Middle East

Hezbollah Boycotts Cabinet Session Over Iran Ambassador Expulsion
Hezbollah Boycotts Cabinet Session Over Iran Ambassador Expulsion

Ministers from Hezbollah and its ally Amal boycotted Lebanon's cabinet session on Thursday in protest after the government declared the Iranian ambassador persona non grata, a Lebanese official told AFP. The two Shia parties have a combined four ministers, while one independent Shia minister was instead present at the meeting, the official said, ...

What is Israel’s Invasion Calculus in Lebanon?
AnalysisWhat is Israel’s Invasion Calculus in Lebanon?

Israel appears poised to dramatically expand its invasion in southern Lebanon, with troops pushing deeper into the country as officials increasingly adopt rhetoric about establishing a buffer zone. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told local officials in northern Israel that the military was working to expand a “security ...

Oil Jumps, Stocks Drop on Uncertainty Over U.S.-Iran Talks
Oil Jumps, Stocks Drop on Uncertainty Over U.S.-Iran Talks

Oil prices jumped and equities slid Thursday as hopes for a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran wavered after Tehran rejected Washington's bid to wind down the nearly four-week war. Markets had been buoyed this week by U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that strikes targeting Iran's energy infrastructure would be postponed, adding that ...

Israel Kills IRGC Navy Commander in Precision Airstrike
Israel Kills IRGC Navy Commander in Precision Airstrike

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Thursday that an Israeli airstrike killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy. “Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ navy, Tangsiri, along with senior officers of the ...

Turkey Relays Messages Between Washington and Tehran
Turkey Relays Messages Between Washington and Tehran

A senior official in the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Turkey is relaying messages between the United States and Iran, as efforts intensify behind the scenes to contain a widening regional war. Harun Armagan, deputy head of foreign affairs in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), confirmed that Ankara ...

IDF Soldier Killed in Lebanon Gunfight as Hostilities Increase
IDF Soldier Killed in Lebanon Gunfight as Hostilities Increase

An Israeli soldier, Staff Sergeant Ori Greenberg of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, was killed during a gunfight in southern Lebanon, while four additional IDF troops were injured by Hezbollah mortar fire and another soldier was wounded in a separate incident, according to The Times of Israel. Meanwhile, tensions escalated further as ...

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?
AnalysisLebanon 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, Toufiq Samadi Khoshkou, ...

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 ...