This is Beirut - Nawaf Salam

Rubio Vows to Recover Bodies of Hostages Still Held in Gaza

This is Beirut, 2025-10-25 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Marco Rubio Gaza United States

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed Saturday to secure the return of all deceased hostages still held in Gaza, as he met with the families of two captives during his visit to Israel. "We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas," Rubio said on X. "Today I met with the families of American citizens Itay ...

Salam to the Pope: Lebanon’s Freedom Is 'a Right for All'

This is Beirut, 2025-10-25 13:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Pope Nawaf Salam christian

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed that “the unity, sovereignty, and freedom of Lebanon are a right for all its children,” following his meeting with Pope Leon XIV at the Vatican. In a message posted Saturday on platform X, Mr. Salam added that “peace in the region can only be built on justice, particularly on the right of the Palestinian ...

Lebanon’s Last Chance: Disarm Hezbollah or Risk Collapse

Amal Chmouny, 2025-10-25 11:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah United States Donald Trump

Lebanon’s long‑simmering debate over Hezbollah’s disarmament has sharpened into a defining confrontation between state sovereignty and a foreign‑backed militia. In Washington, the issue is becoming the centerpiece of US regional policy. For President Trump’s administration, Hezbollah’s disarmament is not merely a security objective but ...

Seven Yemeni UN workers detained in Sanaa: Houthi security source

This is Beirut, 2025-10-24 21:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United Nations Houthi Yemen UN

Several Yemenis working for the United Nations in the rebel-held capital Sanaa have been detained on accusations of spying for Israel, a Houthi security official told AFP Friday, in the latest arrests targeting the world body's staff. Earlier this week, 20 UN staff, including 15 foreigners, were released after being held in their compound since a ...

Clearfield's Mechanism: Remaking Peace, Once Again

Natasha Metni Torbey, 2025-10-24 18:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah Mechanism Joseph Clearfield ceasefire

Same story, same players. After every lull along the southern border, the same words return, the same statements roll out, the same diplomats spring into action, each convinced that this time, “it’s different.” We hear about a “gradual de-escalation plan,” a “monitoring mechanism,” a “return to the core resolutions.” Earnest ...

US Names Career Diplomat for Gaza Ceasefire Monitor

This is Beirut, 2025-10-24 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam USA Ceasefire Diplomat Gaza

The United States named a veteran diplomat on Friday as the civilian lead in a body monitoring the Gaza ceasefire, seeking to push forward a durable end to the war. The State Department said that Steve Fagin, a career diplomat, will work alongside US Army Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, the military head already appointed to the hub set up ...

George Clooney Explores Passage of Time in Netflix Film ‘Jay Kelly'

This is Beirut, 2025-10-24 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Film George Clooney Jay Kelly Culture

George Clooney plays an actor looking back at his past in Netflix's Jay Kelly, but in real life, the US star has his eyes on the future. "I'm not really ready to look backwards and sort of rest on it," the 64-year-old actor told AFP on Thursday at the film's premiere at the American Film Institute festival in Los Angeles. Unlike his title ...

Israeli Raid on Toul Kills Two, Including Hezbollah Member

This is Beirut, 2025-10-24 15:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Baalbeck Hezbollah Nabatieh Tyr South Lebanon

Two people were killed on Friday in an Israeli air raid on the Toul region in the Nabatieh caza, southern Lebanon. The victims were identified as Hussein al-Abd Hamdan, a Hezbollah member who had survived last year’s Pager explosion, and Abbas Hassan Karaki, who was driving a Honda CR-V at the time of the strike. Karaki’s brother, Radwan ...

Sheikh Naim’s Clash with the Formal Economy

Johnny Kortbawi, 2025-10-24 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Banks Banque du Liban Hezbollah Naim Qassem Cash

One of Hezbollah’s most pressing challenges, beyond its ongoing military decline and Israel’s persistent targeting of its depots and stockpiles, is its financial crisis. The depletion of resources has left the group unable to engage with its population as it once did to sustain its alternative economy. A clear example is Sheikh Naim ...

Block 8: Lebanon’s Energy Strategy Faces a Credibility Test

Mario Chartouni, 2025-10-24 14:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Europe United Kingdom USA

On Thursday at the Baabda Presidential Palace, Lebanon’s Council of Ministers took two decisive steps in the country’s energy policy by approving the oil exploration agreement for Block 8 and ratifying the maritime border with Cyprus. These decisions reflect the government’s determination to revive a strategic sector long stalled by ...

Rubio says More Countries Ready to Recognise Israel

This is Beirut, 2025-10-24 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Benjamin Netanyahu US Secretary of State USA Gaza Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that more countries are ready to normalize relations with Israel, but the decision would await a broader regional agreement. Rubio, who was touring a US-led multinational center in Israel aimed at coordinating a ceasefire in Gaza, said that a sustained end to the war would encourage more countries to ...

Gaza Security: Potential Players in the New Peacekeeping Effort

This is Beirut, 2025-10-24 10:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Palestine Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu

As the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s proposed plan moves forward, discussions are intensifying over the possible deployment of an international security force in Gaza, intended to take over from Hamas. The initiative’s first step involves disarming the Islamist movement, a highly sensitive task amid a fragile ceasefire and mutual ...

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