Lebanon

EditorialDonald Trump, Waging Battles… for Peace

Marc Saikali 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump UN Security Council Damascus Europe Hezbollah

Warning: the following lines may upset the delicate. Like it or not, Donald Trump keeps rewriting the script. While much of the mainstream media dedicates entire columns to tearing him down, the American president is busy bending global diplomacy to his own rhythm. A single post on X is enough to send foreign ministries into overdrive, forcing ...

Beirut Port Explosion: Grechushkin Arrest Reopens Key Questions

Moncef Ait-Kaci 17/09 21:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Beirut Port Lebanon Rhosus Justice Family of the victims

The Rhosus was far from an ordinary ship. Decrepit, burdened with debt, and repeatedly banned from sailing, it was carrying 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in 2013 – a chemical classified as explosive under Lebanese law when its nitrogen concentration exceeds 33.5%. During an unscheduled stop in Beirut, the cargo ship was detained and ultimately ...

Israeli Airstrike Kills Two in Baalbeck

This is Beirut 17/09 20:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Baalbeck Israel Strike drone Beqaa

An Israeli airstrike on Wednesday evening targeted a car near the al-Rida Mosque in Baalbeck, killing two people, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported. Israeli Channel 15 reported that the strike targeted a Hezbollah member in the eastern Lebanese city. According to media outlets, the victims are two members of al-Radwan Force, Kamal Raad and Ali ...

2026 Budget Law Draft: Cabinet to Meet Again on ‘Thursday or Friday’

This is Beirut 17/09 20:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Paul Morcos Budget 2026 Cabinet Lebanon

Information Minister Paul Morcos said on Wednesday that the 2026 budget law draft will be completed on Thursday or Friday after the cabinet convenes to review it. “The government is examining the budget realistically, and we are working to secure revenues to meet the needs of the administrative corps, which has salaries and legitimate ...

Politicians Oppose Plan to Project Images of Hezbollah Leaders on Raouche Rock

This is Beirut 17/09 19:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Raouche Lebanon Hassan Nasrallah Hashem Safieddine Hezbollah Nadim Gemayel

Hezbollah has stirred controversy among Lebanese politicians after announcing on Tuesday that the images of former Secretary Generals Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine would be projected on the Rock of Raouche on the anniversary of their deaths. During a press conference, Hezbollah’s head of activities, Ali Daher, said that the Raouche ...

Numbers & FiguresSyrians Leaving Lebanon: How Many Still Remain?

Natasha Metni Torbey 17/09 18:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Baalbeck United Nations Syrians UNHCR Lebanon

Since January 2025, more than 238,000 Syrians have left Lebanon for their home country, according to updated figures from the General Security Directorate as of September 11. On that day alone, an estimated 280 to 300 refugees crossed into Syria through the Masnaa border crossing, traveling in a convoy of ten buses and ten trucks loaded with their ...

Lebanese Army Seizes Largest Drug Haul to Date in Baalbeck District

This is Beirut 17/09 17:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Captagon Baalbeck Captagon pills Lebanese Army Lebanon

In its largest drug haul on Lebanese territory, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) said in a statement on Wednesday that it had seized 64 million Captagon pills from the town of Bouday, Baalbeck. In addition to the pills, the LAF confiscated 79 barrels of chemicals to manufacture the drug, as well as a few manufacturing machines. This operation ...

VideosRigged Pagers: Hezbollah’s Fatal Blow

Rayan Chami 17/09 17:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Hezbollah Pagers Israel Lebanon

September 17, 2024, will be remembered as a dark day in Hezbollah’s history. Thirty-nine people were killed and around 3, 500 thousand of its officials and fighters were injured in brutal and unusual circumstances: the simultaneous explosion of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies. Let’s break it down.

SpotlightThe Incredible Pagers Affair: The Shadow Behind the Explosion

Natasha Metni Torbey 17/09 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Hassan Nasrallah Beirut

September 17, 2024, 3:30 p.m. Like so many other dates, this one once again thrust Lebanon into the unexpected. In an almost everyday silence, thousands of small devices, pagers, and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah forces exploded almost simultaneously. A deafening roar, flames erupting from offices, vehicles, and command centers. Dozens killed, ...

Rifi: Complaint Against Hezbollah’s Qassem Still Pending

This is Beirut 17/09 13:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah lebanon ISF

MP Ashraf Rifi announced on Wednesday that the complaint filed against Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on August 27 remains with Judge Jamal Hajjar’s office and has not yet been referred to the judicial police. Speaking at a press conference for the Sovereign Front, Rifi said, “although more than 24 days have passed since the ...

Retired Soldiers Protest: Roadblocks and Postponed Parliamentary Sessions

This is Beirut 17/09 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banque du Liban Lebanese Army

The situation returned to calm on Wednesday in downtown Beirut after former security forces veterans staged a protest in the morning. Following this, it was announced that a new cabinet meeting would be held later in the day to continue reviewing the draft budget. As part of their mobilization, protesters burned tires and blocked the road in the ...

EditorialSame Script, Same Backdrop, Same Secretary-General

Marc Saikali 17/09 11:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Politics Naim Kassem

Every single week, like clockwork, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General graces us with yet another appearance. And somehow, even those Turkish soap operas dubbed in the Syrian dialect manage to look like Hollywood blockbusters by comparison. Naturally, the speeches are always prerecorded. Spontaneity is risky business when you’d rather not let the ...