Lebanon

Trump at Davos: Hezbollah is “a Small Remnant”

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Hezbollah in Lebanon has been significantly weakened, describing the group as “a small remnant compared to what it used to be.” In his remarks during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Trump stressed that action is still required against the ...

PM Salam: Arms Consolidation Plan Covers All Lebanese Territory

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterated on Thursday that the Lebanese Army’s (LAF) plan to consolidate all arms under state authority applies to the entirety of Lebanon, not only areas south of the Litani River, underscoring the government’s commitment to restoring the state’s exclusive control over weapons. In an interview with ...

Lebanon and Syria Seek Rapprochement Amid Lingering Distrust

Since the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024, Lebanon and Syria have been in the process of rebuilding trust and repairing relations. The challenging endeavor, supported by Saudi Arabia with Washington’s backing, follows decades of recriminations and Lebanon’s former subjugation under Syria’s Baathist rule. Syria did not ...

The Unraveling of Hezbollah’s Strategic Myth

Since its inception, Hezbollah has sought to transform Shia identity in Lebanon from a national one into an ideological one, anchored in Iran’s Wilayat al-Faqih doctrine of absolute loyalty to its supreme leader. Yet its attempts to tighten control over the Shia community through Tehran’s political ideology met significant obstacles, pushing ...

Israel Says Struck Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings Used by Hezbollah

The Israeli military said it struck four crossings along the Syria-Lebanon border on Wednesday that were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons, after earlier launching fresh strikes on the militant group in Lebanon. "A short while ago, the (Israeli military) struck four border crossings on the Syria-Lebanon border used by Hezbollah to smuggle ...

Israel Strikes Buildings in South Lebanon Towns

On Wednesday, following earlier strikes in Zahrani, additional Israeli airstrikes targeted buildings in the south Lebanon towns of Jarjouaa, Qenarrit, and Kfour. The Israeli army carried out the attacks aiming to impair alleged Hezbollah military infrastructure. Prior to the strikes, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee released an ...

Amid U.S. Military Build-Up, What Comes Next for Iran and the Region?

Washington is signaling it may take action against Iran amid its increasingly deadly crackdown on nationwide protests that began on December 28. This is Beirut spoke with analysts about the dramatic events unfolding in Iran and their ripple effects on the region, after reports show a significant U.S. military buildup is underway in the Middle ...

Two dead in Israeli strikes on Lebanon

Israeli strikes in south Lebanon killed two people on Wednesday, authorities said, as Israel said it targeted operatives from militant group Hezbollah. Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite the November 2024 truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting members of the ...

Aoun Hails State Control of Arms and Pledges Continued Reforms

President Joseph Aoun stressed on Tuesday that the Lebanese government last year took a historic step by endorsing a plan aimed at confining weapons to state authority and extending state control over Lebanese territory exclusively through its own forces, calling the move a major turning point despite the challenges of implementation. Addressing ...

The Middle East Will Not Heal Until Iran Is Free

As Iranians flood the streets in mass demonstrations, demanding freedom at extraordinary personal risk, a fundamental truth has become impossible to ignore. The Middle East cannot heal until Iran is free from the Islamist regime that has poisoned the region for nearly half a century. I came to this conclusion from lived experience, not ideology ...

Why Lebanon’s Shia Opposition Sees Opportunity in the 2026 Elections

Lebanon’s upcoming parliamentary elections are shaping up as a test of Hezbollah’s political standing at a moment of vulnerability, after the group suffered a major military blow in the 2024 war with Israel and faces mounting pressure from the Lebanese government’s pledge to disarm it nationwide. Since the 1992 parliamentary elections, the ...

Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon

Israel struck southern Lebanon on Monday, shortly after the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, announced that Israeli forces were striking Hezbollah targets in the area. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that one was wounded in the airstrike in the town of Zabqin in the Tyre district.  According ...