Behind the Israeli Escalation in South Lebanon: What Explains the Push Beyond the Litani?

Ralph Atrach 17:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon South Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu UN Security Council Hezbollah

Israeli officials signaled a major escalation in the conflict in southern Lebanon this week, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing on Friday that Israeli forces had crossed the Litani River while intensifying strikes across Lebanon. “We struck Beirut just now, and Tyre yesterday, and our forces crossed the Litani River,” ...

Vance Says Progress Made as U.S.-Iran Deal Awaits Trump Green Light

This is Beirut 16:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing to a deal to extend their ceasefire in the Middle East war, but the potential breakthrough still hangs on President Donald Trump's approval. Trump remained notably silent into Friday morning, despite U.S. sources telling AFP a deal just needed his sign-off, underscoring ...

Iran Guards Kill Two Kurds in Hiding After Protests: Rights Groups

This is Beirut 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards have killed two Kurdish activists in the west of the country who went into hiding following anti-government protests in January, two rights groups said on Friday. Iranian media confirmed the incident, which took place on Thursday, but said that the men were armed, had been instigators of "riots," and were killed by ...

ExclusiveIsraeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter: Hezbollah Must be Dismantled for Israel-Lebanon Peace

This is Beirut 14:05 - Reading : less than a minute

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Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, in an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, said Israel is pursuing a two-track approach that includes strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces with U.S. support so they can gradually take on Hezbollah and restore full state authority. He said Israel has no interest in remaining in Lebanon and ...

U.S. Blacklists Tankers and Firms Linked to Iran’s Military Oil Network

This is Beirut 10:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel United States Hormuz Oil Iran

The United States announced on Thursday that it had imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Iran’s military-linked oil trade, despite Washington and Tehran reaching a tentative agreement to extend their ceasefire and ease restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, eight vessels involved ...

Op-edThe Hidden Costs of a U.S.-Iran Deal Involving Lebanon

Marwan El Amine 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Tehran Washington

Amid U.S. and Iranian efforts to forge an agreement to end their conflict, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on May 23 pledging that Tehran would press for a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon. Hezbollah quickly welcomed Iran’s determination to keep Lebanon within its sphere of influence. The ...

AnalysisPentagon Talks Test Lebanon’s Commitment to Disarming Hezbollah

Samar El-Kadi 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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As Israeli strikes intensified across southern Lebanon ahead of Friday’s U.S.-mediated security talks between Lebanon and Israel at the Pentagon, expectations remained low that the Lebanese delegation could offer convincing guarantees on Hezbollah’s disarmament. Lebanon’s delegation arrived in Washington with a presentation detailing the ...

AnalysisFrom Baghdad to Beirut: Sadr’s Break with the Peace Brigades Amid Regional Disarmament Pressure

Claudia Groeling 28/05 22:25 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

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Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraq’s leading Shiite cleric, announced on Wednesday a complete break between his political movement and its armed wing, Saraya al-Salam, a faction within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which he said will be integrated into the Iraqi state security apparatus. Al-Sadr called on “the remaining factions in the Popular ...

Israel Expands Strikes Across Lebanon as Netanyahu Warns of Continued Operations

This is Beirut 28/05 17:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Iran Condemns U.S. Ceasefire 'Violations' After Strikes in South

This is Beirut 28/05 12:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran condemned on Thursday what it called violations by the United States after its strikes on the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, while vowing to defend its sovereignty. The ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran would "take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty" and condemned what he called "the threatening ...

U.S. Military Conducts New Strike in South Iran

This is Beirut 28/05 04:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA

The U.S. military shot down four Iranian drones and struck a control center in the southern city of Bandar Abbas, an American official said Wednesday, describing the actions as "purely defensive." "Today, U.S. Central Command Forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz," ...

Iran Says War Unlikely as Trump Warns He May 'Finish the Job'

This is Beirut 28/05 01:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu US Secretary of State Lebanon Gulf

Oil prices tumbled Wednesday on hopes of a US-Iran peace deal, even as President Donald Trump warned he may have to "finish the job" and Tehran said its forces were still "lying in wait with full magazines." The mixed signals underscored the fragile state of talks aimed at ending a Middle East war that has shaken global energy ...