Middle East

Op-edThe Middle East: Recalibrations, Fractures and a Coming Storm

Salam El Zaatari 24/07 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon United States Syria Hezbollah

By now, we should know that when the Middle East falls silent, it’s rarely a good sign. As if history itself were pausing for breath, the region today is locked in what I call a “violent pause”—not peace, not war, but something infinitely more dangerous: indecision. The past six months have redrawn the map of alliances and threats, but ...

New Military Escalation Between Cambodia and Thailand

This is Beirut 24/07 09:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cambodia Thailand Escalation Military

Thailand launched airstrikes on Cambodian military targets on Thursday as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery, killing a civilian, in a dramatic escalation of a long-running border row between the two neighbors. The neighbors are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos ...

$Xi Urges Trust as EU Demands \$

Xi Urges Trust as EU Demands "Real Solutions" in Beijing Talks

This is Beirut 24/07 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

China European Union Russia Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the EU must deepen trust in a turbulent world, but the bloc's chiefs called for "real solutions" to move past an inflection point as they met in Beijing on Thursday. China's leadership has sought to draw the European Union closer as it positions itself as a more reliable partner than the United States ...

White House Pushes Obama ‘Coup’ Story To Distract From Epstein

This is Beirut 24/07 05:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Barack Obama Donald Trump United States

The White House pulled out all the stops Wednesday to promote claims that Barack Obama headed a "treasonous conspiracy" against Donald Trump, seeking to redirect public attention from uproar over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Trump's intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard told a White House press briefing there had been a ...

Ukraine Demands Zelensky-Putin Talks, Russia Proposes Brief Truces

This is Beirut 23/07 23:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine Turkey Vladimir Putin Russia

Ukraine on Wednesday proposed direct talks within weeks between its President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin, but Moscow tempered prospects for progress at a fresh round of talks in Istanbul on Wednesday. A Russian negotiator said his country agreed to the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges with Ukraine and proposed brief ...

World's Top Court Paves Way for Climate Reparations

This is Beirut 23/07 23:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

International Court of Justice United Nations USA climate

The world's highest court Wednesday declared that states are obliged under international law to tackle climate change and warned that failing to do so could open the door to reparations. In a historic statement, the International Court of Justice said climate change was an "urgent and existential threat" and countries had a legal duty to prevent ...

Israeli Lawmakers Pass Symbolic Motion on West Bank Annexation

This is Beirut 23/07 21:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam West Bank Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine

More than 70 Israeli lawmakers passed a motion on Wednesday urging the government to impose sovereignty over the West Bank, though the symbolic move does not affect the Palestinian territory's legal status. The non-binding vote in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, was backed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, ...

Turkey: A Global Power Broker

This is Beirut 23/07 21:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Turkey Volodymyr Zelensky Damascus Europe

From Ukraine to Syria, including Iran, Turkey has emerged in recent years as a pivotal diplomatic force, multiplying its mediation efforts across a spectrum of regional crises. This active, multi-front diplomacy serves both to safeguard its national security and to solidify its position as a key player on the global stage. Turkey’s strategic ...

IAEA Team to Visit Iran Within 2-3 Weeks

This is Beirut 23/07 21:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tehran United States Iran Nuclear

A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Iran within two to three weeks, an Iranian official said Wednesday, adding that the group will not have access to the country's nuclear sites. "We have agreed, actually, to accept a delegation of the IAEA, a technical delegation, to pay a visit to Iran very soon, in two to three ...

Saudi Announces $5 Billion in Syria Investments

This is Beirut 23/07 20:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Saudi Arabia

A Saudi delegation visiting Damascus on Wednesday inked investment and partnership deals valued at $5 billion to help rebuild war-battered Syria, the oil-rich Gulf kingdom announced. Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of the new Syrian government, which seized power after Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December ...

Israel Denies Gaza 'Mass Starvation' Accusations

This is Beirut 23/07 19:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine United Nations Hamas

Israel on Wednesday hit back at growing international criticism that it was behind chronic food shortages in Gaza, instead accusing Hamas of deliberately creating a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. More than 100 aid and human rights groups said earlier Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in the Gaza Strip, and France ...

Trump Admin Unveils AI Strategy to Maintain US Dominance

This is Beirut 23/07 19:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA White House AI

The Trump administration on Wednesday unveiled an aggressive, low-regulation strategy boosting big tech's race to stay ahead of China on artificial intelligence and cement the United States' dominance in the fast-expanding field. The 25-page "America's AI Action Plan" outlines three aims: accelerating innovation, building infrastructure, and ...