Middle East

Stocks Rally, Oil Dives as Trump Says War to End 'Very Soon'

This is Beirut 11:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Equities rallied and oil tumbled Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the Middle East war would be over in up to three weeks and his Iranian counterpart said Tehran had "the necessary will" to bring it to an end. The remarks came as the economic impact of the conflict worsens, with average US gasoline prices topping $4 a gallon for the ...

Rubio Signals War Endgame as U.S. Pressure Mounts on Weakened Iran

This is Beirut 10:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The United States is increasingly signaling that the war with Iran is entering its final phase, even as military operations and diplomatic maneuvering continue in parallel. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington now sees “the finish line” in a conflict that has entered its fifth week, describing an Iranian state that is, ...

Iran FM Says Not Responded to U.S. Plan, 'No Negotiations'

This is Beirut 10:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there were no negotiations with the United States and that Tehran had not responded to a reported 15-point proposal from Washington to end the war. "We receive messages from the American side, some direct and some through our friends in the region, and whenever necessary we respond to these messages," ...

Iranian Missile Barrage Hits Israel, Reports Indicate Use of Cluster Munitions

This is Beirut 09:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel

Israel reported renewed missile launches from Iran on Wednesday targeting central and northern areas, causing multiple casualties and damage across several sites, with reports indicating the possible use of cluster munitions that pose long-term risks to civilians. The military stated it had “identified missiles launched from Iran toward the ...

Lebanon Says Israeli Strikes on Beirut Area Kill 7

This is Beirut 07:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The Lebanese health ministry said Wednesday that Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and a nearby town killed at least seven people, as Israel's military said it had targeted senior Hezbollah members. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel to ...

American Journalist Abducted in Baghdad as Iraqi Forces Launch Search Operation

This is Beirut 31/03 20:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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An American freelance journalist, Shelley Kittleson, was abducted by unidentified individuals in Baghdad on Tuesday, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, prompting an urgent security operation to locate her and apprehend those responsible. The ministry said authorities acted swiftly on what it described as “precise ...

U.S. Defense Secretary Warns of Intensified Strikes Against Iran

This is Beirut 31/03 17:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held a press conference Tuesday at the Pentagon alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, providing an update on the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran. Hegseth described the campaign as a “laser-focused, maximum authority mission” employing overwhelming ...

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

Seth J. Frantzman 31/03 15:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tehran Lebanon Hezbollah Israel United States

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 ...

Bahrain Dismantles Cell Linked to Hezbollah

This is Beirut 31/03 12:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced on Monday the arrest of three individuals accused of forming a “terrorist cell” linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. According to the ministry, the suspects “coordinated with terrorist elements abroad and sought to engage in espionage in a manner intended to undermine the ...

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

This is Beirut 31/03 12:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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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

This is Beirut 31/03 09:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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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 ...

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

This is Beirut 30/03 22:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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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 ...