This is Beirut - Israël

US Asks Israel to Limit Lebanon Operations, Pushes for a ‘Trump Economic Zone’

This is Beirut, 21/08 21:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

The Trump administration has asked Israel to reduce non-urgent military operations in Lebanon to support a wider disarmament initiative, while planning a “Trump economic zone” in parts of southern Lebanon, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Officials say the limitation could be extended if the Lebanese Armed Forces take ...

Israel PM Orders Start of Immediate Negotiations to Release 'All Our Hostages'

This is Beirut, 21/08 20:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Palestine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he had ordered the beginning of immediate negotiations to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. The announcement comes a day after the defence ministry approved a plan authorising the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists to help capture Hamas's last major strongholds in Gaza ...

Palestinian Camps: How Many Divisions?

Mario Chartouni, 21/08 20:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fatah Hamas Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army

The Palestinian Authority is beginning a new phase of weapons handover in Lebanon’s Palestinian camps. The operation, ordered by President Mahmoud Abbas, is overseen by the new Palestinian Ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad al-Assaad, and supervised by Fatah. Palestinian sources cited by Voix du Liban say the handover began Thursday at 3 PM in Burj ...

21 Countries Sign Joint Statement Condemning Israel's West Bank Settlement Project

This is Beirut, 21/08 19:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank United Kingdom United Nations

Britain and France were among 21 countries to sign a joint statement Thursday calling Israel's approval of a major settlement project in the West Bank "unacceptable and a violation of international law". Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem on ...

Israel Army Calls on Hospitals, Aid Groups in North Gaza to Prepare for Evacuations

This is Beirut, 21/08 16:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel NGO Hospitals Gaza

The Israeli military on Thursday said it had informed medical personnel and aid groups in northern Gaza to start making evacuation plans ahead of a military offensive to seize the area. Israeli military officials this week informed "medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip... to prepare for the evacuation of ...

UN Experts Denounce Attacks on Syria's Druze

This is Beirut, 21/08 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel United Nations Druze Syria Sweida

A panel of UN experts denounced Thursday what they described as an outbreak of massacres, sexual violence and kidnappings targeting the Druze minority in southern Syria in the past month. Fighting erupted in the Sweida region on July 13. Clashes between local Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and ...

UNIFIL Mandate Renewal Underway: Role Assessment and Downsizing

Bassam Abou Zeid, 21/08 14:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

UN Security Council Hezbollah Israel United States UNIFIL Mandate

Deliberations are ongoing among the permanent members of the UN Security Council regarding the renewal of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate for another year. However, the debates remain centered between the United States and Israel on one hand, and France on the other. According to French diplomatic sources, “the renewal of ...

Israeli Citizen Repatriated from Lebanon After Year in Detention

This is Beirut, 21/08 13:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Lebanon prisoner ICRC

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday the repatriation of an Israeli citizen who had been held in Lebanon for a year. Saleh Abu Hussein returned to Israel through the Naqoura border crossing, in a transfer coordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The handover followed several ...

Zaki Conveys Arab League Support for Lebanese Sovereignty

This is Beirut, 21/08 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Joseph Aoun United Nations United States Arab League Houssam Zaki

President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed, on Thursday, to Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki Lebanon’s commitment to implementing the arms control resolution in a way that safeguards the interests of all Lebanese citizens. He emphasized the necessity for Israel to fulfill its obligations to create the conditions required for ...

Israel Strikes Gaza City After Offensive Gets Green Light

This is Beirut, 21/08 11:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Hamas United Nations Gaza

Israel struck Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday, after the defense ministry approved an expanded offensive to target the remaining Hamas strongholds in the strip. The newly approved plan authorizes the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian ...

Israel Approves Major West Bank Settlement Project

This is Beirut, 21/08 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Hamas Palestine

Israel approved a major settlement project on Wednesday in an area of the West Bank that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. Israel has long had ambitions to build on the roughly 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) parcel known as E1 just east of Jerusalem, but the plan had been ...

Russia, Ukraine, Hezbollah: Drained by Endless Wars

Marc Saikali, 21/08 08:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Ukraine Donald Trump Israel Lebanon

Some wars drag on endlessly. Not because they are unsolvable, but because certain leaders have decided their political survival depends on keeping them alive. Two examples stand out today: the war in Ukraine and Hezbollah’s self-proclaimed “resistance” in Lebanon. Since February 2022, Moscow has clung to a military adventure ...

Israël