This is Beirut 20/03 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Europe European Union
Barely a month ago, a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sent an unmistakable message across the Atlantic: the United States may not be there forever to keep Europe safe from an aggressive Russia. By the time the pair spoke again this week, a whirlwind of diplomacy had seen Europe juggle alliances and rewrite long-held rules – ...
This is Beirut 20/03 10:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Azerbaijan and Armenia said Thursday that they had wrapped up talks aimed at resolving the Caucasus neighbours' decades-long conflict, with both sides agreeing on the text of a possible treaty. A deal to normalize ties would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for ...
This is Beirut 20/03 10:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Istanbul's powerful mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, remained in police custody Thursday over graft and terror allegations after his arrest the day before, as his party called for more protests in Turkey's largest city. Imamoglu of the main opposition CHP is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival and his detention came just days before the ...
This is Beirut 20/03 09:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Germany Syria Alawites Human Rights
Germany officially reopened its embassy in Syria on Thursday, a foreign ministry source said, with a small diplomatic team working in Damascus. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock ordered the reopening of the mission which had closed in 2012 amid the Syrian civil war, some three months after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad. Consular affairs ...
Salam El Zaatari 20/03 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
USA Steve Witkoff Donald Trump Middle East Lebanon
When a US envoy speaks this bluntly, the game has changed. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, did not hide his frustration with Lebanese officials’ handling of Hezbollah. He went even further, emphasizing that Washington no longer accepts Lebanon’s strategy of maneuvering and political jockeying, arguing that it ...
This is Beirut 20/03 02:40 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Israel bombarded Gaza and pressed its ground operations on Thursday after issuing what it called a "last warning" for Palestinians to return hostages and remove Hamas from power. The renewed offensive shattered a relative calm that had pervaded since truce took hold mid-January. Heavy air strikes began strafing Gaza early Tuesday, ...
This is Beirut 19/03 20:49 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Ukraine Russia United States
US President Donald Trump hailed a "very good" call with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday, a day after Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed to temporarily halt attacks on Kyiv's power plants. Trump said efforts to secure a full ceasefire in Russia's three-year-old invasion remained "on track" despite the fact ...
This is Beirut 19/03 20:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Yemen United States Houthi Movement
Houthi media reported multiple US strikes on Wednesday in areas around Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, as the US military said its campaign against the Iran-backed insurgents was ongoing. According to the Houthis' Al-Masirah TV, "an American attack targeted the capital Sanaa... and the area of the town of Saada" in the north, later adding ...
This is Beirut 19/03 18:53 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Gaza Israel United Nations Antonio Guterres
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged a "full investigation" after a UN worker died and five others were seriously injured by a strike on their buildings in Gaza. "The Secretary-General strongly condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation," deputy spokesman Farhan Haq ...
This is Beirut 19/03 17:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
European Union Technology Apple Google United States Digital Markets Act (DMA)
The European Union defied US threats of retaliation Wednesday by accusing Google of violating its digital rules -- which could trigger hefty fines -- and ordering Apple to make its iPhone interact better with rivals' devices. The moves risk opening up a new front in the already fraught relationship between the EU and President Donald Trump, who ...
This is Beirut 19/03 17:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
In a significant escalation of military operations on Wednesday, Israeli forces have launched a new ground incursion into the central Gaza Strip along the Netzarim corridor, military sources confirmed Wednesday. The operation involves tanks moving to close Salah al-Din Street—Gaza's main north-south thoroughfare—cutting off movement between ...
David Hale 19/03 17:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Donald Trump USA United States Middle East
Elections matter. Only a few months ago, the Biden Administration struggled to assert its relevance amidst dramatic events in the Middle East. It had plenty to say, much of it contradictory, as it attempted to deal with the Democratic Party's split personality on Israel and the Palestinians while losing an election. The fragile ceasefires that ...