Middle East

From Baghdad to Beirut: Tehran’s Strategy to Set the Region Aflame
Op-edFrom Baghdad to Beirut: Tehran’s Strategy to Set the Region Aflame

In December 2017, Hezbollah hosted Iraqi militia leader Qais al-Khazali on a tour of Lebanon’s border with Israel. At the time, Israel was careful not to provoke Hezbollah, and Khazali seemed confident that he could threaten the Jewish state from the frontier. Nearly a decade later, Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have become ...

Gulf Allies Privately Urge Trump to Press War on Iran: Report
Gulf Allies Privately Urge Trump to Press War on Iran: Report

Gulf Arab allies are privately urging President Donald Trump to intensify the war against Iran and avoid a premature settlement, even as the White House considers scaling back its military campaign without securing full control over the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by the Times of Israel. According to U.S., Gulf, and Israeli officials, ...

Iran Executes Two More Convicted of Links to Banned Opposition
Iran Executes Two More Convicted of Links to Banned Opposition

Iran executed two men on Tuesday convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and plotting to overthrow the Islamic republic, the judiciary said, a day after two others were hanged on similar charges. "Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi... were executed by hanging on Tuesday after legal procedures were completed and their sentences ...

Senior U.S. Official to TIB: ‘The United States Supports the Sovereignty and Authority of the Lebanese Government’
ExclusiveSenior U.S. Official to TIB: ‘The United States Supports the Sovereignty and Authority of the Lebanese Government’

In an exclusive statement to This is Beirut, a senior U.S. official conveyed support for the Lebanese government’s authority and expressed concern for Iranian infractions against Lebanese sovereignty.  The official said that “the United States supports the sovereignty and authority of the Lebanese government to make decisions ...

Leavitt Says U.S. Talks with 'More Rational' Iranians are Ongoing
Leavitt Says U.S. Talks with 'More Rational' Iranians are Ongoing

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke on the status of U.S. operations in Iran in a press conference on Monday She said that talks with Iranians are ongoing and making good progress. Remnants of the regime are inclined to negotiate. The U.S. is currently speaking with “more rational” Iranians to reach an ...

Israel Maintains High Pressure in West Bank Amid Iran War
Israel Maintains High Pressure in West Bank Amid Iran War

As war with Iran and its proxies touches most of the region, Israel maintains pressure in the West Bank as violence mounts, while the Knesset approved a bill setting the death penalty on charges of deadly acts of terrorism.  On Monday, 2 Palestinians in the West Bank were killed by Israeli soldiers in separate incidents, according to ...

Southern Front: Israel’s Push Toward the Litani River
AnalysisSouthern Front: Israel’s Push Toward the Litani River

The Israeli military is conducting a methodical ground campaign in southern Lebanon, advancing slowly but steadily along three main axes as Jerusalem seeks to establish a buffer zone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he had ordered the military to “further expand the existing security strip” in Lebanon, signaling ...

Iran Says Not Seeking Nuclear Weapons but Non-Proliferation Treaty Under Review
Iran Says Not Seeking Nuclear Weapons but Non-Proliferation Treaty Under Review

Iran said on Monday it was not seeking nuclear weapons but the issue of whether to remain part of the non-proliferation treaty was under review in parliament. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought and does not seek nuclear weapons," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing. "Regarding membership in this ...

Beirut Port Explosion Investigation Concludes
Beirut Port Explosion Investigation Concludes

Judge Tarek Bitar, the judicial investigator in the Beirut port explosion case, has concluded his investigations and referred the entire file to Deputy Public Prosecutor General Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar for review, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Monday. The refered defendants, all of whom have been questioned since early 2025, ...

Iran Confirms Death of IRGC Navy Commander Following Israeli Airstrike
Iran Confirms Death of IRGC Navy Commander Following Israeli Airstrike

Iran confirmed on Monday that Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy (IRGCN), had been killed, days after Israel announced it had targeted him in an airstrike. A statement published by the Guards’ Sepah News website said Tangsiri “succumbed to severe injuries” from the attack, according to AFP. Israeli ...