By staff writer 

A ceasefire that bleeds: Gaza war repackaged as peace

TEHRAN – The October 10 ceasefire in Gaza was sold to the world to signal that Israel’s war on the Palestinian enclave had finally stopped. In reality, it may be one of the most effective political tools yet devised to keep the machinery of destruction running while convincing the international community that peace has arrived. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon’s phantom prince: A political scandal beyond ordinary fraud

How a fraudulent Saudi envoy swindled Lebanon’s elite

BEIRUT—Lebanon is no stranger to political scandal, but few incidents rival the intrigue of the case now known locally as the “Phantom Saudi Prince” affair. 

By Wesam Bahrani 

‘Project Sunrise’: Trump’s vision for Gaza

TEHRAN – The U.S. administration revives its dangerous vision of transforming Gaza into a “Middle East Riviera,” sidelining the Palestinians once more. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Israel’s role in fragmenting Yemen: Geopolitics, proxies, and strategic waterways

BEIRUT—The war on Yemen has never been merely an internal conflict. From its earliest stages, it has been shaped by regional and international actors seeking to redraw the country’s political and geographic map. 

By Shahrokh Saei 

Fractured fortress: Israel crumbling from within

TEHRAN – Israel often presents itself as a regional fortress, with its military active from Gaza to Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, and in confrontations linked to Iran. From the outside, it seems untouchable, disciplined, and in control. But a closer look reveals that the walls are cracking. Every strike, every campaign is like a hammer blow against the world, yet the same blows reverberate inside, shaking Israel itself. The more Israel relies on force, the more the foundations beneath it weaken.

By Wesam Bahrani 

Disarmament in Gaza: ‘Day after’ pressure

TEHRAN – Gaza appears to be entering a difficult testing phase, the outcome of which will depend on the Palestinians’ ability to forge a unified national position.

By Sondoss Al Asaad

Hezbollah in focus: Strategic goals behind Imad Amhaz video

Following the release of an investigative report in Israel Hayom  titled “The Secret Maritime File,” Israel publishes a video featuring Imad Amhaz

BEIRUT— The recent release of a video featuring Lebanese national Imad Amhaz—more than a year after his detention—signals a carefully calculated media and political maneuver by Tel Aviv.

By Wesam Bahrani 

Sydney attack: Israel’s balance of gains and losses

TEHRAN – Israeli media’s interpretation of the terrorist attack in Sydney is marked by contradiction and confusion. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanese parliament pushes back, breaks boycott

BEIRUT—On Thursday, Lebanon’s parliament sent a decisive signal: political blackmail no longer guarantees paralysis.

By staff writer

Proxy theater in the Persian Gulf: Israel scripts, UAE performs

TEHRAN – Israel’s war on Gaza has been marked by mass civilian deaths, starvation tactics, and the destruction of homes, hospitals, and refugee camps. At a time when international courts and human rights groups are demanding accountability, the United Arab Emirates has not stepped back. It has stepped in.

By Sondoss Al Asaad

Washington’s squeeze on Lebanese Army: Redefining doctrine, loyalty, and identity

BEIRUT—Over the past months, the Lebanese Army has found itself at the center of an escalating campaign of political, security, and ideological pressure led by Washington in close coordination with Israel. 

By staff writer 

From sanctions to blockade: Trump’s naval coercion of Venezuela

TEHRAN – U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to order a “total and complete” blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers marks one of the most dangerous escalations in Washington–Caracas relations. While the Trump administration presents the move as a sanctions enforcement action, the reality is far more serious: the use of military force to control another country’s trade, outside international law and without global consent.

By Wesam Bahrani 

The imposed ‘peace’ on Gaza

Gaza won’t become part of an American project or a lifeline for failed politicians or dealmakers 

TEHRAN – Nothing has been more dangerous for Gaza over the past two years than the bombs and missiles that have fallen on it.

By Wesam Bahrani 

Behind the Israeli assassination of Raed Saad 

TEHRAN – The Israeli regime assassinated the second-in-command of the al-Qassam Brigades on December 13. What is the regime's objective? 

By Shahrokh Saei 

Beyond bombs: Israel’s expansionist narrative in Lebanon

TEHRAN – Israel is waging a hybrid war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, weaving continued military strikes with a propaganda campaign and ongoing occupation. This multi-front assault is not merely tactical; it is a strategic effort to lay the diplomatic and narrative groundwork for a far broader military escalation.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Turkish discontent with Lebanon over the Cyprus maritime agreement

BEIRUT—Turkey’s dissatisfaction with Lebanon has crystallized sharply following Beirut’s decision to sign a maritime border demarcation and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) agreement with Cyprus with coordination with Ankara or Damascus.

By Wesam Bahrani 

38 years after the founding of Hamas

TEHRAN – Hamas affirms that Operation al-Aqsa Flood marked a pivotal moment in the Palestinian people’s struggle against occupation. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon at the edge: Diplomacy between fire and restraint

BEIRUT—Lebanon has entered a critical moment. An intense flurry of regional and international contacts is unfolding against the backdrop of open Israeli threats against Lebanon and mounting internal pressure. 

Attack on Jewish event in Bondi kills 11, injures dozens

Australia’s tragedy won’t wash Netanyahu’s bloody hands

TEHRAN – The massacre at Australia’s Bondi Beach on December 14 was a moment of unadulterated horror. As gunmen opened fire at the “Chanukah by the Sea” celebration, killing at least 11 and wounding dozens more, a community was left shattered.

By Shahrokh Saei 

“Where’s Daddy?”: How Israel and US tech turn Gaza’s homes into graves

TEHRAN – Israel’s war in Gaza has been fueled not only by bombs and soldiers but by U.S. and European technology companies, whose services and access to Palestinian data have made mass killing possible. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Hezbollah’s move in launching Women’s Action Unit marks a milestone

Forging resistance from the grassroots

BEIRUT—The official launch of Hezbollah’s Women’s Action Unit marks a defining organizational and social milestone, reflecting decades of accumulated women’s participation and responding to the demands of a critical historical moment.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Youssef Raggi’s diplomatic derailment

When will Lebanese leadership restore institutional discipline? 

BEIRUT—Handpicked by the Lebanese Forces (LF), Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi has, since taking office, behaved less like a custodian of national diplomacy and more like a partisan activist focused only on a narrow ideological agenda. 

By staff writer 

Piracy and pressure: US push against Venezuela

TEHRAN – The confrontation between the United States and Venezuela in late 2025 is not a sudden flare-up but the continuation of Washington’s long-standing pressure campaign. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Israel’s aggressive blueprint: A rebuttal to Lebanon’s pro-Israel propaganda

BEIRUT—In early December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again peeled back the last veneer of diplomatic pretence. 

By Wesam Bahrani 

Gaza truce at a crossroads

TEHRAN – Growing international pressure and unexpectedly strong Palestinian compliance are reshaping calculations around advancing the Gaza truce.