This is Beirut

Macron Vows to Punish Antisemitic 'Hatred' After Memorial Tree Cut Down

This is Beirut, 15/08 15:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The cutting down of an olive tree planted in memory of a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 stirred outrage in France on Friday, with President Emmanuel Macron vowing punishment over an act of antisemitic "hatred". Politicians across the political spectrum condemned the act as an attack against the memory of Ilan Halimi, who was ...

Israeli Far-Right Minister Confronts Prominent Palestinian Inmate

This is Beirut, 15/08 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Palestine

Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir published a video on Friday in which he confronts the most high-profile Palestinian detainee in Israeli custody in his prison cell. Marwan Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian Fatah party, has spent more than 20 years behind bars after being sentenced for his role in ...

Hezbollah: The Coup d’État

Marc Saikali, 15/08 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Coup d’État

In Lebanon, some speeches go beyond conveying information, they amount to declarations of war. On Friday, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General delivered a statement so incendiary it pushed the nation to the edge. “The army is incapable of protecting the nation,” he declared. “The government is selling the country to Israel and the ...

Naim Qassem: “No Life in Lebanon if Government Confronts Resistance”

This is Beirut, 15/08 10:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Naim Qassem

Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, once again made a show of defiance on Friday, intensifying threats against the Lebanese state and its people. In a speech more aggressive than his previous ones, Qassem bluntly tied Lebanon’s fate to his group’s weapons. “Lebanon can only be built with all its components. If it ...

Larijani and the Original Sin

Johnny Kortbawi, 15/08 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Iran Israel Hezbollah

Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is among the closest officials to the Supreme Leader Khamenei and a successor to figures like Qassem Suleimani, who shaped Iran’s regional security and political influence. Larijani’s latest visit to Lebanon, coming after recent Lebanese government decisions and ...

Israeli Far-Right Minister Backs Contentious West Bank Settlement Plan

This is Beirut, 14/08 22:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

West Bank Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations Israel Palestine

Israel's finance minister on Thursday backed plans to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West Bank, calling for the territory's annexation in response to several countries' plans to recognize a Palestinian state. In response, the United Nations chief warned that building Israeli homes in the area ...

Israeli Strikes Target West Beqaa and South Lebanon

This is Beirut, 14/08 19:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Aitaroun Israel Lebanon Drone attack Civilians

Israeli aviation struck Zalaya in Western Bekaa late Thursday, according to local media. According to the Arabic-speaking spokesperson of the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, the strikes targeted “Hezbollah underground tunnels.” Continuous low-altitude drone flights were reported over villages in Western Bekaa. The Israeli ...

Gaza Civil Defense Says 17 Killed in Israel Strikes

This is Beirut, 14/08 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine Gaza

Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 17 people were killed Thursday in Israeli strikes as the military intensified its bombardment of Gaza City. The dead included six civilians who had been waiting for humanitarian aid, said civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal. "The Israeli occupation forces are intensifying their raids in the Zeitun ...

Foreign NGOs Say New Israeli Rules Keep Them From Delivering Gaza Aid

This is Beirut, 14/08 12:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine NGO

New Israeli legislation regulating foreign aid groups has been increasingly used to deny their requests to bring supplies into Gaza, according to a joint letter signed by more than 100 groups published Thursday. Ties between foreign-backed aid groups and the Israeli government have long been beset by tensions, with officials often complaining the ...

Israel army intercepts missile, Houthis claim attack

This is Beirut, 14/08 09:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hamas Houthi Israel Palestine Yemen

The Israeli military said Thursday it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, where Houthi rebels have regularly launched attacks, they say are in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza. "A short while ago, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF," Israel's army said on Telegram, referring to the air ...

Israeli Army Chief in Southern Lebanon: We Will Not Allow Threats to Re-Emerge

This is Beirut, 13/08 19:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Army Security Military

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir toured in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. He met soldiers on the front lines and observed ongoing security operations in the northern sector. Accompanied by senior commanders, including Northern Command Division 91’s Brigadier General Yuval Goz and Brigade 769’s Colonel, Zamir spoke ...

Lebanese Officials Stress Sovereignty as Iran’s Larijani Maps Out Suggestions for Lebanon

This is Beirut, 13/08 13:55 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun Iran Ali Larijani

The Lebanese government’s message to Tehran was crystal clear on Wednesday: Beirut will not tolerate any interference in its internal affairs, let alone intrusions into its sovereign decisions, most notably, the state’s monopoly on arms. This unequivocal stance was delivered first by President Joseph Aoun and then by Prime Minister ...

Israel