This is Beirut

Southern Syria: Israeli Strikes Continue Despite U.S. Calls for De-escalation

This is Beirut, 16/07 11:14 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Despite repeated calls from the United States to reduce tensions, Israeli warplanes carried out new airstrikes in southern Syria on Wednesday. According to Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiya, Israeli jets conducted three strikes near the outskirts of Sweida province, followed by a fourth targeting the 52nd Brigade in eastern Daraa. This escalation comes ...

Syrian Forces Accused of 'Executions' in Druze Area as Israel Launches Strikes

This is Beirut, 15/07 23:16 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Damascus Israel Syria Sweida

Syrian authorities were accused on Tuesday of carrying out summary executions of civilians in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida, where Israel said it had launched strikes against government forces in defense of the religious minority. Damascus deployed troops to the area after clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes killed ...

How Effective Is UNIFIL?

Mario Chartouni, 15/07 16:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel UN Security Council UNIFIL Lebanon

With its mandate set to expire on August 31, 2025, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is once again facing scrutiny over its effectiveness in fulfilling its mission. Enlarged under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in 2006 to prevent the presence of armed groups south of the Litani River, UNIFIL has struggled to enforce its ...

At least 12 killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Eastern Lebanon

This is Beirut, 15/07 10:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Baalbeck Hezbollah Israel

Israeli fighter jets launched a series of airstrikes on eastern Lebanon Tuesday. At least 12 people were killed and eight injured, Bachir Khodr, governor of the Baalbeck-Hermel region said on his X account. An afternoon strike targeted a machine used for drilling wells and a refugee tent in the area of Wadi Faara, in the district of Hermel, ...

Hezbollah Is a State within the State, Not Only “Heavy and Medium” Weapons

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 15/07 10:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Syria Iraq Israel United States

In policy, simplicity is valuable; naiveté is catastrophic. Lebanon has by now diluted UNSCR 1701 from dismantling Hezbollah’s militia, arms production, and illicit funding to merely surrendering “heavy and medium” weapons, or as U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack frames it: Hezbollah must hand over weapons that threaten Israel. Such oversimplification ...

Barrack, Greater Syria and Lebanon’s Precarious Future

Johnny Kortbawi, 15/07 09:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Middle East

It is remarkable how a single phrase—whether a diplomatic misstep or a calculated message—can ignite such a storm of debate and unease, both in Lebanon and abroad, especially at a moment when the specter of redrawn borders looms once again over the Middle East. Thomas Barrack’s recent remark ...

EU Foreign Ministers Weigh Options on Gaza as Humanitarian Deal with Israel Takes Shape

This is Beirut, 15/07 08:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

European Union Israel Palestine Hamas United Nations

EU foreign ministers on Tuesday will discuss a raft of options for action against Israel over the war in Gaza -- but likely will not agree on any. The bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has put forward 10 potential steps after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds. The measures ...

Barrack’s Third Visit: Lebanon at a Crossroads

Philippe Abi-Akl, 15/07 08:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Israel Thomas Barrack Nabih Berri Joseph Aoun

As US envoy Thomas Barrack prepares for a potential third visit to Beirut on July 28, Lebanon stands at a critical juncture. Barrack is expected to deliver Washington’s official response to Lebanon’s recent proposal—alongside the “miracle solution” he hinted at before his last departure. At the heart of Lebanon’s plan is a coordinated ...

Ceasefire Talks Underway After Southern Syria Clashes, Says Druze Group

This is Beirut, 14/07 22:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Israel Sweida

Negotiations are underway between Syrian authorities and Druze representatives in southern Syria to halt the fighting that has left around 100 people dead, one of the main Druze armed groups told AFP on Monday evening. Syrian government forces are advancing toward the city of Sweida, held by Druze fighters, following clashes since Sunday with ...

Barrack: Hezbollah Must Hand Over Weapons That Threaten Israel

This is Beirut, 14/07 22:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel United States lebanon Tom Barrack

Washington made clear on Monday, via its envoy Tom Barrack, that the disarmament of Hezbollah should focus specifically on “weapons that threaten Israel’s security.” Barrack stressed in a statement that the United States continues to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and called on the Lebanese government to take the lead in ...

Almost 100 Killed as Syria Sectarian Clashes Rage

This is Beirut, 14/07 20:59 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Syria Sweida

Syrian government forces were advancing towards the southern city of Sweida on Monday amid clashes in the region between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes that have killed nearly 100 people, according to a war monitor. As the violence escalated, Israel, which had previously warned that it would intervene in Syria to protect the Druze, said it ...

Iran Says No Nuclear Talks If US Insists It Abandon Enrichment

This is Beirut, 14/07 20:51 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Israel Tehran United States Washington

Iran said on Monday there would be no new nuclear talks with the United States if they were conditioned on Tehran abandoning its uranium enrichment activities. Washington and Tehran had been engaged in several rounds of negotiations seeking to strike a deal on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, but Israel derailed the talks when it ...

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