Natasha Metni Torbey 22/05 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
A surprise in name only. The dismal performance of Lebanon’s so-called “change” movement in the ongoing municipal elections has once again laid bare a reality its MPs have long sought to obscure. They had presented themselves as a breath of fresh, hopeful air in a suffocating country. Riding the momentum of the October 2019 uprising, these ...
Salam El Zaatari 22/05 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Lebanon Syria Donald Trump Joseph Aoun United States
If you want to understand the Middle East in 2025, don’t look at the maps. Look at the fault lines. They’re not drawn in ink – they’re drawn in fear, legacy and a deep unease that this time, the region isn’t just shifting, it’s splintering. This week, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio sounded an alarm loud enough to rattle ...
Marc Saikali 22/05 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Damascus European Union Hezbollah
Bashar al-Assad has been out of the picture for almost six months now. No one seems to miss him. The chapter is firmly closed. Enter Ahmad el-Chareh – once an Islamist, now a man of compromise – captured smiling alongside Donald Trump in Riyadh. Syria is reinventing itself, trying to appear more approachable. At least, that’s the ...
Maurice Matta 21/05 20:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Economy Banks Karim Souhaid Nawaf Salam
It seems that the relationship between Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Karim Souhaid and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is far from ideal. In fact, it can be described as tense – a situation that didn’t arise recently but dates back to Souhaid’s appointment as Governor of the Central Bank, which was secured through a majority vote in the ...
Bassam Abou Zeid 21/05 19:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Saudi Arabia
According to information from Washington, the Americans have informed the Lebanese government that the Israelis will not withdraw from the positions they occupy in southern Lebanon unless the Lebanese side takes serious and successive steps toward disarming Hezbollah. They emphasized that Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon and that ...
Mario Chartouni 21/05 18:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Hezbollah Europe Middle East Tehran United States
The so-called “tri-border area,” at the junction of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, has long attracted tourists, notably thanks to the famous Iguaçu Falls. But behind this idyllic setting lies a much more troubling reality: this region is also a strategic hub for transnational criminal networks, including Hezbollah. Washington, which is ...
This is Beirut 21/05 16:50 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon Joseph Aoun Mahmoud Abbas
President Joseph Aoun welcomed Mahmoud Abbas at the Baabda Presidential Palace during a pivotal visit focused on security and refugee issues. Abbas backed placing all weapons under Lebanese state control, as he discussed with President Aoun efforts to disarm armed groups in Palestinian refugee camps.
This is Beirut 21/05 15:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Lebanon Palestine Mahmoud Abbas Joseph Aoun Security Refugee camps
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed during their meeting on Wednesday that “there would no longer be any weapons outside the control of the state in Lebanon.” This is a key decision since the Lebanese government does not exert authority over Palestinian refugee camps. Mahmoud Abbas, who met ...
This is Beirut 21/05 14:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Lebanon Bkerke Maronite Reform Gaza Elections
During their monthly meeting held on Wednesday in Bkerke, presided over by Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, the Maronite bishops declared that Lebanon is facing a rare opportunity for recovery, one that must not be missed. In their closing statement, the bishops urged Lebanese officials to take tangible steps to restore state authority and ...
This is Beirut 21/05 12:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon commercial lease rent law Property rights Landlords
In a statement issued following the Constitutional Council's decision on May 20, 2025, the Syndicate of Property Owners of Leased Buildings responded to the ruling concerning the new law on commercial leases. The syndicate clarified that the Constitutional Council did not rule on the content of the law, which aimed to liberalize long-standing ...
Élie-Joe Kamel 21/05 12:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Free Patriotic Movement Lebanese Forces Amal Jezzine Municipal
Jezzine Municipal Elections: FPM and LF Neck and Neck With municipal elections scheduled for Saturday, May 24, 2025, the southern Lebanese town of Jezzine is bracing for a vote with significant political consequences. Beneath the calm facade of this picturesque destination—famous for its 40-meter waterfall and home to Lebanon’s largest stone ...
This is Beirut 21/05 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Lebanon Rasamny Roads Infrastructure Rehabilitation Transport
Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny announced on Wednesday that $175 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation of Lebanon’s damaged infrastructure in the aftermath of the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah. Speaking during a press conference at the ministry, Rasamny revealed that seven technical consulting firms ...