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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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Explaining the U.S. Troop Buildup as Trump Pushes Iran Talks
Claudia Groeling 27/03 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Donald Trump Middle East Tehran United States USA
Amid escalating rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump, including threats of further strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, Washington has signaled openness to negotiations with Tehran. While Trump has not formally indicated plans to invade Kharg Island, through which 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports flow, he has made ...
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, U.S. Double Down on War Effort; Lebanon Reiterates Calls for Israel Negotiations
This is Beirut 20/03 06:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Israel United States Iran Hezbollah UAE
On Thursday, Israeli officials stated that Israel continues to act decisively against Iran and Hezbollah while the Trump administration sought additional funding for U.S. war efforts and called on allies to assist in operations at the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Lebanese officials reiterated their support to begin direct negotiations with ...
Israel Says Killed Iran Intel Chief, Tells Military to Hunt Down Officials
This is Beirut 18/03 15:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Israel said on Wednesday its forces had killed another top Iranian official, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, and said its military was authorised to kill any senior figure of the Islamic republic in its sights. The announcement, the day after Iranian security chief Ali Larijani was confirmed killed in an Israeli strike, is part of a ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
The WhatsApp War: How Hezbollah Manufactures Reality
Salam El Zaatari 01/04 11:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
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 ...
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 ...
Lebanon Kids Struggle to Keep Up Studies as War Slams School Doors Shut
This is Beirut 29/03 05:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon USA Banks Hezbollah Israel
In a classroom turned shelter for displaced families, teenager Ahmad Melhem follows a recorded lesson on a tablet as the war between Hezbollah and Israel interrupts education for hundreds of thousands of students in Lebanon. "I don't want to regret not finishing my studies despite the difficult circumstances," said Melhem, whose ...
Israel Strikes Litani Bridges to Pressure Lebanese Government
Ian Stettner 01/04 15:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Israel Lebanon Lebanese Army Hezbollah USA
As Israel presses its ground invasion of south Lebanon, it has destroyed several bridges spanning the Litani River, saying Hezbollah was using the crossings for military purposes. Analysts told This Is Beirut that the strikes also form part of a broader pressure campaign on the Lebanese state. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the bridges ...
Gulf Allies Privately Urge Trump to Press War on Iran: Report
This is Beirut 31/03 12:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Trump Gulf USA Israel USIranWar
Gulf Arab allies are privately urging President Donald Trump to intensify the war against Iran and avoid a premature settlement, even as the White House considers scaling back its military campaign without securing full control over the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by the Times of Israel. According to U.S., Gulf, and Israeli officials, ...
From Baghdad to Beirut: Tehran’s Strategy to Set the Region Aflame
Seth J. Frantzman 31/03 15:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Tehran Lebanon Hezbollah Israel United States
In December 2017, Hezbollah hosted Iraqi militia leader Qais al-Khazali on a tour of Lebanon’s border with Israel. At the time, Israel was careful not to provoke Hezbollah, and Khazali seemed confident that he could threaten the Jewish state from the frontier. Nearly a decade later, Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have become ...
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 ...
Netanyahu Says Iran 'Decimated,' Tehran Targets Gulf Petro-Facilities
This is Beirut 20/03 01:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran is being "decimated" and it is unclear who is in charge, even as the Islamic Republic kept up attacks on Gulf oil and gas targets that have jolted global markets. Nearly three weeks into the Middle East war launched by Israel and the United States, Netanyahu said Tehran ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
Yemen's Houthis Claim First Attack on Israel Since Start of Mideast War
This is Beirut 28/03 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Israel Houthi Middle East Palestine USA
Yemen's Houthi rebels announced their entry into the Middle East war on Saturday by launching a ballistic missile towards Israel, as the world struggled to contain the economic damage of a conflict now entering its second month. The intervention of Iran's Yemeni allies into Tehran's conflict with Israel and the United States will ...
Who Are the Iraqi Groups Involved in the Middle East War?
This is Beirut 18/03 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Since the start of the Middle East war, Tehran-backed Iraqi groups have repeatedly attacked US interests, whether bases hosting troops, diplomatic missions, or oil facilities. The armed groups, which the U.S. designates as terrorist organisations, have, from the onset, warned that the Middle East conflict will become a prolonged war of ...
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 ...