This is Beirut

Trump’s Thunderbolt: America Attacks, Iran Shakes, the World Waits

Marc Saikali, 22/06 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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A night that will be etched into Middle East history has just come to an end. In the early hours of June 22, 2025, Donald Trump launched a strike. Six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers took off from a US base and dropped twelve GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear site, while 30 Tomahawk missiles targeted facilities in ...

Emirates to Resume Flights to and from Lebanon Starting Monday

This is Beirut, 21/06 16:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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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 ...

US Strikes on Fordo: Britain’s Strategic Dilemma

Ali A. Hamadé, 21/06 14:10 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

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For days now, the Middle East has been gripped by a geopolitical crisis of extraordinary intensity. The open conflict between Israel and Iran – ignited by a sweeping Israeli military offensive – shows no sign of abating and is already reshaping the region’s balance of power. Not only has the balance tipped decisively toward Israel, but ...

UN Refugee Chief Calls for Support to Syria to Facilitate Refugee Returns

This is Beirut, 20/06 21:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Friday urged the international community to support Syria’s recovery in order to speed up reconstruction and allow more refugees to return home, fourteen years after the start of the war. “I am here to appeal to the international community to provide more aid and support to the Syrian ...

Lebanon’s Tourism: The Endless Summer That Fails to Deliver

Christiane Tager, 19/06 23:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Since June 13, the travel sector in the Middle East has faced severe turbulence following clashes between Iran and Israel. And as always, Lebanon — true to its role as the region’s perennial bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time — ends up paying the price, once again caught in the center of the storm. “The sector has suffered ...

Tehran’s Shadow Arsenal: Chemical, Biological and Radiological Threats

Mario Chartouni, 19/06 21:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Despite Iran’s largely nominal commitments to international treaties, mounting evidence suggests the existence of an active or developing chemical, biological and radiological weapons program. Long-sidelined concerns are resurfacing as regional tensions escalate, and a Damoclean sword hangs over the mullah’s regime. On one side, Israel claims ...

Gulf States on Iran's Doorstep Scramble for End of War

This is Beirut, 19/06 10:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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As Iran and Israel trade strikes and the US weighs joining in, wealthy Gulf states on the conflict's doorstep are engaged in frantic diplomacy to halt the war -- but solutions remain elusive. A spillover of the conflict or the Iranian government's collapse are both worrying outcomes for the energy-rich region, which hosts several major US ...

Fordow: Deep Inside Iran’s Nuclear Core

Mario Chartouni, 17/06 20:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Deep in the Iranian mountains, near the holy city of Qom, lies one of the most heavily guarded nuclear facilities in the world: the Fordow uranium enrichment site, a pivotal hub of Iran’s nuclear program. Shielded by the Mountain Buried nearly 90 meters beneath solid rock, the Fordow facility symbolizes Tehran’s nuclear determination and ...

All-Risk Insurance in Wartime

Liliane Mokbel, 17/06 19:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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While Lebanon remains officially neutral in the military escalation between Israel and Iran, it is already feeling the first economic tremors. Rising regional tensions are starting to weigh on the insurance sector, particularly in maritime and air transport, as well as war-related coverage, all of which rely heavily on reinsurance. Premiums in ...

Lebanon Hoped for Tourists and Got War Instead

Christiane Tager, 16/06 22:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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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 ...

Strait of Hormuz: Is Iran Ready to Gamble with Global Energy Stability?

Liliane Mokbel, 15/06 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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As the Middle East flares up amid mounting tensions between Iran and Israel, one urgent question dominates global attention: Is Tehran ready to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial lifeline for the world’s energy supply? On Friday night, Emmanuel Macron sounded a stark warning. In a statement, the French president cautioned, “We must brace ...

Can Ahmad al-Sharaa Deliver on His Anti-ISIS Policy?

Alexandre Baz, 14/06 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Ahmad al-Sharaa, once a senior figure in the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has emerged as a central player in post-Assad Syria. Since taking power in December 2024 in a country ravaged by 13 years of war, Sharaa has positioned himself as a pragmatic and reform-minded leader, both to foreign governments and Syria’s deeply ...

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