This is Beirut

Israel-Lebanon Negotiations: Who Are the Key Participants?

This is Beirut, 14/04 14:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

As Israel and Lebanon enter their first direct diplomatic talks in decades, a group of senior diplomats and officials have taken center stage in Washington. Hosted by the United States, the meeting brings together representatives from all three sides amid ongoing war and deep political tensions. Below is a profile of each key participant, their ...

World Bank Calls for Stronger Economies as US-Iran Ceasefire Fragile, Oil Rises

This is Beirut, 09/04 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Ceasefire USA Lebanon oil Iran

The World Bank on Thursday called on countries in the Middle East and North Africa to strengthen economic resilience and governance in the wake of ongoing regional crises. “The current crisis is a stark reminder of the work ahead for the region: not only to weather shocks but also to rebuild more resilient economies with stronger macroeconomic ...

Israel Maintains High Pressure in West Bank Amid Iran War

This is Beirut, 30/03 19:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Israel West Bank

As war with Iran and its proxies touches most of the region, Israel maintains pressure in the West Bank as violence mounts, while the Knesset approved a bill setting the death penalty on charges of deadly acts of terrorism. On Monday, 2 Palestinians in the West Bank were killed by Israeli soldiers in separate incidents, according to ...

Lebanon Kids Struggle to Keep Up Studies as War Slams School Doors Shut

This is Beirut, 29/03 05:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon USA Banks Hezbollah Israel

In a classroom turned shelter for displaced families, teenager Ahmad Melhem follows a recorded lesson on a tablet as the war between Hezbollah and Israel interrupts education for hundreds of thousands of students in Lebanon. "I don't want to regret not finishing my studies despite the difficult circumstances," said Melhem, whose ...

IDF Soldier Killed in Lebanon Gunfight as Hostilities Increase

This is Beirut, 26/03 10:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks Hezbollah Israel West Bank

An Israeli soldier, Staff Sergeant Ori Greenberg of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, was killed during a gunfight in southern Lebanon, while four additional IDF troops were injured by Hezbollah mortar fire and another soldier was wounded in a separate incident, according to The Times of Israel. Meanwhile, tensions escalated further as ...

Iranian Missiles Sow Panic, Destruction in Israeli Towns

This is Beirut, 22/03 07:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Banks Israel Middle East United States

Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard "terrifying" blasts like nothing he had experienced before. An Iranian missile hit Franky's town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona -- home to a nuclear facility -- wounding dozens and leaving entire apartment ...

Israeli Reservist Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Iran

This is Beirut, 20/03 12:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Banks Israel Middle East Tehran United States

Israeli police said on Friday they had arrested an army reservist who served on the Iron Dome air defence system on suspicion of passing secrets to Iran. The arrest comes as Israel and the United States are locked in a war with Iran that has spread across the Middle East. “Raz Cohen, a 26‑year‑old resident of Jerusalem who served in the ...

Oil Dips Under $100, Stocks Back in Green Tracking Mideast War

This is Beirut, 13/03 17:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron US Treasury Banks European Union Middle East

Oil dipped under $100 Friday, but remained far above pre-Mideast war levels with no end in sight to the disruption in supplies of crude. With the conflict heading towards its third week, equity markets were back in the green, having earlier lost ground amid investor worries about an extended crisis that could fan inflation and hammer the global ...

Hamas Calls for Sanctions Against Israel Over New West Bank Moves

This is Beirut, 24/02 11:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks Hamas Israel West Bank Palestine

Hamas on Tuesday called for sanctions against Israel, welcoming a joint condemnation by nearly 20 countries of new Israeli measures aimed at tightening control over the occupied West Bank. Israel has approved a series of initiatives this month backed by far-right ministers, including launching a process to register land in the West Bank as ...

Hamas Official Says Group in Final Stage of Choosing New Chief

This is Beirut, 22/02 16:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Banks Israel Kuwait Palestine

A senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian Islamist movement was in the final phase of selecting a new leader, with two prominent figures competing for the position. Hamas recently completed the formation of a new Shura Council, a consultative body largely composed of religious scholars, as well as a new political ...

For a Better Druze Future, Jumblatt Needs New Ideas

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 17/02 10:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks Hezbollah Israel Kuwait

Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon’s most seasoned and cunning political operator, has navigated every twist of the country’s turmoil since taking the reins of the Druze community in 1977. Convinced that his father Kamal’s assassination stemmed from political overreach, Jumblatt has pursued relentlessly cautious and conservative policies, always ...

Qassem Warns Lebanese Government Against Disarmament Push

This is Beirut, 16/02 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks Ceasefire Hezbollah Israel

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Monday sharply criticized the Lebanese government’s growing focus on restricting weapons outside state control, calling it a “major mistake” that serves Israeli interests, as he reaffirmed the group’s refusal to disarm under pressure. Qassem called on the Lebanon’s ...

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