This is Beirut

Lebanese Army Arrests Suspects in Beirut's Southern Suburbs After Gunfire at Funeral

This is Beirut, 11:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The Lebanese Armed Forces carried out arrests in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday, a stronghold of Hezbollah, detaining several individuals accused of opening fire during a funeral procession on Sunday. In a statement, the army said its units raided the homes of those involved in the gunfire, arresting two individuals in the southern ...

Lebanese President: “No Turning Back” on Negotiations Track

This is Beirut, 04/05 20:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that Lebanon will not reverse course on ongoing U.S.-backed negotiations with Israel, declaring that diplomacy remains the country’s only viable option amid the ongoing conflict. “There is no turning back from the negotiations track because there is no other choice for us,” Aoun said, ...

Prime Minister Salam: No Retreat on State Authority as Lebanon Moves to Enforce Weapons Monopoly in Beirut

This is Beirut, 04/05 18:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared on Monday in a joint press conference with the Lebanese Interior Minister that the government will move forward with enforcing full state control over Beirut, stressing that there will be “no retreat” from the decision to restrict weapons to state institutions. Speaking after a meeting of ...

Iran Foreign Ministry Says U.S. Must 'Abandon its Excessive Demands'

This is Beirut, 04/05 12:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that the United States must reduce its demands on the Islamic republic, with negotiations stalled over ending the two-month-long Middle East war. "At this stage, our priority is to end the war," he said in a briefing broadcast by state television. "The other side ...

Hezbollah Signals Openness to Indirect Talks with Israel

This is Beirut, 04/05 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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In a notable shift in tone, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem signaled for the first time openness to indirect negotiations with Israel, framing diplomacy as a viable path—while firmly rejecting any form of direct talks. “We support diplomacy that stops the aggression and enforces agreements,” Qassem said in a statement on Monday, ...

U.S. Ambassador Issa: Aoun–Trump Meeting Would Not Be a Concession

This is Beirut, 04/05 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said Monday that a potential meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not be viewed as a loss or concession for Lebanon. Speaking in a live address, Issa stressed that such a meeting would provide an opportunity for ...

Why Iran’s Influence in Lebanon Persists Despite Hezbollah’s Losses

Marwan El Amine, 04/05 11:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Israel’s military blows to Hezbollah and its seizure of a strip of territory in southern Lebanon have not changed Tehran’s strategic calculus. The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to regard its influence in Lebanon as a strategic priority, despite the scale of casualties among Lebanon’s Shia population, the waves of displacement, and the ...

Israel Expands Air Power with F-35I and F-15IA Deal Following Lessons from Iran Conflict

This is Beirut, 03/05 23:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Israel has approved the acquisition of two additional fighter jet squadrons from the United States. The deal includes a fourth squadron of F-35I stealth fighters and a second squadron of F-15IA strike aircraft, both supplied by U.S. defense manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The announcement, made by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, ...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: “We Are Strangling the Regime”

This is Beirut, 03/05 19:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Sunday that Washington has intensified its crackdown on all entities attempting to financially support Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He stressed that the United States is “strangling the Iranian regime” economically, claiming that Tehran is now struggling to pay its ...

Arab Christians in Israel Invite Lebanese to Holy Sites, Call for Peace

Selena Ryan, 03/05 18:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel

Across Haifa, Bethlehem, and Nazareth, Christians describe unrestricted worship, extend invitations to Lebanese visitors, and voice hopes for lasting peace between the two countries.

Netanyahu Warns Israel Can Strike Anywhere in Iranian Airspace

This is Beirut, 03/05 15:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday in a recorded speech that Israel is capable of striking “anywhere in Iranian airspace" in a renewed warning to Tehran as indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States continue through Pakistani mediation. Netanyahu emphasized that Israeli pilots are “ready” to ...

'Angry Birds'-Style Video Caricaturing Hezbollah Draws Rebuke

This is Beirut, 03/05 05:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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A video published by a Lebanese TV outlet caricaturing Hezbollah's leaders and fighters as characters from the "Angry Birds" mobile phone games drew a rebuke from the group, which called the clip "offensive" on Saturday. On social media, Hezbollah's supporters condemned what they considered the ridiculing of leader ...