Arab World

Negotiations Under Way on Hamas Fighters Trapped in Gaza Tunnels: Sources Close to Talks

This is Beirut 27/11 19:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Negotiations are under way to ensure safe passage for dozens of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza, multiple sources close to the talks told AFP on Thursday. Israeli media has reported that for weeks, between 100 and 200 Hamas militants have remained trapped in a network of tunnels under the city of Rafah, in an area of the Gaza ...

VideosPope Urges Turkey to Embrace Mediator Role on First Overseas Trip

This is Beirut 27/11 18:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Lebanon Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV began a four-day visit to Turkey on Thursday, urging Ankara to embrace its role as a mediator in a world gripped by conflict, he said after talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Mr President, may Turkey be a source of stability and rapprochement between peoples, in service of a just and lasting peace," he said in the capital as ...

Drone Strike Hits Major Kurdistan Gas Facility, Knocking Out 80% of Power Supply

This is Beirut 27/11 09:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iraq Kurdistan Drone Oil

A drone strike on Wednesday targeted an Emirate-owned gas complex in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, disrupting the gas supply to the region's power plants, local authorities said. "At 11:30 pm (2030 GMT), a drone attacked the Khor Mor gas field facility, cutting off all gas supplies to power plants," the regional natural resources and ...

Australia Lists Iran’s IRGC as State Sponsor of Terrorism

This is Beirut 27/11 09:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Iran Australia IRGC Canberra Tehran Sydney

Australia on Thursday officially designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism, following the release of an intelligence assessment linking the group to attacks targeting Jewish communities throughout the country. The assessment by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) ...

Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Turkey on First Foreign Mission of His Papacy

This is Beirut 27/11 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Pope Leo XIV Turkey Vatican

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey on Thursday for a four-day visit, where he will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and meet Christian leaders on the first overseas trip of his papacy. The trip, which includes a second leg to Lebanon, begins in the Turkish capital, Ankara, where the first American pope landed shortly after ...

Israeli Army Launches New Operation in West Bank

This is Beirut 26/11 21:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

West Bank Israel Gaza

Israel's military on Wednesday launched a new operation against Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank, where a local governor told AFP that Israeli forces had raided several towns. The Israeli military, police and internal security service said in a joint statement that they had begun "a broad counter-terrorism operation" in the ...

UAE Pledges $1 Billion Investment in Electricity for Government-Controlled Yemen

This is Beirut 26/11 21:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Arab Emirates Yemen Energy

The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it would invest $1 billion in the electricity infrastructure of government-held Yemen, which has been devastated by civil war. On a visit to Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based, Emirati ambassador Mohammed Hamad al-Zaabi announced his country had "allocated $1 billion to build ...

FocusTensions Rise Between Israel’s Military and Government, Netanyahu Accused of Dodging Responsibility

This is Beirut 26/11 20:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Hamas Gaza

Tensions are rising in Israel between the political leadership and the military over investigations into October 7, 2023, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused of shirking responsibility for the authorities’ failure to anticipate and prevent the deadliest attack in the country’s history. Weekly protests, reflecting public anger, ...

Syria: Explosion of Unknown Origin Injures Civilians in Idlib

This is Beirut 26/11 14:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Idlib Syria Explosion Rockets

An explosion of unknown origin shook the town of Kafr Takharim in western Idlib on Wednesday, injuring several civilians, according to local sources. A correspondent on the ground reported that the blast—likely linked to an ammunition depot containing rockets—sent a large plume of smoke into the air and caused significant damage in an ...

Iran Condemns US 'Bullying Approach' Towards Venezuela

This is Beirut 26/11 10:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump United States Venezuela Iran

Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, slammed what he called the United States' "bullying approach" towards Venezuela, a statement said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela. The United States has deployed the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, accompanied by a flotilla of warships, officially for ...

Body of One of Last Three Hostages Held in Gaza Identified

This is Beirut 26/11 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Israel Hostages

Israel announced Wednesday that a body handed over by Gaza militants was that of Dror Or, one of the last three deceased hostages held in the Palestinian territory. The Islamic Jihad militant group located the body on Monday in the central Gaza Strip and on Tuesday transferred it to the Red Cross, acting as a neutral intermediary. The coffin was ...

Israeli Army Announces New Operation in Northern West Bank

This is Beirut 26/11 08:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

West Bank Hamas Israel Palestine Israeli Army Israel

The Israeli military on Wednesday announced a new "counterterrorism" operation in the north of the occupied West Bank. The military and internal security service said in a joint statement that they "began operating as part of a broad counterterrorism operation in the area of northern Samaria", using the Israeli biblical term for part of the West ...