This is Beirut

Conflicts spur 'unprecedented' rise in military spending

This is Beirut, 28/04 08:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe Israel Middle East Palestine Ukraine

Worldwide military expenditure saw its steepest rise in 2024 since the end of the Cold War, reaching $2.7 trillion as wars and rising tensions drove up spending, researchers said Monday. Military spending rose worldwide with particularly large increases in Europe and the Middle East, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace ...

Lebanon Condemns Israeli Airstrike on Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

This is Beirut, 27/04 19:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon southern suburb

An Israeli airstrike targeted a Hezbollah warehouse in the southern suburbs of Beirut late Sunday afternoon. Thick smoke rose into the sky and was visible from various parts of the capital. The attack was preceded by three mock strikes, following an earlier evacuation call issued by the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichai ...

Lebanese Agriculture Between Challenges and Hope: The Central Role of Olive Oil and Partnerships for the Future

This is Beirut, 27/04 12:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

agriculture Israel Lebanon

Amidst the many crises facing Lebanon, Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hani confirmed that Lebanese olive oil remains widely available on the market at affordable prices. He encouraged citizens to consume more of it to support local farmers and boost the national economy. Regarding soil quality in the south, the minister stated that ongoing tests ...

Iran’s Strategic Port Rocked by Deadly Explosion

This is Beirut, 27/04 12:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Washington

A massive explosion ripped through Iran's Shahid Rajaee Port near Bandar Abbas on Saturday, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than 800. The blast triggered smaller explosions in nearby containers and fires that continued into Sunday. Here is what we know: Strategic port The Shahid Rajaee Port is one of Iran's most ...

US Says It Struck 800 Targets in Yemen, Killed 100s of Huthis Since March 15

This is Beirut, 27/04 12:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Hamas Houthi Israel

The United States has hit more than 800 targets in Yemen since mid-March, killing hundreds of Huthi rebel fighters, including members of the group's leadership, the US military said Sunday. Washington's forces have hammered the Huthis with near-daily air strikes since March 15 in an operation dubbed "Rough Rider," seeking to end ...

Hamas Official says Group Open to Freeing Hostages, Five-Year Truce in Gaza

This is Beirut, 26/04 11:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine

Hamas is open to an agreement to end the Gaza war that would include the one-time release of all remaining hostages and a five-year cessation of hostilities, an official from the Palestinian group said Saturday. "Hamas is ready for an exchange of prisoners in a single batch and a truce for five years," the official told AFP on condition ...

Israel Says Intercepted Missile From Yemen, Drone 'From The East'

This is Beirut, 26/04 10:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Houthi Palestine Tehran United States

Israel's military said Saturday it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, whose Huthi rebels have launched attacks throughout the Gaza war, as well as a drone approaching "from the east". "Following the sirens that sounded recently in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted" before "crossing into ...

All Gaza Food Stocks Depleted, Says World Food Programme

This is Beirut, 25/04 18:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Gaza Israel Hamas World Food Programme

The UN's World Food Program said Friday it had depleted its food stocks in war-ravaged Gaza, where Israel has blocked all aid for more than seven weeks. After 18 months of war, the situation in Gaza "is probably the worst" now, the United Nations' humanitarian agency OCHA said on Tuesday. WFP, one of the main providers of food ...

Trump: Saudi Normalization With Israel "Will Happen"

This is Beirut, 25/04 17:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Mohammed bin Salman Saudi Arabia Israel

US President Donald Trump said he was confident Saudi Arabia will normalize ties with Israel, according to an interview published Friday by Time Magazine. "Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham Accords," Trump said, referencing the historic agreement struck at the end of his first term in 2020, which saw Muslim-majority United Arab Emirates, ...

Lebanese Security Agencies Target Terrorism Suspects Amid Regional Tensions

This is Beirut, 25/04 14:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Hezbollah Israel United States Terrorism Lebanon

A security official disclosed that Lebanese security agencies have been actively tracking and arresting terrorism suspects, dormant cells and fundamentalist elements allegedly working to destabilize the country in line with foreign agendas aimed at undermining the regional peace process. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined ...

Berri Rules Out Hezbollah’s Disarmament for Now

This is Beirut, 25/04 11:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Nabih Berri Disarmement Israel Ceasefire

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri voiced strong support for the ongoing dialogue between President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah, commending Aoun’s adherence to the framework and conditions laid out for the disarmament talks, in reference to the need to secure Israel’s prior withdrawal from Lebanon. In an interview with Asas Media, Berri emphasized ...

Spain Terminates 6.8 Million Euro Military Contract With Israel

This is Beirut, 24/04 23:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Spain Yolanda Diaz Benjamin Netanyahu

Spain on Thursday cancelled a contract to buy bullets from an Israeli company following pressure from the Socialist-led government's far-left coalition partner -- a move swiftly condemned by Israel. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of the most outspoken critics of Israel's military operations in Gaza, halted weapons transactions with ...

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