War in the Middle East

$UN Rights Chief: Israel’s Gaza Offensive \$

UN Rights Chief: Israel’s Gaza Offensive "Tantamount to Ethnic Cleansing"

This is Beirut 16/05 20:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The UN's rights chief on Friday denounced Israel's sharp escalation of attacks in Gaza – and an apparent push to permanently displace the population – as amounting to "ethnic cleansing." "This latest barrage of bombs... and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in ...

Two-State Solution Back on Diplomatic Agenda with UN Conference in June

This is Beirut 16/05 18:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Nations

A French- and Saudi-backed conference on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will take place from June 17 to 20 at UN headquarters in New York, a French diplomatic source told AFP. The conference will be organized by the UN General Assembly under a shared French and Saudi presidency, the diplomat told AFP on condition of ...

Trump Redraws US Diplomacy Without Israel

This is Beirut 16/05 18:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel United States Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump's decision to skip over Israel in his Middle East tour was just the latest sign of a shifting dynamic between the historic allies. From nuclear talks with Iran to a ceasefire deal in Yemen and the announcement of lifting sanctions on Syria, Trump has pressed ahead solo with Middle East diplomacy in recent weeks, ...

Israeli Drone Strike Kills Hezbollah Operative

This Is Beirut 15/05 19:53 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon

One person was killed Thursday in an Israeli drone strike in the plain of Yohmor al-Shaqif, in the Nabatiyeh district (caza), the Ministry of Public Health announced. According to available information, the strike targeted a bulldozer believed to be operated by Hezbollah member Mohammad Marouni. The deadly attack was part of a wider escalation ...

Hezbollah Member Killed in Israeli Drone Strike in South Lebanon

This is Beirut 14/05 10:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Israel Strike Shebaa Hezbollah

A senior Hezbollah figure was killed on Wednesday morning in an Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle on the Qaaqaiyet al-Jisr–Wadi Houjeir road in southern Lebanon. Israeli Channel 12, citing security sources, said the strike targeted a high-ranking official. Al Jadeed identified him as Hussein Naameh, from the village of ...

UN Relief Chief Urges Action ‘To Prevent Genocide’ in Gaza

This is Beirut 14/05 05:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United Nations Gaza Israel Palestine

United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday called on the UN Security Council to take action "to prevent genocide" in Gaza, delivering a scathing account of Israel's actions in the Palestinian territory. Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, demanded that Israel lift its aid blockade on Gaza, where its ...

Yemen's Houthis Say Fired Missile at Israel Airport

This is Beirut 13/05 22:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Yemen Houthi Movement Israel

Yemen's Houthis said they attacked Israel's main airport on Friday, after the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the Iran-backed group targeted the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv "using a hypersonic ballistic missile," while also claiming a drone ...

Israel PM Says Army Entering Gaza 'with Full Force' in Coming Days

This is Beirut 13/05 16:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military would enter Gaza "with full force" in the coming days, a statement from his office said Tuesday. "In the very coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation. Completing the operation means defeating Hamas. It means destroying Hamas," Netanyahu ...

Israel's West Bank Land Registration Serves 'Annexation'

This is Beirut 12/05 22:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank

An Israeli rights group denounced Monday a government decision to launch extensive land registration for parts of the occupied West Bank, saying it could help advance annexation of the Palestinian territory. "It is a tool for annexation," said Yonatan Mizrachi of the Settlement Watch project at Israeli nongovernmental organization Peace Now. The ...

ExplainerFrom Iran’s Nuclear Program to Gaza: The Gulf as the New Hub of Global Diplomacy (1/2)

Malo Pinatel 12/05 21:00 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Gulf United Arab Emirates Bahrain Hamas Qatar Oman

On December 8, 2024, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stated that the member states of the GCC “are committed to strengthening dialogue and diplomacy, ensuring that the Gulf region remains a hub for peace and cooperation amid growing global competition.” This was said during a roundtable on the future of cooperative ...

Hamas Releases US-Israeli Hostage

This is Beirut 12/05 20:46 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Hamas

The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas handed over a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza since October 2023 on Monday, ahead of a regional visit by US President Donald Trump. "The (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades have just released the Zionist soldier and American citizen Edan Alexander, following contacts with the US administration, as ...

Edan Alexander's Release: A Diplomatic Turning Point Between Washington and Hamas

Sana Richa Choucair 12/05 17:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hamas Donald Trump US Gaza Israel Hostages

Edan Alexander, 21, is the only American national still held alive in Gaza. After moving from New Jersey to Israel in 2022, he joined an elite unit of the Israeli army and was taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack. In a statement released on Sunday, the spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said: “The ...