World

Erdogan Sees End in Sight for US Sanctions on Turkish Defense Sector

This is Beirut 17/05 15:07 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey United States Donald Trump Sanctions CAATSA

Turkey has seen an easing of US sanctions on its defense sector since Donald Trump became president, with steps towards ending the measure advancing quickly, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday. "We can easily say that there is a softening in CAATSA," he told reporters while returning from a European summit, referring to US ...

Arab Summit Host Iraq Pledges $40 Million for Lebanon and Gaza Reconstruction

This is Beirut 17/05 14:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iraq Arab League Lebanon Gaza

Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose country is hosting the 34th Arab League summit, said Saturday it would provide $40 million for the reconstruction of Lebanon and Gaza after wars with Israel. Iraq backs the creation of an "Arab fund to support reconstruction efforts" after crises in the region, Sudani told Arab leaders in ...

Israel Launches Expanded Gaza Offensive Aimed at Defeating Hamas

This is Beirut 17/05 14:07 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Gaza Palestine Israel Hamas

The Israeli military announced the early stages of an intensified operation in Gaza aimed at defeating Hamas, with rescuers in the besieged Palestinian territory reporting 10 killed Saturday in fresh strikes. The stepped-up campaign came as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to worsen amid an Israeli aid blockade, with one of the ...

Kremlin Says Zelensky-Putin Meeting 'Possible' if 'Agreement' Reached

This is Beirut 17/05 12:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelensky

The Kremlin on Saturday said a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin was "possible," provided the two sides first reach an "agreement," after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct talks in more than three years. "We consider it possible, but only as a result of the work ...

Arab Countries Gather in Baghdad to Discuss Regional Crises

This is Beirut 17/05 11:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Arab League Bagdad Gaza Donald Trump

The Arab League is meeting in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss Gaza and other regional crises, but some key leaders are expected to miss the talks that come straight after US President Donald Trump's Gulf tour. Trump sparked uproar earlier this year by declaring that America would take over Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle ...

Republican Infighting Derails Key Vote on Trump’s Signature Mega-Bill

This is Beirut 16/05 22:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Republican Party Donald Trump Congress

Republican fiscal hawks on Friday sunk a key vote on advancing the mega-bill that is the centerpiece of Donald Trump's domestic agenda, in a significant setback for the US president's tax and spending policies. Trump is pushing to usher into law his so-called "One Big, Beautiful Bill," pairing an extension of his first-term tax cuts with savings ...

Israel Resumes Strikes Against the Houthis and Threatens Their Leader

This is Beirut 16/05 20:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Yemen Houthis Israel

Israel threatened to target the leadership of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis after the air force struck two Houthi-held ports on Friday, following repeated Houthi missile attacks in recent days. The Houthis agreed earlier this month to stop firing on international shipping in the Red Sea after the United States stepped up airstrikes on ...

$UN Rights Chief: Israel’s Gaza Offensive \$

UN Rights Chief: Israel’s Gaza Offensive "Tantamount to Ethnic Cleansing"

This is Beirut 16/05 20:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Hamas United Nations

The UN's rights chief on Friday denounced Israel's sharp escalation of attacks in Gaza – and an apparent push to permanently displace the population – as amounting to "ethnic cleansing." "This latest barrage of bombs... and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in ...

Two-State Solution Back on Diplomatic Agenda with UN Conference in June

This is Beirut 16/05 18:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Nations

A French- and Saudi-backed conference on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will take place from June 17 to 20 at UN headquarters in New York, a French diplomatic source told AFP. The conference will be organized by the UN General Assembly under a shared French and Saudi presidency, the diplomat told AFP on condition of ...

Trump Redraws US Diplomacy Without Israel

This is Beirut 16/05 18:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel United States Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump's decision to skip over Israel in his Middle East tour was just the latest sign of a shifting dynamic between the historic allies. From nuclear talks with Iran to a ceasefire deal in Yemen and the announcement of lifting sanctions on Syria, Trump has pressed ahead solo with Middle East diplomacy in recent weeks, ...

Iran and European Powers Meet in Istanbul to Discuss Nuclear Talks with US

This is Beirut 16/05 18:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Nuclear Abbas Araghchi Europe

Iran met with European powers on Friday to discuss its nuclear negotiations with Washington, while US President Donald Trump issued a new threat unless the Iranians "move quickly" towards a deal. The meeting in Istanbul followed remarks by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warning of "irreversible" consequences if Britain, France, and ...

World Bank to Restart Operations in Syria Following Saudi, Qatari Payment of Debts

This is Beirut 16/05 17:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria World Bank Qatar Saudi Arabia

The World Bank on Friday said it would restart operations in Syria following a 14-year pause, after Saudi Arabia and Qatar had paid off the country's outstanding debts. The Bank's operations in Syria were halted when the civil war broke out in 2011, preventing the country from gaining access to its development loans, grants, and technical ...