Emirates to Resume Flights to and from Lebanon Starting Monday

Emirates will resume operating flights to and from Lebanon, according to information obtained by This is Beirut from the Ministry of Transport. LBCI confirmed that the resumption will start on Monday, June 23. Gulf airlines canceled several flights starting Friday, June 13, 2025, to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran and Syria. The day after ...

When the Skies Close In: The Impact on Flights, Passengers and Airlines

Each time tensions flare in the Middle East, airspace closures thrust airlines, travel agencies and passengers into a frantic race against time. Flights are rerouted, layovers stretch and last-minute decisions become the norm… A behind-the-scenes look at a sky turned unpredictable, where everyone struggles to navigate the chaos. Following last ...

Iran Accuses G7 of Siding with Israel with De-Escalation Call

Iran accused the Group of Seven nations on Tuesday of siding with Israel in its call for "de-escalation" in their intensifying conflict, now in its fifth day. "The G7 must give up its one-sided rhetoric and tackle the real source of the escalation -- Israel's aggression," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said. "Israel has launched an ...

Lebanon Hoped for Tourists and Got War Instead

Tourism, a vital sector that accounted for over 20% of Lebanon’s GDP before the 2019 crisis, was poised to provide a much-needed boost to the country’s battered economy. Following Eid al-Adha, hotel occupancy rates in Beirut surged to 80%, signaling a bright season ahead. “We had a surge of bookings for the next two weeks, but they’re ...

EU Calls Emergency Meeting on Iran-Israel Conflict

The European Union’s top diplomat has convened a special meeting of the 27 foreign ministers for Tuesday, focused on the conflict between Israel and Iran, “given the gravity of the situation,” a senior official from her office announced on Sunday. The videoconference “will allow for an exchange of views, coordination on diplomatic actions ...

Israel Ultra-Orthodox Party Threatens Government Over Draft Law

Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party on Monday threatened to bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government by backing a motion for early elections amid a row over military service. Netanyahu's coalition, one of the most right-wing in Israel's history, is at risk of collapsing over a bill that could reverse the long-standing exemption ...

Russia Pummels Kyiv in Deadly Attack after Putin Retaliation Vow

Moscow launched dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones at Ukraine early Friday, killing at least three people in Kyiv, after President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation for an audacious Ukrainian attack on Russian airbases. AFP journalists heard air raid sirens and explosions ring out in Kyiv throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence ...

Israel PM Says Bodies of Two Hostages Retrieved From Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the bodies of two Israeli-Americans killed in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack and held in Gaza had been returned to Israel. "In a special operation by the (security agency) and the (military) in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of two of our hostages held by the murderous terrorist ...

US Stocks Retreat on Heightened Tariff Tensions

US stocks mostly slipped Monday on global trade tensions, with China rejecting Washington's accusations that it violated a pact to de-escalate tariffs, while President Donald Trump's plans to double steel levies added to strain with the EU. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.4 percent to 42,109.92, while the broad-based S&P ...

IMF: Three Billion to Bury 85 Billion? No, Thank You.

The International Monetary Fund wants to lend $3 billion to Lebanon. On paper, it’s an "opportunity" to get a devastated country back on its feet. In reality, it’s a cruel joke. Lebanon is staring into an $85 billion abyss - a gaping hole dug by decades of mismanagement, clientelism, and public governance as cynical as it is incompetent. In ...