This is Beirut - English Media Platform in Lebanon

Israeli Forces Will Occupy Swathe of South Lebanon After War: Defense Minister

This is Beirut 31/03 15:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said Israel's military would occupy a swathe of southern Lebanon even after the end of the current war against the Hezbollah armed group. "At the end of the operation, the IDF will establish itself in a security zone inside Lebanon, on a defensive line against anti-tank missiles, and will maintain security ...

From Baghdad to Beirut: Tehran’s Strategy to Set the Region Aflame

Seth J. Frantzman 31/03 15:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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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 ...

American Journalist Abducted in Baghdad as Iraqi Forces Launch Search Operation

This is Beirut 31/03 20:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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An American freelance journalist, Shelley Kittleson, was abducted by unidentified individuals in Baghdad on Tuesday, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, prompting an urgent security operation to locate her and apprehend those responsible. The ministry said authorities acted swiftly on what it described as “precise ...

Israel’s New Manual for Fighting Terrorist Militias

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

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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 ...

Lebanon Says Israeli Strikes on Beirut Area Kill 7

This is Beirut 01/04 07:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The Lebanese health ministry said Wednesday that Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and a nearby town killed at least seven people, as Israel's military said it had targeted senior Hezbollah members. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel to ...

Iranian Missile Barrage Hits Israel, Reports Indicate Use of Cluster Munitions

This is Beirut 01/04 09:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Israel reported renewed missile launches from Iran on Wednesday targeting central and northern areas, causing multiple casualties and damage across several sites, with reports indicating the possible use of cluster munitions that pose long-term risks to civilians. The military stated it had “identified missiles launched from Iran toward the ...

Iran FM Says Not Responded to U.S. Plan, 'No Negotiations'

This is Beirut 01/04 10:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there were no negotiations with the United States and that Tehran had not responded to a reported 15-point proposal from Washington to end the war. "We receive messages from the American side, some direct and some through our friends in the region, and whenever necessary we respond to these messages," ...

Rubio Signals War Endgame as U.S. Pressure Mounts on Weakened Iran

This is Beirut 01/04 10:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The United States is increasingly signaling that the war with Iran is entering its final phase, even as military operations and diplomatic maneuvering continue in parallel. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington now sees “the finish line” in a conflict that has entered its fifth week, describing an Iranian state that is, ...

The WhatsApp War: How Hezbollah Manufactures Reality

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

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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 ...

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

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

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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 ...

Yemen Claims Joint Strike with Iran and Hezbollah on Southern Israel

This is Beirut 01/04 11:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Yemen’s armed forces on Wednesday announced a new round of attacks targeting what they described as “sensitive Israeli positions” in southern Israel in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah. The operation, described as the third phase of an ongoing military campaign, involved the launch of ballistic missiles, according to a ...

Erdogan Warns of Regional Spillover Risk as War Enters Second Month

This is Beirut 01/04 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Wednesday that the ongoing war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel risks expanding into a broader regional conflict, as tensions continue to escalate across multiple fronts. “We are facing the danger of the war spreading and widening,” Erdoğan said during a parliamentary ...

Blurring the Lines: How Hezbollah Obscures Civilian and Combatant Deaths

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

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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 ...

Israel Strikes Litani Bridges to Pressure Lebanese Government

Ian Stettner 01/04 15:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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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 ...

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

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

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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 ...

Trump Says U.S. ‘Close to Finishing the Job’ in Iran War, Says More Strikes Ahead

This is Beirut 02/04 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Israel said it came under Iranian missile fire on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb the Islamic republic into the "Stone Ages" with heavy strikes in the next two to three weeks. In a speech from the White House, Trump sought to reassure war-weary Americans that the military campaign that began on February 28 was coming ...

UAE Signals Willingness to Join Military Effort in Hormuz: Report

This is Beirut 02/04 10:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The United Arab Emirates is preparing to support a potential military operation led by the United States and its allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Arab officials told the Wall Street Journal. If confirmed, the move would mark the first time a Gulf state has formally entered the conflict with Iran. Emirati officials are pushing for a United ...

Iran Confirms Death of IRGC Navy Commander Following Israeli Airstrike

This is Beirut 30/03 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran confirmed on Monday that Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy (IRGCN), had been killed, days after Israel announced it had targeted him in an airstrike. A statement published by the Guards’ Sepah News website said Tangsiri “succumbed to severe injuries” from the attack, according to AFP. Israeli ...

Iran Hangs Two Convicted of Links to Banned Opposition

This is Beirut 30/03 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Iranian authorities executed two men on Monday after convicting them of membership in a banned opposition group and attempting to overthrow the Islamic republic, the judiciary said. "After confirmation and final approval of the sentence by the Supreme Court, Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi-Sangdehi were hanged this morning," the ...

Oil Surges as Trump Signals Escalation Against Iran

This is Beirut 02/04 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Oil prices jumped in volatile trading on Thursday morning after Donald Trump warned of potential further military action against Iran, dampening hopes for a near-term de-escalation in the conflict, CNBC reported. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May rose 5.9% to $106.02 a barrel as of 3:11 a.m. ET, while June Brent crude ...

Hamas Operates Under Hezbollah Tutelage in Lebanon, Documents Reveal

This is Beirut 26/03 18:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The IDF released a cache of Hamas internal documents found in the Gaza Strip, giving formal proof that Hamas operates under Hezbollah supervision in Lebanon. The documents, dated to the period prior to Hamas’s October 7th terror attacks, show that Hezbollah agreed to assist the group with “equipment, training, and facilities" and that Hamas ...

Hezbollah Leader Urges National Unity to Confront “Israeli-American Aggression”

This is Beirut 25/03 15:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem called for “national unity” in Lebanon on Wednesday, framing it as essential in confronting what he described as a year-long campaign of Israeli-American aggression. In his address, Qassem presented Lebanon as facing a stark choice between “surrender” and ...

Cautious Optimism as Oil Prices Decline and Stock Markets Rebound

This is Beirut 25/03 16:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Oil prices continued to decline on Wednesday, leading to a rebound in stock markets, as traders appeared willing to believe in the possibility of a peace plan proposed by Donald Trump to Iran. “Market movements are driven by narratives and headlines: today, everything revolves around the prospect of a ceasefire,” summarized Neil ...

Iraq Says Won't Remain Silent Following Attack on PMF Base

This is Beirut 25/03 17:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iraq warned on Wednesday that its armed forces “will not remain silent” following a deadly airstrike that killed seven soldiers at a site linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition of Iran-backed militias integrated into Iraq’s regular armed forces, according to an article in the Times of Israel. In a statement posted on ...

Netanyahu Announces Expansion of Security Zone as Israel Steps Up Lebanon Operations

This is Beirut 25/03 18:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Tensions escalated on Wednesday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of Israel’s security zone along the northern border, according to Israeli media outlet Ynet. Speaking to northern Israeli local leaders, Netanyahu said the buffer zone will “distance the anti-tank threat” from Israeli communities and prevent ...

Iran Speaker Warns 'Enemies Are Preparing to Occupy' Island

This is Beirut 25/03 20:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf warned on Wednesday about the possible invasion of an Iranian island with the support of an unnamed regional country. "Based on some intelligence reports, Iran's enemies are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands with support from one of the regional states," Ghalibaf wrote in ...

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

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

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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, ...

Hezbollah Rejects Truce Talks as Israel Presses Lebanon Strikes

This is Beirut 26/03 04:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said negotiations with Israel under fire would amount to "surrender", as the Iran-backed group launched attacks and Israel said it was expanding a "buffer zone" inside Lebanon. Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for around two decades until 2000, has kept up strikes on its northern neighbour and sent ground troops ...

Turkey Relays Messages Between Washington and Tehran

This is Beirut 26/03 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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A senior official in the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Turkey is relaying messages between the United States and Iran, as efforts intensify behind the scenes to contain a widening regional war. Harun Armagan, deputy head of foreign affairs in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), confirmed that Ankara ...

Israel Kills IRGC Navy Commander in Precision Airstrike

This is Beirut 26/03 13:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)