Lebanon

South Lebanon: Airstrike Kills One and Injures 11
South Lebanon: Airstrike Kills One and Injures 11

Early Wednesday morning, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the town of Tiri with two missiles, killing one person and injuring 11 others, according to the Ministry of Public Health.  A school bus carrying students happened to pass behind the targeted vehicle. In parallel, Israeli fire struck wooded areas in the town of Yaroun. In another ...

Lebanon Faces Donor Backlash After Decision Extending Disability Benefits to Hezbollah Fighters
FocusLebanon Faces Donor Backlash After Decision Extending Disability Benefits to Hezbollah Fighters

Lebanon is facing mounting diplomatic backlash after the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) extended state and donor-funded disability benefits to the thousands of Hezbollah fighters wounded in Israel’s September 2024 operation targeting Hezbollah’s communication devices. What the ministry described as a humanitarian exemption is now being ...

Two Soldiers Killed During an Army Operation in Baalbeck
Two Soldiers Killed During an Army Operation in Baalbeck

Two soldiers were killed and three others wounded during clashes with wanted individuals on Thursday in the Charawneh neighborhood of Baalbeck, the Army Command announced in a statement. According to the army, a unit deployed in the area to carry out a series of raids came under heavy fire, prompting an exchange involving gunfire and ...

Israeli Targeted Strike on Ain al-Helweh Kills Thirteen
Israeli Targeted Strike on Ain al-Helweh Kills Thirteen

An Israeli strike targeted a caompound on Tuesday in the Ain al-Helweh camp in the city of Saida. The Ministry of Health announced a preliminary toll of 13 deaths and four injuries. The MOPH added that "ambulances are still transporting more wounded to nearby hospitals". Several schools in Sidon have announced their closure tomorrow following ...

Washington Cancels General Rodolphe Haykal's Visit
Washington Cancels General Rodolphe Haykal's Visit

Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal’s planned visit to the United States on Tuesday was cancelled at the last minute, after Washington notified Beirut that the program would not be maintained. The cancellation of the visit was reportedly due to the Lebanese army's statement regarding the Israeli army's shooting of two UNIFIL soldiers, in ...

Papal Visit Funding: Where Does Lebanon Stand?
Papal Visit Funding: Where Does Lebanon Stand?

With less than two weeks to go before Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon at the end of the month, preparations have entered their final stage. Roger Zaccar, head of the visit’s financial committee, told This is Beirut that nearly 80% of the required funds have already been secured, with the remaining 20% are still needed to complete the ...

Why Normalization with Israel Will Revive Saudi Arabia
Op-edWhy Normalization with Israel Will Revive Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is rapidly losing regional relevance, with Sunni rivals Qatar and Turkey encroaching on its traditional leadership roles. The Kingdom’s economy remains mired in second gear, unable to transition from oil dependency to a knowledge-based model. Riyadh’s repeated promises of financial windfalls to the U.S. now appear to be ...

UNIFIL Begins Withdrawal as Europe Weighs Replacement Force
PoliticsUNIFIL Begins Withdrawal as Europe Weighs Replacement Force

No one can predict what southern Lebanon will look like after UNIFIL withdraws at the end of 2026. Will Lebanon have succeeded in disarming Hezbollah? Will it be able to fully control the south, particularly the area south of the Litani River? And what role will the international presence play in the region? UNIFIL has already begun reducing its ...

Saudi Arabia-Lebanon: A Major Trade Thaw Begins
Numbers & FiguresSaudi Arabia-Lebanon: A Major Trade Thaw Begins

Signs of warning relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are becoming increasingly evident. Many see it as long overdue for Lebanon to reclaim its place within its natural sphere: the Arab world. On Monday, Prince Yazid bin Farhan, advisor to the Saudi Foreign Minister, visited Beirut with a technical delegation. The visit aimed to explore ...

Naim Kassem Criticizes the State and “American Financial Tutelage”
Naim Kassem Criticizes the State and “American Financial Tutelage”

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Kassem continued his comments on the Lebanese government, urging it to adopt a firmer stance toward Israel. During the first commemoration of the assassination of Mohammad Afif and his companions, he once again took it upon himself to remind the Lebanese state of its “responsibility” to put in place a “plan ...

A New Epicenter Emerges in the Near East
AnalysisA New Epicenter Emerges in the Near East

The situation in the Near East is still groping its way towards a new equilibrium. So far, it seems that the destruction of the proxy networks mounted by Iran’s Islamic regime has not yet eclipsed pursuit of political revanche all along the geopolitical spectrum extending through Iraq, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, Gaza, and their ...