Middle East

Iraq PM Candidate Maliki Meets Senior U.S. Diplomat
Iraq PM Candidate Maliki Meets Senior U.S. Diplomat

The leading candidate to become Iraq's next prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, met with US diplomat Tom Barrack on Friday after refusing to withdraw his nomination despite the US threatening to stop supporting the country if he returns to the post. Barrack, the US envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, has recently visited Iraq ...

Pentagon’s Kamikaze Drone Unit Ready Amid U.S.–Iran Talks
Pentagon’s Kamikaze Drone Unit Ready Amid U.S.–Iran Talks

The United States has a new one-way attack drone unit, built by reverse-engineering Iran’s Shahed-136 drones, ready to strike Iran if President Donald Trump orders military action, Bloomberg reports. According to the report, the unit, named Task Force Scorpion, emerged from an experimental U.S. military program and is now fully integrated ...

Israeli Escalation in Lebanon Sends Warning to Hezbollah on Iran
AnalysisIsraeli Escalation in Lebanon Sends Warning to Hezbollah on Iran

As regional tensions mount over the possibility of U.S. military action against Iran, Israel has escalated its operations in Lebanon, signaling that Jerusalem will not accept any attempt by Hezbollah to open a front in support of Tehran. Israel’s recent waves of bombardment in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley were “clearly pre-emptive,” ...

Huckabee Authorizes Embassy Staff to Leave Israel “Today” as U.S. Deploys USS Gerald Ford
Huckabee Authorizes Embassy Staff to Leave Israel “Today” as U.S. Deploys USS Gerald Ford

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee instructed American embassy staff on Friday that anyone wishing to leave Israel should do so “TODAY,” according to a report by The New York Times. The message warned that the embassy’s call for non-emergency personnel to leave would “likely result in high demand for ...

U.S. and Iran Conclude Geneva Nuclear Talks, Set Vienna Meeting for Monday
U.S. and Iran Conclude Geneva Nuclear Talks, Set Vienna Meeting for Monday

U.S. and Iranian officials concluded Thursday’s round of nuclear talks in Geneva, agreeing to continue negotiations next Monday in Vienna at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that today’s dialogue made “good progress” on approaching a deal addressing Iran’s ...

U.S. Senator Blumenthal: ‘There Ought to be the Lebanese and the Israelis Working Together Against Hezbollah’
U.S. Senator Blumenthal: ‘There Ought to be the Lebanese and the Israelis Working Together Against Hezbollah’

This is Beirut spoke with U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and John Cornyn on Thursday about Hezbollah and Iran, both urging stronger action in the region. Blumenthal commented that “I think we need more aggressive action against Hezbollah, which seems to be regaining strength in Lebanon, and the United States needs to work more closely ...

Lebanon Signals Interest in Joining IMEC Trade Corridor
Lebanon Signals Interest in Joining IMEC Trade Corridor

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has communicated to French President Emmanuel Macron expressing Lebanon’s interest in joining the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). As a signatory to the IMEC agreement, Lebanon is asking France to petition Lebanon’s integration into the corridor.  “Lebanon is ready to engage ...

Israeli Airstrikes Hit Hezbollah Targets in Bekaa Valley
Israeli Airstrikes Hit Hezbollah Targets in Bekaa Valley

Israel carried out airstrikes on sites linked to Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley near Baalbek on Thursday, according to the IDF’s spokesperson for Arabic media Ella Wayewa. “The IDF is currently attacking terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist group's Radwan Force unit in the Baalbek area of ...