Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran warns US against planned Hormuz escort mission By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Under US pressure, will Lebanon repeal Israel Boycott Law? The 1955 law criminalizes all dealings with Israel, raising questions about how far Beirut can even go with its current engagement, currently at the ambassadorial level. Lebanon
Analysis Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran While President Donald Trump remains undecided on striking Iran again, the Israeli military is sinking deeper into its Lebanon quagmire with a reinforced Hezbollah. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
US seeks to train Lebanon army units to disarm Hezbollah: What to know Funding for such a program remains unclear, though the Pentagon has requested $36 million for fiscal year 2027 to support Lebanon’s army. Lebanon
Analysis Despite Trump pressure to limit Israel's Lebanon attacks, Aoun-Netanyahu meeting still unlikely By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Syrian External Opposition Says No Deal With Assad Syria's external opposition rules out talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while internal opposition forces consider negotiations. Lebanon
Foreign Fighters Key To Decisive Battle of Qusair If there were ever a doubt, the war in Syria is now a war on Syria. Lebanon
Political Dimension Remains Central in Kerry Approach to Peace Despite the importance of the economic dimension of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the political dimension of the approach to peace remains paramount. Palestine
Syrian Fault LinesIn Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley The Syrian war has already come to Arsal and Hermel. Lebanon
Lebanon: Fault Line for Hezbollah's War on 'Takfiris' in Syria Just hours after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah announced that his party was fighting “takfiris” in Syria, two rockets struck a Shiite neighborhood in Beirut, suggesting that those “takfiris” might have military capabilities in Lebanon. Lebanon
EU Puts Hezbollah on Notice The European Union moves toward designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization as its arms embargo on Syria is allowed to lapse. Lebanon
The Missing Syrian Peace US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are still working on the invitation list for Geneva II. Qatar
Hezbollah Confesses To Hand in Qusair Battle Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has explicitly acknowledged his party’s role in Syria, and sources describe the battle for Qusair. Lebanon
Nasrallah on Syria: 'This Battle Is Ours' Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declares war on Salafist groups and calls for "political dialogue" in Syria. Lebanon
Two Rockets Hit Beirut's Southern Suburbs Sunday morning, May 26, two rockets hit Beirut's predominantly Shiite southern suburbs, in what some see as the Syria conflict increasingly encroaching on Lebanon. Lebanon
Syrian War Overtakes Lebanese Valley Lebanon’s Wadi Khaled faces hardship and divisions as a result of the war in Syria. Lebanon