hezbollah

Syria, Lebanon Armies Agree to Withdraw From Hosh al-Sayyed Ali

The Syrian army announced on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement and coordination framework with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on securing the border town of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali,  warning that any breach of the understanding by Hezbollah would be met with a firm and direct response. In a statement published by the state-run SANA news ...

Rajji: Hezbollah "Disavowing" Ceasefire Agreement with Israel

Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Youssef Rajji said Hezbollah is disavowing the November 27 ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, asserting that the deal explicitly authorized only the Lebanese Army (LAF) to bear arms. Rajji made his remarks on Wednesday during a meeting at the headquarters of the Maronite League in Medawar, Achrafieh, ...

Lebanon Regains Control of Hosh el-Sayed Ali: Army Deployed on the Ground

Units of the Lebanese Army and the Engineering Regiment entered, on Wednesday morning, the village of Hosh el-Sayed Ali, which has been under the control of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham fighters. The Lebanese Armed Forces' advance in the area comes after successful negotiations between the concerned parties, supported by intensive mobilization ...

Three Questions for Khalil Helou on the End of the Truce in Gaza

As fighting in Gaza escalates with renewed hostilities and intensified strikes, uncertainty over the future of the Israel-Hamas conflict is deepening. With Palestinian sources reporting more than 400 deaths since Monday, This is Beirut spoke with General Khalil Helou to assess the dynamics at play, the potential impact on regional stability, and ...

TotalEnergies’ Operations Linked to Politics as Lebanon Pursues Onshore Exploration

In his upcoming visit to France on March 28, President Joseph Aoun is expected to once again raise, with French President Emmanuel Macron, the issue of TotalEnergies resuming its operations in Lebanon. Aoun had previously requested Macron’s assistance during the French president's visit to Lebanon in January, but there has been no progress on ...

Disarmament and Sovereignty: Kataeb Party Calls for Concrete Measures

The Kataeb Party’s political bureau convened on Tuesday under the leadership of MP Samy Gemayel and reiterated the need to implement all international resolutions, particularly United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement, the Kataeb Party stressed the importance of ...

Witkoff Pushes Lebanon Towards Direct Talks with Israel

According to a high-ranking Lebanese source, quoted by Lebanon Files, the Trump administration is determined to open a direct diplomatic channel between Lebanon and Israel. The source, who recently met with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Doha, revealed that Washington is dissatisfied with Lebanon's handling of the Hezbollah arms issue. The ...

Hezbollah Reneging on Surrendering Its Arms

Hezbollah and its allies – Speaker Nabih Berri, former Minister Najib Mikati, and Hezbollah ministers in the previous cabinet – all signed the ceasefire agreement with Israel that ended the war and that stipulated that arms in Lebanon must be exclusively in the hands of six government military and security agencies. When this happens, ...

Iran Challenges Trump with Losing Cards in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen

Last week, UAE Diplomatic Adviser Anwar Gargash delivered a message from President Donald Trump to Iran’s leadership, proposing a revival of nuclear negotiations that his administration suspended in 2015. Trump’s message stated, “A deal with Iran is preferable to military action, as I do not seek to harm it.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali ...

Intense Clashes Resume on Lebanon-Syria Border

Heavy clashes rekindled along the Lebanese-Syrian border on Monday afternoon, north of Hermel, following intense shelling from Syrian territory on the town of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, which has been held by Hezbollah since 2013. Heavy artillery fire also resumed between Mishrifa and al-Qasr. The shelling on Hosh al-Sayyed Ali killed 7 and injured ...

Tensions Escalate at the Syrian Border: Lebanese Army on High Alert

The situation at the Lebanon-Syria border is rapidly deteriorating, following overnight clashes between Hezbollah partisans and the Syrian forces under the new authorities in Damascus. Early Monday morning, the Lebanese Army issued a statement announcing the implementation of exceptional security measures in the Al-Qasr region (north of Hermel), ...