This is Beirut

U.S. Says Gaza 'Phase Two' Beginning With Goal of Hamas Demilitarization

This is Beirut, 14/01 20:55 - Reading : less than a minute

President Donald Trump's envoy said Wednesday that a plan to end the Gaza war was now moving to Phase Two with a goal of disarming Hamas, despite a number of Israeli strikes during the ceasefire. "We are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President's 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, ...

Palestinian Factions Offer Support for Gaza Technocratic Committee: Statement

This is Beirut, 14/01 19:15 - Reading : less than a minute

Fatah Hamas Palestine

The majority of Palestinian factions and the presidency offered their support for the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to govern Gaza, after mediator Egypt announced on Wednesday that all parties had agreed on its members. In a statement, Palestinian factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they had agreed "to support the ...

Iran Signals Fast Trials for Protesters Amid Trump’s Warnings

This is Beirut, 14/01 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hamas Hezbollah Israel Tehran Iran

Iran’s judiciary chief said Wednesday authorities would pursue fast-track trials for suspects arrested during nationwide protests, signaling a further escalation in the state’s response as unrest continues across the country. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Washington would take “very strong action” if Iranian ...

Trump Expected to Announce ‘Phase 2’ in Gaza Today

This is Beirut, 14/01 09:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Palestine Hamas International Monetary Fund West Bank Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected on Wednesday to announce the launch of Phase 2 of his Gaza plan, including the appointment of 15 members to a temporary Palestinian committee that will oversee the territory, according to U.S. officials cited by The Wall Street Journal. Officials told the newspaper that the conditions now allow a shift ...

U.S. Designates Muslim Brotherhood Branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as 'Terror' Groups

This is Beirut, 13/01 21:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Donald Trump Hamas United States US Secretary of State

The United States designated three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations on Tuesday, including on the group’s Egyptian, Jordanian, and Lebanese branches, alleging they pose a threat to U.S. interests. The State Department designated the Lebanese branch as a "foreign terrorist ...

Hamas to Hold Leadership Elections in Coming Months: Sources

This is Beirut, 13/01 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hamas Banks Fatah Israel Kuwait

Hamas is preparing to hold internal elections to rebuild its leadership following Israel's killing of several of the group's top figures during the war in Gaza, sources in the movement said on Monday. "Internal preparations are still ongoing in order to hold the elections at the appropriate time in areas where conditions on the ...

FM Raggi Denounces Hamas, Hezbollah Presence in Lebanon

This is Beirut, 12/01 15:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Raggi Lebanon Hamas Hezbollah Araghchi Iran

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi delivered a firm message to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, denouncing the involvement of Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in an interview with Sky News Arabia on Monday. According to Raggi, Hamas’s support for the war brought Lebanon “destruction, death, and suffering,” noting that the ...

Hamas Says Search Resumes for Last Israeli Hostage Body in Gaza

This is Beirut, 07/01 15:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine

Hamas officials told AFP that search operations for the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza resumed on Wednesday after a two-week pause due to bad weather. Israel has previously said it is awaiting the return of Ran Gvili's body before beginning talks on the second phase of the fragile ceasefire agreement with Hamas which came ...

Israel Strikes Southern, Eastern Lebanon

This is Beirut, 06/01 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Hamas Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army Litani South Lebanon

The Israeli military said Monday it launched strikes on military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah and Hamas in the Sidon district, north of the Litani River. Following the attack, rescue and ambulance teams rushed to the scene. Members of the Popular Rescue Regiment affiliated with the Maarouf Saad Foundation evacuated a wounded ...

Israeli Army Issues Evacuation Warnings for Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut, 05/01 17:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon South Lebanon Ain el-Tineh Hamas Hezbollah

The Israeli army on Monday issued what it described as an “urgent warning” to residents of the southern Lebanese towns of Kfar Hatta and Ain al-Tineh, calling on those living in buildings marked in red on maps it circulated, as well as nearby structures, to evacuate immediately. In a post on X, the Israeli army’s Arabic ...

Israel Says Ban on Aid Groups Operating in Gaza to Hit 37 Organisations

This is Beirut, 2025-12-31 15:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel European Union Hamas United Nations Gaza NGO

Israel has said that 37 aid organizations will be banned from operating in Gaza starting on Thursday unless they comply with its new guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff. "They refuse to provide lists of their Palestinian employees because they know, just as we know, that some of them are involved in terrorism or linked ...

UNRWA in the Crosshairs: U.S. Weighs Unprecedented Sanctions

Amal Chmouny, 2025-12-22 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

United Nations Lebanon Donald Trump Hamas UNRWA

In the shadow of the Gaza conflict, a quiet but consequential debate is unfolding in Washington over whether the U.S. should designate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a terrorist-affiliated entity and impose sweeping sanctions. A move once viewed as unthinkable is now the subject of urgent policy deliberations, with senior ...