Lebanese Voices Optimistic About Direct Talks With Israel
Claudia Groeling 17/04 11:35 - Reading : less than a minute
Following the direct negotiations that took place on April 14, the first high-level, U.S.-mediated talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives since 1993, This Is Beirut spoke to residents on the ground to understand their views on the discussions and what they hope comes next. Many expressed support for direct negotiations, saying they ...
Hezbollah’s Grip on Displacement Centers Threatens Civilians and Aid
Claudia Groeling 10/04 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanese Army Lebanon Israel Lebanese Forces
More than a million Lebanese have been displaced since Hezbollah plunged Lebanon into war with Israel, with many now seeking refuge in communal shelters draped in Iranian flags and guarded by the militant group’s fighters. Hamed Abou Zahr, head of the Aamalouna displacement center in Sidon, warned that other shelters were “openly ...
Makhzoumi: Peace with Israel Is Lebanon's Only Option, Hezbollah Must Be Dismantled
Claudia Groeling 06/04 17:15 - Reading : less than a minute
In an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, Parliamentarian Fouad Makhzoumi discussed critical issues in Lebanon: achieving peace with Israel through clear government mandates, fully disarming Hezbollah and cutting its funding, and restoring government control over security, aid, and reconstruction efforts. By Claudia Groeling and Kaline Antoun
Can Lebanon's Military Court Break Free of Hezbollah's Shadow?
Kaline Antoun 02/04 09:45 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army Israel Joseph Aoun
Lebanon’s Military Court has drawn scrutiny for its handling of detainees linked to Hezbollah, reigniting long-standing criticism over its politicization and expansive legal authority. On March 9, the Military Court controversially ordered the release of three individuals arrested by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on charges of illegally ...
Saudi Arabia Weighs Its Position as Houthis Enter the Fray
Kaline Antoun 28/03 12:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Saudi Arabia Gulf Houthi Israel Tehran
For nearly a month, Saudi Arabia has absorbed sustained waves of Iranian missile and drone attacks on its cities and critical energy infrastructure, while maintaining a posture of calculated restraint. This comes as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement launched its first missile toward Israel on Saturday since the start of the war, ...
Christian Communities on the Frontline: Anger at Hezbollah Grows
Claudia Groeling 24/03 21:55 - Reading : less than a minute
This is Beirut traveled to southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, where Christian communities voiced a clear desire for peace amid the escalating war. Many residents blamed Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the conflict without national consensus, saying they are now forced to bear its consequences. While expressing solidarity with displaced ...
Lebanon’s Government Moves to Rein in Hezbollah, But Is It Enough?
Claudia Groeling 08/03 12:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Benjamin Netanyahu
After Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional conflict with its March 2 attack on Israel, the Lebanese government signaled increased urgency to assert state authority and seize the militia’s arsenal. The cabinet’s headline-making decisions include banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities, directing the Lebanese Armed Forces ...
After Khamenei’s Killing, Will Hezbollah Enter the War?
Claudia Groeling 01/03 00:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Hezbollah Nawaf Salam Lebanon Israel Joseph Aoun
Israeli officials claim that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in a joint U.S.–Israeli strike, shifting global attention toward Lebanon amid fears of regional escalation. The question now dominating security circles is whether Hezbollah will enter the confrontation in support of Tehran. Analysts have ...
Who Rises Next? Sunni Perspectives on the Muslim Brotherhood and President Al-Sharaa
Claudia Groeling 06/02 23:25 - Reading : less than a minute
In Lebanon today, the Sunni streets are largely leaderless, and many are searching for new direction. This Is Beirut went on the ground in Sunni areas to ask residents about the Muslim Brotherhood’s designation as a foreign terrorist organization and whether the Brotherhood or President Ahmed al-Sharaa can fill the leadership void. Many ...
After Maduro: The Challenge of Dismantling Hezbollah in Venezuela
Claudia Groeling 26/01 09:35 - Reading : 9 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanon Donald Trump Tehran US Secretary of State
After U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3, Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed that Washington would uproot Hezbollah and Iranian influence in the South American country. “We are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere, in the sphere of control and the crossroads for ...
Why Lebanon’s Shia Opposition Sees Opportunity in the 2026 Elections
Claudia Groeling 19/01 15:41 - Reading : 11 minute(s)
Hezbollah Amal Lebanon Elections Parliament Opposition
Lebanon’s upcoming parliamentary elections are shaping up as a test of Hezbollah’s political standing at a moment of vulnerability, after the group suffered a major military blow in the 2024 war with Israel and faces mounting pressure from the Lebanese government’s pledge to disarm it nationwide. Since the 1992 parliamentary elections, the ...
Who are the Shia Opposition Seeking to Break Hezbollah’s Stranglehold?
Claudia Groeling 16/01 19:29 - Reading : 9 minute(s)
Lebanon Shia Opposition Hezbollah Amal Disarmament Israel
Lebanon’s upcoming parliamentary elections, coming on the heels of the 2024 Hezbollah–Israel war that devastated the organization and its core constituencies, have reopened the question of Shia political representation. For decades, Lebanese political discourse has treated the Shia community as a unified political bloc, electorally ...
After the Vote: Exposing the Gap Law’s Broken Promises
Claudia Groeling 2025-12-29 19:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam International Monetary Fund Lebanon Banque du Liban Gap Law Banks
Lebanon’s cabinet on December 19 approved one of the most controversial pieces of legislation since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, adopting the so-called “Gap Law” in a narrow vote that has reignited public anger and raised serious concerns among economists, legal experts, and international observers. Backed by 13 ministers ...
Order of Malta Turns Crisis Relief into Stability
Rayan Chami 2025-12-12 16:10 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon South Lebanon Order of Malta
The Order of Malta Lebanon is scaling up its Programmed Food Assistance Project nationwide, from hot meals and school breakfasts to long-term agricultural support. In Kfar Falous, South Lebanon, farmers and families show how urgent aid is transforming into lasting resilience.
Hezbollah’s Excuses Are No Longer Credible
Kaline Antoun 2025-10-27 17:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army
Two months after the Lebanese government reaffirmed its exclusive authority over weapons, Hezbollah remains unwavering in its refusal to disarm. Since its inception, the pro-Iranian militia has justified its arsenal as a means of “resistance” and “defending Lebanon,” portraying its weapons as both a shield against Israel and a tool of ...
Global Leaders Welcome Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Kaline Antoun 2025-10-14 20:05 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Hamas Ceasefire Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron
Leaders around the world have welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas, formalized at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, 2025. The initiative was driven by US President Donald Trump and signed jointly by mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. The agreement calls for a halt to hostilities, the release of ...
First Post-Assad Parliament and the Challenge of Transition
Kaline Antoun 2025-08-09 15:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Syria’s first legislative elections since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime are scheduled for September 2025. Conducted through an unprecedented indirect voting system, these elections aim to lay the groundwork for political renewal. Yet, amid promises of representation, significant uncertainties leave the outcome fragile. According to the ...
What Would Actually Set Off a Nuclear Disaster
Kaline Antoun 2025-06-20 22:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Middle East Ukraine United Nations
Since the Israeli strikes on Iran’s Natanz nuclear site on June 13, one question has taken on new urgency: What exactly needs to be hit in a nuclear facility to trigger a radioactive or chemical leak? And more critically, did the recent strikes come dangerously close to that threshold? To assess the risk, we first need to understand what a ...
Tensions Mount as Washington Delays and Israel Threatens Iran
Kaline Antoun 2025-05-30 18:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam United States Iran Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Nuclear
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay any potential military action against Iran, in order to give the United States administration more time to negotiate a new nuclear agreement with Tehran. Iran’s nuclear program lies at the center of an escalating diplomatic ...
Shia Clans in the Upcoming Municipal Elections
Kaline Antoun 2025-04-24 12:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Amal Baalbeck Hezbollah
After nine years of waiting, municipal elections will be held starting early next month. This vote carries strategic importance, as it precedes the parliamentary elections by a year and serves as a political barometer, particularly in the Shia regions of Lebanon, which have been affected by the repercussions of the war between Hezbollah and ...
Shiite Clans in Lebanon: Alliances, Autonomy, and Current Issues
Kaline Antoun 2025-03-24 18:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Amal Baalbeck Hezbollah United Nations
Recent armed clashes on the Lebanese-Syrian border have once again brought attention to the situation of Shiite clans in this region. These events have also highlighted the key role these clans play in the local social and political fabric. Who are they? How do they interact with Hezbollah and the Lebanese state? The Shiite clans of northern ...
May Municipal Elections: Multidimensional Stakes Ahead
Kaline Antoun 2025-03-04 19:40 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar announced on Tuesday that municipal elections will begin on Sunday, May 4. Spread over four weekends, they will conclude on Sunday, May 25 – the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Typically held every six years, the elections have been postponed three times since 2022 under various ...