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Israel has hit southern Beirut in the first attack on the Lebanese capital since a truce brokered by the US last week. Two air strikes on two apartment buildings in a stronghold of Iran-backed Hezbollah killed two people and injured at least 20, including women and children, Lebanon's health ministry said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had struck "terrorist headquarters in the Dahieh district of Beirut, in response to Hezbollah's firing at Israeli territory". Israel had limited its Beirut attacks under US pressure over concerns strikes there could put a wider peace deal in jeopardy. But on Sunday night,...

She is the loudest, most aggressive pro-Israel voice in Donald Trump's orbit. So when Laura Loomer leaned in close to the President two months ago and warned him that the American public was giving up on the Jewish State, his two-word reply landed like a thunderclap, carrying an ominous message for Benjamin Netanyahu. 'You're probably going to be the last pro-Israel President we ever have,' Loomer recounted telling Trump, in an interview with the New York Times. Trump, she says, replied: 'You're right.' The White House pointedly did not deny the exchange. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly instead offered a boilerplate response...

Donald Trump is on the verge of securing a sweeping peace deal with Iran that would lift US sanctions, free billions in frozen assets and open a path to uranium enrichment, mirroring the Barack Obama pact he spent years trashing. If signed, a 30-day window would open for both countries to negotiate a larger agreement covering the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of all US sanctions on Iran, and new limits on its nuclear program. The deal calls for Iran to halt all uranium enrichment for 12 to 15 years with automatic extensions if Tehran violates the...

Donald Trump is on the verge of securing a sweeping peace deal with Iran that would lift US sanctions, free billions in frozen assets and open a path to uranium enrichment, mirroring the Barack Obama pact he spent years trashing. A one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding is being negotiated between senior Iranian officials and Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The White House believes the memo could finalize a framework to end the war within 48 hours. If signed, a 30-day window would open for both countries to negotiate a larger agreement covering the reopening of the Strait of...

A Chinese-owned tanker under U.S. sanctions has passed the Strait of Hormuz despite the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports that began on Monday.Citing data from Kpler and MarineTraffic, Reuters reported that the vessel had traversed the chokepoint earlier today. Owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd., the vessel, Rich Starry, became a target for U.S. sanctions because it was used to transport Iranian crude.

Donald Trump has defended his now-deleted post depicting himself as Jesus Christ, claiming he believed the AI-generated image showed him as a doctor. Trump deleted the post on Monday morning after it drew accusations of blasphemy from his own right-wing supporters. The President’s stunning defense came as he stood outside the Oval Office holding two bags of fresh McDonald’s fast food. 'It wasn't a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor. And had to do with red cross as a red cross worker, which we support and only the fake news could come...

A US official denied on Saturday that Washington had agreed to release frozen assets belonging to Iran, contradicting earlier reports. Reuters had reported that the United States agreed to release Iranian funds held in Qatar and other foreign banks, citing a senior Iranian source, which described the move as a goodwill step ahead of talks.

The exact terms have not been agreed but Iran wants to charge tolls of up to $1 million on ships that pass through the Strait during the two-week period, an unnamed Middle East official told the Associated Press. Trump welcomed the idea on Wednesday, telling ABC: 'We're thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It's a way of securing it - also securing it from lots of other people. 'It's a beautiful thing.' The Strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil flows, has now become known as the 'Tehran Tollbooth', according to Bloomberg. Ship owners go through...

“The U.S. is expected to deploy 3,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. The Fort Bragg-based brigade can be deployed anywhere in the world within 24 hours and serves as the Army's emergency response force. A possible ground operation in Kharg Island, a small five-mile landmass that handles 90% of Iran's oil exports could result from the deployment. Sending the division to the region could be the first step to such operations. However, Washington has yet to officially confirm the deployment. It comes after Trump's strange reaction after discovering Iran's new Supreme Leader's sexuality.“

Three weeks after the joint US-Israeli war against Iran began, the conflict has reached a fuzzy state of mixed messages and uncertainty, with Donald Trump's public comments often seemingly contradicted by realities on the ground. The war is "very complete, pretty much", Trump has said, but new American ground forces – including a Marine expeditionary unit - are moving into the region. It is "winding down", but US and Israeli bombing and missile strikes on Iranian targets continue unabated.Opening the Strait of Hormuz, the geographic choke point through which 20% of the world's oil export travels, is a "simple military...