This is Beirut 2025-11-18 18:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
An Israeli strike targeted a compound on Tuesday in the Ain al-Helweh camp in the city of Saida. The Ministry of Health announced a preliminary toll of 13 deaths and four injuries. The MOPH added that "ambulances are still transporting more wounded to nearby hospitals." Several schools in Sidon have announced their closure tomorrow ...
This is Beirut 2025-11-18 17:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Washington Hezbollah Israel United States US Congress
Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal’s planned visit to the United States on Tuesday was cancelled at the last minute, after Washington notified Beirut that the program would not be maintained. The cancellation of the visit was reportedly due to the Lebanese army's statement regarding the Israeli army's shooting of two UNIFIL soldiers, in ...
Natasha Metni Torbey 2025-11-18 16:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Lebanon The Vatican Papal visit Pope Leo XIV Bkerke Roger Zaccar
With less than two weeks to go before Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon at the end of the month, preparations have entered their final stage. Roger Zaccar, head of the visit’s financial committee, told This is Beirut that nearly 80% of the required funds have already been secured, with the remaining 20% are still needed to complete the ...
Hussain Abdul-Hussain 2025-11-18 10:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Saudi Arabia Israel United States MBS Donald Trump Qatar LAF
Saudi Arabia is rapidly losing regional relevance, with Sunni rivals Qatar and Turkey encroaching on its traditional leadership roles. The Kingdom’s economy remains mired in second gear, unable to transition from oil dependency to a knowledge-based model. Riyadh’s repeated promises of financial windfalls to the U.S. now appear to be ...
Bassam Abou Zeid 2025-11-18 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Europe Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Palestine UNIFIL
No one can predict what southern Lebanon will look like after UNIFIL withdraws at the end of 2026. Will Lebanon have succeeded in disarming Hezbollah? Will it be able to fully control the south, particularly the area south of the Litani River? And what role will the international presence play in the region? UNIFIL has already begun reducing its ...
Liliane Mokbel 2025-11-17 20:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Saudi Arabia Bahrain Gulf Kuwait Trade
Signs of warning relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are becoming increasingly evident. Many see it as long overdue for Lebanon to reclaim its place within its natural sphere: the Arab world. On Monday, Prince Yazid bin Farhan, advisor to the Saudi Foreign Minister, visited Beirut with a technical delegation. The visit aimed to explore ...
This is Beirut 2025-11-17 18:05 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon Banks Hezbollah Israel
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Kassem continued his comments on the Lebanese government, urging it to adopt a firmer stance toward Israel. During the first commemoration of the assassination of Mohammad Afif and his companions, he once again took it upon himself to remind the Lebanese state of its “responsibility” to put in place a “plan ...
This is Beirut 2025-11-17 16:20 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon Joseph Aoun Michel Issa U.S. Ambassador
Ambassador Michel Issa has officially begun his diplomatic mission in Lebanon, presenting his credentials to President Joseph Aoun and meeting with the country’s senior officials.
Charles Chartouni 2025-11-17 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Middle East Donald Trump Gaza Syria Iran United States
The situation in the Near East is still groping its way towards a new equilibrium. So far, it seems that the destruction of the proxy networks mounted by Iran’s Islamic regime has not yet eclipsed pursuit of political revanche all along the geopolitical spectrum extending through Iraq, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, Gaza, and their ...
This is Beirut 2025-11-17 12:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Israel Lebanese Army United Nations Hezbollah
In a first since the cease-fire agreement of November 27, 2024, Israel on Monday reportedly warned the Lebanese Army – through the established monitoring mechanism – of a potential strike on Aitaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, as tensions continue to escalate along the country’s southern border. The Lebanese military promptly informed the ...
Samar El-Kadi 2025-11-17 12:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Nearly a year after the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in December, the debate over the future of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has reignited. As conditions inside Syria evolve, Lebanon and international organizations – namely the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – are coordinating ...
Michel Touma 2025-11-17 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump Lebanon Europe Hezbollah Middle East
In a moment of deep existential crisis, there is no space for hesitation, for diluted choices or for timid calculations. When a nation’s future is pulled apart by forces bent on destabilization and backed blindly by regional powers with sweeping ambitions, the responsibility is clear. One must choose a side and do so without wavering. The ...