Middle East

Hezbollah Rejects Truce Talks as Israel Presses Lebanon Strikes
Hezbollah Rejects Truce Talks as Israel Presses Lebanon Strikes

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said negotiations with Israel under fire would amount to "surrender", as the Iran-backed group launched attacks and Israel said it was expanding a "buffer zone" inside Lebanon. Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for around two decades until 2000, has kept up strikes on its northern neighbour and sent ground troops ...

Lebanon Declares Iran's Ambassador Unwelcome, But Can It Make Him Leave?
Lebanon Declares Iran's Ambassador Unwelcome, But Can It Make Him Leave?

The Lebanese state has formally expelled Iran’s envoy to Beirut, its latest step to curb Tehran’s influence as the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah intensifies. On March 24, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said he had instructed his ministry to inform Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Lebanon, ...

Netanyahu Announces Expansion of Security Zone as Israel Steps Up Lebanon Operations
Netanyahu Announces Expansion of Security Zone as Israel Steps Up Lebanon Operations

Tensions escalated on Wednesday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of Israel’s security zone along the northern border, according to Israeli media outlet Ynet. Speaking to northern Israeli local leaders, Netanyahu said the buffer zone will “distance the anti-tank threat” from Israeli communities and prevent ...

Iraq Says Won't Remain Silent Following Attack on PMF Base
Iraq Says Won't Remain Silent Following Attack on PMF Base

Iraq warned on Wednesday that its armed forces “will not remain silent” following a deadly airstrike that killed seven soldiers at a site linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition of Iran-backed militias integrated into Iraq’s regular armed forces, according to an article in the Times of Israel. In a statement posted on ...

Cautious Optimism as Oil Prices Decline and Stock Markets Rebound
Cautious Optimism as Oil Prices Decline and Stock Markets Rebound

Oil prices continued to decline on Wednesday, leading to a rebound in stock markets, as traders appeared willing to believe in the possibility of a peace plan proposed by Donald Trump to Iran. “Market movements are driven by narratives and headlines: today, everything revolves around the prospect of a ceasefire,” summarized Neil ...

Fresh Strike on Base in Western Iraq Kills Seven
Fresh Strike on Base in Western Iraq Kills Seven

A new strike in western Iraq killed seven security personnel, the defence ministry said Wednesday, a day after a deadly attack on the same base targeted the former paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi. Iraq has been unwillingly pulled into the war sparked by US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, and which has since engulfed much of the ...

Reports of Ghalibaf–Trump Channel Trigger Political Turmoil in Tehran
Reports of Ghalibaf–Trump Channel Trigger Political Turmoil in Tehran

Reports suggesting potential backchannel contacts between U.S. officials and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf have ignited a political storm in Tehran, exposing deep sensitivities within Iran’s leadership as the war continues. The controversy followed remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump and subsequent ...

New Wave of American Troops Heads to the Middle East
New Wave of American Troops Heads to the Middle East

Tensions in the Middle East are spiking as the United States ramps up its military presence while diplomatic efforts with Iran falter. Thousands of troops are on the move, and the region braces for potential escalation. Thousands of U.S. Marines are slated to arrive imminently, signaling heightened strategic pressure. According to U.S. officials, ...

Israel Strikes Iran’s Caspian Supply Routes, Targeting Russian-Linked Arms Corridor
Israel Strikes Iran’s Caspian Supply Routes, Targeting Russian-Linked Arms Corridor

Israel has expanded the geographic scope of its war against Iran, carrying out a rare strike in the Caspian Sea region targeting what officials describe as a critical maritime corridor used to transport Russian-supplied weapons to Tehran. According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, the operation struck facilities at Iran’s Bandar ...

Israel Strikes South Lebanon, Beirut Suburbs as Hezbollah Keeps Up Attacks
Israel Strikes South Lebanon, Beirut Suburbs as Hezbollah Keeps Up Attacks

Israel launched strikes on south Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, Lebanese state media said, as Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said it kept up attacks on Israeli troops. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme ...