TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United States has significantly increased its military presence in the Middle East region amid the ongoing Israeli violence in Gaza, as announced by the Pentagon. In a statement released on Saturday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin disclosed that he had authorized the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and additional Patriot battalions to undisclosed locations in the Middle East to enhance the protection of US forces. THAAD systems are designed to intercept various types of missiles and have an operational range of about 200 kilometers, while Patriots, known for their recent use in Ukraine, have a range of up to 160 kilometers and are capable of shooting down missiles, drones, and warplanes. According to Austin, this decision was reached after "detailed discussions" with US President Joe Biden to provide support to Israel. Additionally, the Defense Secretary ordered a certain number of US forces to be prep...
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement Seyed Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met in Beirut on Thursday for talks on the latest regional developments. The top Iranian diplomat and the Hezbollah chief exchanged views on regional issues, with a particular focus on Palestine and Lebanon, according to Iran's Ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani. Amani stated that Amirabdollahian and Nasrallah also discussed potential future events in the region, efforts to halt Israel's atrocities against Gaza, possible scenarios regarding the ongoing war, and the global collective responsibility concerning "the historic and determining development." On Wednesday, Amirabdollahian engaged in talks with Ziad al-Nakhala, Secretary General of the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad movement, Khalil al-Hayya, deputy chief of the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Gaza, and other o...