Middle East

Iran FM: U.S.-Iran Talks Held In a “Very Positive Atmosphere”

This is Beirut 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Gulf Israel Middle East Abbas Araghchi Iran Tehran Oman

Iran and the United States held indirect, high-level talks in Oman on Friday over Tehran’s nuclear program, in their first such encounter since the June Israel-Iran war, amid sharp disagreements over the agenda and growing fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks were held in a “very ...

Lebanon and Syria Ink Deal on Prisoner Handover

This is Beirut 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Damascus Hezbollah Lebanese Forces

Lebanon inked an agreement with Syria on Friday to hand some 300 convicts over to Damascus, a move seen as key to helping turn a new page in ties between the countries. Overcrowded Lebanese prisons hold more than 2,200 Syrians held on various charges. Many of them are still awaiting trial, while hundreds accused of "terrorism" or ...

NYT: Satellite Imagery Shows Iran Repaired Missile Sites Hit in 12-Day War

This is Beirut 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Middle East New York United States

The New York Times reported on Friday that satellite imagery suggests Iran has rapidly repaired several ballistic missile facilities damaged during last year’s 12-day war, but has made only limited fixes to major nuclear sites struck by Israel and the United States. The report suggests that the regime's immediate priority is a working ...

Turkey Arrests Two on Charges of Spying for Israel

This is Beirut 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Turkey Europe Hamas Palestine

Turkish intelligence has arrested two people on suspicion of spying for Israel's Mossad and providing information that helped the spy agency target its enemies, state news agency Anadolu reported Friday. Security sources said Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoglu had been arrested in Istanbul, saying they had long been on the radar of ...

Iran–U.S. Talks Begin in Oman as Tehran Warns Against “Excessive Demands”

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

USA Donald Trump Israel Tehran United States

Iran and the United States began talks on Friday in Oman, with discussions limited to Iran’s nuclear programme, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing a source described as knowledgeable about Middle East affairs. The source said Washington accepted Iran’s conditions after mediation by regional countries, including Qatar, ...

Graham Cuts Haykal Meeting Short After LAF Chief Refuses to Label Hezbollah Terrorist

This is Beirut 00:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon United States Rodolphe Haykal Lindsay Gram Hezbollah

Lebanese Armed Forces Chief of Defense Gen. Rodolphe Haykal’s Thursday meeting with Senator Lindsay Graham ended early after Haykal stated that he did not consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. In a post on X describing his meeting, Graham stated that “I asked [Haykal] if he believes Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. He ...

Israeli Strikes Target Alleged Hezbollah Positions in Jezzine and Hasbaya Districts

This is Beirut 05/02 18:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Hezbollah Lebanon Strikes

Israeli aircraft struck sites in al-Mahmoudiya and Wadi Barghaz in southern Lebanon’s Jezzine and Hasbaya districts on Thursday targeting alleged Hezbollah positions. The IDF stated that the attack was carried out due to “Hezbollah’s repeated violations of the ceasefire understandings."

Iran Open to Discussing Missile, Proxy Issues Ahead of U.S. Talks in Muscat

This is Beirut 05/02 17:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran United States Nuclear Talks

Iranian officials have indicated on Thursday that they have agreed to discuss the ballistic missile and proxy group issues at Friday’s nuclear talks with U.S. officials in Muscat, Oman, according to the Jerusalem Post. On Wednesday, the U.S. briefly signaled that it would cancel talks with Iran, with a stated reason that Iranian officials ...

Iran Guards Seize Two Foreign-Crewed Tankers in Gulf: News Agency

This is Beirut 05/02 13:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Tehran Iran IRGC Gulf

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have seized two oil tankers with their foreign crews in Gulf waters for "smuggling fuel," the Tasnim news agency reported Thursday. It was not immediately clear what flags the tankers were carrying nor the nationalities of the crew. The seizures took place amid heightened tension after Washington dispatched a naval ...

Khamenei Adviser Sends Message to Hezbollah

This is Beirut 05/02 11:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Hezbollah Lebanon USIran

In remarks carried by state-affiliated media, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, sent a message on Thursday to Hezbollah affirming Tehran’s willingness to face external threats. Velayati addressed the message to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem following the death of Abdul Karim Nasrallah, ...

UN Warns Islamic State Threat Is Growing More Complex Worldwide

This is Beirut 05/02 11:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

UN ISIS CounterTerrorism Terrorism MiddleEast

The United Nations warned on Wednesday that the global threat posed by Islamic State has increased steadily since mid-2025 and is becoming more sophisticated, as the group adapts its tactics and expands its reach across multiple regions. Briefing the UN Security Council, Alexander Zuev, Acting Assistant Secretary-General at the UN Office of ...

Hezbollah Parliamentary Bloc Head Meets President Aoun in Bid to Ease Tensions

This is Beirut 05/02 11:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Baabda Iran USA

Senior Hezbollah parliamentarian Mohammad Raad met President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace on Thursday as Hezbollah moved to de-escalate its dispute with the presidency. The visit, requested by Raad himself, marks a notable shift in tone following a period of near-freeze between the two sides and comes amid heightened regional ...