Lebanon

IDF Soldier Killed in Lebanon Gunfight as Hostilities Increase

An Israeli soldier, Staff Sergeant Ori Greenberg of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, was killed during a gunfight in southern Lebanon, while four additional IDF troops were injured by Hezbollah mortar fire and another soldier was wounded in a separate incident, according to The Times of Israel. Meanwhile, tensions escalated further as ...

Hezbollah Rejects Truce Talks as Israel Presses Lebanon Strikes

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said negotiations with Israel under fire would amount to "surrender", as the Iran-backed group launched attacks and Israel said it was expanding a "buffer zone" inside Lebanon. Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for around two decades until 2000, has kept up strikes on its northern neighbour and sent ground troops ...

Lebanon Declares Iran's Ambassador Unwelcome, But Can It Make Him Leave?

The Lebanese state has formally expelled Iran’s envoy to Beirut, its latest step to curb Tehran’s influence as the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah intensifies. On March 24, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said he had instructed his ministry to inform Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Lebanon, ...

Netanyahu Announces Expansion of Security Zone as Israel Steps Up Lebanon Operations

Tensions escalated on Wednesday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of Israel’s security zone along the northern border, according to Israeli media outlet Ynet. Speaking to northern Israeli local leaders, Netanyahu said the buffer zone will “distance the anti-tank threat” from Israeli communities and prevent ...

Breaking the Cycle: Lebanon, Israel, and the Case for a New Strategic Approach

Since Hezbollah plunged Lebanon into war, key questions have emerged about the country’s domestic future. Foremost among them: how will the Lebanese state address Hezbollah’s arsenal, and what will Israel pursue in its campaign against the group? In the months leading up to the new war, it became clear that the Lebanese state had not fully ...

Lebanon on Edge: Mass Displacement and Hezbollah Threats Stir Tensions

The threat of civil unrest looms over conflict-stricken Lebanon as a deepening displacement crisis fuels rising tensions between host communities and predominantly Shia refugees, many of whom come from Hezbollah's support base. “This is a volatile environment and it could lead to serious internal problems,” former MP and political activist ...

Israel Strikes South Lebanon, Beirut Suburbs as Hezbollah Keeps Up Attacks

Israel launched strikes on south Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, Lebanese state media said, as Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said it kept up attacks on Israeli troops. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme ...

Trump Sends Peace Plan as Iran Opens to 'Non-Hostile' Oil Vessels

US President Donald Trump sent a peace plan to Iran as he voiced optimism Tuesday at ending nearly a month of warfare, with Tehran announcing that it will let "non-hostile" oil vessels go through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The tentative signs of a diplomatic solution came despite new violence, with an Iranian missile causing injuries ...

Christian Communities on the Frontline: Anger at Hezbollah Grows

This is Beirut traveled to southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, where Christian communities voiced a clear desire for peace amid the escalating war. Many residents blamed Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the conflict without national consensus, saying they are now forced to bear its consequences. While expressing solidarity with displaced ...