Middle East

Trump Rattles NATO Allies as He Descends on Summit

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 22:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Volodymyr Zelensky USA Europe Kyiv

US President Donald Trump swept into NATO's Hague summit Tuesday, with allies hoping a pledge to ramp up defence spending will keep the mercurial leader of the military superpower committed to protecting them. Trump joined leaders from NATO's 31 other members to kick off the two-day gathering with a dinner hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in ...

Israel Set Back Iran Nuclear Project 'By Years'

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 21:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Iran Iran Nuclear Program

The head of Israel's military said Tuesday that its strikes had set back Iran's nuclear program "by years" and the campaign against the country was now "entering a new phase." "We have concluded a significant phase, but the campaign against Iran is not over. We are entering a new phase based on the achievements of the current one," Chief of Staff ...

How Iran's 'Telegraphed' Strikes on Qatari Soil Paved Way to Israel Truce

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 20:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Qatar Iran United States

Iran's unprecedented strikes on a US base in Qatar were carefully calculated to provide an exit from hostilities with Washington and set up a truce with Israel, according to analysts and an official. Monday's missile launches were signaled well in advance, minimizing the risk of injury and giving every opportunity to shoot down the projectiles, ...

Iran Says Not Seeking Nuclear Weapons But Will Assert 'Legitimate Rights'

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 19:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Iran Iran Nuclear Program Masoud Pezeshkian United States

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons but would continue to defend its "legitimate rights" in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. As a fragile ceasefire with Israel took hold after 12 days of fighting that also included US strikes, Pezeshkian told his counterpart from the United Arab ...

Controlled Detonation Behind Loud Blast in Damascus

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 19:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Damascus

A loud blast heard in Damascus on Tuesday was caused by a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance by authorities, Syria's official SANA news agency reported. "The explosion heard a short while ago in the vicinity of the capital resulted from the detonation of war remnants by the competent authorities," SANA said on messaging network ...

Iran Guards Say Arrest European Accused of Spying on 'Military' Sites

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 18:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Iran Mossad IRGC

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday that a European accused of spying on "sensitive and military" sites was arrested in the country's south. The arrest came as a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel took hold after 12 days of fighting and followed multiple local media reports in recent days of individuals detained on accusations of ...

Gaza Rescuers Say 46 killed as UN Slams US-Backed Aid System

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 18:32 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Gaza Hamas

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli forces killed another 46 people waiting for aid in the Palestinian territory on Tuesday as rights groups and UN agencies slammed the US-backed food distribution system. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 21 people were killed and around 150 wounded by Israeli fire near an aid point in ...

Shadowy Extremist Group Claims Damascus Church Attack

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 18:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Church Terrorism Islamic State Group Saraya Ansar al-Sunna

A little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a weekend suicide attack on a Damascus church, as the city mourned those killed. Sunday's attack killed 25 people and wounded dozens, striking terror into Syria's Christian community and other minorities. A statement from Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said an operative ...

Oil Slides, Stocks Rise as Trump Says Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 17:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Oil & Gas China Iran

Oil prices sank and stock markets rose Tuesday as US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was taking hold after he berated both countries for violating the truce. In volatile trading, crude futures slumped more than five percent after Trump announced a ceasefire. "This morning's ceasefire further reduced the perceived ...

Trump on Ceasefire Violations: Iran and Israel 'Don't Know What the F... They're Doing'

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 16:41 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Ceasefire Iran

The Israeli army carried out a “symbolic attack” against Iran on Tuesday afternoon in retaliation for the Iranian strike earlier that morning, which killed seven people on Israeli territory. The Israeli attack took place despite a strong warning issued a little earlier by US President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv. Trump made an urgent ...

The 12 Days That Redefined the Middle East

Marc Saikali 2025-06-24 16:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Middle East Donald Trump Hezbollah Iran

With the announcement of a ceasefire, Donald Trump blew the final whistle. Twelve days were all it took to upend the geopolitical order of the region. Twelve days of war between Israel and Iran, following years of shadow conflict, thunderous ultimatums and unspoken red lines. Twelve days that reshaped the strategic balance in the Middle East and, ...

Zelensky-Trump Meeting Planned Wednesday

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 15:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Trump Zelensky NATO Ukraine Russia

Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump are planning to meet on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, a senior source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP. The war-time leader has been a central figure at recent summits but given his fractious relationship with Trump, Zelensky has not been invited to the main ...