Lebanon
Saudi Arabia moves to reclaim Lebanon from Iran's shadow — but the ceasefire it helped build is already fraying
Saudi Arabia has launched its most intensive diplomatic engagement with Lebanon in years, deploying a royal envoy to Beirut, coordinating with Washington on ceasefire terms and invoking a 35-year-old Saudi-brokered accord as the political framework.
Lebanon urges UN action over Israel's targeting of journalists amid reports of IDF looting
Lebanon has urged the UN to take urgent action over Israel's targeting of journalists with 28 media workers killed since October 2023, as IDF soldiers testify to widespread looting of civilian property in southern Lebanon.
Israel's buffer zone in Lebanon won't stop Hezbollah's fibre optic drones
Israel’s security buffer zone in southern Lebanon is supposed to be a shield against Hezbollah attacks that have battered its northern communities for months. But even if the IDF occupies the entire territory it won’t be protect it form drones.
Israel's Lebanon offensive threatens to unravel US-brokered gas deal and block Beirut's energy future
Israel's military occupation of southern Lebanon is threatening to upend a landmark 2022 US-brokered maritime border agreement and derail Lebanon's best remaining hope of tapping its offshore gas wealth.
Threatened, Bombed, Abandoned: Israel kills Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil
Israel targeted and killed well-known Lebanese Al-Akhbar correspondent Amal Khalil on April 23 after she received death threat messages from an Israeli number WhatsApp number.
Iran war's fertiliser shock sets the stage for a slow-burning food inflation crisis
The Iran war's most insidious economic aftershock may not be measured in oil price spikes or shipping costs, but in the price of the nutrients that grow the world's food.
Italian UNIFIL troops replace statue of Jesus destroyed by Israeli soldier in Lebanon
Italian UNIFIL troops have replaced a statue of Jesus destroyed by an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani saying Italy is proud of the peacekeepers amid a 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.
Trump's blockade of Hormuz fails as dozens of tankers pass through - FT
The Trump administration naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz failed after at least 34 tankers with links to Iran passed through the narrow waterway and exited the Persian Gulf in defiance of the US warships attempts to halt Iran’s oil exports.
COMMENT: Why China is hedging for now in the Middle East
As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its second month, one of the most consequential geopolitical actors has been conspicuous by its silence. China has not intervened, has not condemned, and has not chosen sides in any meaningful public way.
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IDF soldier recieves 30-day military detention after smashing Jesus statue in Lebanon
An Israeli soldier has been sentenced to 30 days of military detention after being photographed decapitating Jesus on a cross statue.
Israel's atrocities in Southern Lebanon and Gaza mount as it seeks a buffer zone
There are widespread reports of IDF targeting of ambulances and health workers, which it claims are being used to ferry military supplies by various terrorist organisations.
Middle Corridor in play
Squeezed by a sanctioned Russia to the north and a war prone Middle East to the south, the Middle Corridor that runs through Central Asia and the Caucasus is back in play as the main route connecting Europe to Asia by land.
IMF: War Darkens Global Economic Outlook and Reshapes Policy Priorities
The Middle East conflict halted growth momentum. The right policies and stronger global cooperation are needed to contain the damage.
IMF: Middle East to see economic contractions in 2026 - Statista
Several Middle Eastern economies are expected to contract in 2026 in the wake of the war in Iran, which broke out in late February, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook, reports Statista.
Trump claims Israeli and Lebanese leaders will speak directly as IDF expands buffer zone
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak directly with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on April 16.
IMF the first to improve Russia’s growth outlook on Iran war windfall
The International Monetary Fund has become the first institution to raise its forecast for Russia’s economic growth in 2026 in anticipation of the windfall it is expected to earn from the effects of the Iran war related spike in energy prices.
World leaders head to Beijing, as China becomes geopolitical fulcrum
The Trump administration’s being ostracized by the international community for America’s war mongering. That is making China a fulcrum in the East-West clash that now has its centre of gravity in the Middle East.
IMF the first to improve Russia’s growth outlook on Iran war windfall
The International Monetary Fund has become the first institution to raise its forecast for Russia’s economic growth in 2026 in anticipation of the windfall it is expected to earn from the effects of the Iran war related spike in energy prices.
COMMENT: The US and Israel ostracised by the global community
For most of the first year of the Trump administration, America’s so-called western allies spent most of their time flattering, toadying and attempting to manipulate the US President’s ego. That time is over.