Lebanon

Salam Says Lebanon to Expand State Control as International Confidence Grows

This is Beirut 17:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Banks Hezbollah International Monetary Fund

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday that Lebanon has full operational control over southern Lebanon and will expand operations north of the Litani river as international engagement with Lebanon increases. Salam outlined a two-part policy driving the Lebanese state’s governance goals: institutional and ...

Yoav Gallant: Lebanon at a Crossroads

This is Beirut 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Middle East Tehran

Former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant wrote an article titled “Written in Ink, Signed in Fire,” in which he offers a description of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, arguing that agreements alone do not produce lasting peace unless they are backed by military superiority that imposes facts on the ground. In the article, ...

Israel Strikes Northern Bekaa as South Sees Escalation

This is Beirut 14:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Lebanon Baalbeck South Lebanon Israel Beqaa

Israel struck the northern Bekaa Valley on Friday, causing material damage but no reported casualties. The first strike hit the public road linking Majdaloun and Baalbek with two missiles, while the second targeted a site near Dar Al-Amal Hospital in Baalbek. Local reports said the Baalbek strikes were aimed at a military official affiliated with ...

Trump at Davos: Hezbollah is “a Small Remnant”

This is Beirut 22/01 16:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Donald Trump Hezbollah Lebanon Washington Switzerland Davos Beirut

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Hezbollah in Lebanon has been significantly weakened, describing the group as “a small remnant compared to what it used to be.” In his remarks during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Trump stressed that action is still required against the ...

PM Salam: Arms Consolidation Plan Covers All Lebanese Territory

This is Beirut 22/01 16:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Lebanon Damascus Hezbollah Syria Litani South Lebanon

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterated on Thursday that the Lebanese Army’s (LAF) plan to consolidate all arms under state authority applies to the entirety of Lebanon, not only areas south of the Litani River, underscoring the government’s commitment to restoring the state’s exclusive control over weapons. In an interview with ...

Lebanon and Syria Seek Rapprochement Amid Lingering Distrust

Samar el Kadi 22/01 16:00 - Reading : 10 minute(s)

Lebanon Lebanese Army Damascus European Union Hezbollah

Since the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024, Lebanon and Syria have been in the process of rebuilding trust and repairing relations. The challenging endeavor, supported by Saudi Arabia with Washington’s backing, follows decades of recriminations and Lebanon’s former subjugation under Syria’s Baathist rule. Syria did not ...

The Unraveling of Hezbollah’s Strategic Myth

Marwan El Amine 22/01 15:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Amal Hassan Nasrallah Lebanon Israel

Since its inception, Hezbollah has sought to transform Shia identity in Lebanon from a national one into an ideological one, anchored in Iran’s Wilayat al-Faqih doctrine of absolute loyalty to its supreme leader. Yet its attempts to tighten control over the Shia community through Tehran’s political ideology met significant obstacles, pushing ...

Israel Says Struck Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings Used by Hezbollah

This is Beirut 21/01 22:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Syria Border Airstrikes

The Israeli military said it struck four crossings along the Syria-Lebanon border on Wednesday that were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons, after earlier launching fresh strikes on the militant group in Lebanon. "A short while ago, the (Israeli military) struck four border crossings on the Syria-Lebanon border used by Hezbollah to smuggle ...

Israel Strikes Buildings in South Lebanon Towns

This is Beirut 21/01 18:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Hezbollah Lebanon Airstrikes

On Wednesday, following earlier strikes in Zahrani, additional Israeli airstrikes targeted buildings in the south Lebanon towns of Jarjouaa, Qenarrit, and Kfour. The Israeli army carried out the attacks aiming to impair alleged Hezbollah military infrastructure. Prior to the strikes, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee released an ...

Two dead in Israeli strikes on Lebanon

This is Beirut 21/01 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Baalbeck Hezbollah South Lebanon Israel Tyre Saïda Beqaa

Israeli strikes in south Lebanon killed two people on Wednesday, authorities said, as Israel said it targeted operatives from militant group Hezbollah. Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite the November 2024 truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting members of the ...

Aoun Hails State Control of Arms and Pledges Continued Reforms

This is Beirut 20/01 13:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Emmanuel Macron Lebanon Internal Security Forces Joseph Aoun South Lebanon United States Qatar France Egypt

President Joseph Aoun stressed on Tuesday that the Lebanese government last year took a historic step by endorsing a plan aimed at confining weapons to state authority and extending state control over Lebanese territory exclusively through its own forces, calling the move a major turning point despite the challenges of implementation. Addressing ...

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 ...