This is Beirut - Lebanon

Joseph Aoun in Spain: the Army, UNIFIL, and Regional Stability at the Heart of the Discussions.

This is Beirut, 16:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Lebanon Joseph Aoun Spain Résolution 1701

President Joseph Aoun on Monday outlined the achievements of the Lebanese Army (LAF) south of the Litani River, stressing the restoration of the state’s exclusive authority in the area, alongside ongoing efforts to secure borders and combat smuggling, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration. In his remarks following a meeting with Spanish ...

The Shia Duo Under Strain: How Iran’s Crisis Is Realigning Amal and Hezbollah

Amal Chmouny , 14:00 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Amal Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah Lebanon Joseph Aoun

When Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met with Joseph Aoun on January 23, at the height of Hezbollah’s rhetorical campaign against the president, the gesture spoke volumes. As Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem rejected disarmament and warned of civil war, Berri moved to restore communication channels, differentiating his Amal ...

Israeli Strikes Destroy Hezbollah Weapons' Depot, kill Operative

This is Beirut, 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Baalbeck Hezbollah Israel Beqaa Tyre South Lebanon

Israel struck a vehicle near Phoenicia University on the Zahrani–Tyre highway in southern Lebanon. Shortly after the attack, the Israeli army said it had targeted a Hezbollah member in the Saida district, north of the Litani River. The raids killed one person and injured eight others. Later in the day, the Israeli army issued an urgent ...

UNIFIL Says Israeli Aerial Operation Disrupted Peacekeeping Activities

This is Beirut, 12:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army UN Security Council United Nations Lebanon Israel UNIFIL

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced on Monday that Israeli forces informed the mission a day earlier of plans to conduct an aerial operation involving the release of what Israel described as a non-toxic chemical substance over areas near the Blue Line. In a press release, UNIFIL said Israeli forces instructed ...

Haykal’s U.S. Visit Signals Bid to Translate Military Gains into Political Trust

This is Beirut, 10:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Lebanon United States US Congress Washington CENTCOM

Lebanese Army (LAF) Commander General Rodolphe Haykal kicked off an official visit to the United States on Monday with a stop at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, in a trip that goes beyond routine military protocol and carries clear political implications. At CENTCOM, Haykal met with Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, presenting detailed maps and ...

Israeli Airstrikes Hit Areas Near Sidon, Including Nabih Berri’s Hometown

This is Beirut, 30/01 20:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Lebanon Hezbollah Airstrikes

Israeli airstrikes were reported near Mseileh, al-Najjariya, al-Dawoudiya and Wadi Azza in the Sidon district of southern Lebanon on Friday night. According to the IDF, the strikes aimed to destroy Hezbollah engineering equipment. There are also reports on Friday of low-flying Israeli aircraft over the villages of Zahrani. Mseileh is ...

Israeli Strike Kills One in South Lebanon

This is Beirut, 30/01 14:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army Israel South Lebanon Tyre

One person was killed on Friday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in the town of Siddiqine, in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon. Following the raid, the Israeli army declared that it had eliminated a Hezbollah member. Earlier Friday, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed patrols in the border town of Yaroun after Israeli ...

From Armed Deterrence to Durable Peace: Rethinking Shiite Security in Lebanon

Marwan El Amine, 30/01 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army Shia

Despite failing to instill ideological allegiance to Iran's Wilayat al-Faqih among Lebanon's Shia, Hezbollah has succeeded in forging a sense of collective belonging to Iran’s political project. The party achieved this more consequential outcome by recasting its weapons as a political doctrine and overarching identity, portrayed as superior to ...

ABL Secretary General Warns Against Risks of Unrealistic Implementation of the Gap Law

This is Beirut, 29/01 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

ABL Banks Banque du Liban Lebanon Central Bank of Lebanon

The Secretary General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Fadi Khalaf, warned against the risks of an unrealistic implementation of the Gap Law in the introduction of the ABL’s January 2026 monthly report. According to Khalaf, this draft law, which aims to unlock the issue of bank deposits, can only succeed if the liquidity required ...

Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Iran Has Become Its Liability

Salam El Zaatari, 29/01 09:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Israel Tehran Washington

Naim Qassem’s latest speech sought to project certainty at a moment of regional flux. Instead, it revealed Hezbollah’s deepest fear: that its patron, Iran, may choose negotiation over confrontation and survival over its proxies. The Hezbollah leader declared that his organization would not remain neutral if Iran were attacked, framing any ...

Parliament Budget Debate Highlights Weapons Issue and Criticism of Gap Law

This is Beirut, 28/01 15:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Joseph Aoun Lebanese Army Nabih Berry Raji al-Saad Sami Gemayel

Lebanon’s parliament continued its debate on the 2026 budget on Wednesday, with lawmakers focusing on the financial gap law, the rights of depositors, and the need to restrict weapons as key obstacles to the country’s recovery. The session, chaired by Speaker Nabih Berri, marked the second day of discussions on the draft budget, which was ...

Druze Leader: Qassem's Statements are "Irresponsible"

This is Beirut, 28/01 15:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Free Patriotic Movement Lebanese Forces Lebanon Gebran Bassil Hezbollah

On Tuesday, Former President of the Progressive Socialist Party and Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt, attacked the most recent speech delivered by Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, describing it as “irresponsible, irresponsible, irresponsible,” according to L’Oreint Today. Jumblatt said, “I do not know why he wants to drag part of ...

Lebanon