World

Iraq's top Shiite Cleric warns Against any Targeting of Iran's Leadership

This is Beirut 19/06 10:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani warned against targeting Iran's leadership and said that the Iran-Israel war could plunge the whole region into chaos. Sistani said in a statement Thursday that any targeting of Iran's "supreme religious and political leadership" would have "dire consequences on the region". He warned that it ...

Govts Scramble to Evacuate Citizens from Israel, Iran

This is Beirut 19/06 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Europe Tehran United States Evacuation

Governments around the world are attempting to evacuate thousands of their nationals caught up in the rapidly spiralling Israel-Iran conflict, organizing buses and planes and in some cases assisting people crossing borders on foot. Foreigners have rushed to leave both countries after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign last Friday ...

AnalysisGulf States on Iran's Doorstep Scramble for End of War

This is Beirut 19/06 10:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gulf Donald Trump Hamas Israel Middle East

As Iran and Israel trade strikes and the US weighs joining in, wealthy Gulf states on the conflict's doorstep are engaged in frantic diplomacy to halt the war -- but solutions remain elusive. A spillover of the conflict or the Iranian government's collapse are both worrying outcomes for the energy-rich region, which hosts several major US ...

Putin says NATO Rearmament Not a 'Threat' to Russia

This is Beirut 19/06 09:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Kyiv Ukraine NATO Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that NATO's push to ramp up defense spending was not a "threat" to Russia, days before the alliance was set to sign-off on a plan to boost its military capacity across Europe. In a late-night press conference, the Russian leader also said his troops would not stop pushing forward in Ukraine and ...

Op-edNetanyahu: The Opportunist Who Rode America’s Wars to Redraw the Middle East

Salam El Zaatari 19/06 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Middle East Iran Israel Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahou

For over three decades, Benjamin Netanyahu has stood at the intersection of Israeli ambition and American power, a figure as enduring as the conflicts that define the Middle East. Since the early 1990s, Netanyahu has not merely responded to the region’s shifting sands—he has, in the eyes of critics and admirers alike, helped shape them. From ...

US to Screen Social Media of Foreign Students for Anti-American Content

This is Beirut 19/06 09:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Visa Student Social media

Foreigners seeking to study in the United States will be required to make public their social media profiles to allow screening for anti-American content under new State Department guidelines released Wednesday. The State Department had temporarily paused issuing visas for foreign students at the end of May while it came up with the new social ...

EditorialThe Twilight of the Shia Crescent

Marc Saikali 19/06 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Bahrain Damascus Hezbollah Israel Palestine

For 45 years, Khomeini and his successor Ali Khamenei have sought to forge a Shia crescent stretching from Kabul to Beirut, passing through Baghdad, Damascus and Sana'a. This sweeping “revolutionary” project – religious, military and political – was built on the margins, fueled by communal suffering, billions in diverted public funds and ...

France Plans European 'Initiative' to End Iran-Israel Conflict

This is Beirut 18/06 21:30 - Reading : less than a minute

France Emmanuel Macron Iran Israel

France is planning, along with European partners, to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel, the country's presidency said Wednesday, after President Emmanuel Macron chaired a national security council meeting. Macron at the meeting ordered Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to draw up in the coming days "an ...

Iran Imposes Heavier Internet Curbs Citing Israel's 'Abuse' of Network

This is Beirut 18/06 20:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Iran Israel INTERNET

Iran announced Wednesday heavier internet curbs, accusing Israel of misusing the network for military purposes amid ongoing fighting between the longtime foes. "Temporary restrictions have been imposed on users' access to the internet," the communication ministry said in a statement carried by Fars news agency, adding that the decision was due to ...

Iran-Israel War: Latest Developments

This is Beirut 18/06 18:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Iran US Donald Trump Ali Khamenei

Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Wednesday, the sixth day of strikes in their most intense confrontation in history, fueling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East. Here are the latest developments: Israel Says Hit 'Internal Security' HQ Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that air force jets had ...

Tit-for-Tat Strikes: A Visual Guide to the Israel–Iran Confrontation

Rayan Chami 18/06 18:15 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Iran

On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a massive preemptive aerial campaign—codenamed Operation Rising Lion—striking approximately 100 Iranian targets, including nuclear facilities, military bases, missile depots, and command centers across Tehran, Natanz, Isfahan, and other strategic locations. The strikes focused heavily on uranium enrichment ...

ExplainerCentrifuges: The Hidden Core of the Iran-Israel War

Yara Germany 18/06 17:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Tehran

Since Friday, as military tensions between Iran and Israel have erupted into open confrontation, one word has echoed across military briefings and geopolitical analyses: centrifuges. On Wednesday morning, the Israeli military announced fresh strikes on centrifuge production sites near Tehran. This marks the latest in a series of Israeli attacks ...