This is Beirut - Lebanon

Do Syria’s Former Regime Networks Really Command 168,000 Fighters?

This Is Beirut , 03/01 00:05 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon AssadRegime AhmadAl-Sharaa

As Syria tries to stabilize after years of devastating war, a new and unsettling narrative has emerged: claims that remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s former regime command an armed force of up to 168,000 fighters, allegedly preparing for renewed confrontation. The figure, revealed through leaked documents and intercepted communications obtained ...

Lebanon Probes Syrian Anti-Sharaa Operations from Its Soil

Bassam Abou Zeid, 02/01 19:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon

Lebanese authorities have stepped up security measures following reports from Al Jazeera that groups loyal to the former Syrian regime may be preparing military operations against Syria’s current government from Lebanese territory. Sources say the issue is a top priority for Lebanese security agencies, particularly military intelligence. ...

Israel Shells Hezbollah Radwan Force Sites

This is Beirut, 02/01 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Baalbeck Hezbollah Israel Saïda South Lebanon Beqaa

The Israeli army announced Friday that it carried out a series of intense air raids targeting what it described as a training complex belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, along with military buildings in southern Lebanon. In a post on the platform X, the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said the strikes targeted a ...

Ahead of 2026, Washington's Tougher Terms for Lebanon

Amal Chmouny, 2025-12-31 17:10 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Washington Donald Trump Lebanese Army Amal

Heading into 2026, U.S. engagement in Lebanon has become explicitly conditioned on measurable progress toward Hezbollah’s disarmament, marking a clear break from the strategic ambiguity that long defined Washington’s approach. The aftermath of the 2024 Israel–Hezbollah conflict, alongside Lebanon’s deepening economic and political crises, ...

Israel Prepares for “Days of Fighting” Along the Lebanese Border

This is Beirut, 2025-12-31 17:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Lebanon Hezbollah

Israel is preparing for possible “days of fighting” along the Lebanese border, as the deadline set by the U.S. for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025 expires on Wednesday, Israeli media reported. The U.S. news site Axios, citing American officials, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the ...

Fatah Hands Over Weapons to LAF in Ain al-Hilweh

This is Beirut, 2025-12-30 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Fatah Lebanon Joseph Aoun Palestine Mahmoud Abbas

Members of the Fatah movement on Tuesday handed over their weapons to the Lebanese Army (LAF) from the movement’s center in Jabal al-Halib, located on the outskirts of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the Saida district of southern Lebanon. The LAF deployed in the vicinity of the handover site and reinforced security measures to ...

Trump, Netanyahu Signal Hard Line on Lebanon as Hezbollah Disarmament Takes Center Stage

This is Beirut, 2025-12-30 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Trump Hezbollah Netanyahu Lebanon USIsrael

U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a tougher stance toward Hezbollah following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in Florida, warning that the group is “behaving badly” and stressing that efforts to disarm it remain a central focus of U.S. policy toward Lebanon. Speaking after the meeting at his ...

From Gaza to Iran: Trump and Netanyahu Review Regional Flashpoints

This is Beirut, 2025-12-30 11:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Trump Netanyahu MiddleEast Gaza Iran Lebanon Syria Turkey

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held wide-ranging talks in Florida on Monday, addressing key regional crises including Gaza, Iran, Syria, and broader Middle East stability, as both leaders signaled continued strategic alignment despite ongoing regional tensions. The meeting, held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago ...

Peace with Israel: Lebanon's Path to Economic Revival

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 2025-12-30 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel United Arab Emirates Baalbeck Bahrain

An unconditional peace treaty with Israel, inspired by the Abraham Accords' success, could reduce Lebanon’s security risks, unlock billions in foreign investments, revive trade, agriculture, and services, and create jobs—offering economic salvation while preserving Lebanon’s support of Palestinians. Normalization could boost Lebanon’s ...

After the Vote: Exposing the Gap Law’s Broken Promises

Claudia Groeling, 2025-12-29 19:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam International Monetary Fund Lebanon Banque du Liban Gap Law Banks

Lebanon’s cabinet on December 19 approved one of the most controversial pieces of legislation since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, adopting the so-called “Gap Law” in a narrow vote that has reignited public anger and raised serious concerns among economists, legal experts, and international observers. Backed by 13 ministers ...

Lebanon Signs Deal to Purchase Natural Gas from Egypt

This is Beirut, 2025-12-29 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Nawaf Salam Joseph Aoun USA Natural Gas

Lebanon said Monday it plans to purchase natural gas from Egypt, seeking to reduce its reliance on fuel oil for its ageing power plants in a country hamstrung by regular electricity cuts. The electricity sector has cost Lebanon more than $40 billion since the end of its 1975-1990 civil war, and successive governments have failed to reduce losses, ...

De-Radicalizing Hezbollah's Base: A Realist Framework

Salam El Zaatari, 2025-12-29 13:15 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Army Washington

Any serious discussion about de-radicalizing Hezbollah supporters must begin by discarding comforting illusions about the organization. It is not a fringe extremist group operating on the margins of Lebanese society but a heavily armed political-military organization embedded in parliament, municipalities, unions, border economies, and a regional ...