Middle East

IDF Adopts Offensive Stance Against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon: Report

This is Beirut 14:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah South Lebanon Nawaf Salam Israel

According to Israeli media, Israel’s military has shifted to a more aggressive operational approach in southern Lebanon, citing intelligence that Hezbollah is using civilian reconstruction projects to rebuild military infrastructure near the border. Northern Command Chief General Rafi Milo ordered the new policy, which includes targeting ...

Israel and Trump Signal Readiness for a Major War with Iran

This is Beirut 14:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Trump USA Netanyahu Iran NuclearTalks

Israeli officials say preparations are underway for a potential war with Iran within days, as U.S. President Donald Trump escalates military pressure on Tehran while warning that diplomacy may be nearing its limit. Two Israeli officials told Axios that Tel Aviv is bracing for a rapid deterioration of the standoff, assuming indirect nuclear talks ...

Turkey MPs Back Moves to 'Reintegrate' Former PKK Fighters

This is Beirut 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey

Kurdish fighters who have laid down their arms should be reintegrated into society, Turkish lawmakers urged in a key report released Wednesday, while avoiding any reference to an "amnesty". The recommendations of the cross-party parliamentary commission are meant to prepare the legal groundwork for peace moves between Turkey and the ...

SDF Commander Says Integration With Syrian State Has Begun

This is Beirut 11:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria SDF Kurds Hasakah MazloumAbdi

The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said Tuesday that the integration of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration and its security forces into Syria’s state institutions has formally begun, while cautioning that the process “may take some time” due to political and operational obstacles. Speaking ...

Iran Summons German Ambassador After Protest in Munich: State Media

This is Beirut 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Tehran United States USA

Iran summoned Germany's ambassador on Tuesday to protest recent "anti-Iran activities" following a major demonstration in Munich over the weekend, state media reported. Saturday's protest in Munich, which police estimated some 250,000 people took part in, was addressed by Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the Islamic ...

U.S. Official Tells TIB that Iran Talks Still Possible After Geneva, but Major Gaps Remain

This is Beirut 17/02 21:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Iran Nuclear Talks Geneva

In a statement to This is Beirut, a U.S. senior official stated that there is still a diplomatic path with Iran after Tuesday’s dialogue in Geneva, but many key points on the nuclear issue remain unresolved. The official stated that “today’s Geneva talks showed that a diplomatic path still exists, but it will move forward only ...

Iran President Says Open to 'Verification' Tehran Not Seeking Nuclear Weapon

This is Beirut 17/02 20:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Masoud Pezeshkian Iran Nuclear Issue

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was open to "verification" that it is not seeking an atomic weapon, as the Islamic republic resumed nuclear talks with the United States on Tuesday. "We are absolutely not seeking nuclear weapons," Pezeshkian said in an interview published on Tuesday. "If anyone wants to ...

Israeli Defense Minister Says Israel Will Occupy South Lebanon Positions Until Hezbollah Disarms

This is Beirut 17/02 18:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Hezbollah Disarmament Israel Katz

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israeli forces will remain stationed at five occupied positions in southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah retains weapons. Katz commented that “our presence at five points in southern Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire agreement, but we imposed it, and the United States accepted ...

Israeli Drone Strike Hits Aita al-Shaab in South Lebanon

This is Beirut 17/02 17:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon South Lebanon

An Israeli drone struck the town of Aita al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

Iran Holds Memorial for Thousands Killed in Recent Protests

This is Beirut 17/02 17:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran IranProtests HumanRights GenevaTalks USIran

Iranian authorities on Tuesday held a commemoration ceremony in Tehran for thousands of people killed during the recent unrest that followed nationwide protests over the rising cost of living. The memorial, held at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque, marked the 40th day since the deaths, in line with Shiite mourning tradition. Crowds carried ...

Iran FM Says Second Round of Talks with U.S. 'Constructive'

This is Beirut 17/02 15:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tehran Washington

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday the latest talks with the United States saw them agree on "a set of guiding principles" that would pave the way for a deal. "Ultimately, we were able to reach broad agreement on a set of guiding principles, based on which we will move forward and begin working on the text of a ...

Syria Starts Evacuating IS-Linked Al-Hol Camp: Officials to AFP

This is Beirut 17/02 14:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus United Nations USA

Syria began evacuating remaining residents of Al-Hol camp, which long housed relatives of suspected Islamic State group fighters, as it empties the formerly Kurdish-controlled facility, two officials told AFP. Al-Hol, located in a desert region of Hasakeh province, had been Syria's largest camp housing relatives of suspected IS ...