Middle East

Iraqi President Nominates Ali al-Zaidi as PM-Designate
Iraqi President Nominates Ali al-Zaidi as PM-Designate

Iraq's newly elected president nominated businessman Ali al-Zaidi as the country's prime minister-designate on Monday, after he was endorsed by the country's main Shia alliance. "President Nizar Amede has tasked Ali al-Zaidi, the candidate of the largest parliamentary bloc, with forming the new government," the presidency ...

U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Information on Iraqi Militia Leader
U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Information on Iraqi Militia Leader

The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi, a militia leader accused of orchestrating attacks against U.S. and allied targets in the Middle East. In a post published on X , the ...

Lebanese President Aoun Accuses Hezbollah of National 'Betrayal'
Lebanese President Aoun Accuses Hezbollah of National 'Betrayal'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of “betrayal” and openly challenged the group’s decision to take Lebanon to war, asking whether it had secured national consensus before doing so. “Did you have national consensus when you went to war?” Aoun questioned, in a direct message to Hezbollah, as ...

Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem Rejects Direct Talks, Vows to Maintain Armed Resistance
Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem Rejects Direct Talks, Vows to Maintain Armed Resistance

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Monday rejected direct negotiations with Israel, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to armed resistance, and sharply criticized the Lebanese government’s recent political course in a statement addressing the latest developments in the country. In a written statement, Qassem said Hezbollah ...

If Boycotting Israel Requires a Law, Is It Truly Popular?
Op-edIf Boycotting Israel Requires a Law, Is It Truly Popular?

Hezbollah and its global Intifada allies claim that the overwhelming majority of Lebanese, Arabs, and people of conscience view Israel as pure evil, a cancer to be eradicated. Yet if this hatred is truly so deep and universal, why does Lebanon still need to enforce its heavy-handed law boycotting Israel? The statute criminalizes any contact with ...

Arrival of Third U.S. Carrier Marks First Triple Deployment in Middle East Since 2003
Arrival of Third U.S. Carrier Marks First Triple Deployment in Middle East Since 2003

For the first time since the 2003 Iraq War, the United States has deployed three aircraft carrier strike groups simultaneously to the Middle East, marking a major escalation in its military posture in the region, according to the United States Central Command. The latest deployment follows the arrival of the USS George H. W. Bush strike group, ...

Oil Rises Over 1% as U.S.–Iran Talks Stall
Oil Rises Over 1% as U.S.–Iran Talks Stall

Oil prices rose more than 1% on Monday as stalled U.S.-Iran talks and ongoing disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz tightened global supply, according to Reuters. Last week, Brent and West Texas Intermediate gained nearly 17% and 13%. This marked ​the biggest weekly gains since the start of the war. Tensions in the Gulf have ...

Lebanon Says Israel Strikes Kill 14 in Deadliest day Since Truce
Lebanon Says Israel Strikes Kill 14 in Deadliest day Since Truce

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country's south on Sunday killed 14 people, the deadliest day since a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war came into force over a week ago. It came as Israel and the Iran-backed group traded fresh accusations of breaching the fragile truce, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the ...

New Strikes Reported in Lebanon After 6 Killed in South of Country
New Strikes Reported in Lebanon After 6 Killed in South of Country

Lebanese state media reported a series of new Israeli strikes in the country's south on Saturday night, after attacks earlier in the day killed six people despite a recently extended ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah The new attacks followed orders from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military to "forcefully ...

Will Lebanon Repeal Its Law Criminalizing Contact With Israel?
AnalysisWill Lebanon Repeal Its Law Criminalizing Contact With Israel?

As Lebanese and Israeli officials conclude their second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Washington, a contradiction is becoming harder for Beirut to ignore. The state is now negotiating with Israel, while its citizens can still face prosecution for far less. Following Thursday’s meeting between Lebanese and Israeli envoys at the White House, ...

Hezbollah-Linked Suspect Extradited to Panama in Long-Running Terror Investigation
Hezbollah-Linked Suspect Extradited to Panama in Long-Running Terror Investigation

The U.S. Embassy in Panama announced a major breakthrough in the decades-long investigation into the 1994 bombing of Alas Chiricanas Flight 901, stating that suspected Hezbollah-linked operative Ali Zaki Hage Jalil has been extradited to Panama to face trial. The announcement described the move as the result of coordinated efforts between the ...