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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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

Iran Says 'No Decision' on Whether to Attend Next Round of U.S. Talks

This is Beirut 20/04 09:40 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Middle East

Iran's foreign ministry said Monday it has yet to reach a decision on whether to attend the next round of talks with the United States. "As of now, while I am at your service, we have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard," said ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press ...

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 ...

Beyond Mediation: How Washington Is Recasting Lebanon–Israel Negotiations

Jeremy Brecher 22/04 21:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

United States Lebanon Israel Negotiations Trump

The U.S. is set to mediate a second round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials on Thursday as part of the first such series of direct negotiations between the two sides since 1993. These diplomatic engagements come nearly a year and a half after the previous Lebanon-Israel ceasefire framework. In November 2024 under the Biden ...

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 ...

U.S. Awaits Iran Response to Latest Deal Offer

This is Beirut 07/05 18:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Lebanon Gulf Hezbollah

The United States was waiting on Thursday for Iran to respond to its latest proposed deal to end the war in the Middle East and to reopen the key shipping lane out of the Gulf. Oil prices tumbled five percent after U.S. President Donald Trump said once again that an agreement could be near after positive talks and Iran said it would pass on its ...

Iran Keeps U.S. Waiting for Response on Peace Plan

This is Beirut 09/05 17:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran USA Hormuz Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Trump Negotiations

Iran questioned the seriousness of American diplomacy on Saturday in the wake of renewed naval clashes in the Gulf, while keeping Washington waiting for a response to its latest negotiating position. U.S. President Donald Trump had said on Friday that he was expecting Iran's response to Washington's latest proposal for a deal to extend a fragile ...

A State Decides: Lebanon's Bet on Direct Talks with Israel

Amal Chmouny 20/04 13:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Donald Trump Lebanese Army Hezbollah

For the first time in decades, the U.S. has brokered direct talks between Lebanon and Israel, beginning with a 10-day cessation of hostilities and a commitment to negotiate in good faith. Washington says lasting calm will require the Lebanese state to reassert sovereignty over non-state arms. President Donald Trump said the initiative had created ...

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 ...

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 ...

Lebanon Sees Fiercest Escalation Since Ceasefire as Israeli Strikes Reach South of Beirut

This is Beirut 09/05 22:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Ceasefire Beirut Disarmament

Lebanon witnessed its most severe military escalation since the April ceasefire on Saturday, as Israeli airstrikes expanded beyond southern border areas and struck locations south of Beirut for the first time since the truce took effect. The escalation came amid growing uncertainty surrounding the fragile ceasefire agreement and only days before ...

Iran Says Won't Reopen Hormuz as Long as U.S. Blockade Remains

This is Beirut 23/04 08:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron Lebanon Amal Gulf

Iran's vow not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz -- so long as a U.S. naval blockade remained in place -- was held into Thursday despite a ceasefire extension, as the Gulf nation announced the seizure of two ships trying to cross the strategic waterway. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Wednesday that it had also "directed 31 vessels ...

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 ...

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 ...

Gulf Clash Threatens Hopes for Quick U.S.-Iran Deal

This is Beirut 08/05 13:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran USA Trump Hormuz Negotiations Lebanon Hezbollah USIranWar

A new clash between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Gulf dented optimism for a negotiated peace Friday, despite President Donald Trump insisting a shaky truce was still holding while the sides inch towards a deal. U.S. Central Command said Iranian forces had launched missiles, drones, and small boats at three U.S. warships overnight but that none ...

Iran Activates Air Defenses as Trump Faces Congressional Deadline

This is Beirut 01/05 07:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Lebanon Gulf Iran United States

Tehran's air defences were activated to counter small aircraft and drones late Thursday, as the White House signalled that it will not be reined in by a congressional deadline on the Iran war. The Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that air defence systems, heard in some parts of the Iranian capital, were activated "to counter small aircraft ...