This is Beirut

Debating Tom Friedman on ‘Global Struggle’

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 24/06 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Iran United States Donald Trump Middle East

I have great admiration for Thomas Friedman and have long followed his writings. He was instrumental in shaping my support for democracy when he argued that two democracies would not go to war. He supported toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, as I did, and we both believe that the nation-state is, in some ways, a defunct concept. Today, ...

Lebanon Holds the Line as US Strike Reshapes Israel-Iran Conflict

Philippe Abi-Akl, 24/06 08:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel USA Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Iran Lebanon

Amid a rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Lebanon has reaffirmed its neutrality, with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri offering personal assurances to US officials that Hezbollah will not intervene. The commitment was relayed directly to President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, underscoring a unified Lebanese stance ...

Israel-Iran, Day 12: Daybreak Confusion, Ceasefire Claims Collide with Renewed Strikes

This is Beirut, 24/06 06:15 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

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At dawn on Tuesday, uncertainty still seems to master of ceremony. What was announced just hours earlier as the beginning of a ceasefire appeared anything but, as missile sirens blared across Israeli cities and explosions lit up the skies over Tehran. As U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire had taken effect Tuesday morning, ...

Iran Says "No Agreement" as of Now on Ceasefire With Israel

This is Beirut, 24/06 04:30 - Reading : less than a minute

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that there was no ceasefire agreement with Israel as of now, but if it stopped its attacks then Tehran would also stop firing. "As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations," Araghchi posted on social media, shortly after the US president announced ...

New Series of Explosions in Tehran

This is Beirut, 24/06 03:05 - Reading : less than a minute

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A series of powerful explosions rocked Tehran early Tuesday morning, according to AFP journalists. Warplanes buzzed overhead as explosions shook the north and centre of Iran's capital around 3:00 am (2330 GMT). The blasts occurred just hours before a staggered ceasefire was due to take effect around 0400 GMT, with Iran unilaterally halting ...

Trump Says Israel and Iran Agree To "Total Ceasefire"

This is Beirut, 24/06 01:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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President Donald Trump announced Monday that Iran and Israel had agreed to a staggered ceasefire that would bring about an "official end" to a conflict that had threatened to escalate into a full-blown war involving the United States. "It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total ...

Trump Urges Mideast Peace after 'Weak' Iran Retaliation

This is Beirut, 23/06 23:38 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran's retaliatory strikes against an American base in Qatar as "weak" and sought to draw a line under the US bombing of Iran's nuclear infrastructure by calling for regional peace. Trump shrugged off Monday's launch of multiple missiles at the United States' Al Udeid base in ...

Oil Prices Fall More than 7% after Iran Attacks US Military Base

This is Beirut, 23/06 22:44 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Oil prices sank more than six percent Monday after Iran attacked a US military base in neighboring Qatar in retaliation for US weekend strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Near 1815 GMT, futures for West Texas Intermediate fell 7.22 percent to $68.51 a barrel, while Brent oil futures dropped 7.18 percent to $72.07 a barrel, its lowest level in ...

Lebanese Leaders Condemn Iranian Missile Attack on US Base in Qatar

This is Beirut, 23/06 22:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Lebanese officials strongly condemned Iran’s missile attack on the United States’ al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, denouncing it as a dangerous escalation and a violation of Qatari sovereignty. President Joseph Aoun voiced firm opposition to the assault, calling it “a violation of the sovereignty of a brotherly country and a step that would ...

Iran Attacks US Base in Qatar in Retaliation for Strikes on Nuclear Sites

This is Beirut, 23/06 22:11 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Iran announced it had launched missiles at a major US base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation for American strikes on key nuclear facilities, with explosions ringing out in Doha and projectiles seen streaking overhead. Qatar, which lies 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of Iran and is home to the largest US military facility in the Middle East, ...

Global Reactions After Iran Fires Missiles at U.S. Base in Qatar

This is Beirut, 23/06 21:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Tensions in the Gulf region soared Monday after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, in what it called a “powerful” response to recent U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Saudi Arabia lambasted Iran for its "unjustifiable" attack on a US base in Qatar, offering to deploy "all its ...

Son of Ousted Iranian Shah Warns West against 'Throwing Lifeline' to Iran Leadership

This is Beirut, 23/06 18:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Reza Pahlavi Iran

The West should not give a lifeline to the Iranian leadership under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through talks when his rule is "closer every day" to ending, the son of Iran's ousted shah told AFP on Monday. "This regime is collapsing... You can facilitate that by standing this time with them (the Iranian people), not throwing this regime another ...

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