Free Republic

Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war, even as Israel attacked a major gas field and U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz loomed. “We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press. He said Iran no longer trusts the Trump administration after the U.S. bombed the Islamic Republic twice during previous rounds of talks. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said Tehran conveyed its...

The Associated Press (AP) found itself embroiled in controversy this weekend over its portrayal of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The news agency's biographical article, seemingly prepared in anticipation of Nasrallah's potential demise, initially bore the headline: "Charismatic and shrewd: A look at longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah." The characterization drew immediate criticism on social media platforms. By Saturday morning, AP had amended the headline to a more neutral "Who is longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah?" The rapid edit appeared to be a direct response to the flood of criticism on X (formerly Twitter). Notable figures across the political spectrum weighed...

U.S. special operations forces conducted a large-scale counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria overnight Thursday, in what the Pentagon said was a “successful mission.” Residents and activists reported multiple deaths — including civilians — from the attack. Residents and activists in the area described witnessing a large ground assault, with U.S. forces using loudspeakers asking women and children to leave the area. They described the raid as the biggest operation since the October 2019 killing of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. There was at least one major explosion. A U.S. official said that one of the helicopters in the...