hezbollah

President Aoun Vows to Hold Attackers of UN Peacekeepers Accountable

President Joseph Aoun vowed on Saturday to punish the perpetrators of an attack on a United Nations peacekeeping convoy a day earlier that wounded the force's outgoing deputy commander. Aoun "condemned the attack... and emphasized that the attackers will receive their punishment," the presidency said in a statement on X. "Security forces will ...

UNIFIL Deputy Commander Injured in Attack by Hezbollah Supporters Near Beirut Airport

On Friday evening, a convoy carrying UNIFIL’s outgoing Deputy Commander, General Chok Bahadur Dhakal, was attacked by Hezbollah supporters near Beirut airport. General Dhakal sustained injuries and was hospitalized, while one of the three vehicles in the convoy was set on fire. Other members of the convoy were able to seek refuge within the ...

Israeli Army Signals Readiness to Withdraw, But Doubts Remain

The Israeli army expressed on Friday its preparedness to withdraw from Lebanese territory by February 18, per the ceasefire agreement brokered by France and the United States. A senior Israeli security official, quoted by AFP, stated that Israel remains committed to the agreement and is coordinating closely with the US to ensure a smooth handover ...

Tensions Heightened Between Lebanon and Iran Following the Iran Aircraft Issue

Tensions between Lebanon and Iran heightened on Friday after a Lebanese decision to prevent two Iranian planes from landing at Beirut’s International Airport (BIA), which led to protests along the airport road and required intervention from the Lebanese Army (LAF). The aircraft in question were operated by Mahan Air, a private Iranian ...

At the Lebanon-Syria Border, the New Syrian Authorities Are Hunting Down Traffickers Linked to Hezbollah

In a mountainous region between Syria and Lebanon, once controlled by smugglers linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah, a Syrian security official has a padlock broken on an abandoned building, revealing a newly discovered drug factory left to deteriorate. In the Qousseir region, located in the Homs province in eastern Syria, the new authorities ...

FM: A Once-Dominant Lebanese Political Force in Transition

The Future Movement (FM) is a Lebanese political party founded in the 1990s by Rafic Hariri, a prominent businessman and former Prime Minister of Lebanon. After Hariri’s assassination in 2005, his son, Saad Hariri, assumed leadership of the party, maintaining its role as a key political force representing Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim community. The ...

Rafic Hariri and the Rise of Political Sunnism

“No one can be greater than their country,” Rafic Hariri once remarked. Yet, two dominant forces in Lebanon challenged this notion: Hariri himself and Hezbollah. Their conflicting vision led to a violent confrontation—an all-out clash of titans—one that reached its climax 20 years ago, on February 14, 2005, when the former ...

The War Ended Today

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 ...

Lebanon: France Proposes the Deployment of UNIFIL for a Definitive Israeli Withdrawal

France has proposed that some soldiers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), including French troops, be deployed in positions in southern Lebanon to allow for a "complete and definitive" withdrawal of Israel, announced Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Thursday. "The ceasefire has been extended until February 18, the ...

Berri Rejects Any Israeli Presence After Scheduled Pullout

With just five days remaining before the scheduled Israeli pullout on February 18, Speaker Nabih Berri revealed that United States officials informed him that while Israeli forces would vacate the villages where they maintain a presence in the south, they would remain in five key positions – a development that has been the subject of ongoing ...

Violent Protests in Beirut as Authorities Block Flight from Tehran

The issue of Lebanese citizens stranded at Tehran airport is about to be resolved. Middle East Airlines will charter a flight on Thursday night to bring them back to Beirut on Friday, according to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA). Lebanon banned a plane from the Iranian company Mahan Air to fly to Beirut, on Thursday. This measure ...

Southern Lebanon: Will Israel Extend Its Military Presence?

As the deadline approaches for Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, a fragile calm persists in the region. The Ceasefire Monitoring Committee has been informed that the Israeli army has requested to remain in certain positions in southern Lebanon until February 28. The Lebanese side has firmly rejected this request. Additionally, ...