This is Beirut

Hamas Accuses Israel PM of Sacrificing Hostages for Personal Interest

This is Beirut, 07/08 21:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine Hostages Gaza

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government was debating expanding military operations in Gaza, of sacrificing the Israeli hostages held there. "Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in ...

Israel Seeks Control of Gaza, Won't 'Keep it': Netanyahu

This is Beirut, 07/08 19:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Palestine Hamas Gaza

Israel intends to take full control of Gaza but does not want to keep or govern it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ahead of a security cabinet meeting on Thursday. "We intend to," Netanyahu replied, when asked in a televised Fox News interview if Israel will take control of "all of Gaza." Fox News said the interview occurred just before ...

Israeli Minister Vows 'Return' to Evacuated West Bank Settlement

This is Beirut, 07/08 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Palestine West Bank Gaza Benjamin Netanyahu

An Israeli minister announced on Thursday plans to rebuild Sa-Nur, a settlement in the occupied West Bank that was evacuated two decades ago, as the far right spearheads a major settlement expansion push. Sa-Nur's settlers were evicted in 2005 as part of Israel's so-called disengagement policy that also saw the country withdrawing troops and ...

Issa Reaffirms Support for Lebanese Sovereignty

This is Beirut, 07/08 15:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanese Army Israel Joseph Aoun Washington lebanon

US Congressman Darrell Issa emphasized Thursday that decision-making in Lebanon “must remain in the hands of the Lebanese people,” following a meeting with President Joseph Aoun. Issa voiced confidence in the Lebanese government’s commitment to preserving peace and stability, and reaffirmed continued US support for the Lebanese Armed Forces ...

Lebanon's Decision on Disarmament Is "Irrevocable," Says Aoun

This is Beirut, 07/08 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun Lebanese Army

A few hours before the Cabinet meeting scheduled for this afternoon to discuss US proposals aimed at helping Lebanon restore full sovereignty over its territory and launch a viable recovery process, President Joseph Aoun declared that the decision to disarm armed groups is “irreversible.” “The exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the ...

Israeli Security Cabinet to Hold Talks Over Future Gaza War Plans

This is Beirut, 07/08 12:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations Hamas Israel

Israel's security cabinet is expected to meet later Thursday to discuss future military plans in Gaza, according to Israeli media reports, amid speculation of a full takeover of the besieged Palestinian territory. The planned meeting comes as international outrage over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza has ratcheted up pressure on Israel, ...

Lebanon’s Moment of Truth: Disarm or Disintegrate

Salam El Zaatari, 07/08 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel United States Hezbollah

There’s a phrase I’ve heard a lot in Beirut lately. It's whispered between sips of Turkish coffee, murmured across newsrooms and tossed around military circles like a live grenade: “Either we get our country back, or we become a geography with a flag.” And this week, for the first time in nearly two decades, the Lebanese government ...

What Options for Hezbollah After Lebanon's Decision to Disarm It?

This is Beirut, 07/08 09:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun Tehran Government

Lebanon's government has decided to task the army with setting a plan to disarm Hezbollah, a thorny issue decades after the last time the country had made factions give up their weapons. AFP looks at how the government's decision may be implemented, and whether the Iran-backed militant group can still block it. Why is the move ...

No Matter Time, Stubbornness Holds Tight…

Marc Saikali, 07/08 08:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Palestine Tehran USA

The famous Georges Brassens song, adapted to Lebanon’s reality, manages to make you both smile and cry. On Tuesday, while the government carefully navigated the minefield surrounding Hezbollah’s weapons, trying to find wording that could pass as a compromise, the secretary-general of the pro-Iranian militia spoke openly, without holding ...

Israeli Air Raids Pound Deir Seryane, One Dead

This is Beirut, 06/08 22:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel lebanon South Lebanon

Israeli fighter jets launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday night, with casualties reported after a strike hit a parking area for vehicles and bulldozers near residential homes in the town of Deir Seryane. According to a statement delivered by the Ministry of Health on Thursday morning, one person was killed and two ...

Israel Bars Jerusalem's Top Muslim Cleric from Al-Aqsa

This is Beirut, 06/08 18:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Al-Aqsa Mosque Jerusalem Grand Mufti of Jerusalem

Israeli authorities have banned Jerusalem's top Muslim cleric from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for six months over a recent sermon, his attorney told AFP on Wednesday. Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, will be prevented from entering the holy site in the Israeli-annexed Old City until January 2026, according to lawyer ...

Joseph Aoun’s Courageous Stand: A Historic Turning Point for Lebanon’s Sovereignty

Tara B. Moussallem , 06/08 15:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Hezbollah Joseph Aoun

Yesterday, an exceptional Cabinet session was held at the Baabda Presidential Palace, lasting nearly six hours and marking a major political turning point in Lebanon’s modern history. Under the presidency of the Head of State, General Joseph Aoun, the government adopted a bold and unprecedented decision: to set a deadline for the disarmament ...

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