Iran FM Says Davos Appearance Cancellation Based On 'Lies'

This is Beirut, 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi hit out at the World Economic Forum in Davos for cancelling his appearance over a crackdown on recent protests, saying the decision was based on "lies and political pressure". Protests in Iran sparked by economic strain in late December exploded into the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years, ...

Israel Won the War, So Why Is the Muslim Brotherhood Winning the Peace?

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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The new regional order taking shape appears to be a haunting inversion of the post-9/11 era. At the time, the U.S. smashed Sunni powers, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein, incidentally empowering Iran and its sprawling proxy network. Washington even called Shia Islamism the more “reasonable” alternative and partnered with Tehran against Sunni ...

Talks Between Damascus And Kurdish-led Forces "Collapse"

This is Beirut, 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Negotiations have collapsed between the Syrian president and the chief of the country's Kurdish-led forces, a Kurdish official told AFP, as the army deployed reinforcements to flashpoint areas in the north. President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, who heads the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), were meeting to discuss a ceasefire ...

Netanyahu Draws Red Line on Gaza Postwar Plan

This is Beirut, 11:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Monday that Turkish and Qatari forces would not set foot in Gaza, days after the White House announced that officials from the countries would sit on a key committee set to oversee the Strip’s postwar management. Speaking during a parliamentary session in Jerusalem, Netanyahu acknowledged a ...

Iran Orders Protesters in ‘Riots’ to Surrender Within 72 Hours

This is Beirut, 10:05 - Reading : less than a minute

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Iraq Announces Complete Withdrawal of U.S.-Led Coalition From Federal Territory

This is Beirut, 19/01 09:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iraq said on Sunday US-led coalition forces had finished withdrawing from bases within the country's federal territory, which excludes the autonomous northern Kurdistan region. "We announce today... the completion of the evacuation of all military bases and leadership headquarters in the official federal areas of Iraq of advisers" of the US-led ...

Syria's Leader Agrees Truce With Kurds After Govt Troops Advance

This is Beirut, 19/01 09:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday announced a deal with the chief of Kurdish-led forces that includes a ceasefire, after government troops advanced across Kurdish-held areas of the country's north and east. Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said he agreed to the deal to avoid a broader war. He made the decision after deadly clashes ...

Syria Army Takes Territory East of Aleppo After Kurdish Forces Withdraw

This is Beirut, 17/01 14:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Syria's army said Saturday that its forces had taken control of swathes of the region east of Aleppo city after Kurdish forces agreed to withdraw following recent clashes. The advance comes a day after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a "national language" and granting the minority official recognition in ...

Trump Invites Foreign Leaders to Join Gaza 'Board of Peace'

This is Beirut, 17/01 14:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to join the so-called Board of Peace that will oversee post-war Gaza, Turkey said Saturday. Erdogan received the proposal in a letter sent Friday by Trump inviting him to "become a founding member" of the board, Turkish presidential communications director ...

U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Iranian Officials Over Crackdown on Protests

This is Beirut, 16/01 16:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The U.S. on Thursday unveiled a new round of sanctions targeting Iranian officials accused of involvement in the violent suppression of nationwide anti-regime protests that have swept across Iran and directly challenge the country’s theocratic leadership. Among those sanctioned is the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, ...

Syria's Leader Set to Visit Berlin With Deportations in Focus

This is Beirut, 16/01 13:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in Berlin on Tuesday for talks, as German officials seek to step up deportations of Syrians, despite unease about continued instability in their homeland. Sharaa is scheduled to meet his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president's office said. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's office ...

U.S.-Led Coalition Meets With Kurds to Ease Tensions With Damascus: Kurdish Spokesman

This is Beirut, 16/01 12:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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A US-led coalition delegation met with Kurdish forces east of Syria's Aleppo on Friday in a bid to ease tensions with Damascus following clashes over the past week, a Kurdish spokesman said. Farhad Shami, spokesman for the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, told AFP the meeting took place in Deir Hafer, as Syrian government ...