Lebanon

The Government's Challenge in Gaining a Vote of Confidence

Natasha Metni Torbey 24/02 16:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Government Nawaf Salam parliament Vote of Confidence policy statement

To establish its legitimacy, Nawaf Salam’s new government must overcome one final hurdle before effectively taking power. After its formation on February 8, 2025, and the drafting of its ministerial statement last Monday, the cabinet will face its ultimate challenge: gaining the confidence of Parliament. Thus, during a plenary session ...

Patriarch Rai Navigating the Delicate Situation in Bkerke

Saad Kiwan 24/02 15:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Bechara Rai Hezbollah Nasrallah Sfeir Patriarch Bkerke Syria

It has been 14 years since Patriarch Bechara Rai assumed the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate, as he was elected on March 15, 2011 – shortly after the popular uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s bloody regime erupted in Syria. Rai succeeded Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, who had resigned that same year, a month before Rai’s election. Sfeir had ...

Lebanon in the Grip of Polar Low 'Adam'

This is Beirut 24/02 13:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Adam Lebanon Cold Snowfall Snow

Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean basin were hit by a low-pressure system of polar air dubbed “Adam,” leading to a significant drop in temperatures, especially on Saturday and Sunday. The mountains and coasts were decked out in a blanket of white, a long-awaited sight for the Lebanese. Snow will reach 400 meters, mainly in the north, with ...

AnalysisShifting Paradigms and Policy-Making

Charles Chartouni 24/02 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Iran

The cascading events that have resulted in the defeat of Iranian proxies in the Near East have not yet elicited the due questioning among political actors. The systematic dismantling of the power nodes that have structured the strategic continuum patiently woven by Iran throughout the last two decades should have impelled political actors to ...

EditorialMisleading Appearances

Michel Touma 24/02 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun

A relentless mobilization and exploitation of the popular masses on Lebanese soil. The objective: to offset the massive strategic losses suffered in recent months. This appears to be the defining feature of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ approach—and, by extension, that of Hezbollah, its frontline proxy—in the coming phase. Neither ...

Netanyahu Vows Continued Israeli Military Presence in Lebanon

This is Beirut 23/02 19:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reaffirmed that Israeli forces will maintain their positions in Lebanon, citing strategic oversight of several Israeli areas. “We expect the Lebanese army and government to uphold their commitments under the ceasefire agreement,” Netanyahu stated during a military ceremony in Holon, ...

Israeli Reactions to Nasrallah and Safieddine’s Funerals

This is Beirut 23/02 17:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah Israel

Israeli reactions surfaced on Sunday, coinciding with the funeral of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, held in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that “the fighter jets flying over Beirut send a clear message: whoever threatens and attacks Israel will meet ...

Final Farewell to Nasrallah and Safieddine: A Funeral Amid High Tensions and Rehashed Messages

This is Beirut 23/02 16:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Palestine Beirut International Airport Donald Trump Hezbollah

Under a sky crisscrossed by Israeli military aircraft and Lebanese Army helicopters, the funeral of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and former head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council Hashem Safieddine took place, nearly five months after their deaths in Israeli airstrikes. Tens of thousands of people poured into the capital to ...

Israeli Escalation in Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut 23/02 10:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon

Israeli forces stepped up Sunday their airstrikes on several localities in southern Lebanon. The targeted regions include the area between Qlayleh and al-Sama'iyah in the district of Tyre, as well as the axis linking Deir Qanun al-Nahr and Maarub. Strikes also hit the vicinity of Shahur and Ansar, as well as the area between Hallousiyeh and ...

SpotlightThe Old Testament Heritage of the Maronites

Amine Jules Iskandar 23/02 09:00 - Reading : 9 minute(s)

Lebanon Maronites Churches

A large number of old churches and chapels in the Lebanese mountains feature the Star of David, engraved on keystones, spandrels, cornices, and even doorframes. In some cases, this motif also appears in private homes whose ornamentation draws inspiration from religious architecture. The star appears in various forms – sometimes on its own, ...

Israeli Strikes on Lebanon-Syria Border on the Eve of Nasrallah's Funeral

This is Beirut 22/02 20:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon France

On the eve of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral, Israel struck a border area near Janta, in the Bekaa, accusing Hezbollah of smuggling weapons into Lebanon. On his part, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced Saturday night that Israeli airstrikes targeted "transport routes on the Lebanon-Syria border ...

Senator Ronny Jackson Calls for a Security Monopoly by the Lebanese Army

This is Beirut 22/02 19:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Joseph Aoun Lebanon Hezbollah

A delegation from the US Congress, led by Senator Ronny Jackson, met on Saturday with the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, in the presence of the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson. At the end of the meeting, Jackson expressed the United States’ desire to see a new phase of peace and stability in ...