Lebanon

Op-edWhy Normalization with Israel Will Revive Saudi Arabia

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 10:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Israel United States MBS Donald Trump Qatar LAF

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 ...

PoliticsUNIFIL Begins Withdrawal as Europe Weighs Replacement Force

Bassam Abou Zeid 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Europe Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Palestine UNIFIL

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 ...

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

Liliane Mokbel 17/11 20:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Saudi Arabia Bahrain Gulf Kuwait Trade

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”

This is Beirut 17/11 18:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Banks Hezbollah Israel

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 ...

VideosMichel Issa Presents His Credentials in Baabda

This is Beirut 17/11 16:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Joseph Aoun Michel Issa U.S. Ambassador

Ambassador Michel Issa has officially begun his diplomatic mission in Lebanon, presenting his credentials to President Joseph Aoun and meeting with the country’s senior officials.

AnalysisA New Epicenter Emerges in the Near East

Charles Chartouni 17/11 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Middle East Donald Trump Gaza Syria Iran United States

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 ...

Israel Warns Lebanon of an Imminent Strike on Aitaroun

This is Beirut 17/11 12:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Lebanese Army United Nations Hezbollah

In a first since the cease-fire agreement of November 27, 2024, Israel on Monday reportedly warned the Lebanese Army – through the established monitoring mechanism – of a potential strike on Aitaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, as tensions continue to escalate along the country’s southern border. The Lebanese military promptly informed the ...

SpotlightSyrians in Lebanon: Returns Rise, But New Arrivals Continue

Samar El-Kadi 17/11 12:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon refugees Beirut

Nearly a year after the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in December, the debate over the future of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has reignited. As conditions inside Syria evolve, Lebanon and international organizations – namely the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – are coordinating ...

EditorialDisarmament and the End of the Militia’s Whims

Michel Touma 17/11 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Lebanon Europe Hezbollah Middle East

In a moment of deep existential crisis, there is no space for hesitation, for diluted choices or for timid calculations. When a nation’s future is pulled apart by forces bent on destabilization and backed blindly by regional powers with sweeping ambitions, the responsibility is clear. One must choose a side and do so without wavering. The ...

UNIFIL: “We urge the Israeli army to halt any aggressive actions targeting our forces”

This is Beirut 16/11 15:44 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Nations Lebanon Israel south strike

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a statement saying that, this morning, an Israeli army Merkava tank opened fire on UNIFIL peacekeepers near a site that Israel has established inside Lebanese territory. According to the statement, heavy machine-gun fire struck near the peacekeepers, landing about five meters away, as ...

ReportChildren of the Ruins: Rebuilding the Soul of South Lebanon

Katia Kahil 16/11 14:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

South Lebanon

One year after the bombings that ravaged southern Lebanon, the villages are slowly rebuilding. Walls are repainted, schools have reopened, yet behind the desks, young hearts remain fragile. The children of this region carry a silent trauma, born from the roar of bombs, sleepless nights, and constant fear. Where the sirens have fallen silent, the ...

Aoun calls for Urgent UN Complaint Against Israel

This is Beirut 15/11 18:55 - Reading : less than a minute

United Nations Israel Lebanon Joseph Aoun south

President Joseph Aoun has asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Youssef Raji, to instruct Lebanon’s permanent mission to the United Nations to file an urgent complaint with the Security Council against Israel, which has begun building a concrete wall along Lebanon’s southern border that extends beyond the Blue Line drawn after ...