The Daily Star Lebanon Breaking News, Lebanon News, Middle East News & World News

On Tuesday, a group of Palestinians assembled in front of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office in Beirut, protesting the suspension of funding to the UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees. This suspension came after the United States, Germany, Japan, and other key donors halted their financial support following Israel’s allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved …

On Tuesday, Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri convened a meeting at Ain el-Tineh with envoys from the five-nation group, which includes the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt. According to the National News Agency, the one-hour discussion focused on recent developments, particularly the challenges surrounding the presidential selection process. Berri remarked post-meeting that the discussion was unified, productive, …

On Wednesday, Iran issued a stern warning of a decisive response to any American attack on its territory. This statement follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s suggestion that Iran was linked to the recent killing of three American soldiers at a military base in Jordan. The United States has indicated its readiness for retaliatory actions in the Middle East following a …

Saudi Aramco, the leading oil company in Saudi Arabia, announced on Tuesday that it will maintain its oil production capacity at 12 million barrels per day, not increasing it to 13 million as previously considered. This decision follows a directive from Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry. Officially known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., Aramco did not provide specific reasons for …

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan faced another setback when he was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday for corruption, just days before his political party, PTI, attempts to reclaim power in the upcoming parliamentary elections. This sentence follows his recent conviction and is the harshest one yet, adding to the ongoing tensions between the military and civilian …

Overnight, fuel importing companies in Lebanon declared they would halt deliveries to distributors and suspend import operations starting Wednesday morning. This decision comes in response to parliament’s recent move to levy an extraordinary tax on firms that imported subsidized goods in 2020 and 2021. The importers have expressed their readiness to resume operations, including on Sundays, once the issue is …

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has recently indicated that Israel is gearing up for a possible conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, predicting severe consequences for Lebanon if such a war occurs. Gallant warned that an Israeli military operation in the north would lead to the devastation of both Lebanon and Hezbollah. He emphasized that while the impact on Haifa would …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly dismissed two principal demands from Hamas during indirect negotiations for a ceasefire. He stated that Israel has no intention of either pulling its forces out of the Gaza Strip or releasing a large number of Palestinian prisoners. Speaking at an event in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Netanyahu reiterated his stance that the …