This is Beirut

Agriculture in Lebanon: $118 Million in Damages, $586 Million in Losses, and $263 Million Needed for Recovery

This is Beirut, 11/04 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Over the past year, Lebanon’s agricultural sector has suffered massive losses estimated at more than $700 million, according to a joint assessment by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture, and the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS). A report by the FAO presents an initial overview of the damage ...

Erdogan Accuses Israel of Destabilizing Syria

This is Beirut, 11/04 17:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Erdogan Syria Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused Israel of sowing divisions in Syria in a bid to "dynamite" the "revolution" that toppled strongman Bashar al-Assad. Turkey is a key backer of Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel coalition which ousted Assad in December. "Israel ...

Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Air Strike Kills 10, Including 7 Children

This is Beirut, 11/04 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine

Gaza's civil defense agency said a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on Friday killed 10 members of the same family, including seven children, in the southern city of Khan Yunis. The Israeli military said it was looking into the attack, adding in a separate statement that it had struck approximately 40 "terror targets" across Gaza over ...

Turkey and Israel Hold Talks to Ease Syria Tensions Amid Ongoing Gaza Rift

This is Beirut, 10/04 16:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey Israel Syria

Turkey and Israel have started talks aimed at easing tensions over Syria, officials from both sides said Thursday. Israel has launched air strikes and ground incursions to keep Syrian forces away from its border. Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition in Syria that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan ...

Hamas Launches Appeal Against UK Ban

This is Beirut, 10/04 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas United Kingdom European Union Israel Palestine

UK-based lawyers said they have asked the British government to lift a ban on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a petition that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians. The legal submission argues the ban contravenes Britain's human rights commitments, with the militants insisting on "the legitimacy of the struggle of ...

Hamas Leadership Operating Behind Veil of Secrecy

This is Beirut, 10/04 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Hezbollah Israel Middle East

After Israel killed a string of its leaders, Hamas anointed new commanders to top ranks, this time shrouding their identities in secrecy to protect them from assassination. Israel vowed to crush Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack, launching a blistering offensive in Gaza that has massively weakened the movement while reducing much of ...

Turkey Holds 'Technical Talks' with Israel to Ease Syria tensions

This is Beirut, 10/04 09:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Turkey is holding technical-level talks with Israel to ease tensions over Syria but is not moving toward normalising ties, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday. Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition in Syria that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December after almost 14 years of civil war. Its influence has worried Israel, which ...

France Could Recognize Palestinian State 'in June'

This is Beirut, 09/04 21:15 - Reading : less than a minute

France Palestinian Statehood United Nations Israel

France is planning to recognize a Palestinian state within months and could make the move at a UN conference in New York in June on settling the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday. "We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months," Macron, who this week visited Egypt, ...

Israeli Troops Seizing 'Large Areas' in Gaza, Expanding Buffer Zones

This is Beirut, 09/04 21:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Israel Katz

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the army was seizing large areas in Gaza and incorporating them into buffer zones cleared of their inhabitants in a bid to force Hamas to release hostages. "Large areas are being seized and added to Israel's security zones, leaving Gaza smaller and more isolated," Katz said during a visit ...

When Trump Applies the Zelensky Treatment to Netanyahu

Mario Chartouni, 09/04 17:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Iran US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington, initially expected to be a diplomatic summit reinforcing US-Israel ties, ultimately became a series of disappointments. According to several observers, including Israeli publication Haaretz, Netanyahu sought unwavering support from President Donald Trump for a hardline ...

Israel: Hezbollah Tried to Rebuild an Underground Military Site in Choueifat

This is Beirut, 09/04 17:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel

The Lebanese army inspected Wednesday evening the area where Hezbollah is allegedly trying, according to Tel Aviv, to set up a warehouse for producing weapons, in the Choueifat district, in the southern suburb of Beirut. Earlier, the Israeli army had accused the Iran-backed group of attempting to rebuild its arsenal by rehabilitating some of its ...

Iran's Expanding Nuclear Programme: From 2015 Deal to Today

This is Beirut, 09/04 15:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Iran IAEA Nuclear

The United States and Iran are to hold talks in Oman on Saturday on Tehran's nuclear programme, with concerns mounting about its rapid expansion and both Washington and Israel warning of military action if discussions drag on. Tensions between Iran and the West have repeatedly flared up since Donald Trump, during his first term as US president, ...

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