United States

Le Drian's Mission: Swift Presidential Election or Negative Consequences

A French diplomatic source disclosed that the visit of French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, following the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, is aimed at pushing for the swift election of a president. Any delays in this process would reflect poorly on Lebanon in the eyes of the international community, which is closely monitoring the ...

Trump Discusses Migration With Mexico

President-elect Donald Trump said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed Wednesday to "stop" US-bound migration, a claim she was quick to publicly downplay. Both sides described the call positively, despite it following a threat by Trump on Monday to slap a 25 percent tariff on Mexico, prompting warnings by the Mexican ...

Centcom Commanders Will Help the LAF Disarm Hezbollah

This is Beirut has learned that senior commanders from Centcom (the United States Central Command) will be working with the Lebanese Army and providing assistance to help the LAF disarm Hezbollah. This assistance comes within the framework of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, announced on Tuesday and put into effect at dawn on ...

Hochstein: Biden to Push for Gaza Ceasefire Following Lebanon's

US envoy Amos Hochstein, who played a key role in negotiating the Israel-Hezbollah deal, suggested it could pave the way for a similar agreement in Gaza. "We firmly believe that the Lebanon deal now opens that door," Hochstein stated during a briefing with the US Jewish community on Wednesday. He noted that following the truce with Hezbollah, ...

FBI Announces Bomb Threats Made Against Trump Nominees

Several members of Donald Trump's incoming administration have received threats including bomb alerts, the FBI said Wednesday, with one nominee reporting a pipe-bomb scare sent with a pro-Palestinian message. "The FBI is aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and ...

Trump Taps Retired General for Key Ukraine Conflict Role

US President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was nominating retired general Keith Kellogg -- an alum of his first term and a staunch loyalist -- as his Ukraine envoy, charged with ending the two-and-a-half-year Russian invasion. "I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special ...

Editorial-Comprehensive and Strengthened Ceasefire Under Resolution 1701

A keen observer, closely following the Middle Eastern conflict, once noted during the Lebanese war that Arab regimes were always “a truce behind.” In other words, at every critical turn in the regional crisis, they often accepted conditions or succumbed to situations they had rejected just a few years earlier. This unfortunate reality applies ...

World Leaders React to Lebanon War Ceasefire

World leaders have welcomed a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which came into force on Wednesday morning (0200 GMT). Here are key reactions from around the world. United States and France The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will protect Israel from the threat of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and ...

US Strikes an Iranian-Aligned Group's Weapons Storage Facility in Syria

The US military said Tuesday it conducted a strike against an unnamed Iranian-aligned group's weapons storage facility in Syria in response to an attack on American forces a day earlier. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X that the strike aimed to "degrade their ability to plan and launch future attacks on US and Coalition forces ...

Key Terms of the Ceasefire Between Israel and Lebanon

The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon was approved by the Israeli security cabinet Tuesday evening, to end the hostilities that erupted when Hezbollah opened the southern front in support of Hamas on October 8, 2023, culminating in Tel Aviv's major offensive against the pro-Iranian group on September 23. Unlike in 2006, the ...

Judge Dismisses the Election Subversion Case Against Trump

A judge on Monday granted a request by prosecutors to dismiss the election subversion case against Donald Trump because of a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president. Judge Tanya Chutkan agreed to the request by Special Counsel Jack Smith to dismiss the case against the president-elect "without prejudice," ...

Netanyahu Tentatively 'Approves' Lebanon Ceasefire Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his tentative approval to a proposed ceasefire deal with Hezbollah during a security meeting with Israeli officials on Sunday night, according to a source familiar with the discussions and quoted by CNN. According to a Sky News report, the negotiated agreement stipulates a gradual Israeli withdrawal ...