Middle East

Israeli Protesters call for Hostage Deal Ahead of Cabinet Meeting

This is Beirut 26/08 09:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine Protests

Protesters calling for an end to the war in Gaza and the return of hostages being held there took to the streets in Israel early Tuesday morning ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for the evening. AFP journalists saw protesters blocking roads in Tel Aviv, waving Israeli flags and holding up pictures of the hostages. Israeli media ...

Trump says He Wants to Meet North Korea's Kim Again

This is Beirut 26/08 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Kim Jong Un Korea

US President Donald Trump said Monday he hoped to meet again with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, possibly this year, as he held White House talks with South Korea's new leader that got off awkwardly. Hours before President Lee Jae Myung arrived for his long-planned first visit to the White House, Trump took to social media to denounce what he said ...

Xi says China, Russia Ties 'Most Stable' in Turbulent World

This is Beirut 26/08 09:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine Vladimir Putin Washington Russia Xi Jinping

President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China's ties with Russia are the "most stable, mature and strategically significant" among major world powers, state media reported. During a meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia's Duma, or lower house of parliament, Xi hailed the countries' relationship as being a "stable source of world ...

Trump Threatens Tariffs on Countries Seen Targeting US Tech Firms

This is Beirut 26/08 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA European Union United Kingdom Technology

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened further tariffs and export restrictions against countries that he says are targeting US tech firms. "Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. His ...

Op-edSyria’s Agreement with Israel Is Not as Promising as Advertised

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 26/08 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Syria United States

The world is celebrating the anticipated signing of a security agreement between Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Israel, hailed as evidence of Sharaa’s moderation and a departure from his radical Islamist past. However, this narrative is misleading. Islamist doctrine permits, and even encourages, temporary truces—up to 10 years—with ...

Australia Expels Iran Ambassador Over Antisemitic Attacks

This is Beirut 26/08 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Tehran Australia Diplomat Ambassador

Australia expelled Iran's ambassador on Tuesday, accusing the country of being behind antisemitic arson attacks in Melbourne and Sydney. It marks the first time Australia has expelled an ambassador since World War II. Intelligence services reached the "deeply disturbing conclusion" that Iran directed at least two antisemitic attacks, Prime ...

Trump Says He Wants to Meet North Korea's Kim Again

This is Beirut 25/08 22:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump North Korea Kim Jong-Un United States

US President Donald Trump said Monday he hoped to meet again with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, possibly this year, as he held White House talks with South Korea's dovish new leader that got off awkwardly. Hours before President Lee Jae Myung arrived for his long-planned first visit to the White House, Trump took to social media to denounce what he ...

ExclusiveOrtagus to This Is Beirut: Hezbollah Does Not Represent the Lebanese People

Rayan Chami 25/08 22:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon United States Hezbollah

In an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, US Envoy Morgan Ortagus stressed that Hezbollah represents Iran, not the Lebanese people. “The US supports a strong Lebanese state, its army and its institutions,” she emphasized.

ExclusiveLindsey Graham to This Is Beirut: Hezbollah Is an Obstacle to Growth

Rayan Chami 25/08 22:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon United States Hezbollah

In an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that Hezbollah is an obstacle to Lebanon’s growth and integration into the region.

Trump Says Likely to Visit China this Year or Soon After

This is Beirut 25/08 22:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States China Donald Trump Xi Jinping

US President Donald Trump said Monday that he expects to visit China this year or shortly afterwards, noting that economic ties between the two countries have improved, even as he kept the door open to steeper tariffs. Speaking to reporters as he met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Washington, Trump pointed to recent talks with Chinese ...

Trump Tightens Grip on Security in US Capital

This is Beirut 25/08 21:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Washington Donald Trump

President Donald Trump on Monday announced new measures that tightened his grip on security in Washington, a day after National Guard troops began carrying weapons in the US capital. Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard, who now number more than 2,200 -- earlier this month as part of what he has billed as a crackdown on allegedly ...

Central Bank Chief Says Syria Will Remove Two Zeros in Currency Revamp

This is Beirut 25/08 21:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Syrian Central Bank Currency

Syria's central bank governor, Abdul Qadir al-Hasriya, said Monday that his country would change its currency by removing two zeros and printing new banknotes to replace those issued under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. Since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011, the pound has plunged from 50 to about 10,000-11,000 against the greenback, ...