Middle East

Lebanon to Decide Next Week on Disarming Armed Groups, Minister Says

This is Beirut 10:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel LebaneseArmy NorthLitani

Lebanon’s government will decide next week how to proceed with the second phase of its plan to bring all weapons under state control, including arms held by Hezbollah, extending the process to areas north of the Litani River, Information Minister Paul Morcos said on Wednesday. Speaking in Kuwait on the sidelines of an Arab meeting, Morcos said ...

US Forces Withdraw From Syria's Al-Tanf Base: Syrian Military Sources

This is Beirut 11/02 22:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria United States Withdrawal

US forces have withdrawn to Jordan from Syria's Al-Tanf base, where they had been deployed as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State group, two Syrian military sources told AFP on Wednesday. One source said "the American forces withdrew entirely from Al-Tanf base today" and decamped to another in Jordan, ...

Israel Tightens Control With West Bank Land Policy Change and Citizenship Revocations

This is Beirut 11/02 21:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Benjamin Netanyahu

This week, Israel strengthened its control over territory under its authority with new measures on West Bank land acquisition policies and citizenship revocations. The Israeli security cabinet approved measures to modify Israel’s land acquisition policy in the West Bank, allowing for individual Israelis to purchase land directly rather than ...

Trump Hosts Netanyahu at White House, Says U.S. to Continue Iran Nuclear Talks

This is Beirut 11/02 16:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine White House Banks

U.S. President Donald Trump said, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, that he did not reach any agreement with Netanyahu, but insisted on negotiations and told him that negotiating with Iran is currently the preferred option. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with ...

Iranian Diplomats Allegedly Smuggled Millions in Cash to Hezbollah via Beirut

This is Beirut 11/02 15:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Hezbollah Lebanon USA Syria

Iranian diplomats used diplomatic passports to ferry large sums of U.S. dollars to Lebanon in recent months, allegedly channeling cash directly to Hezbollah as the group struggles to recover from heavy military and financial losses, according to an investigation published by Iran International. The outlet reported that at least six senior Iranian ...

Israeli Defense Officials: Hundreds of Iranian Cyberattacks Thwarted in Recent Months

This is Beirut 11/02 14:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel

Hundreds of Iranian cyberattacks targeting Israelis, including senior government and defense officials, academics, and journalists, were detected and foiled in recent months, the Shin Bet security agency and National Cyber Directorate said Wednesday. In a joint statement, the Shin Bet and the National Cyber Directorate reported a significant rise ...

Qatar Ruler Discusses De-Escalation With Trump, Iran Security Chief

This is Beirut 11/02 14:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Tehran UN Security Council USA

Qatar's ruler discussed regional de-escalation on a call with US President Donald Trump and later met with Iran's top security official, the emir's office said in two separate statements on Wednesday. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Trump focused on "the current situation in the region and international efforts aimed at ...

Iran Says Ready for Inspections to Prove It Isn’t Seeking Nuclear Weapons

This is Beirut 11/02 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Tehran United States USA

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that his country would "not yield to excessive demands" on its nuclear program after Tehran resumed talks with the United States. He also said Iran was ready for "any verification" of its nuclear program and insisted it was not seeking an atomic weapon. Iran and the United States resumed ...

Anti-Khamenei Chants Erupt in Tehran as Iran Marks Revolution Anniversary

This is Beirut 11/02 10:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran IranProtests HumanRights IslamicRepublic IslamicRevolution

Residents in several neighborhoods of Tehran chanted slogans against Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, late Tuesday, in a rare resurgence of public dissent on the eve of the Islamic Republic’s most symbolic national commemoration. Videos circulating on social media showed voices ringing out from apartment balconies with chants including ...

Israel President Says Hopes U.S.-Israel Talks Can Undermine Iran's 'Empire of Evil'

This is Beirut 11/02 10:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Iran USA Trump Netanyahu NuclearTalks

Israel's President Isaac Herzog said Wednesday he hoped talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in Washington later in the day would help fight Iran's "empire of evil". Netanyahu, making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, has said he will urge the US leader to take a harder line on ...

Iran Escalates Crackdown on Opposition Figures, Detains Prominent Reformists

This is Beirut 11/02 00:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Protests

Iran has ramped up its crackdown on opposition figures on Sunday and Monday, arresting activists and reformists weeks after its brutal suppression of January’s anti-regime protest movement. Tehran has stated that the arrests were made against people seeking to disrupt the country’s social order, claiming that they were acting as ...

LAF Commander General Rodolphe Haykal Meets with Officials in Saudi Arabia

This is Beirut 10/02 21:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Rodolphe Haykal Saudi Arabia LAF

General Rodolphe Haykal, commander of the LAF, met with officials in Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Monday during the World Defense Show. The meeting occurred in preparation for the upcoming March 5 French-Saudi-led conference in Paris to garner support for the LAF. Haykal’s dialogue with Saudi officials was carried out to discuss avenues for ...