This is Beirut - Middle East

PKK Declares Ceasefire with Turkey after 40 Years of Armed Struggle

Paul Guillot, 01/03 17:08 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Middle East Turkey United States

Outlawed Kurdish militants on Saturday declared a ceasefire with Turkey following a landmark call by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan asking the group to disband and end more than four decades of armed struggle. It was the first reaction from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) after Ocalan this week called for the dissolution of the group ...

Witkoff: Lebanon and Syria Could Potentially Join Abraham Accords

This is Beirut, 26/02 16:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Saudi Arabia Washington

Steve Witkoff, appointed by President Donald Trump as the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, has been playing a pivotal role in advancing peace initiatives in the region. His strategic insights and diplomatic skills have solidified his reputation as a key figure in advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives. After voicing optimism at efforts to ...

LACC to Hold Meetings in D.C. to Advocate Lebanon’s Sovereignty and Reform

This is Beirut, 25/02 13:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

UN Security Council United Nations Hezbollah Middle East New York

In a press release on Tuesday, the Lebanese American Coordinating Committee (LACC) announced that it will hold meetings at the White House, the State Department, the House of Representatives and the Senate as part of its efforts to advocate sovereignty and reform in Lebanon. The committee will present a paper outlining Lebanon’s key challenges ...

Nicolas Hénin on the ISIS Defendants’ Denial: “A disturbing dual role”

Bélinda Ibrahim, 25/02 12:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Middle East ISIS Nicolas Hénin Mehdi Nemmouche trial

The trial opened on Monday, February 17, 2025. Nicolas Hénin, a former hostage of Daesh, faced his jailer Mehdi Nemmouche in a French court. Nemmouche, already convicted for the attack on the Jewish Museum of Brussels, is now on trial for the kidnapping and detention of 27 Westerners in Syria between 2013 and 2014. Among them, four French ...

Egypt's Sisi Discusses Mideast Peace with World Jewish Congress Chief

This is Beirut, 16/02 13:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Middle East Palestine Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the head of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder on Sunday that the establishment of a Palestinian state is "the only guarantee" for lasting peace in the Middle East. During his meeting with Lauder in Cairo on Sunday, Sisi called for starting the reconstruction of war-battered Gaza "without ...

The War Ended Today

Johnny Kortbawi, 14/02 08:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Middle East Hezbollah

Lebanon is preparing to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the civil war, which started on April 13, 1975, and lasted for more than 15 years. The actual date of the war’s end, October 13, 1990, was not the end of the crisis. The end of the war means three parallel things. The first is the withdrawal of weapons from all ...

Gaza: The New Switzerland of the East? What About Us?

Marc Saikali, 13/02 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Middle East Palestine Donald Trump Hamas Lebanon

When Donald Trump wakes up, even his smallest remark makes global headlines—that’s just how it is. As the most powerful man on Earth, he wields arguments that are not just compelling and consequential but sometimes… explosive. For now, any statement he makes triggers shockwaves. Case in point: “Ukraine could one day become Russian.” A ...

Egypt's Sisi Urges Gaza Reconstruction Without 'Displacing Palestinians'

This is Beirut, 11/02 13:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Middle East Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged on Tuesday the reconstruction of Gaza "without displacing Palestinians", after US President Donald Trump said he could "conceivably" halt aid to Egypt and Jordan if they refuse to take in Gazans. During a phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Sisi "stressed the necessity of starting ...

Egypt Calls for Urgent Arab Summit on Trump's Plan for Gaza

This is Beirut, 09/02 14:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The head of Egyptian diplomacy, Badr Abdelatty, left for Washington on Sunday, where he is set to meet with senior officials from the Trump administration and members of Congress, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo. The visit aims to "strengthen bilateral relations and the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United ...

Ortagus Reaffirms US Support for Lebanon’s Leadership and Reforms

This is Beirut, 08/02 13:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Ain el-Tineh Israel Middle East United Nations

United States Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus reiterated Washington’s support for Lebanon’s current presidency and its incoming government during a visit to Beirut on Saturday. In a meeting with Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, Ortagus affirmed US backing for his future government, highlighting his commitment to ...

The Wand and the Magic Ring

Johnny Kortbawi, 08/02 08:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hezbollah Israel Middle East Morgan Ortagus

The ring on the finger of the new U.S. deputy envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus was given more attention than it deserved, but its symbolism was far greater than what Lebanon could endure. Opponents did not differentiate between it being a religious symbol—perhaps because Judaism in Lebanon is often associated with Zionism, which led ...

Meeting Between President J. Aoun and Ortagus: Striving for Lasting Stability and a Hezbollah-Free Lebanon

Chelsea Al Arif, 07/02 13:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Israel Middle East Morgan Ortagus

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held a meeting in Baabda with Morgan Ortagus, the US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East, to discuss key issues of security, stability and cooperation between Lebanon and the United States. President Aoun stressed that stability in southern Lebanon is closely tied to the completion of Israel's withdrawal ...

Middle East