A federal judge in Maryland granted a nationwide preliminary injunction against the latest iteration of President Donald Trump’s travel ban late Tuesday, following a similar order by a federal judge in Hawaii. U.S. District Court Judge Theodore Chuang said the administration had “not shown that national security cannot be maintained without an unprecedented eight-country travel […]
Israel’s Netanyahu calls on the Iranian nuclear deal backers to “fix it or nix it.
Israel is wasting no time in trying to translate Donald Trump’s call for a tougher approach to Iran into action. The government is making a diplomatic push to extend restrictions in the international nuclear deal with Iran to its development of ballistic missiles, sponsorship of terrorist acts and weapons proliferation to terrorist groups, three senior […]
Khamenei says Iran will “shred” the nuclear deal if U.S. tears it up
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Tehran would stick to its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers as long as the other signatories respected it, but would “shred” the deal if Washington pulled out, state TV reported. Khamenei spoke five days after U.S. President Donald Trump adopted a harsh new approach to […]
Referendum may have put independence out of reach for Iraqi Kurds
The Kurdish independence vote championed by their leader Masoud Barzani was a gamble that may have made his quest for a homeland more elusive than ever. The Sept 25 vote won overwhelming backing for secession but has raised the possibility of a new civil war in Iraq that could draw in regional powers. Baghdad says […]
From Syria Iran’s military chief vows to confront Israel
Iran’s military chief warned Israel against violating Syrian airspace and territory on a visit to Damascus on Wednesday, Iranian state media said, a sign of rising tensions with Israel as it voices concern over Iranian influence in Syria. General Mohammad Baqeri also pledged to increase cooperation with the Syrian military to fight Israel and insurgents […]
Central bank chief not worried about new sanctions, says US supports Lebanese economy
The new sanctions against Hezbollah that are being drafted by the United States will not affect the Lebanese banking sector, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh said in Washington, DC over the weekend. Following talks with the U.S. State and Treasury departments, Salameh expressed relief in an interview with Lebanese TV station LBCI. “What we heard […]
A senior Iranian (IRGC) commander was killed in a battle in Syria, report
A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) commander was killed in a battle in Syrian official Iranian media reported on Tuesday. “Brigadier Abdullah Khosrawi, a war veteran was killed on Saturday in Syria,” the Basij news agency reported. Khosravi led the Iranian-backed Conqueror Battalion to fight in Iraq and Syria, Fars News Agency reported. The battalion’s […]
3 Lebanese accused of spying for Israel arrested in Lebanon
Three Lebanese men were arrested under suspicion of being Mossad spies who were conspiring to organise a revolt and unrest in the country. Lebanese security officials arrested three men last weekend for spying on behalf of the Israeli intelligence authority, Mossad, since 2015. Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar television network broke the news , while the pictures and […]
ISIS capital Raqqa falls ! US-backed militias celebrating victory
US-backed militias have completely taken Isis’ de facto capital, Raqqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Tuesday, in a major symbolic blow to the jihadist group. The fall of Raqqa, where Isis staged euphoric parades after its string of lightning victories in 2014, is a potent symbol of the movement’s collapsing fortunes. […]
Dispute between Lebanese Interior, Foreign Ministers Contained
It does not appear that the renewed dispute between Lebanese Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil over the country’s foreign policy will have repercussions on the ties between President Michel Aoun and the ministers of Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s cabinet. Circles close to the ministers said that they are keen on strengthening […]