War in the Middle East

US Strikes Set Back Iran Nuclear Program by Up to Two Years

This is Beirut 02/07 23:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Pentagon Iran Iran Nuclear Program

US intelligence assessments indicate that strikes on Iranian nuclear sites set the country's atomic program back by up to two years, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. "We have degraded their program by one to two years at least; intelligence assessments inside the (Defense) Department assess that," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told journalists, ...

Syria State Media Says Talk of Peace Deal with Israel 'Premature'

This is Beirut 02/07 22:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Syria Lebanon

Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace agreement with Israel were "premature," days after Israel said it was interested in striking normalization agreements with Syria and neighboring Lebanon. "Statements concerning signing a peace agreement with the Israeli occupation at this time are considered ...

Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed

This is Beirut 02/07 21:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hamas Gaza Israel US Donald Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to eradicate Hamas, even as the Palestinian militant group said it was discussing new proposals from mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for a 60-day truce in its offensive against ...

Hamas Gives Militia Leader Backed by Israel Ten Days to Surrender

This is Beirut 02/07 15:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Gaza Hamas Israel Yasser Abu Shabab

Authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza declared treason charges Wednesday against the leader of a rival armed group accused of working with Israel during its Gaza offensive, ordering him to turn himself in. Yasser Abu Shabab, aged 35 according to Hamas's summons issued on Wednesday, is suspected of heading the Popular Forces group in southern ...

SpotlightIran: What Are the Chances for a Popular Uprising?

Natasha Metni Torbey 02/07 14:35 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Iran Israel United States

The recent regional war that has shaken the Middle East has reignited a persistent question: Is Iran now on the brink of a large-scale popular uprising capable of shaking, or even overthrowing, the current regime? Could the current circumstances truly lead to a profound political transformation, or should we instead expect a tightening of ...

Israel Calls for Seizing the Opportunity to Free Hostages in Gaza

This is Beirut 02/07 12:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Gaza Gideon Saar

Israel's top diplomat called on Wednesday not to miss any chance to free hostages held in Gaza, after US President Donald Trump urged Palestinian group Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire that he said had Israel's backing. Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, ...

Trump Urges 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire Deal Ahead of Netanyahu Visit

This is Beirut 02/07 05:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Gaza Palestine

US President Donald Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to accept a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, saying that Israel had agreed to finalize such a deal, as its forces also stepped up operations in the Palestinian territory. Trump, in a post on social media, said his representatives had met with Israeli officials about the raging conflict, ahead of Prime ...

Israeli Drone Strike Injures Two Civilians Near Jabal al‑Ahmar

This is Beirut 01/07 11:00 - Reading : less than a minute

drone Nabatieh Lebanon Israel Harouf

An Israeli drone carried out an airstrike on Tuesday on a house in the town of Harouf, targeting the Jabal al-Ahmar area, located between Harouf and Choukin in the Nabatiyeh district. The Ministry of Public Health’s Emergency Operations Center confirmed that two civilians, one of them a child, sustained minor injuries. Earlier, another ...

Lebanon’s Role in the Emerging Middle East: The Armistice as a Cornerstone

Philippe Abi-Akl 01/07 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Tom Barrack Israel Lebanon Syria Armistice US

Although Hezbollah has refrained from directly involving Lebanon in the Israel-Iran conflict – limiting its role to rhetorical support – the country remains deeply affected by the ceasefire between these regional powers, according to an Arab diplomat. This truce is part of a broader peace initiative that United States President Donald Trump ...

Tehran Downplays Quick Resumption of US-Iran Talks

This is Beirut 01/07 05:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran United States Nuclear

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday ruled out a quick resumption of talks with the United States and said Tehran will first need assurances it will not be attacked again. Araghchi, in an interview with CBS Evening News, was asked about US President Donald Trump's remarks that nuclear negotiations with Iran could resume as early ...

Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Forces Kill 51 as Ceasefire Calls Mount

This is Beirut 30/06 22:03 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Gaza Hamas Israel

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli forces killed at least 51 people on Monday, including 24 at a seafront rest area, as fresh calls grew for a ceasefire in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. The swift resolution of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of ...

AnalysisWhat’s Next, the Scope of Negotiations?

Charles Chartouni 30/06 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Israel United States Syria Donald Trump

The truce finalized by US President Donald Trump should presumably pave the way to the end of the war and tentatively usher in a peace agreement. Otherwise, the restoration of the status quo ante and the rehabilitation of the older scripts of negotiations are highly questionable. The viability of the truce depends largely on the alternative ...