This is Beirut - Middle East

White House Withdraws Joel Rayburn’s Nomination for Deputy Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

This is Beirut, 28/10 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

White House Donald Trump Middle East US Secretary of State Joel Rayburn

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, according to the American media outlet Axios. Rayburn’s nomination had stirred controversy over his alleged role in concealing U.S. troop levels in Syria from then-President Donald Trump during his first term, ...

Saudi Hosts World's Business Elite with Eyes on Gigaprojects, AI

This is Beirut, 28/10 09:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gulf Middle East Saudi Arabia Investment Economy FII

Saudi Arabia welcomes heads of state and the global business elite at a major investment conference this week as it seeks support for its sprawling "gigaprojects" and sky-high AI ambitions. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, joined by several ministers and more than 150 business leaders, and Syria's interim president are among the guests at the ...

Lebanon and the Middle East: Between Irrationality and Paradox

Michel Touma, 27/10 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Middle East Donald Trump Amal Banks Hamas

When irrationality and reckless behavior come to define the actions of a powerful political faction, it doesn’t take long before red lines are dangerously breached. As a result, serious threats hang over the lives of populations directly exposed to the faction’s erratic excesses. This is exactly what we are witnessing today among several of ...

Flights Over a Nest of Fools!

Marc Saikali, 23/10 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hamas Hezbollah Israel Middle East Palestine

More than half of Ici Beyrouth and This is Beirut’s audience lives between France, North America and Africa. Those of you reading from these far-off lands are lucky enough not to be, like us, lulled from dawn to dusk by the relentless hum of drones. Yes, they are back. And this time, they are flying even lower. Beirutis have gone all out, ...

Senate Panel Probes Hezbollah Links to Latin American Drug Trade

This is Beirut, 22/10 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hezbollah Middle East Venezuela drugs trafficking US

The US Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control convened a hearing on Tuesday to examine suspected connections between Hezbollah and Latin American drug trafficking networks, as lawmakers warned of the group’s expanding footprint in the Western Hemisphere. Chaired by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the bipartisan session focused on ...

Pope Leo XIV’s Visit: Bookings Soar, Hotels Remain on Standby

Christiane Tager, 20/10 20:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Middle East Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV

With the historic visit of Pope Leo XIV, scheduled from November 30 to December 2, 2025, drawing near, Lebanon is experiencing a surge in travel bookings. Airlines report a strong rise in demand, while the hotel sector is still waiting to see tangible gains. The announcement of Pope Leo XIV’s first trip to the region has generated widespread ...

Khamenei Tells Trump to 'Keep Dreaming' Over Claims of Destroying Iran Nuclear Sites

This is Beirut, 20/10 15:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Tehran USA Ali Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday rebuffed claims by US President Donald Trump that the Islamic republic's nuclear sites had been destroyed by US strikes in June. In a statement on his official website, Khamenei told Trump to "keep dreaming" over the comments on the sites' destruction and questioned the US president's right ...

Hezbollah and the “Reality Principle”

Michel Touma, 20/10 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Middle East United States

Major developments are unfolding rapidly in the Levant, placing the region before what increasingly seems like an urgent reality: Hezbollah’s leadership, and more broadly its Iranian backers, need to align their political conduct with the so-called “reality principle.” In psychoanalytic terms, the “reality principle” means facing facts ...

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Delicate Position of Iran’s Jews

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 19/10 19:10 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Palestine Tehran

With around 10,000 members, Iran’s Jewish community is the second largest in the Middle East. Its presence is discreet but tangible in a nation marked by pronounced hostility toward Israel, most recently expressed during 12 days of open conflict last June. The Jewish presence in the lands of present-day Iran dates back to the eighth century ...

Trump to Meet Zelensky after Announcing Putin Summit

This is Beirut, 17/10 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Middle East Palestine Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Donald Trump at the White House Friday, seeking US-made Tomahawk missiles even as the US president reaches out to Russia's Vladimir Putin for a fresh summit. Zelensky will be making his third trip to Washington since Trump returned to office, following a disastrous televised shouting match in ...

BDL Governor Holds Key Talks with IMF Officials in Washington

This is Beirut, 16/10 18:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

International Monetary Fund Central Bank of Lebanon Washington Middle East lebanon Karim Souhaid

The Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL), Karim Souhaid, held a series of high-level meetings in Washington with officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to a statement issued by his press office on Thursday. Souhaid was accompanied by Deputy Governors Salim Shahine and Gaby Shnouzian, along with the Chairman of the ...

Lebanon: Signs of Recovery Amid Economic and Humanitarian Challenges

Liliane Mokbel, 16/10 13:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Middle East

As Lebanon gradually emerges from a period marked by deep political, economic, and humanitarian turmoil, the World Bank’s latest MENAAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) Economic Report, published in October 2025, gives encouraging prospects for the country. Despite ongoing fragility, particularly in public finances and ...

Middle East