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Why Lebanon Still Lacks a Viable Shia Alternative
Marwan El Amine 21/05 17:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Amal Hezbollah Israel Washington
An important question is increasingly being raised among sovereigntist political circles in Lebanon and within regional and international forums, particularly in Washington: where is the Shia alternative to the Hezbollah-Amal political alliance? Some parties ask this question in good faith, based on the conviction that any meaningful path toward ...
U.S. Sanctions Lebanese Officials and Hezbollah Affiliates Over Alleged Obstruction of Disarmament Efforts
This is Beirut 21/05 17:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hezbollah Iran LAF United States
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on nine individuals in Lebanon accused of supporting Hezbollah and obstructing efforts to disarm the Iran-backed group, in a move Washington described as part of a broader campaign to reinforce Lebanese sovereignty and weaken Hezbollah’s influence over state institutions. The sanctions, announced ...
Khamenei Orders Iran’s Enriched Uranium Stockpile to Remain Inside Country: Report
This is Beirut 21/05 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Iran USA Nuclear Israel USIranWar UAE Gulf
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a directive that the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remain inside Iran, according to two senior Iranian sources cited by Reuters on Wednesday. The directive directly challenges one of the key American and Israeli demands in the talks: the removal of Iran’s ...
Iran Media Say Mediator Pakistan's Army Chief Due in Tehran
This is Beirut 21/05 10:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Tehran Donald Trump Israel Middle East USA
Iranian media reported that Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was due in Tehran on Thursday, with Islamabad mediating as Iran examines the latest US proposal to end the Middle East war. Iran's ISNA news agency said Munir's visit was aimed at continuing "talks and consultations" with Iranian authorities, but did ...
Displaced Residents Back State-Led Camp Relocation in Beirut
Ralph Atrach 20/05 20:35 - Reading : less than a minute
Amal Hezbollah Internal Security Forces
Displaced residents told This is Beirut that they were being relocated from private property in Biel to state- and municipality-owned land under a government-supervised plan coordinated by security forces and the Beirut Municipality. Several residents expressed support for the move, saying they backed the state-led relocation effort, while ...
Lebanon Pursuing State “Free From Illegal Weapons,” Foreign Minister Says Amid Talks With Israel
This is Beirut 20/05 18:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Israel Hezbollah United Nations Ceasefire Negotiations
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said Wednesday that Lebanon had taken what he described as a “courageous decision” to enter direct negotiations with Israel in pursuit of a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and the establishment of a state “free from occupation and illegal weapons.” The remarks, ...
UAE Urges Iraq to Prevent Attacks Launched From Its Territory 'Immediately'
This is Beirut 20/05 18:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The UAE demanded on Wednesday that Iraq "immediately" prevent further attacks from its territory, following an accusation by Abu Dhabi that a drone targeting a nuclear plant was launched from there. The foreign ministry, in a statement, called on "Iraq to prevent all hostile acts originating from its territory urgently and without ...
Iran Claims U.S. Seeking to ‘Start a New Round of War’ and Threatens ‘Forceful Response’
This is Beirut 20/05 17:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Iran USA Hormuz Israel Trump CENTCOM IRGC
Iran accused the United States on Wednesday of seeking to reignite the regional war, after President Donald Trump renewed threats of military action against Tehran while Washington continues tightening its naval blockade around Iranian shipping routes. The escalation came as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had forced 90 commercial ...
Iran Guards Say Allowed 26 Ships to Transit Hormuz Since Tuesday
This is Beirut 20/05 16:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Iran Hormuz USA Gulf USIranWar IRGC
Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy on Wednesday said they allowed over 25 vessels, including oil tankers, to transit the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours. Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait, a vital global energy conduit, since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on February 28. Iran, which has been under ...
Lebanese Politicians and Activists Advocate “Just and Lasting Peace” Through State Institutions
This is Beirut 20/05 15:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Multiple Lebanese parliament members joined political activists and civil society representatives Wednesday at a conference titled “For the Lebanese State to Negotiate for a Just and Lasting Peace,” which brought together advocates of Lebanese sovereignty and exclusive state authority over war and diplomacy amid renewed debate over the ...
NATO Considers Securing Hormuz Shipping Routes
This is Beirut 20/05 09:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Donald Trump Europe Gulf United Kingdom Washington
As tensions continue to disrupt global shipping lanes, NATO is weighing the possibility of escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should the strategic waterway remain blocked beyond early July, according to a senior NATO official cited by Bloomberg. The issue is expected to dominate discussions during a meeting of NATO leaders ...
Israel Claims Hezbollah Used Church as Cover for Attack That Killed Reservist
This is Beirut 19/05 22:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Major (Res.) Itamar Sapir, 27, was killed in what it described as a Hezbollah terrorist attack launched from a church in southern Lebanon. Israeli authorities alleged that Hezbollah had once again transformed a religious site into a military stronghold, accusing the group of violating international law ...
U.S. Signals Readiness for New Military Action Against Iran While Leaving Door Open for Diplomacy
This is Beirut 19/05 21:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump Gulf Israel Middle East Tehran
U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States was “one hour away” from launching strikes on Iran on Monday before deciding to delay military action to allow more time for negotiations. Speaking during a White House press briefing alongside Vice President JD Vance, Trump revealed that several Gulf countries had contacted ...
Lebanon Awards Contract to Reopen Qlayaat’s René Mouawad Airport
This is Beirut 19/05 20:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny announced the opening of bids for the public tender to operate and invest in René Mouawad Airport in a move aimed at reviving Lebanon’s second civilian airport after years of stagnation. The contract was awarded to Sky Lounge Services following a tender process conducted under the ...
U.S. Tightens Economic Grip on Iran With Sanctions Surge and Global Security Push
This is Beirut 19/05 18:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump Middle East Tehran Turkey United Arab Emirates
The United States on Monday announced new sanctions targeting Iranian financial intermediaries, exchange houses, and maritime assets, as part of an intensified effort to disrupt what Washington describes as Tehran’s “shadow financial system” used to fund regional operations and evade international restrictions. According to a statement by ...
Lebanese Parliamentary Committees Approve Amendments to Controversial General Amnesty Law
This is Beirut 19/05 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah AmnestyLaw Israel Islamists
Lebanon’s joint parliamentary committees on Tuesday approved amendments to a long-debated draft general amnesty law. Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri called for a plenary legislative session on Thursday, May 21, to review the amended draft. Under the amendments, death sentences would be commuted to 28 years in prison, life sentences reduced ...
U.S. Treasury Secretary Calls for Global Crackdown on Terror Financing
This is Beirut 19/05 16:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump Europe Hezbollah Middle East United States
On Tuesday at the “No Money for Terror” conference in Paris, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for stronger international coordination against terrorist financing networks, particularly those linked to Iran. Speaking on behalf of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Bessent argued that economic sanctions are ...
Oil Prices Retreat as Trump Delays Iran Strike Amid Diplomatic Push
This is Beirut 19/05 15:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump Middle East Tehran United States Oil Hormuz
Global oil prices fell on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he had postponed a planned military strike on Iran, opting instead to give diplomacy another chance in an effort to end the escalating conflict in the Middle East. In a statement posted on social media Monday evening, Trump said a U.S. attack initially scheduled for ...
Iran Stages Mass Weddings for Couples Ready for War 'Sacrifice'
This is Beirut 19/05 14:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran HumanRights USA Israel USIranWar
Iranian authorities held mass public weddings in Tehran for couples who signed up to a state-sponsored scheme declaring their readiness to sacrifice their lives in the war against the U.S. and Israel. The ceremonies conducted late on Monday involved hundreds of couples in several major squares in the capital, including more than 100 in the vast ...
Iran Says New Proposal to Washington Includes Ending Lebanon War
This is Beirut 19/05 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran Lebanon Hezbollah Israel USA Negotiations Ceasefire USIranWar
Iran said Tuesday that its latest proposal to the United States includes demands to end hostilities across the region, including in Lebanon, alongside sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets and the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade imposed on Tehran. In comments carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Deputy Foreign ...
Breaking the Myth of Hezbollah's Captive Constituency
Hussain Abdul-Hussain 19/05 10:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanon Amal Baalbeck Israel
Israel’s Alma Center is wrong about Lebanon’s Shia population. In a recent article, the institute claimed that Hezbollah’s Shia constituency is a “captive audience” chained by dependency, fear, and ideology. In reality, Hezbollah’s committed ideologues are a minority, while dependency and fear can be reversed. Those dependent on ...
Israel Targets Hezbollah Infrastructure as Cross-Border Fighting Persists
This is Beirut 18/05 22:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanon Baalbeck Israel Tehran
Israeli forces intensified operations across southern Lebanon on Monday, carrying out a series of strikes targeting Hezbollah military infrastructure, including attacks against anti-tank missile warehouses, weapons depots, and operational compounds near the border area. Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that more than 3,000 people have ...
Washington Hardens Stance on Tehran Amid Rising Regional Tensions
This is Beirut 18/05 21:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Tehran Washington Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Israel
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to harden his posture toward Tehran during a phone interview with the New York Post, signaling that Washington is no longer willing to soften its position in ongoing negotiations with Iran. Trump said he was “not open to any concessions” following what he described as a disappointing Iranian ...
Israeli Strikes Continue in the Bekaa Valley and Across Southern Lebanon
This is Beirut 18/05 14:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Israel Hezbollah Lebanon Iran Ceasefire War
Israel launched a new series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Monday, while Hezbollah has maintained attacks against Israeli forces in the south and continued launching drones toward northern Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that they had struck 30 Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon ...
Iran Says Responded to Latest U.S. Peace Proposal
This is Beirut 18/05 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran USA Negotiations Hormuz USIranWar Ceasefire
Iran said Monday it had responded to a new U.S. proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict that broke out on February 28. The two sides have held a single ...
Iran Officially Announces New Body to Manage Strait of Hormuz: Top Security Council
This is Beirut 18/05 12:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran's top security body announced on Monday the formation of a new body to manage the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively closed and wants to charge ships to traverse. On its official X account, the Supreme National Security Council shared a post for the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) saying it would provide "real‑time updates ...
Lebanon's State Security Chief: “Cleansing Institutions” and Rule of Law Essential to Survival of the State
This is Beirut 18/05 12:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Washington
Lebanon’s State Security Director General, Major General Edgar Lawandos, pledged to intensify efforts to combat corruption, purge state institutions of corrupt officials and strengthen coordination among Lebanon’s security agencies, while warning that the survival of the state depends on enforcing the rule of law. Lawandos said the ...
Lebanon Faces Defining Moment in Talks With Israel
Marwan El Amine 18/05 10:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Israel Lebanese Army Hezbollah Joseph Aoun
President Joseph Aoun’s decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel marks a strategic turning point. For the first time in years, the Lebanese state is attempting to reclaim its diplomatic sovereignty after long being subordinated to regional calculations, foremost among them Iran’s influence. The direct negotiations represent the ...
Why Hezbollah’s Use of FPV Drones Against Israel Will Backfire
Seth J. Frantzman 18/05 09:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu Gulf
Hezbollah has begun using first-person view (FPV) drones against Israel, causing casualties among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops deployed along the Lebanese border. While the threat is growing, it will also backfire for Hezbollah. Israel is already mobilizing its defense technologies against drones across multiple fronts, which will result in ...
Oil Prices Surge as Middle East Tensions Escalate
This is Beirut 18/05 03:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Middle East Donald Trump United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia
Global oil prices continued their upward trajectory on Monday amid mounting geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, as diplomatic efforts to halt the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran appeared to falter. Brent crude futures rose by $1.44, or 1.32%, reaching $110.70 per barrel by 23:37 GMT after hitting their highest level since May 5 ...