This is Beirut

UNIFIL to Withdraw Majority of Troops in Lebanon by Mid 2027

This is Beirut, 10/02 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Lebanese Army UN Security Council United Nations Hezbollah UNIFIL UN Italy France Israel

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is preparing to withdraw most of its troops from Lebanon by mid-2027, following the expiration of its mandate, spokesperson Kandice Ardiel told AFP on Tuesday. UNIFIL, which has served for decades as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon, has recently been supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces ...

French FM: Iran Must Stop Being a 'Destabilizing Power'

This is Beirut, 06/02 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Emmanuel Macron Lebanon Internal Security Forces Joseph Aoun Michel Issa France United States

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said during a visit to Lebanon that Iran should stop being a "destabilizing power", citing its nuclear program and support for "terrorist" groups that threaten regional and European countries. During a press conference in Beirut, where the government has committed to disarming the ...

Salam, Macron Discuss Lebanese Sovereignty, Security and Reforms in Paris

This is Beirut, 23/01 23:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon France Reform Nawaf Salam Emmanuel Macron

On Friday evening, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss Lebanon’s internal reforms and consolidation of state control. Salam reiterated that the Lebanese state is committed to its goal of confiscating all non-state weapons on Lebanese territory. Macron stated that France will ...

Aoun Hails State Control of Arms and Pledges Continued Reforms

This is Beirut, 20/01 13:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Emmanuel Macron Lebanon Internal Security Forces Joseph Aoun South Lebanon United States Qatar France Egypt

President Joseph Aoun stressed on Tuesday that the Lebanese government last year took a historic step by endorsing a plan aimed at confining weapons to state authority and extending state control over Lebanese territory exclusively through its own forces, calling the move a major turning point despite the challenges of implementation. Addressing ...

Conference in Support of Lebanese Army to be Held on March 5 in Paris

This is Beirut, 14/01 13:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun France Lebanese army

Lebanon said Wednesday that a conference in support of the country's army as it seeks to disarm militant group Hezbollah would take place in Paris on March 5. The announcement follows recent promises of support to the military, which lacks funds, equipment and technical expertise. Presidency spokeswoman Najat Charafeddine said President Joseph ...

Brigitte Bardot’s Last Goodbye: Actress and Activist Laid to Rest

This is Beirut, 07/01 20:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Brigitte Bardot Funeral Saint-Tropez Tribute France Culture

Well-wishers lined the streets in Brigitte Bardot's hometown of Saint-Tropez on Wednesday for the funeral of the French screen icon, who was buried in a seaside cemetery after dying last month of cancer. A day of commemorations for the renowned animal rights activist began with a Catholic service at the Notre-Dame de l'Assomption ...

Monitoring Mechanism Meets in Ras Naqoura

This is Beirut, 07/01 14:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Lebanese Army United Nations UNIFIL South Lebanon Israel United States of America France

The Mechanism for Monitoring the Cessation of Hostilities convened on Wednesday in Ras Naqoura, with participation limited to the committee’s core military members. The meeting brought together representatives of the Lebanese Army (LAF) and the Israeli Army, alongside American and French officers and the commander of the United Nations Interim ...

Taylor Swift’s Wine Choice Shines a Spotlight on French Sancerre

This is Beirut, 06/01 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Music Taylor Swift Us Wine France Culture

A French winemaker has hailed the impact of his Sancerre appearing in Taylor Swift's latest documentary, which looks set to deepen America's love affair with the famed Loire appellation. A bottle of Sancerre by the Terres Blanches Domaine, which sells for around $40 in the United States, is glimpsed briefly by a mixing desk during episode five of ...

French Cinema Icon Brigitte Bardot to Be Buried in Saint-Tropez cemetery

This is Beirut, 2025-12-29 17:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Cinema Brigitte Bardot Icon Funeral France

Cinema icon Brigitte Bardot is to be buried in a graveyard in her hometown of Saint-Tropez, an official said Monday, as France wrestles with how to pay tribute to a cultural legend who in later years championed far-right views. Bardot, who died on Sunday aged 91 after decades as an animal rights campaigner, had said she wanted to be laid to rest ...

Paris to Host Conference Supporting LAF in February

This is Beirut, 2025-12-18 16:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Lebanon Hezbollah Saudi Arabia United States France

Paris will host a conference in February in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), following a quadripartite meeting held in the French capital on Thursday, the French Foreign Ministry confirmed to This is Beirut. The venue of the conference has yet to be announced. The meeting brought together LAF Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, French ...

Decisive Paris Meeting: Can the Lebanese Army Deliver?

Natasha Metni Torbey, 2025-12-17 13:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Lebanon Hezbollah Joseph Aoun France Litani

On Thursday in Paris, one of the most sensitive moments in Lebanon’s current diplomatic timeline will unfold. A closed-door meeting on the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) needs will bring together the army’s commander-in-chief, General Rodolph Haykal; US Special Envoy Morgan Ortagus; Saudi envoy Prince Yazid bin Farhan; France’s special envoy ...

Louvre Museum Closed as Workers Strike

This is Beirut, 2025-12-15 12:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

France Paris Louvre

The Louvre Museum closed its doors to thousands of disappointed visitors on Monday as staff launched a strike to protest working conditions at the Paris landmark, two months after a shocking robbery. Workers are demanding extra staff and measures to tackle overcrowding, adding to the woes of the world's most visited museum just as France is ...

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