The US is set to release $3.5 billion to Israel for the purchase of American weapons. The funds are from a $14.1 billion supplemental bill passed in April. The State Department notified Congress of the decision on Aug. 8. The funding comes as Israel faces potential backlash from Iran and Hezbollah following its recent military […]
WASHINGTON (AA) – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East, the Pentagon said Sunday. In a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Austin reiterated the US’s commitment to take “every possible” step to defend Israel, the Pentagon said in a stateme...
Beirut, Lebanon – AFP Batoul and her family have been scrambling to secure housing outside Beirut’s southern suburbs where an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah commander last week, but spiking demand has sent prices soaring. Many in the southern suburbs — a packed residential area known as Dahiyeh which is also a Hezbo...
WASHINGTON (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that “no one should escalate” the conflict in the Middle East and Washington has communicated that message directly to Iran and Israel. “No one should escalate this conflict. We’ve been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, commun...
BEIRUT (AA) – Two members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group have been killed in clashes with the Israeli army along the Lebanese-Israeli border. In separate statements, Hezbollah identified the fighters as Ali Jamal al-Din Jawad and Ali Ghaleb Shuqair, which they said were killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” in reference to Hezboll...
WASHINGTON (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned foreign ministers from the G7 countries Sunday that attacks by Iran and Hezbollah on Israel could come “as early as Monday” in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, according to a report...
ISTANBUL (AA) – The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies expressed “deep concern” Sunday over the rising tensions in the Middle East. The foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US and the High Representative of the European Union in a statement indicated their “deep concern at [&...
ISTANBUL (AA) – The US issued a warning Saturday to its nationals to immediately leave Lebanon as tension between Israel and Hezbollah continued to rise. The US Embassy in Beirut said flights by several airlines have been canceled but “commercial transportation options to leave Lebanon remain available.” “We encourage those who wish to d...
US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood has urged the UN Security Council to back Israel’s right to self-defense against Hezbollah. Wood stressed that the July 30 attack by Hezbollah, using Iranian weaponry, underscores the need for international accountability. He called for holding Iran responsible for its support of Hezbollah and its breaches of i...
Beirut, Lebanon — AFP Hezbollah has said that senior military commander Fuad Shukr was inside the building in Beirut’s southern suburbs hit by Israel the other day and that his fate was still unknown. The Israeli military claimed that its Tuesday strike had “eliminated” Shukr, a top Hezbollah commander it said was respo...
