Middle East

Syria Says It Arrested Terrorist Cell and Seized Hezbollah-Linked Drones and Missiles in Rif Dimashq
Syria Says It Arrested Terrorist Cell and Seized Hezbollah-Linked Drones and Missiles in Rif Dimashq

Syria’s Ministry of the Interior announced that it cracked down on terrorist cells in the Rif Dimashq Governorate and captured military hardware and weapons linked to Hezbollah, according to a report from Nidaa al-Watan.  In the operation, internal security forces arrested all members of the cell and seized Hezbollah drones, missiles, and ...

U.S. Expands Sanctions on Iran’s Shadow Fleet Following Nuclear Talks in Oman
U.S. Expands Sanctions on Iran’s Shadow Fleet Following Nuclear Talks in Oman

The U.S. State Department announced on Friday that it would impose new sanctions against Iranian individuals and assets with a stated goal of interrupting the capital flow that the regime uses to “support terrorism” domestically and abroad. The statement expresses that the “Department of State is sanctioning multiple entities, ...

Senior Hezbollah Official Wafiq Safa Steps Down as Qassem Reshapes Leadership
Senior Hezbollah Official Wafiq Safa Steps Down as Qassem Reshapes Leadership

Wafiq Safa, the head of Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit, resigned from his position on Friday as Secretary General Naim Qassem has pushed to reshape the organization’s leadership, sources close to Reuters confirmed. Safa has maintained a senior position within Hezbollah since 1987 and was appointed to his role as a powerful ...

Iran FM: U.S.-Iran Talks Held In a “Very Positive Atmosphere”
Iran FM: U.S.-Iran Talks Held In a “Very Positive Atmosphere”

Iran and the United States held indirect, high-level talks in Oman on Friday over Tehran’s nuclear program, in their first such encounter since the June Israel-Iran war, amid sharp disagreements over the agenda and growing fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks were held in a “very ...

Lebanon and Syria Ink Deal on Prisoner Handover
Lebanon and Syria Ink Deal on Prisoner Handover

Lebanon signed an agreement with Syria on Friday to hand around 300 convicts over to Damascus, a move seen as key to helping turn a new page in ties between the countries. Overcrowded Lebanese prisons host more than 2,200 Syrians held on various charges. Many of them are still awaiting trial, while hundreds accused of "terrorism" or ...

NYT: Satellite Imagery Shows Iran Repaired Missile Sites Hit in 12-Day War
NYT: Satellite Imagery Shows Iran Repaired Missile Sites Hit in 12-Day War

The New York Times reported on Friday that satellite imagery suggests Iran has rapidly repaired several ballistic missile facilities damaged during last year’s 12-day war, but has made only limited fixes to major nuclear sites struck by Israel and the United States. The report suggests that the regime's immediate priority is a working ...

Turkey Arrests Two on Charges of Spying for Israel
Turkey Arrests Two on Charges of Spying for Israel

Turkish intelligence has arrested two people on suspicion of spying for Israel's Mossad and providing information that helped the spy agency target its enemies, state news agency Anadolu reported Friday. Security sources said Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoglu had been arrested in Istanbul, saying they had long been on the radar of ...

Iran–U.S. Talks Begin in Oman as Tehran Warns Against “Excessive Demands”
Iran–U.S. Talks Begin in Oman as Tehran Warns Against “Excessive Demands”

Iran and the United States began talks on Friday in Oman, with discussions limited to Iran’s nuclear programme, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing a source described as knowledgeable about Middle East affairs. The source said Washington accepted Iran’s conditions after mediation by regional countries, including Qatar, ...

Graham Cuts Haykal Meeting Short After LAF Chief Refuses to Label Hezbollah Terrorist
Graham Cuts Haykal Meeting Short After LAF Chief Refuses to Label Hezbollah Terrorist

Lebanese Armed Forces Chief of Defense Gen. Rodolphe Haykal’s Thursday meeting with Senator Lindsay Graham ended early after Haykal stated that he did not consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. In a post on X describing his meeting, Graham stated that “I asked [Haykal] if he believes Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. He ...

Iran Open to Discussing Missile, Proxy Issues Ahead of U.S. Talks in Muscat
Iran Open to Discussing Missile, Proxy Issues Ahead of U.S. Talks in Muscat

Iranian officials have indicated on Thursday that they have agreed to discuss the ballistic missile and proxy group issues at Friday’s nuclear talks with U.S. officials in Muscat, Oman, according to the Jerusalem Post. On Wednesday, the U.S. briefly signaled that it would cancel talks with Iran, with a stated reason that Iranian officials ...

Iran Guards Seize Two Foreign-Crewed Tankers in Gulf: News Agency
Iran Guards Seize Two Foreign-Crewed Tankers in Gulf: News Agency

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have seized two oil tankers with their foreign crews in Gulf waters for "smuggling fuel," the Tasnim news agency reported Thursday. It was not immediately clear what flags the tankers were carrying nor the nationalities of the crew. The seizures took place amid heightened tension after Washington dispatched a naval ...