This is Beirut 22/12 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Israel United States Iran Diplomacy
Iran insisted on Monday that its missile program was defensive in nature and designed to dissuade attack, while adding the existence of its arsenal was not up for debate. Israel had presented Iran's ballistic missiles, along with its nuclear program, as the two main threats it sought to neutralize during the 12-day war the foes fought in ...
Amal Chmouny 22/12 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
United Nations Lebanon Donald Trump Hamas UNRWA
In the shadow of the Gaza conflict, a quiet but consequential debate is unfolding in Washington over whether the U.S. should designate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a terrorist-affiliated entity and impose sweeping sanctions. A move once viewed as unthinkable is now the subject of urgent policy deliberations, with senior ...
This is Beirut 21/12 19:50 - Reading : less than a minute
Syrian Democratic Forces Syria Islamic State Group
The Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement on Sunday that their elite units arrested a senior Islamic State cell leader during a security operation in eastern Deir Ezzor province. The SDF said the suspect supplied weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices to Islamic State cells operating in the area, describing him as one of the group’s ...
This is Beirut 21/12 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lindsey Graham Hamas Hezbollah Lebanon Israel United States
US Senator Lindsey Graham accused Hamas and Hezbollah of rearming during a visit to Israel on Sunday and charged that the Palestinian Islamist group was also consolidating power in Gaza. After two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territory, a fragile ceasefire has held since October, despite both sides trading accusations ...
This is Beirut 21/12 13:16 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Israel West Bank Israeli Settlements Palestinians
Israel's security cabinet approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move the country's far-right finance minister said on Sunday was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. The decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, according to a ...
This is Beirut 21/12 12:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) predicted that around one million Syrian refugees will return to their country during 2026, given the gradual recovery that Syria is witnessing after the fall of the Assad regime. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, the UNHCR representative in Syria, stated, "Our estimates indicate that 2026 could see ...
This is Beirut 20/12 20:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Israel United States Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Iran
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to present plans for a potential strike on Iran to U.S. President Donald Trump during his forthcoming visit to the United States, NBC News reports, citing several unnamed officials. According to the report, Israel is increasingly alarmed that Iran is rebuilding, and possibly expanding, its ballistic ...
This is Beirut 20/12 20:10 - Reading : less than a minute
Israel Syria Islamic State Group
The Israeli military said on Saturday its forces had arrested a suspected Islamic State group jihadist in Syria earlier this week and taken him back to Israel. In a statement, the military said that on Wednesday "soldiers completed an operation in the area of Rafid in southern Syria to apprehend a suspected terrorist affiliated with ISIS." "The ...
This is Beirut 20/12 14:32 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria Islamic State Group United States US Army
A Syria monitor said Saturday that five Islamic State jihadist group members were killed in US strikes overnight as Jordan confirmed it participated in the raids after a deadly attack on American troops last weekend. US forces said they struck more than 70 IS targets in what President Donald Trump described as "very serious retaliation" ...
This is Beirut 19/12 23:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
United States Marco Rubio Hamas Israel
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday urged the disarmament of Hamas but voiced hope for headway on reaching the next stage of a Gaza ceasefire as regional officials met. Top officials of Qatar and Egypt – key mediators of the ceasefire – and regional power Turkey headed Friday to Miami to meet US envoys including Steve Witkoff, ...
This is Beirut 19/12 21:56 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
USA Donald Trump US Congress Syria sanctions Caesar Act
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday welcomed the permanent lifting by the United States of the so-called Caesar sanctions, paving the way for the return of investments to the war-ravaged nation. The US Congress on Wednesday permanently ended the sanctions imposed on Syria under Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December last year. The ...
This is Beirut 18/12 20:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hamas Israel Palestine United Nations
Several Israelis entered the Gaza Strip on Thursday in defiance of army orders and held a symbolic flag-raising ceremony to call for the reoccupation and resettlement of the Palestinian territory. The army acknowledged the breach in a statement, saying the group had been under constant observation and reiterating that entry into the area is ...