US Secretary of State

Mikati: ‘Christian Presence Guarantees Lebanese Unity’

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed to Pope Francis his attachment “to coexistence and to Lebanon’s role as a message in the region, as well as to the Christian presence, which is a guarantee for the unity of Lebanon, land and people.” Mikati and the Pontiff also tackled a number of current topics pertaining to Lebanon and the ...

Blinken in Turkey: Call to Continue the Fight Against ISIS in Syria After Assad's Fall

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Friday that it is "imperative" to continue working against ISIS in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, during a visit to Ankara, the Turkish capital. "Our country has worked very hard (...) to ensure the elimination of ISIS's territorial caliphate, to ensure that this threat does not ...

Islamic State Executes 54 Soldiers Fleeing Rebel Advance in Central Syria

A Syria war monitor said Tuesday that Islamic State group jihadists in central Homs province killed 54 soldiers who were fleeing as Islamist-led rebels pressed a major offensive on government-controlled areas. IS jihadists captured "personnel fleeing military service in the desert... during the collapse of the regime" of president Bashar al-Assad ...

U.S. Targets Iran’s “Ghost Fleet” in New Sanctions Over Oil Exports

The United States imposed economic sanctions on Tuesday targeting 35 vessels from the "ghost fleet" that allows Iran to export its oil to foreign markets while circumventing Western restrictions, the U.S. Treasury Department announced. "Oil revenues provide the Iranian regime with the resources needed to fund its nuclear program, develop advanced ...

SOHR Says Pro-Turkey Factions Attack Government, Kurdish Forces

A Syria war monitor said pro-Turkey factions in the north killed government forces and attacked Kurdish fighters in Aleppo province Sunday, as a separate rebel alliance waged an offensive nearby. Turkish forces and their proxies have controlled swathes of territory in northern Syria since Ankara in 2016 began successive ground operations to expel ...

Loyalists and Powerhouses: Key Figures of the Trump Administration

RFK Jr., Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longtime health and environmental campaigner, who at 70 proudly shows off his muscular body. But the scion of the famous US political dynasty is also a leading anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist who has promoted the disproven idea that childhood vaccines cause autism and claimed ...

Trump Nominates Marco Rubio as US Secretary of State

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, brushing aside critics in his party and putting the outspoken hawk in charge of US foreign policy. Trump also named right-wing Florida lawmaker Matt Gaetz as his attorney general, rewarding the loyalty of a staunch ally who has defended the Republican ...

Blinken Ends Latest Round of Shuttle Diplomacy Without Resolution

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday ended his eleventh round of the Middle East shuttle diplomacy without achieving a Gaza ceasefire. But after persistent disappointment, Blinken this time is trying a new approach that starts by figuring out what happens after the war ends. When he last visited Israel in August, Blinken publicly said ...

Blinken Heads to Middle East to Push for Gaza Truce

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left for the Middle East Monday on a new push for an elusive Gaza ceasefire two weeks before US elections, seeing a new opportunity from Israel's killing of Hamas's leader. It will be the 11th trip to the Middle East by the top US diplomat since war broke out a year ago, with Blinken on his last visit to ...

Blinken Affirms Diplomatic Solutions Remain Viable in Mideast

The United States still believes a diplomatic solution is possible in the Middle East, even as Israel strikes Lebanon, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday. "The path to diplomacy may seem difficult to see at this moment, but it is there, and in our judgment, it is necessary. We will continue to work intensively," Blinken told a news ...

Blinken to Return to China with Message on Russia Support

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make his second visit to China in less than a year next week, with Chinese support for Russia against Ukraine expected to be the main topic. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will pay his second visit in less than a year to China next week, hoping to use easing tension to press Beijing to curb wartime ...

US Lauds Taiwan Elections as China Opposes 'Independence'

China has warned Taiwan against any inclination towards independence following the election of pro-independence candidate Lai Ching-te on Saturday, January 13. However, both the European Union and the United States have congratulated the new president. The United States on Saturday congratulated Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te, but ...