Author: Steven Sahiounie

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Pascal Sleiman, head of the Christian Lebanese Forces’ Jbeil district office, was kidnapped and killed by a gang of Syrian car thieves on April 7. He died after being hit on the head and chest by the criminals, who then stuffed him into the car’s truck, and later dumped him in a border area in Syria. According to the Lebanese army, the politician and head of management information systems at Byblos Bank, was the victim of a carjacking by a criminal gang, who have been arrested.“Following up on the case of Pascal Sleiman, who…

By killing over 14,000 innocent children in Gaza, Israel has already outdone Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, the Turkish president said on Wednesday. With unconditional support from the West, Israel is carrying out massacres that are marks of shame in human history, both in Gaza and the West Bank, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a Justice and Development (AK) Party group meeting in the Turkish parliament. Saying that no one can question Türkiye’s sensitivity to the Palestinian issue, Erdogan added that the Palestinian cause gave his life new meaning. “As long as God grants me life, I will continue to defend the…

The front that Ukraine has been holding for the past several months in the special military operation zone may collapse this summer, Politico reported, citing several high-ranking officers. According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian frontline may collapse this summer due to the supposed Russian offensive, as the Russian forces significantly outnumber the Ukrainian ones. The newspaper’s sources said the situation is complicated by the lack of Western weapons, which is undermining the morale of Ukrainian soldiers. Politico said that Ukrainian officers “privately accept that more [territorial] losses are inevitable this summer,” the question is how significant they will be. According to the…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the telephone Wednesday with his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart to extend condolences for a flood disaster. “Erdogan expressed his sympathy for the flood disaster that took place in the UAE” during the call with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to a post on X by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate. The Emirati National Center of Meteorology said Tuesday that the UAE saw its heaviest downpour in the last 75 years this week. Weather conditions caused disruptions in transportation to and from airports across the UAE. The National Committee for Emergency Management urged residents…

Israel’s leader has denounced suggestions that areas in Gaza are facing famine after six months of war. Netanyahu “rejected the claims by international organisations about famine in Gaza”, his office said. A United Nations-backed report last month said northern Gaza could be hit by famine any time between mid-March and May, and more than 70 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population face “catastrophic hunger”. Last week, Samantha Power, the director of the US Agency for International Development, said famine was already occurring in northern Gaza. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees defines famine as a situation where a substantial proportion of the…

After failing to condemn or take action against the Israeli attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria, the White House is working on a comprehensive sanctions list targeting Tehran. The United States is planning to impose yet another set of sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran, spurred by Tehran’s latest response to the blatant Israeli attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria. US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, made the announcement during a press briefing on Tuesday, stating that the US is “coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response.”…

Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Fayssal Mikdad, on Wednesday stressed Syria’s firm stance in support of Iran against the Zionist continued attacks, and Syria’s condemnation of the heinous aggression that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Mikdad, receiving Mr. Kazem GHARIB ABADI, Vice-President of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran for International Affairs, said that Iran has the right to self-defense against practices of the occupation entity that violate the international law and Vienna diplomatic convention. The Syrian Minister welcomed cooperation between the judiciary bodies in Syria and Iran, affirming the need for intensifying efforts to boost this cooperation…

The foreign minister of Iran called on Japan and the other members of the Group of Seven (G7) to focus their efforts on the establishment of a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, describing the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave as the root cause of regional crises. In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa talked about a range of issues, including Iran’s recent retaliatory operation against the Zionist regime’s military targets, the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and the significance of maritime security in the region. The top Iranian diplomat highlighted…

Dubai, a world-renowned megalopolis in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been brought to a standstill by an unusually powerful downpour that has hit the typically arid region. Other parts of the country have also been battered by the natural disaster and at least one death has been reported. The UAE government has reported that the country has faced the largest amount of rainfall since local meteorologists began keeping records 75 years ago. With the rain having started on Monday night, by Tuesday evening Dubai was grappling with more than 142mm, over 5.5 inches, of precipitation – the amount that…

The parliament of Georgia has approved the first reading of a foreign agent bill that sparked mass protests in Tbilisi. In a vote on Wednesday that was held without the opposition taking part, 83 lawmakers voted for the controversial draft law, with no votes against. Protests against the bill have been held outside the parliament building since Monday. People have been gathering near the service entrance since midday (9:00 a.m. GMT – TASS), and a large protest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. GMT – TASS) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has said she would…