Lebanon

Honoring a Historic Visit: Lebanon Commemorates Pope Leo XIV with a Stamp

Christiane Tager 22/10 21:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon, scheduled for November 30 to December 2, 2025, the Ministry of Telecommunications has confirmed to This is Beirut that the country will issue a special stamp commemorating the pontifical visit. According to Ministry sources, this official release has been entrusted to LibanPost, which will oversee its ...

LAF Arrests Four in Raids Targeting Drug Traffickers

This is Beirut 22/10 16:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Baalbeck Lebanese Army lebanon Syria captagon drugs

The Lebanese Army (LAF) announced on Wednesday that it had arrested four individuals in separate raids as part of its ongoing efforts to maintain security and combat drug trafficking. In its statement, the LAF said the operations were carried out with support from Intelligence Directorate patrols. According to the statement, an army unit, also ...

Senate Panel Probes Hezbollah Links to Latin American Drug Trade

This is Beirut 22/10 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hezbollah Middle East Venezuela drugs trafficking US

The US Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control convened a hearing on Tuesday to examine suspected connections between Hezbollah and Latin American drug trafficking networks, as lawmakers warned of the group’s expanding footprint in the Western Hemisphere. Chaired by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the bipartisan session focused on ...

InvestigationLebanon 2019: Behind a Programmed Revolution (2/2)

Natasha Metni Torbey 22/10 12:30 - Reading : 11 minute(s)

Central Bank of Lebanon Free Patriotic Movement Amal Banks

Lebanon has an exceptionally dense civil society sector. Hundreds of local NGOs receive funding from international organizations such as the European Union, various United Nations agencies, private foundations like Ford, Rockefeller and Open Society, as well as contributions from the diaspora. Most of this funding is fully declared, independently ...

Hezbollah’s Rapid Rebuilding Outpaces Lebanon’s Disarmament Efforts

This is Beirut 22/10 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel lebanon Lebanese Army The Jerusalem Post

Hezbollah’s accelerated rebuilding efforts risk provoking an Israeli response if Lebanon does not act swiftly, according to Western intelligence sources cited by The Jerusalem Post. In a report published Tuesday, the Israeli daily highlighted the group’s ongoing efforts to rearm and reconstruct, even as the Lebanese government has officially ...

Q&AHealing Without Forgetting: Rony Mecattaf Connects with His Readers

Bélinda Ibrahim 21/10 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Rony Mecattaf Book 4 August 2020 Beirut Explosion Culture

La blessure qui guérit, published a few months ago by Éditions Erick Bonnier, is already drawing attention. In this book, Rony Mecattaf, psychotherapist and a leading figure in Lebanon’s intellectual scene, recounts how the violence of the Beirut port explosion, which left him permanently scarred, became a path toward ...

Numbers & FiguresConsumer Price Index Up 0.6% in September

This is Beirut 21/10 18:00 - Reading : less than a minute

South Lebanon Economy

Lebanon’s Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% in September 2025, compared with August 2025, according to official data. Year-on-year inflation reached 15.06%. At the governorate level, monthly increases varied significantly: Mount Lebanon, +0.90%; Beqaa, +0.69%; Nabatieh, +0.64%; Beirut, +0.27%; South Lebanon, +0.22%; and North Lebanon, ...

Op-edThe Lebanese Demand Peace with Israel

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 21/10 15:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Peace

"Break the taboos; we demand peace," declared Marcel Ghanem, host of Lebanon’s premier talk show. "Demanding peace [with Israel] is not a crime," he emphasized, challenging entrenched narratives. Marwan Hamade, a seasoned Druze lawmaker, appeared on I24 News (French service) to discuss Gaza, signaling a willingness to defy Lebanon’s surreal ...

WindowDirect vs. Indirect Negotiations: Lebanon’s Diplomatic Playbook Reexamined

Mario Chartouni 21/10 14:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ceasefire Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun

In the wake of the Gaza ceasefire brokered on October 13 by Donald Trump, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun issued a statement that raised more than a few eyebrows, and possibilities. “The Lebanese state has already negotiated with Israel under American and UN mediation, resulting in the maritime border agreement… So why not adopt the same ...

Berri Convenes Parliament for Opening of Autumn Session

This is Beirut 21/10 13:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nabih Berry lebanon Ibrahim Kanaan Parliament

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has convened lawmakers for a plenary session on Tuesday, October 21, at 11 AM, marking the official opening of the ordinary autumn parliamentary session. Although the meeting is not intended for legislative work, it represents an essential step in ensuring the proper functioning of the institution. Under Article ...

PoliticsAmericans Call for Direct Talks Between Lebanon and Israel

Bassam Abou Zeid 21/10 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun Lebanon

Israel does not seek to negotiate with Lebanon solely over Hezbollah’s disarmament; its broader goal is a peace and normalization agreement between the two countries. At present, Israel shows little interest in Lebanese proposals, much like during the maritime border talks, where shuttle diplomacy by Amos Hochstein between Beirut and Tel Aviv ...

Op-edThe Soft Narrative of Hezbollah’s Terror

Johnny Kortbawi 21/10 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Beirut

Every era has its instruments of propaganda — voices that amplify power, shaping history, politics, and identity to advance agendas far removed from democratic principles and the natural order of events. Since the assassination of Hezbollah’s former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and after a period of denial and confusion within the ...