DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Naim Qassem: Hezbollah names a new leader to replace Nasrallah. Here’s what we know about him
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Hezbollah has named Shiite cleric Naim Qassem as leader, over a month after his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Not for long.”The cleric had long been the group’s second-in-command, serving as deputy chief to the late Nasrallah. The 71-year-old Shiite cleric helped found Hezbollah in 1982, and has served seven consecutive terms as deputy secretary-general since 1991. Before killing Nasrallah, Israel also targeted his predecessor Abbas al-Musawi, who was killed in an airstrike in 1992. Qassem represented “the lower middle class,” while Nasrallah “belonged to the impoverished class in Lebanon,” Ali said.

Persons: Naim Qassem, Hassan Nasrallah, Qassem, “, Israel –, Yoav Gallant, Nasrallah, ” Mohanad Hage Ali, Malcolm H, ” Hashem Safieddine, “ Harakat al, –, Amal, Nabih, Israel, Abbas, Ali, ”, Nasrallah “, ” Ali Organizations: CNN, group’s Senior, Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Lebanese Locations: group’s, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Beirut, Lebanese, Kfar Kila, “, Nabih Berri, Gaza

☆ Why did Israel blow up hundreds of Hezbollah pagers — and what might happen next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

A region fearing all-out war may have been taken to the brink by a legion of pagers. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the operation, but Hezbollah laid the blame squarely on its adversary, and two U.S. officials told NBC News that Israel was behind the attack. It follows months of tensions between Hezbollah and Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks and Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. Israel announced a new war objective late Monday — the safe return of residents displaced from their homes by months of fighting with Hezbollah across the northern border with Lebanon. Israel could benefit on several different levels from such a massive and shocking operation, Horowitz said.

Persons: Israel, Yoav Gallant, ” Michael Horowitz, Horowitz, ”, —, ” Horowitz, Mohanad Hage Ali, Malcolm H, ” Hage Ali said, What’s, “, Masoud Pezeshkian, ” Hage Ali, Ori Gordin, Washington, Ben Rhodes, Barack Obama, ” Rhodes Organizations: Hezbollah, NBC News, NBC, Israeli, U.S, Le Beck, Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Kremlin, Israel Defense Forces ’ Northern Command, BBC Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Israel, Russia, Jordan, Gaza, Iran, Israeli, U.S, doesn’t

☆ Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time that the pagers were bought, said a security source. The two sides have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza conflict erupted last October, fuelling fears of a wider Middle East conflict that could drag in the United States and Iran. But given the scale, the impact on families, on civilians, there will be pressure for a stronger response," said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center. One Hezbollah official said the detonation was the group's "biggest security breach" in its history. It followed a series of assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas commanders and leaders blamed on Israel since the start of the Gaza war.

Persons: Tuesday's detonations, Firass Abiad, Tuesday's, Gold Apollo, Israel, Ayman Safadi, Mohanad Hage Ali Organizations: American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Hezbollah, Reuters, Lebanese Health, Israel, Jordan's, Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: American University of Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanon's, Beirut's, Iran, Lebanese, Beirut, Hungary's, Budapest, Gaza, United States

Image A photo of Fuad Shukr, from a wanted poster released by the U.S. State Department. Rewards for Justice, via Associated PressIt was not immediately clear whether Mr. Shukr, also known by his nom de guerre al-Hajj Mohsin, survived the Israeli assassination attempt. Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli brigadier general, described Mr. Shukr as “an experienced veteran” who had worked intensively to develop Hezbollah’s precision-guided missile apparatus. Analysts say the munitions are a particular concern for Israeli military planners. “It’s kind of run by committee, but Fuad Shukr is more or less first among equals,” he said, adding that Mr. Shukr reported directly to Mr. Nasrallah.

Persons: Fuad Shukr, Shukr, guerre, Hajj Mohsin, ”, Hassan Nasrallah, Mustafa Badreddine, Assaf, Matthew Levitt, Mohanad Hage Ali, Mr, Levitt, “, Nasrallah, Ronen Bergman Organizations: U.S, U.S . State Department . Credit, Justice, Associated, The State Department, Hezbollah, Washington Institute for Near, Carnegie Middle East, Israel Locations: Beirut, Golan, Syria, American, Israeli, Lebanon

☆ Why was Iran struck by drones?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Israel carried out the strike inside Iran Friday morning, a US official told CNN. There were no reports of a missile attack, Iran’s National Cyberspace Center spokesperson Hossein Dalirian said on social platform X. The US “didn’t green light” an Israeli response, another senior US official told CNN. Video Ad Feedback Iranian journalist on how Iranian media reported the Israeli attack 02:19 - Source: CNNWhy is this happening now? Israel last week pledged, however, that it would “exact a price” from Iran in response to that aerial barrage.

Persons: Hossein Dalirian, ”, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, “, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Israel, Beshara, ’, Yemen’s, Joe Biden, What’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir, ” Amir, Maha Yahya Organizations: CNN, National Cyberspace Center, United Nations, Islamic, Palestinian, Hamas, Israel, Iranian, Revolutionary Guards, Pentagon, Getty, Wednesday, Carnegie Middle East Locations: Iran, Israel, Tehran, Isfahan, Iranian, Syria, Islamic Republic, United States, Gaza, Israeli, Damascus, Quds, AFP, Red Sea, Tabriz

☆ Iran attack on Israel: Any kind of retaliatory action will 'spin out of control,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIran attack on Israel: Any kind of retaliatory action will 'spin out of control,' analyst saysMaha Yahya, director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, says a lot will depend on the United States.

Persons: Maha Yahya, Malcolm H Organizations: Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: Israel, United States

☆ This risk assessment tool helped Olivia Munn discover her breast cancer
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The “X-Men: Apocalypse” star, 43, wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and would not have discovered it if her physician, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, had not calculated her breast cancer risk score. A breast cancer risk assessment tool uses a statistical model to estimate a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer over the next five years as well as over her lifetime, or up to about age 90, according to the National Cancer Institute. Two models are commonly used as breast cancer risk assessment tools: the Gail Model and the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator. An online version of the breast cancer risk assessment tool, using the Gail Model, is available for anyone to take at bcrisktool.cancer.gov. In fact, some women who do not develop breast cancer have higher risk estimates than some women who do develop breast cancer,” according to the National Cancer Institute’s website.

Persons: Olivia Munn’s, Thaïs Aliabadi, Aliabadi, Munn, Gail, Jennifer Plichta, “, ” Plichta, they’re, ”, Plichta, I’ve, they’ve, Otis Brawley, ” Brawley, Larry Norton, Evelyn H, ” Norton, Robert Smith, Ruth Oratz, NYU Langone Health’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Oratz Organizations: CNN, National Cancer Institute, National Cancer, Duke Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Lauder Breast Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, American Cancer Society, US Preventive Services Task Force, NYU, Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, CNN Health Locations: United States, Durham , North Carolina

☆ Hezbollah Rejected US Overtures, Still Open to Diplomacy to Avoid Wider War
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has been leading a diplomatic outreach to restore security at the Israel-Lebanon frontier as the wider region teeters dangerously towards a major escalation of the conflict ignited by the Gaza war. Israel has also said it wants to avoid war, but both sides say they are ready to fight if necessary. Branded a terrorist organisation by Washington, Hezbollah has not been directly involved in talks, three Lebanese officials and a European diplomat said. Hezbollah has dismissed both ideas as unrealistic, the Lebanese officials and the diplomat said. Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday said attacks against Israel and its interests by the "Axis of Resistance" will stop if the Gaza war ends.

Persons: Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily, Amos Hochstein, Hochstein, Israel, Spokespeople, Eylon Levy, Najib Mikati, Mikati, Hamas, Mohanad Hage Ali, Hage Ali, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Gebeily, Dan Williams, Tom Perry, Steve Holland, Edtiing, Frank Jack Daniel Organizations: U.S, Yemen's, Reuters, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: Maya, Maya Gebeily BEIRUT, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen's Iran, Red Sea, U.S, Lebanese, Beirut, Jan, Washington, European, Hochstein, United States, IRAN, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, France, Jerusalem

The conflict is also testing the limits of the regional coalition whose members - which include the Syrian government, Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups from Iraq to Yemen - have differing priorities and domestic challenges. On Oct. 7, Hamas' military commander Mohammed Deif called on its axis allies to join the struggle. Yet, like its backer Iran, Hezbollah has avoided an all-out confrontation. Iran does not recognise Israel's existence, while Israel has long threatened military action against Iran if diplomacy fails to curb its disputed nuclear activity. "Iran has shown a four-decade commitment to fighting America and Israel without entering into direct conflict.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, wouldn't, Yemen's Houthis, Mohanad Hage Ali, Israel, Mohammed Deif, Khaled Meshaal, Dennis Ross, Hamas didn't, didn't, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Israel didn't, Karim Sadjadpour, Parisa Hafezi, Laila Bassam, Arshad Mohammed, Tom Perry, Jonathan Saul, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Pravin Organizations: Israel, Reuters, Hezbollah, Carnegie Middle East Center, Hamas, Washington Institute for Near, Iran, AMERICA, United, U.S, Pentagon ., . Defense, NORTH Austin, Carnegie Endowment, International, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Tehran, Israel, Iran, Palestinian, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Beirut, Gaza, Lebanon, Palestine, United States, U.S, East, Iranian, Afghanistan, Seoul, ISRAEL, America, Dubai, Saint Paul, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ Lebanon front with Israel heats up, stoking fears of wider war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Israeli strikes killed two people in south Lebanon on Monday, according to a first-responder organisation affiliated to the Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement. Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israeli forces since its Palestinian ally Hamas went to war with Israel on Oct. 7. The exchanges mark the deadliest violence at the border since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. So far, more than 70 Hezbollah fighters and 10 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, and 10 people including seven troops have been killed in Israel. The 2006 war killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Persons: Israel, Hamas, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Nasrallah, Najib Mikati, Al, Lloyd Austin, Mohanad Hage Ali, Phil Stewart, Crispian Balmer, Dan Williams, Edmund Blair Organizations: Amal, Israel Electric Company, Hezbollah, United, Israeli, U.S . Defense, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Israel, BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, Lebanese, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, United States, Beirut, Al Jazeera, Israel's, Seoul, U.S, Jerusalem

His statement confirmed the widening scope of a conflict that has unnerved states including the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia, hardening fears of spillover as Israel seeks to destroy Hamas in its Gaza Strip stronghold. The Houthis have demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities during the Yemen war in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with the Houthis in a bid to exit the war, as Riyadh focuses on economic priorities at home. But Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel have increased the risks of conflict for Saudi Arabia. Saudi analyst Aziz Alghashian said Saudi Arabia would be worried about the conflict spilling across its own borders.

Persons: Yahya Saree, spillover, Saree, Tzachi Hanegbi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Mohanad Hage Ali, Aziz Alghashian, Nadine Awadalla, Nayera Abdallah, Tom Perry, Henriette Chacar, Ari Rabinovitch, Mohamed Ghobari, Angus MacSwan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Resistance, Mideast DUBAI, ., Israeli National Security, U.S, Lebanese, United, United Arab Emirates, Zionist, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Iran, Israel, Sanaa, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Egypt, America, United States, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, United Arab, Iranian, Qatar, SAUDI, Riyadh, Jordan, Tehran, Dubai, Beirut, Parisa, Jerusalem, Aden

“All of Lebanon, including Hezbollah — we don’t want a war,” said Lebanon’s foreign minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, who is in regular contact with Hezbollah. “There is Western pressure on the Lebanese government to apply pressure on Hezbollah not to go to war. But will Israel start a war? “If the situation gets really bad in Gaza, it will be really bad for the whole region — not just Lebanon and Israel,” Mr. Bou Habib said. Israel has responded with a vast bombing campaign on Gaza, a blockade on fuel and a ground invasion.

Persons: ”, Abdallah Bou Habib, ” Ron Dermer, we’re, Mr, Dermer, Bou Habib, ” Mr, Khaled Meshaal, Meshaal, Al Arabiya, Maha Yahya, Ms, Yahya, “, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Nasrallah Organizations: Hezbollah, Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: Lebanon, States, Israel, Gaza, United States, Beirut, Iran

☆ Hezbollah says it downs Israeli drone in south Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Sunday it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile, the first time it has announced such an incident, as clashes on the Lebanese border escalate. The drone was hit near Khiam, about 5 km (3 miles) from the border with Israel, and was seen falling in Israeli territory, Hezbollah added. Two security sources in Lebanon said it was the first time Hezbollah had announced downing an Israeli drone. The Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon have been exchanging fire on a daily basis since the start of the Gaza conflict three weeks ago. "UNIFIL expresses serious concern over these two attacks on our troops who are tirelessly working 24/7 to restore stability in southern Lebanon and de-escalate this perilous situation, " the force wrote on social media platform X.

Persons: Mohanad Hage Ali, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Nayera Abdallah, Younes el, Riham Alkousaa, Alexander Smith, Hugh Lawson, Giles Elgood Organizations: Carnegie Middle East Center, Israeli Defence Ministry, United Nations, UNIFIL, Lebanese, Younes el Audi, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Lebanese, Khiam, Israel, Houla, Gaza, Naqoura

☆ Who Decides Penn’s Future: Donors or the University?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Stephanie Saul | More About Stephanie Saul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

“The conference became a vehicle.”It is not unusual for donors, unhappy with student activism, to pull back giving. “It’s essential that the university remains independent from donor pressure or influence on the content of work that’s done in the university,” said Ms. Lieberwitz, who is also general counsel for the American Association of University Professors. “Very broadly, I am deeply committed to academic freedom,” Ms. Magill had told The Daily Pennsylvanian, the campus newspaper. Alumni Donors Push BackOne day after the Indigenous Peoples’ Day post, Ms. Magill issued her first statement condemning the Hamas assault. Some Wharton alumni had been unhappy with the university’s direction for a long time.

Persons: —, Lauder, Jon Huntsman, Dick Wolf —, Rowan, ”, Robert Vitalis, “, George W, Bush, Penn, Risa L, Lieberwitz, Magill, Ms, Amy Wax, Penn Hillel, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Israel, Roger Waters, Susan Albuhawa, Critics, ” Mr, Wharton, Jonathan S, Jacobson, Lia Thomas, Erika James, Ross Stevens, University of Chicago’s Booth, Stevens, Booth Organizations: “, East Center, University of Texas, Austin, University of Denver, Palestinian, U.N, Cornell, American Association of University, Edge, University of Virginia, Daily, university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Penn, Pink Floyd, Indigenous Peoples, Wharton, HighSage Ventures, Management, University of Chicago’s Locations: Utah, Penn, Israel, Yom Kippur, Nazi, Berlin

Iran-backed Hezbollah knows this and is keeping Lebanon's crises in mind as it plots the next steps in the conflict with Israel, sources say. As the war between Israel and Hezbollah's Palestinian ally Hamas reverberates across the Middle East, the risk of war between Hezbollah and Israel remains higher than at any point since their last big conflict in 2006. Lebanon has no interest in war", a source familiar with Hezbollah thinking said. However, Hezbollah has also indicated a readiness for war, reflecting its position as the spearhead of an Iran-backed alliance against Israel and the United States. Lebanon took years to rebuild from the 2006 war which killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 158 Israelis, most of them soldiers.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Israel, Walid Jumblatt, Isaac Herzog, Hezbollah's, Suleiman Frangieh, Nabil Boumonsef, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Ghassan Hasbani, Mohanad Hage Ali, Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Analysts, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanese, Annahar, Lebanese Forces, Christian, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Lebanon, Israel, BEIRUT, Iran, Hamas, Gaza, Arab, United States, Lebanese, LEBANON, Beirut

Electronic boards showing stock information are pictured at the stock market, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 5, 2020. "Such an escalation could lead to increased oil prices, concerns about oil supply, and the potential for a global economic downturn." In the unlikely event the United States sends troops into the Middle East, Belote expected a $20 jump in oil prices, "if not more". "Israel has better relations with other Arab countries compared to then," JP Morgan private bank strategist Madison Faller said in a note, "and global oil supply is not as concentrated." Reuters Graphics5/ TECH JITTERSWhat's good for oil stocks can be bad for big tech.

Persons: Abdel Hadi Ramahi, Hamza Meddeb, Malcolm H, Brent Belote, Belote, JP, Madison Faller, Nadia Martin Wiggen, Alessia Berardi, Amundi's Berardi, Trevor Greetham, Morgan Stanley, Jeff, London's Greetham, Naomi Rovnick, Nell Mackenzie, Marc Jones, Dhara Ranasinghe, Sharon Singleton Organizations: United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Oil, JP Morgan, Svelland, Reuters Graphics Reuters, U.S, Reuters, Swiss, Royal, Aegon, Deutsche Bank, Aerospace, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, Israel, Gaza, Beirut, IRAN, Iran, U.S, United States, Arab, Turkey, Ukraine, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Suez, London

The less-ambitious approach fit with Biden's determination to pivot his foreign-policy focus from Middle East hotspots to China. Arab leaders “are very aware this is going to keep blowing up. Then, Hamas's breakout from Gaza shattered what National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had hailed as a period of Middle East calm. Brokering those alliances would stabilize the Middle East in themselves, no Israeli-Palestinian peace accord needed, supporters have argued. The nightmare unfolding now for Israeli and Palestinian civilians argues differently, when it comes to Biden's approach, critics say.

Persons: Biden, Richard Nixon, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Abdel Fattah el, Sissi, Antony Blinken, ”, Yezid Sayigh, Malcolm H, it’s, Sayigh, Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas, Donald Trump, Jake Sullivan, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, “, Jonathan Lord, Yousef Munayyer, Sam Magdy Organizations: WASHINGTON, Camp David, Israeli, West Bank, United, Palestinian, Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, U.S, Trump, United Arab, National, Biden, Hamas's, Center, New, New American Security, Arab, Associated Press Locations: Israel, China, Gaza, United States, Cairo, East, Jordan, Egypt, East Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia, Beirut, Lebanon, American, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, U.S, Iran, Saudi, New American, Palestine, Washington

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah on war footing but moves carefully as conflict widens
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Iran-backed group is on a war footing, deploying special forces and priming its rockets in preparation for the possibility of war. Tensions are higher than at any point since it fought a 2006 conflict with Israel, the sources said. Hamas ignited the war on Saturday when its gunmen infiltrated Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and abducting dozens more. Palestinian and Hezbollah flags flutter in Khiam, near the border with Israel, in southern Lebanon October 9, 2023. All-out war would likely derail Lebanon's offshore oil and gas exploration efforts, for which Hezbollah has voiced strong support.

Persons: Israel, Aziz Taher, NASRALLAH, Mohanad Hage Ali, Hezbollah's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Ibrahim al, Amin, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Hezbollah, Islamic, Iran's, Guards, United, Embassy, Reuters, State Department, REUTERS, Carnegie Middle East Center, Palestinian, Lebanese, Thomson Locations: Israel, Iran, Lebanon, BEIRUT, Lebanese, Gaza, Syria, Hamas, Tehran, United States, U.S, Palestinian, Beirut

In addition, thousands of troops have been deployed in southern Israel next to Gaza, which Israeli forces withdrew from in 2005. Trying to rescue all those Hamas said were now held in different locations could jeopardise their lives. Yet, protracted negotiations with Hamas over a prisoner swap would be a huge win for an arch foe of Israel. Within 24 hours, 11 Israelis, five Palestinians and a German policeman were dead after a rescue effort erupted into gunfire. Netanyahu could follow a more familiar strategy of assassinating Hamas leaders with air strikes and bombs.

Persons: Noa Argamani, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Israel, David Saranga, Gilad Shalit, Aaron David Miller, Col Yonatan, Yoni, Mahmoud Abbas, Ariel Sharon, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Saleh al, Arouri, Al, Mohanad Hage Ali, Maayan Lubell, Nidal, Michael Georgy, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Hamas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israeli, Carnegie Endowment, International, Israeli Foreign Ministry, Air, Israeli Olympic, Palestinian, West Bank, Israel, Palestinian Prisoners Association, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, JERUSALEM, DUBAI, Entebbe, Uganda, Air France, Palestinian, Munich, Europe, Al Jazeera, Jerusalem, Dubai

[1/9] United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) members stand near their vehicles in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, August 16, 2023. Israel and Hezbollah have avoided war across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since their last major clash 17 years ago, deterred by mutual threats of destruction. The tensions come against the backdrop of a political crisis in Israel that has emboldened its enemies. Lebanon can ill afford conflict four years into a financial meltdown that has paralysed the state. Hezbollah last year gave its blessing to a maritime border deal with Israel that allows Lebanon to explore for offshore energy.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, Hassan al, Baghdadi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohanad Hage Ali, General Lázaro, Andrea Tenenti, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations Interim Force, REUTERS, Reuters, National Security, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center, West Bank, UNIFIL, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Naqoura, Lebanese, Israel, JERUSALEM, BEIRUT, Iran, Syria, Ghajar, Western, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Gaza, Jerusalem, Al, Aqsa, Beirut

Neither Azour nor Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Frangieh came close to winning the 86 votes needed to win in a first round vote. Azour, the IMF's Middle East Director and an ex-finance minister, won the support of 59 of 128 lawmakers. Hezbollah and its allies then withdrew from the session, denying the two-thirds quorum required for a second vote in which 65 votes are enough for victory. Azour thanked lawmakers who backed him, saying he hoped the will expressed by "the majority of deputies" would be respected. George Adwan, a Christian lawmaker with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party, said the vote was "a major victory" because it showed Azour close to 65 votes.

Persons: Gebran Bassil, Azour, Suleiman Frangieh, Frangieh, Nabih Berri, Michel Aoun, Hussein al, Haj Hassan, Bashar al, Assad, George Adwan, Mohamed Azakir, Matthew Miller, Miller, Mohanad Hage Ali, Riad Salameh, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan dialled, Issam Abdallah, Simon Lewis, Tom Perry, John Stonestreet, Mark Heinrich, William Maclean Organizations: BEIRUT, Hezbollah, IMF, Maronite, Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, REUTERS, U.S . State Department, Carnegie Middle East Center, West, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Iran, Muslim, Saudi Arabia, Lebanese, Yemen, Beirut, Washington, U.S, United States, Israel, Damascus

The budget deficit is estimated at a record 64.36 trillion Iraq dinars, more than double the last budget deficit in 2021, according to a budget document and lawmakers. The budget sets the exchange rate for oil revenues in U.S. dollars at 1,300 dinars per dollar. It will remain valid through 2025, though it is subject to amendment, including to the oil price it uses given its near-total dependence on oil revenue. To break even, Iraq required an oil price of $96 bpd, it said, while the price averaged $71.3 bpd in May. Baghdad previously had no say over Kurdistan's expenditure of oil revenues, with Kurdistan unilaterally exporting crude via Turkey despite Baghdad's objections.

Persons: Mohammed Nouri, Ahmed Tabaqchali, Ahmed Rasheed, Timour, Shri Navaratnam, Robert Birsel Organizations: Media, REUTERS, London School of Economics Middle East Center, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, REUTERS BAGHDAD, Kurdistan, Iraqi, Turkey, Erbil, Iraq's, Kurdish, Ankara

☆ Jeffrey Epstein was invited to editorial meetings with Scientific American's top editor, email records show
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jeffrey Epstein was invited to editorial meetings with Scientific American's editor-in-chief. Jeffrey Epstein was invited to editorial meetings with Mariette DiChristina when she was the top editor of Scientific American magazine, according to scheduling emails obtained by Insider. Epstein had the opportunity to attend editorial meetings on September 22 and 29. "10:30-11:30am Mariette DiChristina to hold her Editorial Meeting to discuss story ideas (DO YOU WANT TO ATTEND? She will be at this meeting)," Groff wrote in one such email.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, Mariette DiChristina, Epstein, Lesley Groff, Groff, didn't, Stephen Kosslyn, Larry Summers, Denzel Washington, Little Saint James, Eva Andersson, Dubin, JP Morgan Chase, Ghislaine Maxwell, Maxwell, DiChristina Organizations: Morning, Scientific, College of Communication, Boston University, Harvard University, Islands, Dubin, Tisch Cancer Institute, Virgin Islands, New York Times, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Locations: New York, Paris, Little Saint, Midtown Manhattan, Virgin, Manhattan

☆ Analysis: Arabs bring Syria's Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While denying any role in the trade, for which Syrian officials and Assad relatives have faced Western sanctions, Damascus has sought leverage from the issue. Hezbollah, which deployed fighters to Syria to aid Assad's war efforts, has denied any role in the drugs trade. Aided by Iran and Russia, Assad steadily beat back his rebel enemies, some of whom had support from U.S.-allied Arab states that have now restored ties. The Syrian source confirmed Riyadh had proposed a sum that would be paid as humanitarian aid, but could not say how much. "I would put ending the captagon trade right at the top alongside the other issues", she said.

Search resuls for: "East Center"

25 mentions found