USA

Hochstein: Ending the War Is Possible Under 1701

US envoy Amos Hochstein emphasized that “ending the war between Israel and Lebanon is possible, in accordance with UN Resolution 1701.” “The Lebanese Armed Forces must be permitted to deploy successfully in southern Lebanon and carry out their duties,” he stressed in a statement released on Friday. Hochstein further confirmed that Israel ...

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 ...

“And When the Buried Female Infant Is Asked”

“And when the buried female infant is asked…” — this Quranic verse denounces the pre-Islamic custom of burying infant girls alive out of fear of “dishonor,” an act Islam would go on to forbid and criminalize. Back then, the infant girl was a victim—killed without consent, without fault, and denied even ...

Gaza: Israel Sends Negotiators to Doha, Hamas Open to Conditional Ceasefire

Israel announced on Thursday that it would dispatch a delegation to Qatar to negotiate a deal concerning Gaza that involves the release of hostages, while Hamas stated it was open to discussions on a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory devastated by over a year of war. The latest indirect negotiations, facilitated by mediators—Qatar, Egypt, ...

Verstappen Seeking More Mexico Success to End Winless Run

After scrapping to a hard-fought podium ahead of title rival Lando Norris last Sunday, Max Verstappen will seek to end a nine-race winless run on a favorite circuit at this weekend's Mexico Grand Prix. Red Bull's series leader beat McLaren's Norris into third for the first time in five outings, albeit with the aid of some controversial stewards' ...

Kurdish-Led Syria Force Says Turkish Strikes Kill 12 Civilians

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Thursday that Turkish airstrikes killed 12 civilians in northeastern Syria, following a deadly attack on a defense firm near Ankara. "Over the past hours, a new wave of (Turkish) attacks on northern and eastern Syria" killed "12 civilians, including two children," and wounded 25 others, a ...

EU and US to Paris to Support Lebanon

The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated on Wednesday that “the military confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel is the cause of an unacceptable number of civilian casualties and unbearable level of destruction across the country, making the situation of Lebanon – a country already ...

Blinken Heads to Qatar, a Key Mediator, to Push for Gaza Truce

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to key Hamas mediator Qatar on Thursday, seeking momentum to end the Gaza war following Israel's killing of the group's leader. Two days after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Blinken flew from Saudi Arabia to the Qatari capital, Doha, to assess Hamas's position on a ...

US Defense Chief Visits Ukraine in Show of Solidarity

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv Monday morning in a show of support weeks before the US election. Austin's visit came at a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging Western allies to lift restrictions on the the use of long-range weapons and calling for an immediate invitation to join NATO. But Ukraine fears ...

France Welcomes Russian Soldiers Deserting in Ukraine

Six Russian soldiers who fled the fighting in Ukraine have found refuge in France and hope to receive asylum, in a landmark case of Russian deserters being welcomed in an EU country as a group. The deserters, all of whom had reached France via Kazakhstan, told AFP in a series of interviews they hoped their actions would encourage other Russian ...

Lebanon Bound by Resolution 1559 as Hochstein Introduces Mechanisms for Resolution 1701

A diplomatic source at the United Nations indicated that Lebanon cannot disregard the implementation of Resolution 1559 if it truly intends to comply with Resolution 1701. Lebanon has reiterated its commitment to both resolutions, along with Resolution 1680, by endorsing the recent Security Council decision that renewed the mandate of ...

Oil-Rich Iraqi Kurdistan Votes, Shadowed by Economic Struggles

Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region voted on Sunday to elect a new parliament for the oil-rich region, where voters express concern over economic struggles and disenchantment with the political elite. Iraqi Kurdistan presents itself as a relative oasis of stability in the turbulent Middle East, attracting foreign investors due to its close ...