More Than 20 Countries 'Express Their Readiness' to Resolve Hormuz Crisis

This is Beirut 21/03 15:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Arab Emirates Bahrain Gulf Israel Middle East

More than 20 countries on Saturday said they would contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz, condemning Iran's closure of the vital waterway. "We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas ...

U.S. Complex in Baghdad Attacked Six Times Overnight

This is Beirut 22/03 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump United Arab Emirates Lebanon Gulf Hezbollah

At least six overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad's International Airport, two Iraqi security officials told AFP on Sunday. "Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones targeted the US centre," a senior security official told AFP, saying "some rockets landed near the base," while a ...

Israel to 'Advance Targeted Ground Operations' in Lebanon: Army Chief

This is Beirut 22/03 22:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Hezbollah Middle East USA

Israel's military will expand its ground operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, its army chief said Sunday, warning that the offensive against the group was still in its early stages. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader ...

Iran Awaits Trump Threat to Blow up Power Plants

This is Beirut 23/03 02:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Donald Trump United States

Iran on Monday faces a deadline by President Donald Trump to open up the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face a major US assault on power plants, as Israel warned of weeks more of war. Israel also gave the clearest signs yet it intends a ground campaign into Lebanon, destroying a key bridge as it vows to crush Hezbollah, the Shia Muslim movement ...

Trump to Postpone Strikes on Iran Power Plants After ‘Productive’ Talks

This is Beirut 23/03 15:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Israel Middle East Tehran

Trump announced on Monday that the United States and Iran have engaged in what he described as “very good and productive” talks over the past two days, aimed at achieving a comprehensive resolution to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Citing the constructive tone of the discussions, Trump said he has ordered a temporary five-day ...

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

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

Lebanon Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Hezbollah

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 ...

Strikes Continue as Israeli Ground Offensive Widens

This is Beirut 23/03 18:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel United Nations

Israeli strikes intensified throughout Lebanon on Monday, with attacks on key bridges linking areas north and south of the Litani River, a targeted killing in the Christian-majority city of Hazmieh east of Beirut, and incidents across UNIFIL positions in the south. Israeli troops moved into Aita al-Shaab in a ground offensive, while more than 18 ...

Iraq Armed Group Says Commander, Fighters Killed in Strike

This is Beirut 24/03 08:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel United States USA

A strike in western Iraq on Tuesday killed a commander and 14 fighters from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, the group said. The bombing targeted a base in Anbar province during a commanders' meeting, a source from the group told AFP on condition of anonymity, blaming the United States for the attack. Hashed al-Shaabi, ...

From South Lebanon to Beirut's Southern Suburbs: Strikes Intensify

This is Beirut 24/03 10:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon South Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army

Israeli strikes intensified across Lebanon late Monday, with a series of airstrikes targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs, expanding operations beyond traditional Hezbollah strongholds and into new regions. The escalation followed renewed warnings by Avichay Adraee and came amid Israeli claims of arresting members of the Radwan Force and seizing ...

U.S. Limits Pause on Iran Strikes to Energy Targets as Talks Remain Disputed

This is Beirut 24/03 12:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Iran Israel Negotiations USIranWar

The United States has clarified that its temporary pause on strikes against Iran applies only to energy infrastructure, while military operations targeting defense and strategic capabilities continue, underscoring the limited scope of the announced de-escalation. A U.S. official told Semafor that the five-day suspension ordered by President ...

Trump Administration Proposes 15-Point Plan to End Iran War

This is Beirut 24/03 22:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel White House

The Trump administration proposed a 15-point plan delivered by Pakistan that highlighted conditions to Iran for the U.S. to end its war against the country.  In a speech at the White House on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. is currently conducting negotiations with Iran, and that “they want a deal very ...

Temporary Immunity, Ongoing Strikes: Inside the Parallel Tracks of War and Diplomacy in Iran

This is Beirut 25/03 10:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran USA Israel Trump USIranWar

Even as the war between Iran, the United States, and Israel intensifies on the ground, reports emerging Wednesday, suggest that Washington and Tel Aviv have granted temporary targeting immunity to two senior Iranian officials, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, for the duration of the current ...

Reports of Ghalibaf–Trump Channel Trigger Political Turmoil in Tehran

This is Beirut 25/03 12:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran Trump USA USIranWar Israel Ghalibaf

Reports suggesting potential backchannel contacts between U.S. officials and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf have ignited a political storm in Tehran, exposing deep sensitivities within Iran’s leadership as the war continues. The controversy followed remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump and subsequent ...

Fresh Strike on Base in Western Iraq Kills Seven

This is Beirut 25/03 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA

A new strike in western Iraq killed seven security personnel, the defence ministry said Wednesday, a day after a deadly attack on the same base targeted the former paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi. Iraq has been unwillingly pulled into the war sparked by US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, and which has since engulfed much of the ...

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

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

Israel UN Security Council United Nations United States USA

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 ...

Editorial – Pezeshkian's Election: A Mere Facade?

Michel Touma 2024-07-07 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

  The election of the so-called “moderate” candidate Massoud Pezeshkian to the presidency of Iran on Friday is not a major surprise. The fact that his candidacy was approved this time by the central authorities, after being rejected in the 2021 presidential election, suggested that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali ...

Assassination Attempt on Trump: A Game-Changer?

Ali A. Hamadé 2024-07-16 16:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump

The assassination attempt on former President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump was deeply shocking for the American people. Who would have imagined that one of the most protected figures in the country could be targeted during an electoral rally, despite the extensive presence of the Secret Service and numerous snipers on nearby ...

Iran Says Preemptive Operation Foiled Alleged U.S.–Israeli-Backed Plot by Separatist Groups

This is Beirut 05/03 13:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Israel USA IRGC RegionalConflict

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence said Thursday that security forces carried out a preemptive operation against separatist groups, claiming the action disrupted what it described as a plot supported by the United States and Israel. In a statement released by the ministry, Iranian authorities said the operation was conducted in coordination ...

Canada Party Leaders Hold High-Stakes Debate two Weeks From Vote

This is Beirut 2025-04-16 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Canada Mark Carney Pierre Poilievre Donald Trump

Canada's main party leaders face off Wednesday in a debate that could prove pivotal ahead of this month's election, with Prime Minister Mark Carney's French language skills set to be tested. Carney's main rival on the stage in Montreal will be Pierre Poilievre, whose Conservative Party is trailing the Carney-led Liberals in most opinion polls ...

Morgan Ortagus' Mission Amid Rising Frustration

Michel Touma 2025-04-07 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon United States Morgan Ortagus

Let’s be clear—no more avoiding the issue or making compromises. The time for indulgence and indecisiveness has passed, and it must never return. Complacency and weakness are no longer acceptable, nor should they ever be again. For the past 20 years—since 2005, when Hezbollah seized control of the local political scene—and more broadly ...

Reusable Water Bottles: Breeding Grounds for Bacteria?

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-04-09 17:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Water Bottles Disposable Health Bacteria

Proper hydration, eco-awareness and sleek design – in many parts of the world, reusable water bottles are everywhere. Whether made of stainless steel, glass or durable plastic, they’ve become a fixture in backpacks, on desks and in gyms. Since the rise of zero-waste movements and growing environmental consciousness – still, unfortunately, ...

‘Always Be Drunk:’ Remedy or Illusion in the Face of Existential Emptiness?

David Sahyoun 2025-04-09 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Psychoanalysis Drunkness Baudelaire Culture Emptiness

In The Spleen of Paris, Baudelaire advises the reader to “always be drunk. That’s it: the only question. In order not to feel the horrible burden of Time, breaking your shoulders and bending you toward the earth, you must get drunk without ceasing. But on what? On wine, on poetry, or on virtue, as you wish. But get drunk.” This work ...

Author of Explosive Meta Memoir Stars at US Senate Hearing

This is Beirut 2025-04-10 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump New York US Congress

The former Facebook employee behind a scathing book about parent company Meta on Wednesday alleged that the social networking giant collaborated with the Chinese government on artificial intelligence, censorship and more, then lied to Congress about what it was doing. Former global policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams, who worked at the company ...

April 13, 1975: "A Day Engraved in Our Memory"

Elie Valluy - correspondant à Paris 2025-04-13 11:28 - Reading : 10 minute(s)

Lebanon France Civil War Expatriates

François Boustani remembers Sunday, April 13, 1975 — the day the Lebanese civil war began — with vivid clarity. “That day is etched in our memory,” recalls the cardiologist, who was in Zahleh, eastern Lebanon, at the time. “The phone rang that afternoon. My parents had friends over for lunch. It was my uncle, calling to warn my father ...

Mario Vargas Llosa, the Peruvian Novelist Who Became a Writer in France

Madeleine Cadoux 2025-04-14 13:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nobel Prize Mario Vargas Llosa literature France Peru

Born in 1936 in Arequipa, Peru, Vargas Llosa left his homeland in the 1950s, believing that true literary ambition could only flourish elsewhere. He arrived in Paris in 1959 at the age of 23 with his first wife, Julia Urquidi, who would later inspire Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. He found a city pulsing with intellectual energy—where Sartre ...

From Firepower to Billboards: The Evolution of "May 7"

Johnny Kortbawi 2025-04-15 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah billboards airport road

It’s striking how much Hezbollah’s projection of power has changed over the years. Once firmly gripping Lebanon’s state institutions, the party sought to assert dominance over the entire political spectrum—often by force. There was a time when Hezbollah stormed Beirut with weapons and fire, burned down the TV studios of its political ...

Calisthenics, the Art of the Free Body Gains Ground in Lebanon

Makram Haddad 2025-04-15 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Dimitrios Yaacoub Calisthenics National champion

No, it is neither a rare disease nor a new fashionable treatment. Behind this slightly barbaric name–which could evoke an antique medicine or a forgotten pathology–calisthenics is indeed a sport. And not just any sport, it is an art of movement, a cult of the free body, a spectacular mix of strength, flexibility and control. Also called ...

Canada PM Carney Avoids French Blunder as He Faces Attack in Key Debate

This is Beirut 2025-04-17 05:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Canada Politics Debate Elections

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney avoided major errors in a French debate Wednesday that tested his occasionally shaky language skills, as the election front-runner sought to parry attacks from his conservative opponent. Carney, who leads Canada's Liberal Party, has at times struggled to articulate his positions in French while campaigning ...

Three Types of Pain that Resist Even the Most Powerful Painkillers!

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-04-02 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Pain Headaches Childbirth

Pain is universal, yet some forms defy description. Among the most excruciating conditions known to medicine, three stand out – consistently cited by both patients and healthcare professionals: cluster headaches, childbirth and acute pancreatitis. Their intensity, duration and the sense of helplessness they induce raise profound questions about ...

Christian Lacroix Reveals His True Calling in Costumes

This is Beirut 2025-04-17 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fashion France Christian Lacroix Paris Luxury Art

He describes himself as an “impostor” in haute couture: at 73, Christian Lacroix is now fully dedicated to what he calls his “real profession”—that of a costume designer. His flamboyant style, shaped by fashion history, folklore, and painting, now finds its true expression on the stage. “As a child, I thought in terms of costumes, of ...