Public Sector Crisis: The Finance Minister’s Last Straw

Natasha Metni Torbey 22/05 18:48 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

budget Public sector Lebanon Ministry of Finances

Tensions are mounting in the deserted halls of Lebanon’s public administrations. A single decision by the Ministry of Finance on May 15 was enough to trigger an immediate call for a strike. But beyond the standoff over working hours, deeper issues are surfacing—highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive reform of the public sector amid a ...

Joint Committee Set to Tackle Palestinian Arms Issue in First Meeting Friday

This is Beirut 22/05 18:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Mahmoud Abbas Nawaf Salam Lebanon Palestine Disarmament Refugees

Following a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced via X that a joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee will convene on Friday to establish a clear agenda for placing all illegal weapons, inside and outside Palestinian camps, under the authority of the Lebanese state. The meeting will also ...

EU Reaffirms Support for Lebanon’s Reform Efforts During Visit to Grand Serail

This is Beirut 22/05 13:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

European Union Middle East

The European Union has reiterated its support for Lebanon’s reform process during a visit to the Grand Serail in Beirut by Stefano Sannino, Director-General for the Middle East and North Africa at the European Commission. Speaking Thursday after his meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Sannino reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to its ...

SpotlightTyre: Between the Rubble and the Ballot Box

Lyne Sammouri 22/05 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Elections 2025 Municipal Tyre South Lebanon

Shattered windows, pockmarked walls and bulldozers clearing debris – these are the lasting imprints of war that Tyre bears just six months after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. Once a vibrant port city, Tyre now struggles under the weight of destruction. Yet, amid the rubble, life is cautiously resuming: vendors have reopened their ...

Municipal Elections in South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh: Civil Defense on Maximum Alert

This is Beirut 22/05 11:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

South Lebanon Civil Defense Municipal

Lebanon’s Civil Defense has announced a significant increase in readiness ahead of the fourth and final phase of the municipal elections, scheduled for Saturday, May 24 in the South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh governorates. In accordance with directives issued by Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmad Hajjar, Civil Defense Director General ...

Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal Praises the Resilience of Lebanese Soldiers

This is Beirut 22/05 11:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army Rodolphe Haykal

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal on Thursday praised the daily efforts of the country's soldiers, emphasizing the military's critical role in preserving national stability and upholding Lebanon's international commitments. In a message addressed to the troops, General Haykal highlighted the obstacles still being imposed by Israel, ...

From Protest to Compromise: A Political Failure for Lebanon’s ‘Change’ MPs

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 ...

Op-edLines in the Sand: Syria on the Brink, and Lebanon’s Vanishing Moment

Salam El Zaatari 22/05 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel 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 ...

EditorialLebanon, the Doormat of Syria’s Sanctions Lift

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 ...

SpotlightWill Banking Reforms Spark a Crisis Between Souhaid and Salam?

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 ...

SpotlightAmerican and Israeli Messages to Lebanon

Bassam Abou Zeid 21/05 19:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hezbollah Israel 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 ...

Mullahs Wearing Sombreros: Hezbollah in Latin America

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 ...