BEIRUT — Hezbollah on Thursday rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal. The announcement came as Israeli strikes killed at least four people, according to local authorities, and a U.N. peacekeeper was killed in the crossfire. Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem, in a written statement read […]
TEHRAN — Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday accused the US and Israel of trying to sow “division” among Iranians after suffering a “decisive blow” during the Middle East war. In a written message, Mojtaba Khamenei said “the malicious enemy” was seeking to “plant the seeds of doubt, despair, fear, mistrust and division” among the public. […]
BEIRUT — Israel struck south Lebanon on Thursday and threatened new attacks on Beirut despite an announcement hours earlier that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to implement a conditional ceasefire. Israeli and Lebanese envoys held a fourth round of talks in Washington on Wednesday, agreeing to implement a ceasefire hinged on Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah […]
WASHINGTON — Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to implement a ceasefire but said it would require a “complete cessation” of fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a joint statement after US-led talks in Washington. The two sides, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, also agreed to create “pilot zones” in which the Lebanese armed […]
DUBAI/WASHINGTON — Gulf hostilities flared again on June 3, with an Iranian missile attack damaging Kuwait’s airport and the US military carrying out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showing little sign of progress. The attacks are the latest to test a shaky ceasefire, sending oil prices up more […]
TEHRAN — Negotiations to end the Mideast war appeared in deep trouble on Monday, as Iranian news agency Tasnim reported Tehran had suspended dialogue with mediators in protest against Israel’s expanding Lebanon offensive. Iran’s move came hours after it again exchanged strikes with US forces despite a weeks-long ceasefire. Weeks of indirect talks marked by […]
JERUSALEM — Israel’s flag flew over the medieval fortress on Beaufort in Lebanon on May 31, as the Israeli military warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate a large area of the south of the country ahead of stepped up ground operations. Shelling was audible and smoke rose from the surrounding area as the invading army’s banner […]
BEIRUT — Israel’s military issued evacuation warnings on Saturday for residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had pushed deeper into the country. The latest warnings came a day after military delegations from the two countries held landmark security talks in Washington and ahead of US-brokered negotiations […]
MINA, SAUDI ARABIA — Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Mecca. From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Makkah, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil. It reenacts the […]
MOUNT ARAFAT (SAUDI ARABIA) — With temperatures hitting 45C in Mecca this week, Saudi health workers have increasingly relied on drones to supply a vast array of medical clinics treating heat-stressed pilgrims during the hajj. The rituals at the hajj have been a constant for centuries. But technology is rapidly changing the experience for pilgrims […]