Author: Steven Sahiounie

This Monday morning, Israeli airstrikes targeted towns in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley to the east, while sirens rang out in parts of northern Israel’s Galilee after rockets were launched from Lebanon. In a statement released earlier today, the Israeli military confirmed that the air force continues to strike numerous rocket launch platforms, military buildings, and other Hezbollah infrastructure aimed at Israeli territories. It also emphasized that ground operations in southern Lebanon, as well as in Gaza, are ongoing. Meanwhile, Ziv Medical Center in Safed reported that it received 15 wounded individuals from northern combat zones overnight. In response,…

The Turkish public broadcaster TRT reported today that Fethullah Gülen, the U.S.-based cleric and leader of the Hizmet movement, has passed away at the age of 83. Gülen, who was accused by Ankara of masterminding the failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, reportedly died in a U.S. hospital last night. According to TRT and various sources close to the Hizmet movement on social media, Gülen had been receiving treatment before his passing. The news was also picked up by the Turkish news outlet NTV and other local media. Gülen’s affiliated website Herkul, which is banned in Turkey, confirmed his death…

Israel has presented a document of principles to the United States regarding its terms for a diplomatic resolution to end the war in Lebanon, according to a report by Axios citing U.S. and Israeli officials. The document was handed over to the U.S. last week and outlines key conditions for bringing the conflict to a close. As reported, Amos Hochstein, the U.S. presidential envoy, is scheduled to visit Beirut today to discuss potential diplomatic solutions with Lebanese officials. The principles document, as revealed by the Israeli news site Walla, allows for the return of displaced persons on both sides of…

Vice President Kamala Harris criticized her 2024 election opponent, Donald Trump, on Sunday, accusing him of degrading the office of the president through the use of vulgar language. Her comments come after Trump insulted Harris with a crude remark during a campaign rally. In an interview aired on MSNBC, Harris said Trump’s recent comments were “an insult to the office of the president and diminish the moral authority” of the United States on the global stage. She responded directly to Trump’s attack, saying, “What you see in my opponent, a former president of the United States, is someone who really…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The international community is united in their condemnation of the actions of Israel upon the civilians in Gaza, with a death now well over 40,000, and the attacks on Lebanon which have killed and injured civilians who have no connection to Hezbollah. The UN General Assembly has voted for a ceasefire, but Israel ignores the international community. Israel carries out its genocide in Gaza, while opening a new war in Lebanon which may decimate the infrastructure of a member of the UN with a population of 43% Christians and 57% Muslims, and a French…

The documents posted to Telegram describe IDF’s alleged preparations to strike Iran The US has launched an investigation after its highly classified intelligence reports about Israel’s preparations for possible strikes on Iran were leaked online, CNN reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the matter. The apparent security breach occurred amid unprecedented tensions between Israel and Iran as the Jewish state had vowed to respond to a barrage of missiles fired by Tehran in the beginning this month. On Friday, two documents were posted to the anonymous Telegram channel Middle East Spectator, which covers events in the region and…

Iran has denied any involvement in the drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv, which occurred on Saturday. Responding to inquiries about Iran’s alleged role in the attack, the Iranian delegation at the United Nations stated, “This action was carried out by Hezbollah,” according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, criticized Israel for “spreading lies,” calling it a “regular and persistent practice by this regime and its criminal leaders,” as reported by IRNA. Netanyahu, however, directly accused Hezbollah of orchestrating the attack. In a statement…

The Russian foreign minister has said the results of the voting will have no impact on Washington’s ties with Moscow The US will continue to see Russia as “an adversary” or worse no matter who wins the November 5 presidential election, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. With less than three weeks to go before the voting, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are running neck-and-neck in the polls. “Regardless of the outcome of the elections, for the US, we [Russia] will remain, if not an enemy, then definitely an adversary. In any case, a competitor,” Lavrov…

Paris is “open” to the idea of inviting Ukraine to join NATO, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France would work to rally Western countries behind Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s “victory plan,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said during his visit to Kiev on Saturday. “A Russian victory would be a consecration for the law of the strongest and would push the international order towards chaos,” Barrot told reporters during a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrey Sibiga. “That is why our exchanges must enable us to make progress on President Zelensky’s victory plan, and to rally as many countries…

Further military provocations by Seoul risk leading to a declaration of war, the North Korean military has warned The North Korean Defense Ministry has released photos of what it claims is a South Korean drone. It asserts that the UAV may have been used by Seoul to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang earlier this month. The crashed UAV was discovered in the north-west of the North Korean capital on October 13, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. One of the images it published was of a plane-type drone, stuck in a tree.A probe and technical examination of the…