Middle East

FocusLebanon Faces Donor Backlash After Decision Extending Disability Benefits to Hezbollah Fighters

Tylia El Helou 2025-11-18 20:30 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah United States U.S. Treasury Sanctions

Lebanon is facing mounting diplomatic backlash after the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) extended state and donor-funded disability benefits to the thousands of Hezbollah fighters wounded in Israel’s September 2024 operation targeting Hezbollah’s communication devices. What the ministry described as a humanitarian exemption is now being ...

Cloudflare Resolves Outage That Disrupted Parts of the Internet

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 18:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cloudflare Technology Cloud

Services from Cloudflare, a software company that supports thousands of websites, including X, Spotify, and OpenAI, on Tuesday reported a crash in one of its software systems, according to a report in the New York Times. Cloudflare, which provides tools to secure and manage internet traffic for websites, reported earlier in the day that it was ...

Trump and MBS Seal Major Economic and Military Partnerships

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 18:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Israel Middle East Palestine

Donald Trump received Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Tuesday with full protocol honors, marking his first visit to Washington since 2018. The U.S. president and the de facto leader of the Saudi kingdom made multiple announcements during a joint press conference, covering massive investments, the sale of advanced weaponry, and ...

VideosAleppo: Trial Over Massacres of the Alawite Minority

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 17:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Trial Syria alawite Bashar al-Assad massacre

The trial of fourteen people opened this Wednesday in Aleppo for their alleged role in the March 2025 massacres against the Alawite community. These attacks left more than 1,400 people dead, mostly civilians. Among the defendants: seven supporters of Bashar al-Assad and seven members of the new Islamist authorities.

What is the Enigma M4 Cipher Machine

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 17:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Enigma M4 Science Alan Turing cipher machine Christie's World War II

The auction of an Enigma M4 cipher machine at Christie's today is more than a landmark for collectors of rare artifacts. It represents a unique intersection of military history, cryptanalysis, and the birth of modern computing. This device is both a weapon of war and a witness to the extraordinary intellectual achievement that unlocked state ...

One Killed, Three Wounded in West Bank Attack: Israel Emergency Service

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 15:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Hamas Palestine

One person was killed and three were wounded in a stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Israeli emergency services said. Paramedics and an army medical force "established the death of a man aged 30 with a stab wound and referred three injured people" to two Jerusalem hospitals, Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's equivalent of the ...

Sale of F-35s to Riyadh: A New Test for U.S. Alliances in the Middle East

Mario Chartouni 2025-11-18 14:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Middle East Donald Trump Israel Saudi Arabia Mohammed ben Salman US

On the eve of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington, Donald Trump announced Monday his intention to approve the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. “We are going to sell F-35s,” the president declared from the White House, praising ties with Riyadh and describing the kingdom as “a great ally.” The announcement ...

Zelensky Trip to Turkey Aims to 'Re-Engage' US in Peace Efforts

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 13:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Turkey Russia Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky will head to Turkey on Wednesday seeking to revive the United States' involvement in diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion, a Ukrainian official told AFP. Zelensky said he wanted to reinvigorate frozen peace talks, which have faltered after several rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul this year failed ...

Google Boss Warns No Company Immune if AI Bubble Bursts

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Google AI Bubble Alphabet

The head of Google's parent company, Alphabet, warned that every company would be impacted if the AI bubble were to burst, in an interview to the BBC. Sundai Pichai acknowledged there was "irrationality" behind the boom in artificial intelligence investment, which has fueled a tech rally this year. But fears that the AI bubble could burst have ...

Israel Says US Plan for Gaza to Deliver 'Peace and Prosperity' After UN Vote

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 11:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Israel Palestine USA Donald Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday hailed a US-drafted plan for Gaza after it was endorsed by the UN Security Council, saying it would lead to "peace and prosperity." The Palestinian foreign ministry also welcomed the 13-0 vote at the United Nations in New York and called for the resolution to be swiftly implemented on ...

Op-edWhy Normalization with Israel Will Revive Saudi Arabia

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 2025-11-18 10:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Israel United States MBS Donald Trump Qatar LAF

Saudi Arabia is rapidly losing regional relevance, with Sunni rivals Qatar and Turkey encroaching on its traditional leadership roles. The Kingdom’s economy remains mired in second gear, unable to transition from oil dependency to a knowledge-based model. Riyadh’s repeated promises of financial windfalls to the U.S. now appear to be ...

Climate Talks Run Into Night as COP30 Hosts Seek Breakthrough

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Brazil Climate COP30 UN

At COP30 in Brazil on Monday, UN climate talks stretched into the night as negotiators pushed for a rapid compromise among countries deeply divided on key issues. Following a difficult first week, Brazil set a deadline for nations to finalize "a significant part" of the negotiations by Tuesday evening for approval the following day. "It's super ...