Five Arrested in Lebanon’s Vehicle Registration Scandal

This is Beirut 15/08 14:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

bribery Vehicle Registration Department anti-corruption forgery

The Ministry of Interior and Municipalities announced on Friday the arrest of two employees and three transaction brokers on charges of bribery and forgery at the Vehicle and Motor Registration Department. The case began after the department’s administration received information that an employee, identified by his initials (A.M.), was allegedly ...

Qassem’s Speech Sparks Political Firestorm in Beirut

This is Beirut 15/08 14:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah

Hezbollah’s chief, Sheikh Naim Qassem, made unacceptable and controversial remarks, in which he threatened civil strife and linked the survival of Lebanon to the presence of their weapons. These remarks have triggered a wave of condemnations from political and institutional figures committed to defending Lebanese sovereignty. Minister ...

VideosAssumption: Harissa Brings Hearts Together

Élie-Joe Kamel 15/08 13:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Assumption Harissa Virgin Mary Celebration

Despite the heat and the hardships of daily life, thousands of faithful gathered on Thursday to pray, give thanks, nurture hope, and celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  In Harissa, under the gaze of Our Lady of Lebanon, hearts come together.

Raï: Lebanon, a Lasting Project for a Civil and Just State

This is Beirut 15/08 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Bechara Rai Assumption State Law

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai has called for a sustained effort to move beyond the politics of power-sharing, obstruction, and isolation, urging the adoption of a unifying national vision that brings people together rather than divides them. He emphasized that Lebanon remains a “durable project for a civil, just, capable, and effective state, ...

Teachers’ Syndicate Protests Delay in Retiree Funding

This is Beirut 15/08 12:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Private schools teachers Retirees Teachers’ Syndicate

The Teachers’ Syndicate expressed strong dismay over the Cabinet’s failure to approve a financial allocation for the Compensation Fund of retired educators in private schools, despite a clear agreement reached nearly two months ago with Finance Minister Yassine Jaber. In a statement on Friday, the syndicate said it was “surprised” that the ...

EditorialHezbollah: The Coup d’État

Marc Saikali 15/08 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Coup d’État

In Lebanon, some speeches go beyond conveying information, they amount to declarations of war. On Friday, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General delivered a statement so incendiary it pushed the nation to the edge. “The army is incapable of protecting the nation,” he declared. “The government is selling the country to Israel and the ...

Naim Qassem: “No Life in Lebanon if Government Confronts Resistance”

This is Beirut 15/08 10:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Naim Qassem

Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, once again made a show of defiance on Friday, intensifying threats against the Lebanese state and its people. In a speech more aggressive than his previous ones, Qassem bluntly tied Lebanon’s fate to his group’s weapons. “Lebanon can only be built with all its components. If it ...

Op-edLarijani and the Original Sin

Johnny Kortbawi 15/08 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Iran Israel Hezbollah

Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is among the closest officials to the Supreme Leader Khamenei and a successor to figures like Qassem Suleimani, who shaped Iran’s regional security and political influence. Larijani’s latest visit to Lebanon, coming after recent Lebanese government decisions and ...

Four-Stage Military Plan Begins in Awali River Area

This is Beirut 14/08 21:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Army Security Security Awali Palestinian Plan

Lebanon’s army is preparing a detailed security plan expected to unfold over four or more stages. The plan will likely be presented at the next government session scheduled for Tuesday, September 2, unless an urgent issue requires it to be moved to Thursday, September 4. The operation is expected to begin in the area around the Awali River and ...

Behind the ScenesStarlink in Lebanon: Hopes, Fears and the Battle for the Digital Sky

Liliane Mokbel 14/08 21:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

On Wednesday, Telecommunications Minister Charles Hage removed from the Cabinet agenda a draft law aimed at regulating Starlink’s entry into Lebanon. Officially, the move allows for further study. Unofficially, the issue is already fueling political tensions and heated debate: Is it a threat to digital sovereignty or an opportunity to ...

SpotlightThe Court of First Instance in Mount Lebanon Allows the Lifting of Seizures on Bank Assets

This is Beirut 14/08 20:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks Lebanon Economy Justice

The Court of First Instance in Mount Lebanon, through its Third Chamber handling real estate matters and composed of judges Yamen El-Hajjar (presiding), Elissia Abou Jaoudeh, and Fatima Bazzi, issued a key ruling in a case filed by Mrs. Sara Audi Attaya, represented by her attorney Riad Hallaj, challenging a decision by the Baabda Land Registry ...

SpotlightPrivate Generators in Lebanon: The Toll of a Profitable, Highly Polluting Industry

Sana Richa Choucair 14/08 20:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

EDL Middle East

On Wednesday, the Lebanese government announced a crackdown on one of the most visible symbols of the country’s failed public electricity sector: private generators. During a ministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, operators were given a maximum of 45 days to comply with legal and environmental standards. After that ...