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Deadlock in the Second Phase of the State Monopoly on Arms
Bassam Abou Zeid 19:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanese Army Disarmament United States
By the last day of 2025, the Lebanese government was expected to have completed the disarmament of Hezbollah nationwide, following a decision made at a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace on August 5. The official statement tasked the Lebanese Army with drawing up an operational plan to restore the monopoly of weapons exclusively to the ...
Ahead of 2026, Washington's Tougher Terms for Lebanon
Amal Chmouny 17:10 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Lebanon Washington Donald Trump Lebanese Army Amal
Heading into 2026, U.S. engagement in Lebanon has become explicitly conditioned on measurable progress toward Hezbollah’s disarmament, marking a clear break from the strategic ambiguity that long defined Washington’s approach. The aftermath of the 2024 Israel–Hezbollah conflict, alongside Lebanon’s deepening economic and political crises, ...
Israel Prepares for “Days of Fighting” Along the Lebanese Border
This is Beirut 17:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Israel Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Lebanon Hezbollah
Israel is preparing for possible “days of fighting” along the Lebanese border, as the deadline set by the U.S. for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025 expires on Wednesday, Israeli media reported. The U.S. news site Axios, citing American officials, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the ...
Israel Says Ban on Aid Groups Operating in Gaza to Hit 37 Organisations
This is Beirut 15:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Israel European Union Hamas United Nations Gaza NGO
Israel has said that 37 aid organizations will be banned from operating in Gaza starting on Thursday unless they comply with its new guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff. "They refuse to provide lists of their Palestinian employees because they know, just as we know, that some of them are involved in terrorism or linked ...
Turkey Steps Up Anti-IS Raids, Arresting 125 Suspects
This is Beirut 14:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Turkey on Wednesday detained another 125 Islamic State group suspects in a string of nationwide raids, a minister said, following warnings that IS militants planned attacks over the holidays. Nearly 600 people have now been detained in anti-IS raids over the past week. "We captured 125 Daesh suspects in simultaneous operations carried out in 25 ...
Iran Prosecutor Pledges 'Decisive' Response if Protests Destabilize Country
This is Beirut 13:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Israel Tehran Iran demonstration
Iran's prosecutor general said on Wednesday that economic protests that had gripped the country were legitimate, but any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a "decisive response". "Peaceful livelihood protests are part of social and understandable realities," Mohammad Movahedi-Azad told state media after three days of protests by ...
2025 Rewind: The Defining Moments
Maroun Chahine 11:30 - Reading : less than a minute
Marked by wars, political shifts, and cultural farewells, 2025 unfolded as a year of defining global moments.
Syria Arrests 21 Linked to Assad Rule as Curfew Covers Port City
This is Beirut 10:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Authorities in Syria's Latakia province arrested 21 people allegedly linked to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad's rule on Tuesday, state media reported, as a curfew blanketed the provincial capital after sectarian violence the previous night. Monday's attacks in predominantly Alawite neighbourhoods of Latakia city came after three people ...
This Is Sports: Best of 2025
Hala Abdallah 30/12 17:00 - Reading : less than a minute
motorsports This is Sports sports volleyball basketball football
From viral moments to the laughs you didn’t see on air, this was 2025 on #ThisIsSports. More to come!
This is Sports: Best of 2025
Hala Abdallah 30/12 17:00 - Reading : less than a minute
From viral moments to the laughs you didn’t see on air, this was 2025 on This is Sports. More to come!
Turkey Arrests 357 in Crackdown on Islamic State Group
This is Beirut 30/12 16:10 - Reading : less than a minute
Turkish security forces on Tuesday arrested 357 people during operations across the country against the Islamic State militant group, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. "During simultaneous operations carried out this morning by our police forces in 21 provinces, we apprehended 357 suspects linked to ISIS. We have never given the ...
George Clooney, Amal, and Twins Embrace French Citizenship
This is Beirut 30/12 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Cinema Clooney Family US French Passeport culture
Hollywood star George Clooney has become French, along with his wife, Amal Alamuddin Clooney, and their two children, an official decree seen by AFP on Monday showed. The publication, in France's government gazette, confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to early in December when he hailed French privacy laws that keep his family shielded from ...
Saudi Arabia Condemns "Dangerous" UAE Moves in Yemen, Bombs Arms Shipment
This is Beirut 30/12 14:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Yemen SaudiArabia UAE GulfCrisis
Saudi Arabia declared a UAE-backed separatist advance in Yemen a threat to the kingdom's national security on Tuesday and called Abu Dhabi's actions "highly dangerous," as the rivalry between the Gulf monarchies boiled over into an open dispute. The strongly worded foreign ministry statement came hours after the Saudi-led coalition fighting in ...
Iran Designates Royal Canadian Navy a Terrorist Organisation
This is Beirut 30/12 13:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The Iranian foreign ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organisation on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Canada's 2024 blacklisting of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. In a statement, the ministry said that the move was in reaction to Ottawa declaring the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, a terror group ...
Syria Imposes Night Curfew on Port City After Sectarian Violence
This is Beirut 30/12 13:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Syrian authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the port city of Latakia on Tuesday after attacks in predominantly Alawite neighbourhoods a day prior. The interior ministry announced a "curfew in Latakia city, effective from 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, until 6:00 am (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, December 31, 2025". Individuals ...
New Year… Around the World!
Maria Chami 30/12 13:00 - Reading : less than a minute
New Year’s is celebrated in many different ways around the world! From Brazil to Japan, and even Greece, some traditions are as surprising as they are fascinating.
Beyoncé Becomes a Billionaire: Queen B Joins Music’s Elite Club
This is Beirut 30/12 12:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
US singer Beyonce is now a billionaire, Forbes magazine said Monday, becoming only the fifth musician to achieve such a milestone. The 44-year-old entertainer joins a select club that includes her husband, rapper Jay-Z, as well as Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, and Rihanna, according to the publication, known for its rankings of the world's ...
Fatah Hands Over Weapons to LAF in Ain al-Hilweh
This is Beirut 30/12 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanese Army Fatah Lebanon Joseph Aoun Palestine Mahmoud Abbas
Members of the Fatah movement on Tuesday handed over their weapons to the Lebanese Army (LAF) from the movement’s center in Jabal al-Halib, located on the outskirts of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the Saida district of southern Lebanon. The LAF deployed in the vicinity of the handover site and reinforced security measures to ...
Jailed Turkish Kurd Leader Calls on Government to Broker Deal for Syrian Kurds
This is Beirut 30/12 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Turkey PKK Abdullah Öcalan Kurdes
Jailed Turkish Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan said Tuesday that it was "crucial" for Turkey's government to broker a peace deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government. Clashes between Syrian forces and the SDF have cast doubt over a deal to integrate the group's fighters into the army, which was due to ...
Trump, Netanyahu Signal Hard Line on Lebanon as Hezbollah Disarmament Takes Center Stage
This is Beirut 30/12 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Trump Hezbollah Netanyahu Lebanon USIsrael
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a tougher stance toward Hezbollah following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in Florida, warning that the group is “behaving badly” and stressing that efforts to disarm it remain a central focus of U.S. policy toward Lebanon. Speaking after the meeting at his ...
From Gaza to Iran: Trump and Netanyahu Review Regional Flashpoints
This is Beirut 30/12 11:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Trump Netanyahu MiddleEast Gaza Iran Lebanon Syria Turkey
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held wide-ranging talks in Florida on Monday, addressing key regional crises including Gaza, Iran, Syria, and broader Middle East stability, as both leaders signaled continued strategic alignment despite ongoing regional tensions. The meeting, held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago ...
Iran President Tells Government Listen to Protesters 'Legitimate Demands'
This is Beirut 30/12 10:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Banks Israel Tehran United Nations USA
Iran's president urged his government to listen to the "legitimate demands" of protesters, state media reported Tuesday, after demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over economic hardship. Shopkeepers in the capital shut their stores on Monday, after Iran's embattled currency hit new lows on the unofficial market. Photos from ...
Peace with Israel: Lebanon's Path to Economic Revival
Hussain Abdul-Hussain 30/12 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Israel United Arab Emirates Baalbeck Bahrain
An unconditional peace treaty with Israel, inspired by the Abraham Accords' success, could reduce Lebanon’s security risks, unlock billions in foreign investments, revive trade, agriculture, and services, and create jobs—offering economic salvation while preserving Lebanon’s support of Palestinians. Normalization could boost Lebanon’s ...
Yemen Declares State of Emergency as Separatist Conflict Flares
This is Beirut 30/12 10:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
United Arab Emirates Gulf Houthi Saudi Arabia Yemen
The leader of Yemen's presidential council declared a state of emergency and cancelled a security pact with the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after Abu Dhabi-backed separatists seized swathes of territory. "The Joint Defence Agreement with the United Arab Emirates is hereby cancelled," a statement said, while a separate decree announced a ...
After the Vote: Exposing the Gap Law’s Broken Promises
Claudia Groeling 29/12 19:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam International Monetary Fund Lebanon Banque du Liban Gap Law Banks
Lebanon’s cabinet on December 19 approved one of the most controversial pieces of legislation since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, adopting the so-called “Gap Law” in a narrow vote that has reignited public anger and raised serious concerns among economists, legal experts, and international observers. Backed by 13 ministers ...
French Cinema Icon Brigitte Bardot to Be Buried in Saint-Tropez cemetery
This is Beirut 29/12 17:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Cinema Brigitte Bardot Icon Funeral France
Cinema icon Brigitte Bardot is to be buried in a graveyard in her hometown of Saint-Tropez, an official said Monday, as France wrestles with how to pay tribute to a cultural legend who in later years championed far-right views. Bardot, who died on Sunday aged 91 after decades as an animal rights campaigner, had said she wanted to be laid to rest ...
Lebanon Signs Deal to Purchase Natural Gas from Egypt
This is Beirut 29/12 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Nawaf Salam Joseph Aoun USA Natural Gas
Lebanon said Monday it plans to purchase natural gas from Egypt, seeking to reduce its reliance on fuel oil for its ageing power plants in a country hamstrung by regular electricity cuts. The electricity sector has cost Lebanon more than $40 billion since the end of its 1975-1990 civil war, and successive governments have failed to reduce losses, ...
UN Visit to Sudan's El-Fasher Finds Traumatised Civilians in 'Unsafe Conditions'
This is Beirut 29/12 16:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
United Nations Sudan Conflict Aid
Traumatised civilians left in Sudan's El-Fasher after its capture by paramilitary forces are living without water or sanitation in a city haunted by famine, UN aid coordinator Denise Brown told AFP on Monday. El-Fasher fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in October after more than 500 days of siege, and last Friday a small UN ...
Tehran Shopkeepers Shut Stores Over Economic Hardship, Currency Volatility
This is Beirut 29/12 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Tehran Economy Currency Sanctions protests
Some shopkeepers in Tehran closed their stores on Monday in protest against economic hardships and sharp swings in Iran's embattled currency, Iranian media reported, following similar demonstrations a day earlier. State news agency IRNA said some shopkeepers and traders at Tehran's bazaar "have closed or partially closed their stores," adding ...
De-Radicalizing Hezbollah's Base: A Realist Framework
Salam El Zaatari 29/12 13:15 - Reading : 8 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army Washington
Any serious discussion about de-radicalizing Hezbollah supporters must begin by discarding comforting illusions about the organization. It is not a fringe extremist group operating on the margins of Lebanese society but a heavily armed political-military organization embedded in parliament, municipalities, unions, border economies, and a regional ...