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Iran: The Swan Song!

Some regimes govern with ideas; others thrive on chaos. Iran is clearly in the latter camp, lighting fires across the Middle East while hoping the smoke will hide its failures. Since 1982, Tehran has treated Lebanon—and its political-military proxy, Hezbollah—like a live grenade waved during negotiations: always a threat, never a plan. For ...

President Aoun Honors the Army in South Lebanon on the Eve of Independence Day

On the eve of Lebanon’s 82nd Independence Day, President Joseph Aoun visited the command of the South Litani sector at the Benoit Barakat barracks in Tyre, accompanied by Army Commander General Rodolphe Haikal. Message to Officers and Tribute to Fallen Soldiers Addressing the officers, President Aoun congratulated the army on the occasion of ...

Paris to Host Meeting on Lebanon Next Week

A meeting on Lebanon will be held in Paris next week with the commander of the Lebanese army and U.S. officials, as France and the United States push Beirut to speed up Hezbollah’s disarmament process, four sources familiar with the matter told AFP. “Rodolphe Haykal is expected on Wednesday,” one of the sources said. U.S. Middle East envoy ...

Disarmament and the End of the Militia’s Whims

In a moment of deep existential crisis, there is no space for hesitation, for diluted choices or for timid calculations. When a nation’s future is pulled apart by forces bent on destabilization and backed blindly by regional powers with sweeping ambitions, the responsibility is clear. One must choose a side and do so without wavering. The ...

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

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 ...

“Arab Golf” in Riyadh: Silver for Lebanon… and a Seat That Matters

 JSI Riyadh, immaculate fairways, high-level field: the Lebanese delegation did not flinch. Over two rounds played at the Riyadh Golf Club, Lebanon totaled 314 strokes (158 + 156) and claimed the second step of the podium, edging out a dense pack of Arab competitors. With the flag waving and silver medals around their necks, the national team ...

Wicked Sequel Expands Oz With Depth, Music And Magic

When Universal Pictures split its musical adaptation of Wicked into two films, the move was derided by some critics as a cynical — if spectacularly successful — money grab. But with Wicked: For Good out in theaters around the world this week, its stars and filmmakers say the decision has freed them up to expand the Wizard of Oz prequel ...

Saudi Residents Report Booze Ban Eased for Select Foreigners

Diplomats and premium visa-holders in Saudi Arabia told AFP that the conservative kingdom has quietly eased restrictions on purchasing alcohol for select foreign residents. While the government has not made any statements regarding the sale of alcohol in recent days, the sources said non-Muslim individuals with so-called premium resident status ...

Israeli Army Launches New Operation in West Bank

Israel's military on Wednesday launched a new operation against Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank, where a local governor told AFP that Israeli forces had raided several towns. The Israeli military, police and internal security service said in a joint statement that they had begun "a broad counter-terrorism operation" in the ...

Netflix Targets Warner Bros Discovery in Major Hollywood Shake-Up

Streaming giant Netflix has made a mostly cash offer to buy TV and film group Warner Bros Discovery as the storied yet debt-laden Hollywood studio presses on with a sale that could remake the US media landscape, a report said Monday. According to Bloomberg, Netflix joined Paramount Skydance and Comcast, the owner of NBCUniversal, in a second ...

Football – Asia 2027: Brunei Ahead, Lebanon One Step Away From Qualification

On Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. (Beirut time), at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Lebanon visits Brunei for Matchday 5 of Group B in the third qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup. Sitting atop the group with 10 points, the Lebanese are targeting a fourth victory that would put qualification within reach — a draw against Yemen on March 31, ...

Senior Hamas Military Leader Raed Saad Killed in Israeli Airstrike

Israel said it killed the head of weapons production in Hamas's military wing in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. "In response to the activation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today... Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the elimination of the terrorist Raad Saad, ...

Capsula Mundi: Imagine Becoming a Tree After Death

What if, after death, we could become a source of life for the planet? This idea is no longer a myth or a poetic dream. It is now taking shape through Capsula Mundi, literally “the capsule of the world” in Italian, a project by designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel that challenges our deepest assumptions about human finitude. Since 2003, ...

Saudi Arabia, Qatar Sign High-Speed Rail Deal to Link Kingdoms

Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Monday signed a deal to construct a high-speed rail connecting the Gulf countries' capitals, marking the latest sign of improved ties between the two nations that were once deeply at odds. According to a statement in the official Saudi press, the "high-speed electric passenger railway" would connect Riyadh ...

Hollywood Awards Season Kicks Off: 'Sinners' Tops Critics’ Choice Nominations

Sinners topped the slate of nominees for the Critics’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Friday, as the movie industry's awards season starts to take shape. The acclaimed period horror drama, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, received a whopping 17 nods, including one for best picture, giving it early momentum as Hollywood gears up for the ...

Foreign Minister Says 'No Undeclared Nuclear Enrichment Facility' in Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the country had no undeclared uranium enrichment sites and that all of its facilities were monitored by the UN's nuclear watchdog. The assertion came after US media outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, reported that Iran had accelerated construction at a secret ...

Rare Fabergé 'Winter Egg' Expected to Break Records in London

The Winter Egg, one of Faberge's most dazzling creations, is due to be auctioned in London next week and set another sales price record for the legendary jeweler of Imperial Russia. The egg, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as an Easter gift to his mother, is expected to fetch at least £20 million ($26 million), according to Christie's ...

Mediators Egypt, Qatar, Others 'Concerned' About Israel Opening One-Way Gaza Exit

Gaza mediators Egypt and Qatar and six other Muslim-majority countries said on Friday they were concerned about Israel stating it would open a one-way crossing for Palestinians to exit the Strip. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates "expressed their deep concern ...

Israel, Qatar and US Hold Trilateral Meeting in New York

The United States, Israel, and Qatar held a trilateral meeting in New York Sunday, a senior White House official told AFP, months after Israeli jets conducted an airstrike in Doha, targeting Hamas leadership. The White House official confirmed that the meeting had taken place but did not provide any further details. Two sources told US news ...

Negotiations Under Way on Hamas Fighters Trapped in Gaza Tunnels: Sources Close to Talks

Negotiations are under way to ensure safe passage for dozens of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza, multiple sources close to the talks told AFP on Thursday. Israeli media has reported that for weeks, between 100 and 200 Hamas militants have remained trapped in a network of tunnels under the city of Rafah, in an area of the Gaza ...

Badminton: Lebanon Shines in Erbil With 12 Medals

Lebanese badminton soared high in Erbil. At the West Asia Regional Championships, held in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Lebanon’s young shuttlers delivered a statement performance: 12 medals in total (2 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze) across the U15, U17, and U23 categories—plus a team title and a steady harvest in individual events. Under the ...

Pope Leo XIV: The Church Proposed That Hezbollah Lay Down Arms and Pursue Dialogue

Pope Leo XIV revealed on Tuesday, during a press conference aboard the plane returning him to Rome after his visit to Beirut, that “the Church has put forward a proposal” calling on Hezbollah to “abandon its weapons and prioritize dialogue.” He said he had been informed of a message sent by the Shiite movement during his stay in ...

Israel Army Says Killed Two Palestinians After West Bank Attacks

The Israeli military said Tuesday it had killed two assailants it said attacked soldiers in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank. The army said the first attack took place Monday evening near Hebron, in the south of the Palestinian territory, where a female soldier was lightly injured in a car ramming attack. In a statement, it said that ...

Boualem Sansal Calls for Bold Steps Toward Franco-Algerian Peace

“If there’s the will,” reconciliation between Algiers and Paris “can move very fast,” says French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in an interview with AFP. According to him, Algerians “are eager for peace” with France. Released on November 12 after nearly a year in detention in Algeria, the novelist says it is up to leaders in both ...

Netanyahu Visits Israeli Troops in Syria Beyond Ceasefire Line

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday told Israeli troops deployed in Syria in a buffer zone intended to separate the two countries' forces that their presence was hugely important for safeguarding Israel. When Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power in December last year, Israel sent troops into the UN-patrolled ...

Iran and Turkey Agree to Build Key Trade Rail Link

Iran and Turkey have agreed to begin constructing a new joint rail link to serve as a strategic gateway between Asia and Europe, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday. The planned route, known in Iran as the Marand–Cheshmeh Soraya railway transit line and running towards Turkey's Aralik border region, will cover around 200 ...

Cloudflare Resolves Outage That Disrupted Parts of the Internet

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 ...

Iraq Reverses Hezbollah, Houthi Asset Freeze, Calls It ‘Mistake'

Iraq's central bank on Thursday said the appearance of Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis on a frozen assets list was a mistake, and ordered the correction of the official announcement, according to a document seen by AFP. An official gazette issue dated November 17 published a decision about Iraq freezing the assets of ...

Israeli Army Strikes Hezbollah Training Compounds in Southern Lebanon

A new wave of Israeli airstrikes hit multiple areas in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Friday morning, targeting a training camp and Hezbollah positions in the region. The strikes reportedly focused on the villages of Jarmak, Mahmoudiyeh, Jabal Rafih (Jezzine), Jabal Safi (Nabatieh), the outskirts of Soujoud in Iqlim al-Tuffah, and the ...