Middle East

SpotlightUkraine-Russia Peace Talks in Turkey: What we Know

This is Beirut 2025-05-15 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump

Ukraine and Russia on Thursday hold their first direct talks since the start of Russia's 2022 invasion. President Volodymyr Zelensky had challenged his Russian counterpart to attend in person. But President Vladimir Putin was not on the Kremlin's delegation list. Here's is what is known about the talks: Who is expected to attend? Putin ...

Trump to Close Deal-Making Gulf Tour in UAE

This is Beirut 2025-05-15 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Middle East UAE

US President Donald Trump on Thursday closes a Middle East tour in the United Arab Emirates as he focuses squarely on seeking deals after billions of dollars of pledges from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The first major trip of his second term had been scheduled to end Thursday but Trump, always ready with surprises, did not rule out continuing on to ...

AnalysisTrump’s Middle East Visit: AI Dreams, Petrodollars and the Rebirth of Broken States

Salam El Zaatari 2025-05-15 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump MBS Saudi Arabia Dubai Syria Middle East

Trump’s first major foreign trip in his second term didn’t start in Jerusalem, Cairo or Baghdad, it began in Riyadh. That alone says a lot. This wasn’t about Abraham Accords 2.0 or sermonizing about “shared values.” This was pure transactional diplomacy, wrapped in the glossy skin of petrodollars and lined with AI circuits. The visuals ...

Fresh Gunbattles Rock Libya Capital After Brief Lull

This is Beirut 2025-05-15 05:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Libya Conflict

Fresh gunbattles erupted on Wednesday in the Libyan capital between two powerful armed groups, a security official said, a day after authorities declared the fighting over. Clashes flared between the Radaa force and the 444 Brigade in key areas of the city, including the port, the source said. Fighting eased towards the end of the day, according ...

Syrian Leader Says Lifting of US Sanctions 'Historic and Courageous'

This is Beirut 2025-05-14 23:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Ahmed al-Sharaa United States Donald Trump Syria Sanctions

In a significant address following his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Riyadh, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa praised US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions, calling it "historic and courageous." Speaking in a live television address, Sharaa said Trump's move "was a historic and courageous decision, which ...

US Sanctions Chinese and Hong Kong Firms for Aiding Iran's Missile Program

This is Beirut 2025-05-14 23:26 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Iran China Sanctions

The United States on Wednesday unveiled fresh sanctions against six people and 12 firms -- including several based in China and Hong Kong -- for their support of Iran's ballistic missile program. The action follows sanctions on a series of entities and individuals linked to Iran's oil industry and nuclear program the Trump ...

Trump Presses Syria Leader on Israel Ties after Lifting Sanctions

This is Beirut 2025-05-14 22:18 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United States Donald Trump Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa

US President Donald Trump landed in Doha on Wednesday after visiting Riyadh, where he urged Syria's president to normalize relations with Israel after offering a major boost to the war-ravaged country by vowing to lift sanctions. Trump became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader -- Ahmed al-Sharaa, an erstwhile Islamist ...

Qatar Airways Makes Record-Breaking Order for Boeing Planes

This is Beirut 2025-05-14 21:12 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Qatar Qatar Airways Boeing

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday Qatar Airways had placed a "record" order for 160 planes from Boeing as he signed a raft of deals in Doha alongside Qatar's emir. The order, which the White House said was Boeing's largest ever for wide-body jets, deepens ties between the US aerospace giant and the giant Middle East ...

Zelensky Says Ukraine Ready for 'Any Format' of Talks to End War

This is Beirut 2025-05-14 20:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine Russia Turkey

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for "any format" of negotiations to end the war with Russia ahead of talks in Istanbul on Thursday but said his next steps will depend on who represents Russia at the meeting. "Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations, and we are not afraid of meetings. Tomorrow—in Turkey," Zelensky ...

Op-edWhy Was Lebanon Absent from Riyadh's Summit with Trump?

This is Beirut 2025-05-14 20:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Saudi Arabia Donald Trump Syria

Lebanon’s absence from the recent MBS’ Riyadh summit with U.S. President Donald Trump should not go unnoticed — or unchallenged. It is not merely a missed diplomatic engagement; it is a glaring symptom of our national paralysis. We must raise this question loud and clear: why was Lebanon not invited? The answer lies, yet again, ...

UNIFIL Protested Israeli 'Direct Fire' on Its Lebanon Outpost

This is Beirut 2025-05-14 20:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon UNIFIL South Lebanon

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon protested Wednesday against a "direct fire" incident by the Israeli army targeting one of its positions in southern Lebanon — the first such incident since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), part of an international committee ...

China, US Slash Sweeping Tariffs in Trade War Climbdown

This is Beirut 2025-05-14 18:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States China Tariffs Trade

The United States and China slashed sweeping tariffs on each other's goods for 90 days on Wednesday, marking a temporary de-escalation in a brutal trade war that roiled global markets and international supply chains. Washington and Beijing agreed to drastically lower sky-high tariffs in a deal that emerged from pivotal talks at the weekend in ...