Middle East

UN Force in Lebanon Says Peacekeeper Wounded by Israeli Fire

This is Beirut 12:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Lebanon Hezbollah Israel UN Security Council

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said an Israeli attack near their position in the country's south wounded a peacekeeper on Friday, reiterating a call for Israel to "cease aggressive behaviour". It is the latest incident reported by the peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, where UNIFIL acts as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon and has ...

8 Killed and 18 Wounded in Terrorist Mosque Bombing in Homs

This is Beirut 26/12 17:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Alawite Homs

Eight people were killed and others wounded on Friday in a terrorist bombing at the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the al-Waer district of Homs, Syrian state media reported. The Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack. The director of the Emergency and Ambulance Department at Syria’s Ministry of Health, ...

Hezbollah: Is the Company Joud Licensed by the Lebanese State?

This is Beirut 26/12 16:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Iran Al Qard al Hassan

Hezbollah’s newly established company, Joud, linked to its financial arm Al Qard al Hassan, has reportedly obtained official Lebanese licensing despite several of its leaders being under U.S. sanctions, according to an investigation by Saudi channel al-Hadath. As part of a strategy aimed at circumventing both Lebanese laws and international ...

Two Killed in Terror Attack in Northern Israel

This is Beirut 26/12 14:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Banks Israel West Bank

A car-ramming and stabbing attack by a Palestinian man left two people dead in northern Israel on Friday, police said. The assailant killed a 68-year-old pedestrian in a hit-and-run and fatally stabbed a 19-year-old woman near a bus stop. The assailant was shot and injured by a civilian passerby while fleeing towards Afula. He was taken to a ...

Israel Warns Strike on Iran ‘Inevitable’ Without Missile Deal

This is Beirut 26/12 14:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Israel IRGC

A senior Israeli military official warned that an attack on Iran would become “inevitable” if the U.S. fails to reach an agreement limiting Tehran’s ballistic missile program. The official, speaking to Israel’s Ynet news site, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to present U.S. President Donald Trump with ...

Hezbollah Operative Claims Widespread Israeli Penetration, Questions Leadership

This is Beirut 26/12 13:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Hassan Nasrallah Israel USA

A Hezbollah military operative told Israel’s N12 channel on Thursday that Israel has infiltrated the militant group so extensively that “70% of Hezbollah members work with Israel.” The anonymous military operative highlighted a significant intelligence gap in Hezbollah, noting the persistent uncertainty over how Israel has ...

Yemen Separatists Report Saudi Air Strikes in Hadramawt

This is Beirut 26/12 10:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Houthis Yemen UAE

Saudi Arabia, the main backer of Yemen's internationally-recognised government, conducted air strikes on separatist positions in Hadramawt on Friday, according to local media and the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the strikes, which came a day after Saudi Arabia urged the ...

Syria Kurds Chief Says 'All Efforts' Being Made to Salvage Deal with Damascus

This is Beirut 26/12 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey USA SDF Syria

Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said Thursday that "all efforts" were being made to prevent the collapse of talks on an agreement with Damascus to integrate his forces into the central government. The remarks came days after Aleppo saw deadly clashes between the two sides before their respective leaders ordered a ceasefire. In March, Abdi ...

Syria to Start Replacing Currency from Jan 1: Central Bank Chief

This is Beirut 25/12 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks Damascus United States Syria Currency

Syria's central bank chief said Thursday that the country's currency would start to be replaced with a revamped version from January 1, as Damascus tries to relaunch its economy after emerging from the rule of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad last year. Improving the standing of the Syrian pound is among the greatest challenges for Syria's new ...

Iraq on High Alert: Baghdad Warns of Imminent Israeli Strikes

This is Beirut 25/12 17:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Middle East UN Security Council Iraq US

According to several corroborating reports cited by Israeli media, Iraqi authorities have been discreetly warned of the possibility of targeted Israeli strikes on their territory, aimed at pro-Iranian armed groups operating in the country. These warnings, described as “extremely serious,” are said to have been delivered through Western and ...

SpotlightAn Unprecedented Christmas Message and a Call for Peace in the Levant

This is Beirut 25/12 15:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Benjamin Netanyahu christians christmas

For the first time since returning to office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a Christmas message to Christians around the world last night. Broadcast from Jerusalem, his address carried symbolic weight, signaling a notable shift in rhetoric that extended far beyond a traditional seasonal greeting. By highlighting the ...

Israel Calls Countries Condemning New West Bank Settlements 'Morally Wrong'

This is Beirut 25/12 12:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Palestine Conflict settlements

Israel reacted furiously on Thursday to a condemnation by 14 countries, including France and Britain, of its approval of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling the criticism discriminatory against Jews. "Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel, and any such call is morally wrong and ...