Iran arrests 12 accused of collaborating with Israel
Iranian authorities have announced the arrest of 12 people accused of "collaborating" with the country's arch-foe Israel, local media reported...Geostrategy
Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
The killing of Aqil was the second of a senior Hizbollah commander since the start of the war in Gaza,...Geostrategy
EU pledges $1 bn for Lebanon, urges curbs against illegal migration
The EU Commission's spokesman said in Brussels the aid will be disbursed "in grants", with 736 million euros earmarked to..."I can announce a financial package of $1 billion for Lebanon that would be available from this year until 2027," the European Commission chief said
She said the aid was designed to strengthen basic services such as education and health amid a severe economic crisis
Blinken urges Hamas to agree truce to help Gazans
A Hamas official said the group would respond "within a very short period" to a plan proposed by mediators to..."Hamas needs to say yes and needs to get this done," said Blinken, who was in Israel on his seventh Middle East crisis tour since the war broke out in October
He later added: "If Hamas actually purports to care about the Palestinian people and wants to see an immediate alleviation of their suffering, it should take this deal."
Blinken says US ‘determined’ to get Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal ‘now’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed calls for Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal Wednesday as he started talks...Netanyahu: Israel will launch an invasion of Rafah "with or without" a ceasefire deal.
Aid is coming to Gaza but more is needed
Blinken presses for Gaza aid on Jordan visit
Blinken, on his latest tour of the region since the Gaza war erupted in October, observed Jordan's efforts to bring...Blinken observed Jordan's efforts to bring in food and supplies and praised the "extraordinary work" led by the United Nations
Blinken met separately with King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi both on aid and on diplomacy for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
Blinken demands ‘no more delays’ by Hamas on truce deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanded Tuesday that Hamas accept a proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and release of..."Now it's on Hamas. No more delays, no more excuses. The time to act is now," Blinken said
"We want to see in the coming days this agreement coming together," he said
Hopes rise for possible truce deal between Israel and Hamas
Jerusalem, Undefined - Hopes rose on Monday for a long-sought-after truce and hostage release deal after almost seven months of war...Washington's top diplomat said he was "hopeful" Hamas would accept the offer, which his British counterpart said could see the release of thousands of Palestinian captives
For months, meditators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to broker a new agreement between the combatants
European, Arab ministers meet in Saudi to jump-start two-state solution
Earlier on Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters he would encourage Arab leaders to put forward...The meeting took place on the sidelines of a two-day World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh that was largely devoted to the grinding war in the Gaza Strip
Israel's offensive has killed at least 34,488 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory
Forty-day ceasefire offered to Hamas: UK foreign secretary
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed US opposition to an Israeli offensive on Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah. "We...British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Hamas has also been offered the release of potentially thousands of Palestinians in return for the release of Israeli hostages
Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas urged the US to intervene.
Blinken promotes Gulf Arab defence in sign to Israel and Iran
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for tighter defence integration among Gulf Arabs in response to Iran, part...Blinken said the United States would hold defense talks in the coming weeks with the six-nation bloc
Blinken: 'US-Saudi security pact for Israel normalization nears 'completion'.
Hamas says no ‘major’ issues, as Gaza truce effort builds
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate a new truce ever since a one-week halt to...A delegation from the Islamist movement will arrive in Egypt on Monday to deliver the group's response to Israel's counterproposal, a senior Hamas official told AFP
Israel's government has come under intense pressure from global allies to reach a ceasefire in the war that humanitarians say has brought Gaza to the brink of famine