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U.S. Sanctions on Hezbollah and Amal's "Deep State": Implications for the Duo and the State

Claudia Groeling 23/05 01:50 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Amal Hezbollah Lebanese Army Lebanon Israel

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 one of Washington’s clearest moves yet to counter Hezbollah’s influence over Lebanon’s political and security institutions. The sanctions, announced by the ...

Two Airports, Two Realities: Beirut's Airport Under Hezbollah’s Shadow, Qlayaat Under State Control

Ralph Atrach 23/05 13:40 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Beirut International Airport Israel Lebanese Army

Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny on May 19 announced the opening of bids for the public tender to operate and invest in Lebanon’s northern Rene Mouawad Airport, in a move aimed at reviving a second civilian airport after years of stagnation. The contract was awarded to Sky Lounge Services following a tender process conducted ...

Can the Lebanese Army Move Against Hezbollah Before Washington Loses Patience?

Amal Chmouny 15/05 13:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Hezbollah Washington Donald Trump Hassan Nasrallah

In the windowless corridors of the Rayburn House Office Building and the high-stakes briefing rooms of Foggy Bottom, Washington’s long-standing consensus on Lebanon is fracturing. For years, U.S. policy toward the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) was treated as a "sacred cow," a low-cost investment to keep a fragile state from collapse. But as of ...

Pakistan Army Chief in Tehran as Iran Weighs U.S. Peace Offer

This is Beirut 23/05 01:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Tehran Donald Trump US Secretary of State Lebanon European Union

Pakistan's powerful army chief arrived in Tehran on Friday as diplomacy around the Middle East war gathered pace, with Iran weighing a new US peace proposal while warning that deep divisions still stand in the way of a deal. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei cautioned that the visit did not mean "we have reached a ...

Lebanese Politicians and Activists Advocate “Just and Lasting Peace” Through State Institutions

This is Beirut 20/05 15:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel

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 ...

President Trump Vows ‘Complete Victory’ Over Iran as Diplomatic Deadlock Deepens

This is Beirut 11/05 20:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Iran USA Trump Hormuz Negotiations USIranWar

U.S. President Donald Trump declared Monday that Washington remains determined to achieve “complete victory” over Iran, signaling a sharp hardening of the American position as negotiations with Tehran appear increasingly deadlocked and the fragile regional ceasefire edges closer to collapse. “We’re going to have a complete ...

Hezbollah’s Disarmament Takes Center Stage Ahead of Lebanon-Israel Talks

Claudia Groeling 11/05 09:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army Donald Trump

With the U.S. set to mediate a third round of Lebanon-Israel talks on May 14 and 15, Washington has made clear that Hezbollah’s disarmament will be central to efforts to reach a broader security and peace arrangement between the two countries. “Comprehensive peace is contingent on the full restoration of Lebanese state authority and the ...

Iran Weighs Peace Proposal, Accuses U.S. of 'Excessive Demands'

This is Beirut 23/05 12:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Pakistan Trump USA Israel Hezbollah Lebanon Negotiations

Tehran accused the United States of "excessive demands," Iranian media said on Saturday, as U.S. media reports raised the prospect that Washington was mulling new strikes and leaders of the Islamic republic considered the latest peace proposal. Pakistan's powerful army chief arrived in Tehran on Friday to bolster mediation, and U.S. President ...

Lebanon, Israel to Hold New Direct Talks in Washington as Ceasefire Nears End

This is Beirut 14/05 13:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Washington Ceasefire Donald Trump

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold a new round of peace talks in Washington on Thursday as their latest ceasefire agreement, which remains formally in effect, approaches its expiration. Israel's military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Thursday after warning residents of several towns and villages there and in the ...

No Turning Back in Lebanon-Israel Talks

Samar El-Kadi 22/05 15:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Amal Hezbollah negotiations

Amid a fraught ceasefire, preparations are underway for the next phase of the U.S.-mediated Lebanon-Israel diplomatic process, which analysts describe as a major turning point. Security talks between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are scheduled to begin at the Pentagon on May 29, while a parallel political track is set to reconvene in ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Lebanon Ceasefire Opens a Diplomatic Window, Now Comes the Hard Part

Amal Chmouny 02/05 18:40 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Ceasefire Donald Trump Lebanese Army Benjamin Netanyahu

When the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel met at the White House on April 23, it was the kind of image that would have seemed unthinkable just months earlier. Their joint appearance alongside President Donald Trump — to announce a three-week extension of the cessation of hostilities — was a shift from decades of indirect, back-channel ...

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 Condemns U.S. Sanctions as Washington Expands Pressure on Hezbollah’s Institutional Network

This is Beirut 22/05 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Washington Amal Lebanon Israel

Iran on Friday strongly condemned new U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian Ambassador-designate to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Sheibani, as well as several Lebanese political, military, and security officials accused by Washington of supporting Hezbollah. In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury ...

Hezbollah’s Qassem Attacks Lebanese Government and Opposes Direct Talks with Israel

This is Beirut 20:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon IDF Israel Disarmament

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Sunday launched a sharp attack against the Lebanese government, rejected direct negotiations with Israel, and reaffirmed that the Iran-backed group would continue its armed confrontation despite growing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Speaking during a televised ...

Trump Warns Iran ‘There Won’t Be Anything Left’ as US-Israeli Strike Preparations Intensify

This is Beirut 18/05 03:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel USA Iran Trump Netanyahu Hormuz Negotiations USIranWar

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new warning to Iran on Sunday evening, declaring that Tehran must move quickly toward a peace agreement or face devastating consequences. “For Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The ...

Aoun’s Anticipated Washington Visit a Rare Opportunity for Lebanon

Samar El-Kadi 12/05 10:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Washington Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Hezbollah

As Lebanon prepares to continue U.S.-mediated talks with Israel later this week, a potential trip by President Joseph Aoun to Washington is increasingly being viewed in Beirut as a rare opportunity that cannot be missed. “President Aoun should absolutely go to Washington,” Lebanese Forces MP Ghayyath Yazbeck told This is Beirut.  “He ...

How Hezbollah's Coordination Unit Continues to Influence Lebanese Security

Ralph Atrach 06/05 20:10 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Amal Lebanese Army Internal Security Forces

The Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) recent raids in a southern suburb of Beirut to apprehend gunmen were coordinated with Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit, a security source told This Is Beirut, highlighting the unit’s continuing influence over security measures in Lebanon. In a tense standoff Sunday, Hezbollah supporters blocked ...

U.K. Defence Secretary: Britain Commits £115 Million, HMS Dragon and Typhoon Jets to Hormuz Security Mission

This is Beirut 12/05 20:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Middle East United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has announced a significant military contribution to a planned multinational maritime mission aimed at securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor frequently exposed to regional security tensions. Speaking during a virtual multinational summit of defence ministers, UK Defence ...

Lebanon and Israel Agree on Peace, Disagree on Sequence

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 11/05 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Nawaf Salam Benjamin Netanyahu UN Security Council

The Lebanese and Israeli governments are fully aligned on the goal of their diplomatic talks. When all is said and done, Hezbollah will be fully disarmed, Israel will have ended its security actions in Lebanon and fully withdrawn, and the border will be demarcated. The two countries will then have reached a bilateral peace agreement. The challenge ...

Kuwait and Bahrain Announce New Cases Linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

This is Beirut 12/05 13:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Kuwait Bahrain Iran IRGC Gulf Security

Kuwaiti authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of four suspected infiltrators allegedly linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accusing them of attempting to enter the country by sea to carry out “hostile acts” against the Gulf state. According to Kuwait’s Interior Ministry, the suspects admitted ...

Rubio Says Iran Talks Show Progress but Key Issues Remain Unresolved

This is Beirut 23/05 17:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Tehran United States US Secretary of State

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday indicated that diplomatic discussions with Iran remain active, suggesting that developments could emerge within days while reaffirming Washington’s core demands on Tehran’s nuclear program. Speaking during a visit to India, Rubio said that “there might be some news later ...

Oil Giant Saudi Aramco Says Quarterly Profits Up as Crude Prices Surge

This is Beirut 10/05 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Saudi Aramco Iran Gulf USA USIranWar Economy

Saudi oil giant Aramco said Sunday its net profit rose by 25.5 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, after the Middle East war sent oil and gas prices soaring. The result comes as uncertainty plagues global markets over the conflict's trajectory, with Iran restricting the passage of hydrocarbons through the strategic ...

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 ...