The Lebanese government is under growing threat internationally despite having already approved of a plan to disarm Hezbollah, with US officials warning they face another invasion by Israel if Israel decides it’s taking too long. The Lebanese cabinet ordered the Army...
‘Trump Zone’ Would See Southern Lebanon Occupied, Depopulated
The more information we get about the “Trump economic zone” proposal in southern Lebanon, the worse it seems for the people who live there. The latest reports reveal the plan to totally depopulate the south of the country, to place the whole area under US military...
UN Security Council Extends Lebanon Peacekeeper Mandate, But Calls for Its End in 2026
While the Trump Administration had been considering using its veto power to prevent the extension of the UN mandate for the UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, the Security Council ultimately voted once again to extend the mandate through 2026. At the same time,...
Lebanese President Hasn’t Been Informed of Planned ‘Trump Economic Zone’ in South
Last week it was reported that the US was asking Israel to stop attacking Lebanon, and that their plan for the region included creating a “Trump economic zone” in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, however, says he hasn’t...
Israel, Syria Hold Direct Talks in Paris Aimed at Calming Hostility
Though there have been reports of indirect talks for months now, Tuesday marked the first time it was publicly confirmed that Israel and Syria’s Islamist government held direct talks, with a US-brokered meeting held in Paris. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani...
US Raid in North Syria Captures Top ISIS Figures, Kills One in Clash
While the US has been redeploying much of its force inside Syria to the far south, they’ve reportedly carried out a high profile raid against ISIS in Atimeh in the Idlib Governorate. Though the special forces raid was in the northwest of Syria, some reports suggest...
Israel Wants UNIFIL Peacekeepers Gone, US May Push Lebanon for Concessions
The UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have long been a thorn in Israel’s side, both because they tend to find Israeli surveillance devices left in the area and because of international criticism on the numerous times Israeli troops start firing at the...
Syria’s HTS Government Preps 50,000 Troops for a Large Anti-Kurd Offensive in Northeast
The Islamist Syrian government is trying to give the impression they support peaceful unity in Syria, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa saying he believed Syria should be unified by some sort of understanding instead of by military force, because the Syrian people are...
Syria, US to Discuss Suwayda Killings in Amman Talks, But Druze Aren’t Invited
The number of people killed in the massacres in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate is still yet from being fully documented, as tensions continue to flare and the whole governorate is effectively on lockdown from the government. Talks aimed at addressing concerns about that...
Syria Spurns Kurdish Integration Talks in Paris as Tensions Mount
Over the weekend, the Kurdish SDF held a unity conference in Paris meant to discuss, among other things, how integration with the Islamist Syrian government will actually work. The unity conference was condemned by the government, which refused to take part, claiming...