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Can Lebanon's Military Court Break Free of Hezbollah's Shadow?

Kaline Antoun 02/04 09:45 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army Israel Joseph Aoun

Lebanon’s Military Court has drawn scrutiny for its handling of detainees linked to Hezbollah, reigniting long-standing criticism over its politicization and expansive legal authority. On March 9, the Military Court controversially ordered the release of three individuals arrested by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on charges of illegally ...

PM Salam: Lebanon Trapped in a War It Did Not Choose, Reasserts State Authority

This is Beirut 02/04 15:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Iran War USA

Lebanon’s government moved to reassert its authority in a cabinet meeting on Thursday, as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that the country is being dragged into a war it neither chose nor controls amid growing concerns over the role Hezbollah is playing to escalate the conflict. Speaking after a cabinet session at the Grand Serail, Salam ...

Trump Sends Peace Plan as Iran Opens to 'Non-Hostile' Oil Vessels

This is Beirut 25/03 03:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu USA Lebanon Bahrain

US President Donald Trump sent a peace plan to Iran as he voiced optimism Tuesday at ending nearly a month of warfare, with Tehran announcing that it will let "non-hostile" oil vessels go through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The tentative signs of a diplomatic solution came despite new violence, with an Iranian missile causing injuries ...

Iran Claims Aluminium Plant Attacks in Gulf as Houthis Join War

This is Beirut 29/03 09:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Gulf Donald Trump USA Nawaf Salam Lebanon

Iran claimed on Sunday attacks on two major aluminium plants in the Gulf, further raising the economic stakes of the Middle East war after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis joined the conflict. The war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran has mushroomed throughout the region, sending world energy markets into a tailspin and ...

Trump Gives Iran 48 Hours to Open Hormuz as Tehran Strikes Israel

This is Beirut 22/03 07:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Tehran Benjamin Netanyahu United Arab Emirates

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure, as Tehran launched its most destructive attack yet on Israel. The ultimatum, made just a day after the U.S. leader said he was considering "winding down" military operations after ...

Lebanon’s Paralysis, Hezbollah’s Impunity, and a War Without Exit

Amal Chmouny 27/03 10:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Israel

Hopes for a swift end to Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon have all but faded, as Jerusalem signals it is preparing to establish a buffer zone up to the Litani River until Hezbollah is no longer a threat. At the same time, U.S. policymakers privately acknowledge that de-escalation is not possible without a fundamental shift within Lebanon ...

Breaking the Cycle: Lebanon, Israel, and the Case for a New Strategic Approach

Marwan El Amine 25/03 12:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Nawaf Salam Hezbollah Joseph Aoun

Since Hezbollah plunged Lebanon into war, key questions have emerged about the country’s domestic future. Foremost among them: how will the Lebanese state address Hezbollah’s arsenal, and what will Israel pursue in its campaign against the group? In the months leading up to the new war, it became clear that the Lebanese state had not fully ...

Israel Strikes Tehran as Trump Says Iran Deal May be Reached 'Soon'

This is Beirut 30/03 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Tehran United Nations USA

Israel said Monday it was striking military targets across Tehran, a day after US President Donald Trump insisted a deal could "soon" be reached, while not ruling out ground operations. Iran also launched fresh strikes on Israel, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia after its electrical facilities came under attack at the weekend, cutting power to parts of ...

Displacement Fuels Fears of Hezbollah Infiltration Across Lebanon

Ian Stettner 14/03 16:35 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Achrafieh Internal Security Forces Israel

From Beirut’s suburbs to the Beqaa valley, to Druze strongholds in the eastern Chouf and Aley, and north across the Christian belt from the mountain resorts to the coast, fears are rising that Hezbollah operatives may be among the growing numbers of displaced Shia families. Israeli assassination strikes in historically-neutral parts of ...

Why Lebanon–Israel Diplomacy Remains Frozen

Ralph Atrach 02/04 12:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Lebanese Army Hezbollah Washington

As the U.S. signals readiness for a negotiated settlement to the regional war with Iran, a key question is resurfacing: could a broader diplomatic reset in the region revive the prospect of talks between Lebanon and Israel? Since Hezbollah plunged Lebanon into war with Israel on March 2, Beirut has reiterated its willingness to enter direct talks ...

Hezbollah's Fallback Strategy as the Resistance Axis Unravels

Marwan El Amine 03/04 08:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanese Army UN Security Council Lebanon Israel

Hezbollah is coming under immense pressure on all fronts. Its regional backer Iran stands on the threshold of a new political phase that points to a retreat from its regional strategy, with profound implications for Hezbollah in Lebanon. There, Israel is escalating its military efforts against Hezbollah, with the campaign likely to intensify ...

U.S. Strikes Iran Bases Threatening Blocked Hormuz Oil Route

This is Beirut 21/03 17:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Bahrain Gulf Israel Tehran

The U.S. military declared on Saturday it had damaged an Iranian bunker housing weapons threatening oil and gas shipments in the Strait of Hormuz, as thousands of Iranians marked Eid al-Fitr with prayer. The U.S. statement appeared designed to calm the concerns of energy markets and of Washington's sceptical international allies, more than 20 of ...

Lebanon on Edge: Mass Displacement and Hezbollah Threats Stir Tensions

Samar El Kadi 25/03 11:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah Damascus Israel

The threat of civil unrest looms over conflict-stricken Lebanon as a deepening displacement crisis fuels rising tensions between host communities and predominantly Shia refugees, many of whom come from Hezbollah's support base. “This is a volatile environment and it could lead to serious internal problems,” former MP and political activist ...

Blurring the Lines: How Hezbollah Obscures Civilian and Combatant Deaths

Claudia Groeling 01/04 15:05 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Hamas Israel Lebanese Forces

Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported 1,268 dead in Israeli strikes as of March 31, but offers no breakdown between civilians and Hezbollah fighters, leaving the real human toll shrouded in uncertainty. Dr. Joseph Helou, head of the Medical Care Directorate at the Ministry of Public ...

Breaking the Crowdfunding Myth: The Digital Architecture Funding Iran’s Proxy Wars

Ian Talley 02/03 16:05 - Reading : 674 minute(s)

Lebanese Forces USA G7 Hamas Hezbollah Iran

For years, Iran’s use of cryptocurrency was written off as pocket-change militant fundraising. A slew of enforcement actions now shows something far more consequential: Tehran and its terror allies have woven digital assets into the core financial architecture that bankrolls their war machines. By integrating crypto into their control of ...

Lebanon’s Last Chance: A Turning Point or the Point of No Return?

Amal Chmouny 19/03 12:55 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Lebanon Amal Lebanese Army Hezbollah Israel

Caught in the escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanon faces a critical turning point. The Lebanese state can no longer claim sovereignty while tolerating an armed militia that unilaterally dictates war and peace. President Joseph Aoun’s assertion that Hezbollah seeks the “collapse of the Lebanese state” and the ...

Trump Threatens More Strikes on Iran’s Main Oil Export Hub

This is Beirut 15/03 14:25 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Iran USA Israel Trump USIranWar UAE Gulf

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened additional strikes on Iran’s key oil export hub at Kharg Island as the war between Iran and the U.S.–Israeli alliance entered its third week, underscoring the growing risk of a prolonged conflict that is already disrupting global energy markets and destabilizing the Gulf region. Speaking to NBC News, ...

Israel’s New Manual for Fighting Terrorist Militias

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 30/03 10:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel UN Security Council Lebanon Hamas Hezbollah

From the ruins of Gaza to the depopulated villages south of Lebanon’s Litani River, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is testing a new doctrine that breaks with decades of conventional wisdom on combating terrorist actors. Rather than applying military pressure to bend governments or populations to its political will, Israel is now waging a war ...

Stocks Rally, Oil Dives as Trump Says War to End 'Very Soon'

This is Beirut 01/04 11:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Benjamin Netanyahu Gulf Israel

Equities rallied and oil tumbled Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the Middle East war would be over in up to three weeks and his Iranian counterpart said Tehran had "the necessary will" to bring it to an end. The remarks came as the economic impact of the conflict worsens, with average US gasoline prices topping $4 a gallon for the ...

Lebanon Plea: A Peace Initiative or a Lifeline for Hezbollah?

Amal Chmouny 13/03 11:50 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army Israel Joseph Aoun

Lebanon’s call for direct negotiations with Israel and its pledge to disarm Hezbollah are being framed in Beirut as historic. But it may instead be a delayed response, too late to stop the war, too weak to change its course, and potentially giving Hezbollah room to maneuver. On Monday, President Joseph Aoun urged an immediate ceasefire and ...

On the Streets of Tehran: Teenagers Armed With Machine Guns

This is Beirut 01/04 14:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran USA Israel Teheran USIranWar HumanRights

In the security crackdown ordered by Iranian authorities since the start of the war, an unsettling new sight on the streets of Tehran has put residents on edge: teenagers armed with machine guns. During the first weeks of the war against the United States and Israel, checkpoints sprang up around the capital, often comprising police or military ...

Lebanon’s Government Moves to Rein in Hezbollah, But Is It Enough?

Claudia Groeling 08/03 12:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Benjamin Netanyahu

After Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional conflict with its March 2 attack on Israel, the Lebanese government signaled increased urgency to assert state authority and seize the militia’s arsenal. The cabinet’s headline-making decisions include banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities, directing the Lebanese Armed Forces ...

Israel Political Unity on Iran War Fractures, Opposition Warns of 'Security Disaster'

This is Beirut 27/03 04:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Lebanon Democrats Hezbollah

Israel's opposition on Thursday signalled an end to the political consensus over the war against Iran — a conflict the military now says requires far more combat troops, particularly on the Lebanese front. "I want to warn the citizens of Israel. We are facing another security disaster," the country's main opposition leader and head of the ...

War Creating 'Largest' Oil Shock in History as Iran Hits New Gulf Targets

This is Beirut 12/03 14:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Iran Israel Gulf USA USIranWar Oil StraitofHormuz

The Middle East war is creating the biggest oil supply shock in history, the International Energy Agency warned Thursday, as Iran launched a new wave of attacks against Gulf energy targets that sent prices spiking above $100 a barrel. Images from Bahrain showed thick smoke rising after a strike on fuel tanks in Muharraq, with residents told to ...

The WhatsApp War: How Hezbollah Manufactures Reality

Salam El Zaatari 01/04 11:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel

In Lebanon today, the battlefield is no longer confined to the south; it has also moved to WhatsApp, where closed, encrypted groups spread information without scrutiny, and most importantly, without accountability. This is where Hezbollah has quietly built one of its most effective influence machines—not on television, where narratives can be ...

Lebanon Declares Iran's Ambassador Unwelcome, But Can It Make Him Leave?

Claudia Groeling 25/03 21:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Tehran United Nations

The Lebanese state has formally expelled Iran’s envoy to Beirut, its latest step to curb Tehran’s influence as the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah intensifies. On March 24, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said he had instructed his ministry to inform Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Lebanon, Toufiq Samadi Khoshkou, ...