear sites attacked by Israel and the United ...

Israel Says US Plan for Gaza to Deliver 'Peace and Prosperity' After UN Vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday hailed a US-drafted plan for Gaza after it was endorsed by the UN Security Council, saying it would lead to "peace and prosperity." The Palestinian foreign ministry also welcomed the 13-0 vote at the United Nations in New York and called for the resolution to be swiftly implemented on ...

Israeli Minister Calls for Abbas’s Arrest if UN Vote Endorses Palestinian State

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to arrest Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas if the UN Security Council votes in favor of Palestinian statehood. "If they accelerate the recognition of this fabricated state, if the UN recognizes this, you, Mr. Prime Minister, must ...

Crucial UN Vote: Challenges in Deploying an International Stabilization Force in Gaza

The UN Security Council will meet on Monday at 5 p.m. (10 p.m. GMT) to vote on the American resolution endorsing Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. The text, the result of weeks of complex diplomatic negotiations, calls for the deployment of an “international stabilization force” tasked with securing borders, supporting the ...

Israel Warns Lebanon of an Imminent Strike on Aitaroun

In a first since the cease-fire agreement of November 27, 2024, Israel on Monday reportedly warned the Lebanese Army – through the established monitoring mechanism – of a potential strike on Aitaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, as tensions continue to escalate along the country’s southern border. The Lebanese military promptly informed the ...

Mali's JNIM Jihadists: Armed Fighters or Politically Ambitious Belligerents?

By waging an economic blockade and conducting attacks on fuel convoys, the jihadist group JNIM has made itself the arch nemesis of Mali's junta, weakening the country's central government in an unprecedented manner. The Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, as it is formally known, is the "most significant ...

UN Security Council Set to Vote on International Force for Gaza

The UN Security Council is set to vote Monday on a US-drafted resolution bolstering Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, especially the deployment of an international force, as Washington warns that a failure to act could lead to renewed fighting. The draft, which has been revised several times as a result of high-stakes negotiations, "endorses" the ...

UNIFIL: “We urge the Israeli army to halt any aggressive actions targeting our forces”

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a statement saying that, this morning, an Israeli army Merkava tank opened fire on UNIFIL peacekeepers near a site that Israel has established inside Lebanese territory. According to the statement, heavy machine-gun fire struck near the peacekeepers, landing about five meters away, as ...

“Accident”: When Chance Collides With the Road

Around 1.19 million people die in road traffic accidents every year worldwide. Each November 16, as part of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – established by the UN in 2005 – the world pauses to acknowledge that a seemingly ordinary word hides devastating human realities. The term “accident”, often used as a synonym ...