Middle East

Macron Calls for Preventing Renewed Violence after Talks with Syria's al-Sharaa

This is Beirut 26/07 18:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Emmanuel Macron Ahmad al-Sharaa France Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday it was “imperative to prevent a recurrence of violence” in Syria, calling for those responsible for recent unrest to be held accountable, following talks with Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa. “The recent violence in Syria highlights the extreme fragility of the transition. Civilian ...

Pope Receives High-Ranking Russian Orthodox Cleric

This is Beirut 26/07 17:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Pope Leo XIV Russian Orthodox Church Vatican Anthony of Volokolamsk

Pope Leo XIV held a first meeting on Saturday with a senior Russian Orthodox cleric at the Vatican since becoming the head of the Catholic Church earlier this year, the Holy See said without giving further details. Leo, who has called on the Kremlin to make a "gesture" towards peace in Ukraine, received Metropolitan Anthony of ...

Gunmen Storm Iran Courthouse, Killing Six

This is Beirut 26/07 16:57 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Iran Terrorist Attack

Gunmen stormed a courthouse in southeastern Iran on Saturday, killing at least six people, including three law enforcement personnel, the judiciary said. At least 22 people were also wounded, most of them civilians, said provincial chief justice Ali Movahedi-Rad, cited by the judiciary's Mizan Online news outlet. Mizan reported that the ...

Hamas Rejects Trump Remarks on Gaza Talks Breakdown

This is Beirut 26/07 16:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Gaza Hamas United States Donald Trump

Hamas officials expressed surprise on Saturday at US President Donald Trump's accusation that the group "didn't really want" a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza. Trump made the allegation on Friday, a day after Israel and the United States quit indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar that had lasted nearly three weeks. "Trump's ...

United Kingdom 'Taking Forward' Gaza Food Airdrop Plan

This is Beirut 26/07 15:15 - Reading : less than a minute

United Kingdom Gaza Keir Starmer Humanitarian Aid

British Prime minister Keir Starmer on Saturday spoke to his French and German counterparts and outlined UK plans to get aid to people in Gaza and evacuate sick and injured children, his office said. "The prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children ...

Top US Justice Official Questions Epstein Accomplice for 2nd Day

Trump Arrives in Scotland for Trade Talks, Golf, and Controversy

This is Beirut 25/07 22:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Scotland Keir Starmer

US President Donald Trump landed in Scotland on Friday for a five-day visit set to mix diplomacy, business, and leisure, as a huge UK security operation swung into place amid planned protests near his family-owned golf resorts. The president, whose mother was born in Scotland, will split his time between two seaside golf courses bearing his name, ...

Trump Puts EU Trade Deal Odds at 50/50 Ahead of Von der Leyen Meeting

This is Beirut 25/07 22:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States European Union

Donald Trump said Friday there was a 50 percent chance of a trade deal with the European Union as the bloc's chief, Ursula von der Leyen, announced a weekend meeting with the US president. In an attempt to slash his country's trade deficits, Trump has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariff hikes if they do not hammer out a pact ...

At Least 28 Killed in Israeli Strikes Across Gaza, Civil Defense Says

This is Beirut 25/07 21:57 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Gaza Hamas

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli military operations killed at least 23 people on Friday across the Palestinian territory, with another five killed in an overnight air strike. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five people were killed in a strike on Gaza City that hit a school building sheltering Palestinians ...

Syria, France, and US Agree to Relaunch Kurdish Integration Talks in Paris

This is Beirut 25/07 21:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Syria France Kurds Ahmad al-Sharaa

Syria, France, and the United States said they agreed Friday to convene "as soon as possible" talks in Paris to integrate the autonomous Kurdish administration into the Syrian state. The Kurds, who control large swathes of northeast Syria, are negotiating with the central government in Damascus on the integration of their civil and military ...

Over 220 British MPs Call for Palestinian Statehood Recognition

This is Beirut 25/07 20:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Keir Starmer United Kingdom Palestine

More than 220 British MPs, including dozens from the ruling Labour party, demanded Friday that the UK government formally recognize a Palestinian state, further increasing pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The call, in a letter signed by lawmakers from nine UK political parties, came less than 24 hours after French President Emmanuel ...

Trump and Netanyahu Vow “Alternative Options” After Talks with Hamas Break Down

This is Beirut 25/07 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Gaza Hamas

US President Donald Trump accused Hamas on Friday of not wanting to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza as Israel said it would explore "alternative options" to rescue hostages after negotiations had collapsed. An Israeli official, meanwhile, told AFP air drops of aid would resume soon over the Gaza Strip, where aid groups warned of surging numbers of ...