This is Beirut

From Cairo to the World: The Global Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood

Malo Pinatel, 12/11 10:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Europe Gulf Hamas Middle East

Founded in 1928 in Ismailia by Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood swiftly expanded beyond Egypt’s borders to become a major transnational force across the Arab and Muslim world. Its reach was enabled by exile networks, grassroots activism, and a doctrine flexible enough to adapt to diverse political and cultural contexts. From its ...

Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood: Between Ideological Lineage and National Adaptation

Malo Pinatel, 12/11 10:55 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Donald Trump Palestine Saudi Arabia

On April 23, 2025, Jordan’s Ministry of Interior formally banned Brotherhood-related activities in Jordan, citing an alleged plot threatening national security, orchestrated by a group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. The decision came amid heightened regional tensions. In the west of the kingdom, the Israel-Hamas war was raging, and public ...

Israel Negotiator Dermer Resigns from Ministerial Post

This is Beirut, 12/11 09:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Palestine

Israel's strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, who also led negotiations for the Gaza ceasefire, has announced his resignation from his ministerial post following the return of hostages held in the Palestinian territory. Dermer, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spearheaded months of intense negotiations that resulted in the ...

The Flood that Sunk the Palestinian State

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 11/11 21:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam PLO Hamas Palestinian United States

The Palestinian state is now history, owing to Hamas’s 2023 Al-Aqsa Flood attacks on Israel that dealt a fatal blow to Palestinian nationhood, a project that began in 1968 and peaked with the 1993 Oslo Accords. Hamas’s folly has prompted the UN Security Council to consider ending its longtime orthodoxy in support of a Palestinian state and ...

Tehran Fights for Its Political Survival in Iraq

Paul Guillot, 11/11 19:11 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tehran Hamas Hezbollah USA Iraq

Officially, the elections are hailed as a step forward for a country still scarred by two decades of war and instability. In reality, the vote unfolds under the persistent shadow of Iran, determined to preserve a political system it has largely shaped since Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003. Outgoing Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani owes his ...

Israel Army Chief Urges 'Systemic' Probe Into October 7 Attack

This is Beirut, 10/11 23:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Gaza October 7

Israel's military chief called on Monday for a "systemic investigation" into the failures that led to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, as the government dragged its feet on establishing a state commission of inquiry on the matter. Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir made the call following the publication of a report by an expert committee he himself ...

Syria: From Pariah State to a Guest in Washington

Mario Chartouni, 10/11 19:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Washington Donald Trump Damascus Hamas Hezbollah Syria

This Monday, Donald Trump is hosting Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House. It is a historic moment: never before has a Syrian president been officially received in Washington since the country gained independence in 1946. The event symbolizes the end of half a century of hostility between the two capitals. For a long time, Syria was one of the most ...

Gaza's Health Ministry says 15 Palestinian Bodies Received Under Truce Exchange Deal

This is Beirut, 10/11 13:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Hamas Palestine USA

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said it had received on Monday the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal. "The ministry of health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 315" under ...

Israel Identifies Remains as Officer Hadar Goldin's, Killed in 2014 Gaza War

This is Beirut, 09/11 19:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Gaza Israeli Hostages Hadar Goldin

Israel said the remains it received on Sunday from Hamas were those of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, an Israeli officer killed in the 2014 Gaza War. "After the identification process was completed... Israeli military representatives informed the family of the fallen hostage, Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, that their loved one has been returned to ...

“If only I had known…” Once Again!

Marc Saikali, 08/11 08:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Hezbollah South Lebanon

It was the famous line uttered by the late former secretary-general of Hezbollah after the disastrous war of 2006. Yet the pro-Iranian militia can’t seem to help itself — always eager to “help its neighbor,” especially when the one that pays the price is Lebanon. And so, it happened again in October 2023. The brilliant idea this time? ...

Israel Army Says Red Cross has Received Body of Gaza Hostage

This is Beirut, 07/11 22:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Hamas Palestine

The Israeli army announced on Friday that the Red Cross had received the remains of a hostage in the Gaza Strip as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. "According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF ...

Pope Leo Receives Palestinian President Abbas at Vatican

This is Beirut, 06/11 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Palestine Hamas Mahmud Abbas Pope Leo XIV Vatican

Pope Leo XIV held his first meeting with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Thursday, where the Vatican said they discussed the "urgent need" to help the civilian population in Gaza. The visit comes almost a month into a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, following two years of war triggered by the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023, ...

Hamas