Lebanon

Amal Leader Condemns Gunfire in Beirut
Amal Leader Condemns Gunfire in Beirut

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, leader of Lebanon’s Amal party, voiced support on Friday for national unity, condemning incidents of celebratory gunfire in Beirut last night as the Shia political community navigates its first day of the ceasefire since March 2. Berri said that indiscriminate gunfire in the capital was ...

Lebanese Voices Optimistic About Direct Talks With Israel
VideosLebanese Voices Optimistic About Direct Talks With Israel

Following the direct negotiations that took place on April 14, the first high-level, U.S.-mediated talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives since 1993, This Is Beirut spoke to residents on the ground to understand their views on the discussions and what they hope comes next. Many expressed support for direct negotiations, saying they ...

Hundreds Return South After Ceasefire Despite Lebanese-Israeli Warnings
Hundreds Return South After Ceasefire Despite Lebanese-Israeli Warnings

Early reactions to the ceasefire in Lebanon were chaotic, with celebrations in the capital and a large number returning to the south over the Litani river, despite Israeli and Lebanese warnings to the contrary. After fragile ceasefire took effect at midnight April 16-17, celebratory small arms and RPG fire was reported throughout the southern ...

10-Day Ceasefire on Lebanon-Israel Front Takes Effect
10-Day Ceasefire on Lebanon-Israel Front Takes Effect

At 5pm EST on Thursday, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the United States, went into effect. Immediately following its start, intense gunfire has been reported in Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, according to Lebanese media. Earlier on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth ...

Trump Signals Push for Broader Middle East Deal After Announcing 10-Day Israel–Hezbollah Ceasefire
Trump Signals Push for Broader Middle East Deal After Announcing 10-Day Israel–Hezbollah Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in a series of Truth Social posts set to take effect at 5 p.m. EST, following what he described as “excellent conversations” with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump presented the deal as an initial step ...

Trump Announces Temporary Ceasefire in Lebanon
Trump Announces Temporary Ceasefire in Lebanon

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, set to take effect at 5 p.m. EST, following what he described as “excellent conversations” with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Trump, both leaders agreed the temporary ...

Lebanon Reclaims its Diplomacy from Hezbollah
Op-edLebanon Reclaims its Diplomacy from Hezbollah

The April 14 diplomatic meeting between Lebanon and Israel in Washington signals, however partially, a reassertion of Lebanese state authority over its own decision-making, while challenging Iranian influence in the country. Most significant is the fact that the meeting took place at all, a historic step given the ongoing war between Hezbollah and ...

Aoun Thanks U.S. for Ceasefire Efforts After Calls with Trump and Rubio
Aoun Thanks U.S. for Ceasefire Efforts After Calls with Trump and Rubio

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday thanked the United States for its efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, following separate phone calls with President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to an official statement. Aoun received a call from Rubio earlier in the day, during which he expressed appreciation for ...

Beirut: A Safe and Weapon-Free City
VideosBeirut: A Safe and Weapon-Free City

In Beirut, MPs from across political lines met to discuss declaring the capital a weapons-free city and restricting arms exclusively to state control. MP Fouad Makhzoumi: Called for army deployment in Beirut and the southern suburbs and activating coordination mechanisms to keep the capital free of weapons. MP Ghassan Hasbani: Said effective ...

Unified Message from Beirut MPs: Exclusive State Control and \
Unified Message from Beirut MPs: Exclusive State Control and "weapons-Free" City

  In a show of cross-sectarian unity, Beirut MPs on Wednesday called for the capital to be placed fully under state control and declared a “weapons-free city” under the exclusive authority of the Lebanese Armed Forces and security agencies. “Beirut must be free of weapons, and we want to see the Lebanese army deployed in all the streets ...