This is Beirut

Beirut Blast Suspect Detained in Bulgaria on Interpol Notice

This is Beirut, 12:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah lebanon Syria August 4 Beirut Port Cyprus Russia

Igor Grechushkin was arrested on September 5 at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria, after arriving from Paphos, Cyprus, on the basis of an Interpol red notice. The news was reported by AFP, citing a Bulgarian judicial source on condition of anonymity. A 48-year-old Russian-Cypriot national, Grechushkin had been identified by the ship’s former ...

Hajjar: Lebanon Seizes Millions of Captagon Pills

This is Beirut, 15/09 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Beirut Port Internal Security Forces Syria Ahmad Hajjar captagon

Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar announced Monday that Lebanese authorities had thwarted a large-scale drug smuggling attempt involving 6.5 million Captagon pills and 700 kilograms of hashish, destined for Saudi Arabia via Beirut Port. Speaking during a visit to the Internal Security Forces’ (ISF) Information Branch headquarters in Sahet al-Abed, ...

Al-Sharaa Says Syria in Talks with Israel on Security Deal

This is Beirut, 12/09 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa CENTCOM Brad Cooper

President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Friday that Syria was negotiating with Israel to reach a security agreement that would see Israel leave areas it occupied after the December overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. As the Islamist-led forces toppled Assad on December 8, Israel deployed troops to the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights ...

Israel Says Lebanese Operatives Eliminated Were Tied to Iran’s Unit 840

This is Beirut, 12/09 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Syria lebanon Iran Quds Force

Two Lebanese nationals, Qassem Salah al-Husseini and Mohammed Shuaib, were identified by the Israeli army Friday as key operators of several cells tied to Unit 840, the special operations branch of Iran’s Quds Force. On Friday, the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, wrote on X that the two men, killed last month in Lebanon, ...

Revisiting History in the Lebanese Mind

Johnny Kortbawi, 12/09 11:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Syria Palestinians Bachir Gemayel

In just a few hours, Lebanon will mark the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of President Bachir Gemayel—an event that altered the course of the Lebanese Civil War, establishing a new center of gravity within the conflict. Bachir’s election embodied the balance of regional and international power in Lebanon, from the dynamics of ...

UNGA 2025 and the Middle East

David Hale , 12/09 10:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Syria Iran Ukraine United States Israel Palestine

This month brings world leaders together to mark the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly. Their formal speeches in front of the assembly vary in interest, as many contain more pious platitudes than meaty information. The real work of interest often happens behind-the-scenes, as world leaders meet bilaterally or in small groups ...

Lebanon-Syria: Update on Missing Persons and Detainees

Soumia Benmerzoug, 11/09 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Detainees Missing Bilateral

The two countries unveiled the creation of joint committees tasked with handling three key files: Lebanese citizens who went missing in Syria, Syrian prisoners currently held in Lebanon, and formal delineation of the common border. The announcement was made on September 1, 2025, during a visit to Beirut by a Syrian delegation composed of former ...

Second Group of Displaced Syrians Departs Lebanon

This is Beirut, 11/09 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Lebanese Red Cross lebanon UNHCR Syria General Security

Lebanon has initiated the second phase of its organized return program for displaced Syrians through the Masnaa border crossing. The process was carried out in coordination with the Syrian government and in partnership with UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC), and other humanitarian ...

Syria Announces Arrest of Hezbollah Cell in Damascus Countryside

This is Beirut, 11/09 12:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Syria lebanon

The Syrian authorities announced Thursday the arrest of members of a terrorist cell affiliated with Hezbollah. According to Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, commander of internal security in Rif Dimashq (the outskirts of Damascus), this cell was operating in the towns of Saasaa and Kanaker, in southern Syria. According to the authorities, the ...

MP Alameh: Up to 400,000 Syrian Refugees Would Return Home Soon

This is Beirut, 10/09 15:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey United Nations Jordan lebanon Syria General Security Refugees

Lebanon may see up to 400,000 Syrian refugees return home in the near future, MP Fadi Alameh said on Wednesday, noting that between 200,000 and 250,000 have already gone back. Speaking after chairing a session of the Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee, Alameh said the meeting focused on the refugee return file and was attended by Deputy ...

High-Level Russian Officials Arrive in Damascus

This is Beirut, 09/09 14:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Syria Russia Alexander Novak

A Russian government delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, arrived on Tuesday at Damascus International Airport. According to official Syrian news agency SANA, Novak is beginning a visit during which he will meet with several high-ranking Syrian officials. The discussions will mainly focus on economic, security and defense ...

Israeli Strike Hits Near Syrian City of Homs

This is Beirut, 09/09 09:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Israel USA Syria

Israeli air strikes hit areas of the central and western Syrian cities of Homs and Latakia late Monday, state news agency SANA reported. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that "the Israeli strike near Homs targeted a military unit south of the city." Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in ...

Syria