PortraitWashington's New Ambassador, Michel Issa, Lands in Lebanon... Who is He?

This is Beirut 14/11 20:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Donald Trump Banks United States Michel Issa Ambassador

The new United States ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, landed in Beirut on Friday to begin a particularly delicate mission. His arrival comes at a time when Washington is seeking to redefine the scope of its engagement in a country caught in a deep institutional crisis, latent tensions in the south, and growing international pressure over ...

Money Laundering: BDL Introduces Next-Generation KYC

Liliane Mokbel 14/11 18:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Central Bank of Lebanon Lebanon Hezbollah US Treasury economy money laundering

On November 14, 2025, BDL issued Decision No. 13769, Circular No. 3, introducing a new “Know Your Customer” (KYC) form for all cash, foreign exchange, and money transfer transactions of $1,000 or more, and their equivalent. The measure applies to all non-banking financial institutions under BDL’s supervision, including financial companies, ...

SpotlightJeita Grotto: The Hidden Truth the State Refuses to See

Natasha Metni Torbey 14/11 16:05 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Instead of properly closing a case that should never have existed, the report published on November 13 about the Jeita Grotto incident only deepens the concern, revealing a far more troubling reality. Institutional and scientific oversight is disturbingly lax. Procedures are improvised, responsibilities evaporate, decisions are made without a ...

Raids Continue in Southern Lebanon: One Injury in Toul

This is Beirut 13/11 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah South Lebanon Baalbeck Israël

One person was injured on Thursday afternoon when an Israeli drone targeted a car in the town of Toul, in the Nabatieh caza, the Public Health Ministry announced in a statement. The strike reportedly occurred at the roundabout near Ayoub Station and Sheikh Ragheb Harb Hospital, in the heart of the town, on a street typically congested at that hour ...

Op-edJoseph Aoun Must Become Lebanon’s Sadat

Salam El Zaatari 13/11 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Joseph Aoun Palestine

In early November 2025, Israeli bulldozers began erecting a concrete wall on Lebanese soil—a seven-meter-high scar from Maroun al-Ras to Aitaroun—cutting through farmland, razing homes, and casting a shadow over what remains of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Israel calls it “defensive fortification,” while Lebanon calls it “occupation.” But ...

EditorialDisarming Hezbollah Starts with the Banks

Marc Saikali 13/11 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks Hezbollah Tehran White House

One billion dollars. That is the sum Hezbollah is said to have received from Iran in 2025. An astonishing figure, revealed during the highly political visit of the U.S. Treasury delegation led by Sebastian Gorka, the White House’s counterterrorism director. How did the militia manage to receive such an amount? Through currency exchange offices, ...

Bombardments Continue in the South

This is Beirut 12/11 20:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Lebanon south strike

The National News Agency in Marjeyoun reported that Israeli shelling continued on the outskirts of Mays al-Jabal on Monday evening, where more than five artillery shells hit the western outskirts of the city. The agency also noted that Israeli artillery targeted the Wadi al-Jamal area, located between the towns of Houla and Mays al-Jabal, as well ...

FocusFarah: The State Bears Full Responsibility for the Misuse of Public Funds

This is Beirut 12/11 20:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon BDL Banks Economy

Lebanese economist and columnist Antoine Farah told Huna Lubnan that the Lebanese state bears full responsibility for the misuse of public funds both before and after the financial crisis, noting that what was once unclear prior to the 2019 collapse has now become indisputable. Farah argued that the state, working hand-in-hand with the ...

PoliticsThe World Tired of Lebanon’s Stalling: A Possible Return to Syrian Influence?

Bassam Abou Zeid 12/11 19:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron Hezbollah Syria

The Lebanese file no longer provides meaningful political leverage for the countries involved. Neither U.S. President Donald Trump nor French President Emmanuel Macron has been able to exert decisive influence. A Western diplomatic source described the situation as exhausting and frustrating, noting that Lebanese officials often tell foreign ...

Guterres: “Weapons Must Be Exclusively in the Hands of the Lebanese State”

This is Beirut 12/11 18:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Lebanese Army UN south

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on “all parties to protect civilians and create the conditions for a dialogue leading to a lasting ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.” He added that “the presence of Israeli forces north of the Blue Line, as well as their airstrikes on Lebanese territory, constitute a violation of Lebanon’s ...

The Power Cartel: Inside, a State Run on Generators

Natasha Metni Torbey 12/11 15:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon EDL electricity generators Mafia

Lebanon is trapped in an opaque, sprawling energy system that keeps the country locked in an outdated model. Massive fuel imports, a relentless reliance on private generators, a fragile or even nonexistent national sovereignty, and a perpetually postponed shift to renewable energy all feed chronic dependency and block meaningful reform. This ...

Lebanon Shaken by 5.2-Magnitude Earthquake Originating from Cyprus

Michael al-Andary 12/11 13:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Turkey Cyprus earthquake

As if Lebanon hadn’t endured enough “quakes,” residents of Beirut and Tripoli felt another tremor on Wednesday — a 5.2-magnitude earthquake centered near Cyprus, the National Center for Geophysical Research (NCGR) in Bhannes confirmed. The tremor, which struck the Mediterranean Sea, briefly terrified residents along Lebanon’s coast, ...