Liliane Mokbel 07/08 17:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
As in every summer, Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (BIA) is overwhelmed by waves of Lebanese expatriates returning home for the holidays. This year’s record influx has turned the terminals into overcrowded hubs. Long queues stretch before the General Security counters, where wait times drag on. Congestion peaks when multiple flights ...
This is Beirut 07/08 16:05 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon South Lebanon Lebanese Army UN Security Council United Nations UNIFIL
UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) forces have uncovered an extensive network of fortified tunnels near the towns of Tayr Harfa, Zebqine and Naqoura, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti announced on Thursday. Tenenti said the network included “a number of bunkers, artillery pieces, multiple rocket launchers, as well as hundreds of ...
This is Beirut 07/08 15:45 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Information Minister Paul Morcos announced Thursday that Lebanon’s Cabinet approved the removal of all armed groups from Lebanese territory, “including Hezbollah,” and the deployment of the Lebanese Army (LAF) to border areas. “We will make the appropriate decisions based on the implementation plan to be submitted by the ...
This is Beirut 07/08 15:30 - Reading : less than a minute
Nawaf Salam Lebanon Lebanese Army Joseph Aoun Washington
US Congressman Darrell Issa emphasized Thursday that decision-making in Lebanon “must remain in the hands of the Lebanese people,” following a meeting with President Joseph Aoun. Issa voiced confidence in the Lebanese government’s commitment to preserving peace and stability, and reaffirmed continued US support for the Lebanese Armed Forces ...
This is Beirut 07/08 13:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
United Kingdom Lebanese Army UN Security Council Rodolphe Haykal Dragon Group
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal concluded a two-day official visit to the United Kingdom, during which he participated in the annual meeting of the Dragon Group, a British strategic dialogue initiative bringing together military chiefs from the Middle East. Held in Edinburgh on August 4 and 5, this ninth edition of the meeting ...
This is Beirut 07/08 13:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanese Army UN Security Council Ceasefire Weapons Sovereignty
A key and sole item on the Cabinet’s session agenda that kicked off at 3:00 PM at the Presidential Palace in Baabda: the proposal submitted by US envoy Tom Barrack. The full text of the proposal - a seven-page memorandum - was published Thursday morning by the local media outlet Nidaa al-Watan, ahead of the ministerial meeting. In the ...
This is Beirut 07/08 13:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned statements made by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, describing them as “unacceptable” and a “direct violation of national sovereignty.” In an interview with Iranian television on Wednesday, Araghchi reaffirmed his country’s support for Hezbollah, while stating that Iran ...
This is Beirut 07/08 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Lebanese Army
A few hours before the Cabinet meeting scheduled for this afternoon to discuss US proposals aimed at helping Lebanon restore full sovereignty over its territory and launch a viable recovery process, President Joseph Aoun declared that the decision to disarm armed groups is “irreversible.” “The exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the ...
Yara Germany 07/08 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Covid-19 rotavirus virus Health
Sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, high fever. It feels like everyone knows someone who's down with something. COVID is back, stomach bugs are spreading and even flu-like symptoms are making a summer comeback. To understand why so many people are falling ill in Lebanon this summer, and how to stay protected, we spoke with Dr. Rola Husni Samaha, ...
Salam El Zaatari 07/08 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Lebanon United States Hezbollah
There’s a phrase I’ve heard a lot in Beirut lately. It's whispered between sips of Turkish coffee, murmured across newsrooms and tossed around military circles like a live grenade: “Either we get our country back, or we become a geography with a flag.” And this week, for the first time in nearly two decades, the Lebanese government ...
This is Beirut 07/08 09:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Tehran Government
Lebanon's government has decided to task the army with setting a plan to disarm Hezbollah, a thorny issue decades after the last time the country had made factions give up their weapons. AFP looks at how the government's decision may be implemented, and whether the Iran-backed militant group can still block it. Why is the move ...
Marc Saikali 07/08 08:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Hezbollah Palestine Tehran USA
The famous Georges Brassens song, adapted to Lebanon’s reality, manages to make you both smile and cry. On Tuesday, while the government carefully navigated the minefield surrounding Hezbollah’s weapons, trying to find wording that could pass as a compromise, the secretary-general of the pro-Iranian militia spoke openly, without holding ...