This is Beirut - Hezbollah

Lebanon: France Proposes the Deployment of UNIFIL for a Definitive Israeli Withdrawal

This is Beirut, 2025-02-13 22:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon United Nations Hezbollah

France has proposed that some soldiers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), including French troops, be deployed in positions in southern Lebanon to allow for a "complete and definitive" withdrawal of Israel, announced Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Thursday. "The ceasefire has been extended until February 18, the ...

Berri Rejects Any Israeli Presence After Scheduled Pullout

This is Beirut, 2025-02-13 21:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah ceasefire

With just five days remaining before the scheduled Israeli pullout on February 18, Speaker Nabih Berri revealed that United States officials informed him that while Israeli forces would vacate the villages where they maintain a presence in the south, they would remain in five key positions – a development that has been the subject of ongoing ...

Violent Protests in Beirut as Authorities Block Flight from Tehran

This is Beirut, 2025-02-13 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Iran BIA Hezbollah

The issue of Lebanese citizens stranded at Tehran airport is about to be resolved. Middle East Airlines will charter a flight on Thursday night to bring them back to Beirut on Friday, according to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA). Lebanon banned a plane from the Iranian company Mahan Air to fly to Beirut, on Thursday. This measure ...

Southern Lebanon: Will Israel Extend Its Military Presence?

This is Beirut, 2025-02-12 11:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

South Lebanon Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Hezbollah

As the deadline approaches for Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, a fragile calm persists in the region. The Ceasefire Monitoring Committee has been informed that the Israeli army has requested to remain in certain positions in southern Lebanon until February 28. The Lebanese side has firmly rejected this request. Additionally, ...

The Many Interpretations of Morgan Ortagus’ Missile

Johnny Kortbawi, 2025-02-11 13:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Hezbollah Morgan Ortagus

Morgan Ortagus landed in Lebanon like a missile. One must set aside the sexist remarks that were little more than admiration of her beauty, and the crude jokes along the lines of “do as you please, beautiful”—the kind of comments we thought belonged to a bygone era, only to realize that they remain deeply ingrained in the Lebanese ...

Russian Ambassador to Lebanon: Our Country Is Ready to Provide Assistance to Lebanon

This is Beirut, 2025-02-11 11:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Russia Alexander Rudakov Moscow Hezbollah

Russia has expressed its readiness to assist Lebanon in its post-conflict recovery process. On Tuesday, the Russian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, stated that Moscow is prepared to consider any official request from Beirut in this regard. In an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik, Rudakov emphasized the strong bilateral ...

The Pressing Challenges and Deadlines Facing Salam’s Government

Philippe Abi-Akl, 2025-02-11 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Amal Hezbollah Nawaf Salam government

Nawaf Salam’s cabinet is one of the fastest-formed governments in the past three decades. Just 26 days after Salam was tasked with forming a government—based on the criteria he set, chiefly excluding partisan ministers—and following his agreement with President Joseph Aoun, he successfully formed his cabinet, which includes competent ...

Syrian Border Security Accuses Hezbollah of Sponsoring Smuggling Operations

This is Beirut, 2025-02-10 21:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Joseph Aoun

Syrian Border Security forces have accused Hezbollah of sponsoring drug and arms smuggling along the Lebanese-Syrian border, claiming that the Lebanese militant group has facilitated the movement of illegal goods across the border. In an interview with SANA, Muayad al-Salameh, the commander of the Western Region of the Syrian Border Security ...

A Deep-Rooted Crisis at the Lebanon-Syria Border

Natasha Metni Torbey, 2025-02-10 17:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army Syria Border clashes

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, the Syrian-Lebanese border—particularly the region east of Lebanon—has become a flashpoint for violent clashes between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces, Syria’s new rulers, and Lebanese tribes. While these tensions are not new, they mark a turning point in a region already ...

Pezeshkian Condemns U.S. Pressure as Iran Marks 46 Years of Revolution

This is Beirut, 2025-02-10 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Tehran USA Iranian Revolution

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused his US counterpart Donald Trump of seeking to bring Iran "to its knees" on Monday as the country marked the 46th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. Starting in the morning, Iranians began gathering in public spaces across the country, accompanied by pop songs and patriotic ballads, to celebrate the ...

Government: Breaking Away from the Legacy of May 7, 2008

Michel Touma, 2025-02-10 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Government Doha

Politics are ever-changing, particularly in a volatile region like the Middle East. No power or faction can maintain dominance indefinitely. The formation of the first government under President Joseph Aoun is a striking illustration of this reality, particularly in the case of Hezbollah. This new cabinet marks a clear break from the political ...

The Wand and the Magic Ring

Johnny Kortbawi, 2025-02-08 08:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Hezbollah Middle East Morgan Ortagus

The ring on the finger of the new U.S. deputy envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus was given more attention than it deserved, but its symbolism was far greater than what Lebanon could endure. Opponents did not differentiate between it being a religious symbol—perhaps because Judaism in Lebanon is often associated with Zionism, which led ...

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