Ici Beyrouth

Saudi ‘Davos in the Desert’ Opens With Region on War Footing

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

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Global business leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a glitzy investor forum as conflict shakes the region and scepticism mounts over the Gulf kingdom's most ambitious development projects. The Future Investment Initiative (FII) debuted in 2017 as a showcase for de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's dream of diversifying ...

What if Hezbollah Were to Return the Deposits?

Johnny Kortbawi, 25/10 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Free Patriotic Movement Ghada Aoun Gulf Palestine

Hezbollah's financial capacity is estimated to be around one and a half billion dollars, based on general assessments, as the true extent of its funds remains unknown. What is certain is that this money exists outside the banking system and is not part of any financial or economic framework affiliated with the Lebanese state. From these funds ...

1.5 Million Displaced... A Ticking Time Bomb

Marc Saikali, 24/10 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gulf Tehran

National solidarity has played a commendable role. NGOs, privates, friendly nations, and even the state have immediately rushed to assist the unexpected refugees — victims of the "divine victory" sold to them — sacrificed for the interests of the Iranian mullahs, who are doing absolutely nothing to support them. However, isolated incidents ...

Iran Protests EU Support for UAE Over Disputed Islands

This is Beirut, 20/10 19:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

European Union Gulf Tehran United Arab Emirates

Iran summoned the ambassador of Hungary, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, to protest a joint EU-Gulf Cooperation Council statement on islands controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE, state media reported on Sunday. The statement, published after the first summit between the two regional blocs on Wednesday, said, "We ...

Threats and Diplomacy: Iran’s Dual Strategy on Israel

This is Beirut, 19/10 17:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Gulf Middle East Turkey United Nations Iran

Awaiting Israel's promised retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month, Iran has balanced threats of a fierce response to any Israeli attack with diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation into all-out regional war. Iran launched 200 missiles at its arch-foe on October 1 in response to an Israeli strike that killed Iranian general Abbas ...

Israeli-Iranian Conflict: The Strait of Hormuz as a Pressure Tactic

Liliane Mokbel, 17/10 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Europe Gulf Kuwait Middle East Saudi Arabia Tehran Ukraine United States

Iran may have to resort to a strategic tool: control of the Strait of Hormuz. According to several analyses, this tactic could be as devastating as a nuclear weapon. However, unlike a nuclear weapon, whose use would bring catastrophic consequences for Iran itself, the threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz serves as a form of "asymmetric ...

Brussels Summit on Middle East Tensions Brings Together Gulf and EU Leaders

This is Beirut, 16/10 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Gulf leaders including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gather with EU heads of state and government in Brussels Wednesday for a summit aimed at averting a "general conflagration" in the Middle East. The 27-nation European Union is seeking to work more closely with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -- which groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, ...

Qatar Accuses Israel of Expanding Conflict to Implement "Pre-existing Plans"

This is Beirut, 15/10 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Gulf Hamas Palestine

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday accused Israel of choosing to expand the conflict in the Middle East and to implement "pre-existing plans" for the occupied West Bank and Lebanon. "The easiest and safest way to stop the escalation on the border with Lebanon would have been to stop the war of extermination on Gaza," the Emir ...

Beirut Welcomes Humanitarian Aid From Gulf States

This is Beirut, 14/10 18:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gulf Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates

Lebanon continues to receive much-needed humanitarian aid from several countries as it grapples with a worsening crisis and escalation of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia The second plane from Saudi Arabia's relief air bridge to Lebanon arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Monday, carrying 30 tons of ...

Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall in the US

This is Beirut, 10/10 12:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Hurricane Milton crashed into the Florida coast Wednesday, packing furious winds and triggering life-threatening storm surges across a region still reeling from another massive storm two weeks before. The weather front made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key hit a densely populated area on the US state's western coast. Milton ...

Syria: How Many Divisions?

Marc Saikali, 07/08 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gulf

The days when the Syrian army terrorized the Lebanese population and relentlessly bombarded the neighborhoods of Beirut and Zahlé instead of fighting Israel are long gone. The days when this army was part of an international coalition against Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War are long gone. Nothing in the Near East could happen ...

Iran and Bahrain Agree to Start Talks on Resuming Ties

This Is Beirut, 24/06 13:14 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Bahrain Gulf Saudi Arabia

Iran and Bahrain have agreed to launch negotiations on how to restore diplomatic relations that have been severed for nearly eight years, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Tiny Gulf monarchy Bahrain cut ties with Iran in 2016, following in the footsteps of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia after Riyadh's diplomatic missions in Iran were ...