This is Beirut

Israeli Army Advances in South Lebanon as Ceasefire Agreement Ends

This is Beirut, 25/01 11:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Ceasefire Israel Lebanese Armed Forces South Lebanon

As the 60-day ceasefire agreement reaches its conclusion, the Israeli army has advanced in several areas of southern Lebanon, despite the agreement’s stipulation for a full withdrawal. Early reports indicate incursions in more than five locations, including Markaba-Tallouseh, Hula-Wadi slouki, and the heights of Kfarchouba. A reinforced ...

South Lebanon: Israel to Remain Temporarily in Five Locations

Bassam Abou Zeid, 25/01 07:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel South Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations Hezbollah

Tel Aviv announced on Friday that its army will not withdraw completely from the areas it occupies in southern Lebanon when the 60-day ceasefire agreement expires on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the phased withdrawal process would continue after January 27, “in agreement with the United States.” According ...

New Exchange Expected On Saturday Between Israeli Hostages In Gaza And Palestinian Detainees

This is Beirut, 25/01 06:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu Banks Hamas Israel

On Saturday, Hamas is due to free four Israeli soldiers, held hostage in Gaza since 7 October 2023, in exchange for several dozen Palestinians detained in Israel, in the second exchange of this type under the truce agreement in the Gaza Strip. Nearly a week after the ceasefire came into force, which was generally respected, the Palestinian ...

Israel Asks Unrwa To Leave Jerusalem by 30 January (Letter To The UN)

This is Beirut, 25/01 02:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Palestine United Nations

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) must cease its operations in Jerusalem and vacate all the buildings it uses by 30 January, the Israeli ambassador to the UN wrote in a letter to the Secretary-General on Friday. ‘In accordance with applicable Israeli law (...), Unrwa must cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all the ...

Egypt And Israel Exempt From a Near-Total Freeze On US Foreign Aid

This is Beirut, 25/01 02:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel USA Donald Trump US Secretary of State Hamas

The United States has frozen its foreign aid, with the exception of that provided to Egypt and Israel, as well as emergency food aid, while it carries out a complete review to see whether it is in line with the policy that Donald Trump intends to pursue. ‘No new funds will be committed (...) until every proposed new allocation or extension has ...

UAE Announces Reopening of Embassy in Beirut

This is Beirut, 24/01 23:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Arab Emirates Gulf Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Friday that it has reopened its embassy in Lebanon, years after it was closed in solidarity with Saudi Arabia. According to state news agency WAM, the Emirati embassy in Beirut "has officially resumed diplomatic activities." Omar Obaid al-Shamsi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ...

Hamas to Free Four Israeli Female Soldiers on Saturday

This is Beirut, 24/01 21:14 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Gaza war

Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, has confirmed plans to release four Israeli female soldiers on Saturday, as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire agreement. The announcement came on Friday, with Israel quickly acknowledging the names of the hostages, all of whom are aged 19 to 20. The four women are identified as Karina Ariev, ...

Netanyahu: Israel Will not Fully Withdraw Troops From Lebanon Before Sunday

This is Beirut, 24/01 15:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon war Hezbollah army ceasefire

Israel announced on Friday that the withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon would continue beyond the 60-day period stipulated in a November ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that the ceasefire agreement had been drafted "with the understanding that the withdrawal process might extend ...

Mine Clearance in Lebanon: When Will Displaced Families Return South?

Natasha Metni Torbey, 24/01 13:37 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel mines demining LMAC MAG

Haunted by thousands of landmines and unexploded ammunition, Lebanon faces a significant challenge: clearing a territory scarred by decades of conflict, the most recent being the 2024 war between Hezbollah and Israel. Triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Tel Aviv, the conflict spilled over into Lebanon under the banner of ...

Return or Remain ? The Dilemma of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

This is Beirut, 24/01 13:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union Israel Turkey

More than 50,000 Syrian refugees have left Turkey to return home since Bashar al-Assad's ouster. But for many others living in the country, the thought raises a host of worrying questions. After the civil war began in 2011, Syria's second city, Aleppo, was badly scarred by fighting between the rebels and Russian-backed regime forces. Even so, ...

Israeli Incursions and Hezbollah's Retaliation: Is a New Escalation Looming?

This is Beirut, 24/01 13:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Donald Trump Israel UN Security Council United Nations

As the ceasefire draws to a close, Israeli transgressions persist in southern Lebanon, casting doubt on the imminent complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. Having completely withdrawn from nine localities, it nevertheless continues to impose restrictions on the inhabitants of border areas, and to carry out incursions into several border ...

Israel Voices Concerns over Ceasefire Implementation with Hezbollah as Deadline Approaches

This is Beirut, 23/01 20:27 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Israel Army Hezbollah

The Israeli government expressed concerns on Thursday about the slow implementation of the ceasefire agreement with Iran-backed Hezbollah, just days before Israel is scheduled to complete its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, as outlined in the deal. The ceasefire, brokered by the United States and France, was agreed upon in November, ...

Israel