Search : 500 result(s)
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 Bans Hezbollah’s Military Activities, But Stops Short of Terrorism Label
Amal Chmouny 04/03 22:10 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Israel
In an unprecedented move, Lebanon’s government on March 2 banned all Hezbollah’s military and security activities and instructed the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to immediately move forward with its plan to disarm the militia. The decision came hours after a Hezbollah rocket barrage into Israel, which triggered a widescale military ...
Escalation Intensifies as Israel Strikes and Hezbollah Drone Attacks Rock Lebanon
This is Beirut 03/03 10:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon Beqaa Southern Suburbs Beirut
Israeli raids resumed on Tuesday across Beirut’s southern suburbs, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. An additional Israeli strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday morning, following a tense night of evacuation warnings and air raids. In southern Lebanon, ...
Hezbollah Readies Its Electoral Machine After War Losses
Marwan El Amine 19/02 16:25 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah Lebanon Amal Israel
Whether Lebanon’s parliamentary elections are held on time in May or postponed, Hezbollah’s electoral machine appears to be in a state of full readiness. While the party commands the largest popular base within the Shia community, maintaining a wide lead over its closest ally, the Amal Movement, this electoral advantage has not bred ...
Praise or Pressure: What CENTCOM's Commendation for the LAF Tells Lebanon
Amal Chmouny 19/02 15:35 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Lebanese Army Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Saudi Arabia
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Brad Cooper’s praise of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) for uncovering a "massive underground tunnel" near the southern border represents far more than routine diplomatic protocol. While his February 9 statement commended the LAF, it implicitly contested the Lebanese army’s announcement the previous month ...
The Moment of Decision: Will Lebanon Choose Peace?
Marwan El Amine 04/03 09:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Lebanon Nawaf Salam Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun
The return of war to Lebanon was neither sudden nor unexpected. On the contrary, it appeared almost inevitable, a consequence of Hezbollah’s rigidity and denial on one hand, and the Lebanese state’s hesitation and accommodation on the other. It followed the trajectory of the political and security developments since the ceasefire that ended ...
Why Lebanon’s Shia Opposition Sees Opportunity in the 2026 Elections
Claudia Groeling 19/01 15:41 - Reading : 11 minute(s)
Hezbollah Amal Lebanon Elections Parliament Opposition
Lebanon’s upcoming parliamentary elections are shaping up as a test of Hezbollah’s political standing at a moment of vulnerability, after the group suffered a major military blow in the 2024 war with Israel and faces mounting pressure from the Lebanese government’s pledge to disarm it nationwide. Since the 1992 parliamentary elections, the ...
Why Lebanon’s Muslims Are Key to Any Credible Peace Initiative
Marwan El Amine 27/02 14:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Lebanon once again stands on the brink of a military confrontation that threatens to replay the all-too-familiar scenes of devastation and loss. As regional tensions escalate and the prospect of a U.S. strike on Iran looms, Hezbollah appears ready to place Lebanon squarely in the eye of the storm in defense of the Iranian regime, with little ...
Israeli Escalation in Lebanon Sends Warning to Hezbollah on Iran
Samar El-Kadi 27/02 13:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army Hamas Israel
As regional tensions mount over the possibility of U.S. military action against Iran, Israel has escalated its operations in Lebanon, signaling that Jerusalem will not accept any attempt by Hezbollah to open a front in support of Tehran. Israel’s recent waves of bombardment in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley were “clearly pre-emptive,” ...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Claim “Full Control” of Strait of Hormuz as Oil Traffic Plunges
This is Beirut 04/03 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Iran USA Israel StraitOfHormuz Gulf RegionalWar
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Wednesday that it has taken “full control” of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical maritime chokepoint through which a significant share of the world’s oil supply passes. According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, senior IRGC naval official Mohammad Akbarzadeh said ...
Will Hezbollah Turn to Political Assassinations Again?
Iftah Burman 10/02 13:00 - Reading : 10 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanon Amal Hassan Nasrallah UN Security Council
As Hezbollah faces mounting pressure, the risk is growing that the group could once again turn to assassinations to preserve its fragile military, political, and financial positions. In December 2025, fresh revelations about the activities of Hezbollah’s assassination squad, Unit 121, brought the group’s use of political violence back ...
Trump Has Discussed Timeline for Iran Strikes, but No Decision Yet
This is Beirut 19/02 10:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
USA Iran Trump Israel NuclearTalks
Senior U.S. national security officials have told President Donald Trump that the military could be ready to launch strikes against Iran as soon as Saturday, according to CBS News, as Washington intensifies pressure on Tehran amid faltering nuclear talks and mounting regional tensions. While Trump has not yet authorized any action, U.S. officials ...
U.S. in Talks With Iranian Kurdish Groups Over Potential Uprising Against Tehran
This is Beirut 04/03 11:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Iran USA Israel IranKurds Iraq RegionalWar
The United States has held discussions with Iranian Kurdish armed groups about the possibility of launching attacks against Iranian security forces in the country’s western regions, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks. The discussions, first reported by Reuters and confirmed by several media outlets, come as the U.S.-Israeli ...
UAE Closes Embassy in Iran After Four Killed in Attacks Across the Gulf
This is Beirut 01/03 20:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The UAE said on Sunday it was closing its embassy in Tehran and recalling the Emirati ambassador after Iran's retaliatory missile and drone campaign in the Gulf killed four people and wounded dozens more. The move marks the strongest condemnation yet by a Gulf state since Tehran began targeting the region with a barrage of strikes after the ...
Trump Says Largest Strikes on Iran Still to Come as War Expands Across Region
This is Beirut 03/03 06:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
USA Israel Iran Gulf Trump Netanyahu RegionalWar
“We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.” That was U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning Monday as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran entered its third day, signaling that the most intense phase of the campaign may still lie ahead. Trump outlined an expanded set of war ...
Buffer Zone in Southern Lebanon: Israel’s Advance Raises Questions About Lasting Presence
Natasha Metni Torbey 03/03 20:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Israel South Lebanon Lebanese Army Hezbollah
As Israel ramps up its military campaign against Hezbollah, Israeli troops advanced into southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning and established a buffer zone described by Tel Aviv as a limited defensive maneuver aimed at protecting northern Israeli communities. However, security sources interviewed by This is Beirut said that the maneuver could be ...
Can a New Round of U.S.–Iran Talks Avert Escalation?
Natasha Metni Torbey 03/02 12:45 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Donald Trump Israel Tehran Iran United States Washington
Amid elevated military tensions, the U.S. and Iran are now cautiously opening diplomatic channels, indicating an interest in averting a major conflict with potentially uncontrollable consequences for the region. In recent days, a series of mixed signals—from hawkish statements and regional warnings to indirect exchanges via ...
From Strategic Depth to Strategic Disruption: Hezbollah’s Next Move in Syria
Samar El-Kadi 18/02 15:15 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Hezbollah Lebanon Damascus Israel LAU
Hezbollah is seeking to disrupt Syria’s security, according to the country’s authorities. They accused the Iran-backed group, which fought alongside Bashar Assad’s ousted regime, of providing weapons to a cell that conducted rocket attacks on Damascus’s Mazzeh district. The authorities said they seized weapons, including several drones ...
Trump Launches ‘Board of Peace’ as Gaza Plan Faces Scrutiny
This is Beirut 19/02 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Trump Gaza Israel BoardOfPeace USA
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to preside Thursday over the inaugural meeting of his newly created “Board of Peace,” his new institution focused on progress on Gaza but whose ambitions reach much further. The head of the Palestinian technocratic committee formed to handle day-to-day governance of Gaza, Ali Shaath, was in ...
U.S. Rep. LaHood to This Is Beirut: “No Progress, No Support,” Lebanon Must Act Now
Amal Chmouny 10/02 18:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Lebanon Lebanese Army Amal Donald Trump Hezbollah
When Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal arrived in the U.S. capital during the first week of February, he entered a fundamentally transformed strategic landscape. The meetings that unfolded—from tense political exchanges to a dramatic walkout by Sen. Lindsey Graham—crystallized a stark reality: Lebanon’s decades-long balancing act ...
Inside the Historic 2026 U.S. Military Buildup Leading to the Iran Strikes
Jeremy Brecher 28/02 16:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The U.S. and Israel have begun conducting joint strikes on Iran on February 28 following a historic U.S. military buildup in the Middle East. This is Beirut compiled a timeline of the 2026 buildup leading up to the attacks, revealing preparations for using large amounts of force against Iranian targets. The 2026 U.S. Military Buildup The U.S. ...
Senior Official in Trump Administration Details Postmortem for Failed Iran Nuclear Talks
This is Beirut 03/03 21:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
United States Iran Nuclear Talks
A senior U.S. official spoke to TIB in a background call on the Iran nuclear talks, providing an inside look into what happened during the negotiations. Objectives of the U.S.-Iran Talks The official outlined the Trump administration’s objectives for the U.S.-Iran talks in detail, focused primarily on the nuclear issue. The first ...
Lebanese Authorities Warn Hezbollah Over Escalation Risks as Regional War Rages
This is Beirut 28/02 14:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Lebanon Israel Middle East United States
Lebanon’s presidency renewed its warning to Hezbollah Saturday, holding the group responsible for any potential domestic or international consequences amid rising regional tensions following the strikes on Iran. According to sources cited by Al Hadath, the Lebanese presidency reiterated its caution to Hezbollah and emphasized that the group ...
Time for Lebanon’s De-Hezbollahfication
Hussain Abdul-Hussain 03/03 10:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Lebanon Lebanese Army UN Security Council Nawaf Salam Hamas
Lebanon has tasted the nightmare Israel faced on October 7, 2023. Iran’s Islamist regime and its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, are irrational actors who cannot be trusted with a single bullet, let alone entire arsenals, regardless of the paper promises they sign. Israel recognized this existential threat and has since been taking preemptive ...
Qatar Downs Iran Warplanes, Halts LNG Production as Gulf Crisis Deepens
This is Beirut 02/03 19:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Gulf Bahrain Kuwait Middle East Saudi Arabia Iran
Qatar shot down two Iranian fighter jets and halted LNG production over Iran's latest strikes, sending prices soaring, as the Gulf crisis escalated sharply on Monday. Qatar's air force downed two Sukhoi SU24 bombers, the defence ministry said -- the first such action by a Gulf country after three days of Iranian bombardment. The wealthy region ...
Gulf States Withstand Fifth Consecutive Day of Iranian Attacks
This is Beirut 04/03 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Gulf Kuwait Middle East Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates
On the fifth consecutive day of Iranian attacks targeting Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar all reported intercepting missiles and drones as the regional escalation showed no sign of slowing. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said Wednesday that two cruise missiles were intercepted and ...
Major U.S.‑Israel Military Operation Against Iran Could Be Imminent: Report
This is Beirut 18/02 14:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Israel Trump USA Netanyahu Iran NuclearTalks
Israeli officials say preparations are underway for a potential war with Iran within days, as U.S. President Donald Trump escalates military pressure on Tehran while warning that diplomacy may be nearing its limit. Two Israeli officials told Axios that Tel Aviv is bracing for a rapid deterioration of the standoff, assuming indirect nuclear talks ...
The Shia Duo Under Strain: How Iran’s Crisis Is Realigning Amal and Hezbollah
Amal Chmouny 02/02 14:00 - Reading : 8 minute(s)
Amal Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah Lebanon Joseph Aoun
When Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met with Joseph Aoun on January 23, at the height of Hezbollah’s rhetorical campaign against the president, the gesture spoke volumes. As Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem rejected disarmament and warned of civil war, Berri moved to restore communication channels, differentiating his Amal ...
2026 NDS: America First Ushers in a New Era of Selective Engagement in the Middle East
Amal Chmouny 24/01 19:40 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
United States Middle East Iran
The newly released 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marks a dramatic pivot in American foreign policy, embracing what officials call “pragmatic realism” while fundamentally redefining U.S. engagement in the Middle East. Under an “America First” framework, the strategy moves away from large-scale military interventions in favor of ...
SDF Commander Says Integration With Syrian State Has Begun
This is Beirut 18/02 11:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria SDF Kurds Hasakah MazloumAbdi
The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said Tuesday that the integration of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration and its security forces into Syria’s state institutions has formally begun, while cautioning that the process “may take some time” due to political and operational obstacles. Speaking ...