lebanon

Exclusive: Senior U.S. Official Says Lebanon “Must Take Stronger Action”

A top U.S. official told This Is Beirut that Lebanon’s government had not done enough to combat Hezbollah and stabilize the ongoing crisis. “Despite years of American assistance and support to the Lebanese government and the Lebanese Armed Forces,” the official said, “we believe Lebanon’s authorities must take stronger action to assert ...

Naim Qassem Prepares for "Long Battle Ahead"

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a televised address tonight, his second since the militant group initiated the round of fighting on March 2. He spoke as raids continued throughout Beirut’s southern suburbs, on the occasion of International Quds Day, an annual anti-Israel event founded by Ayatollah Khomeini.  Qassem ...

Israeli Warplanes Drop Leaflets Over Beirut, Causing Panic

Israeli planes dropping propaganda leaflets over Beirut on Friday caused a number of loud booms in the sky, terrifying residents of the Lebanese capital. AFP correspondents heard four successive booms at short intervals, before clouds of paper leaflets appeared high in the air. State media said the noise was "caused by Israeli aircraft flying at ...

Israel Cuts Bridge Over Litani River

Israel expanded its strikes in Lebanon on Friday, targeting multiple areas including a bridge over the Litani river that it said Hezbollah had been using as a passageway for its fighters. The raids came after Israel threatened to also carry out a ground operation to disarm Hezbollah if the Lebanese government does not do so. The Lebanon-based ...

Lebanon Plea: A Peace Initiative or a Lifeline for Hezbollah?

Lebanon’s call for direct negotiations with Israel and its pledge to disarm Hezbollah are being framed in Beirut as historic. But it may instead be a delayed response, too late to stop the war, too weak to change its course, and potentially giving Hezbollah room to maneuver. On Monday, President Joseph Aoun urged an immediate ceasefire and ...

Israeli Strike in Bourj Hammoud Kills One

For the first time since clashes between Israel and Hezbollah erupted following the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Israeli forces carried out strikes in Burj Hammoud in the Metn District. At dawn on Friday, Israeli aircraft launched an airstrike on an apartment in the Nabaa–Burj Hammoud area near the Mirna Shalouhi ...

Will This War End Hezbollah?

After Israel’s war against Hezbollah ended in November 2024, many expected the group’s losses—including the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah—to weaken its influence in Lebanon. Hopes rose that the Lebanese state could reclaim sovereignty and extend its control across the country. Yet subsequent developments revealed that these ...

War in the Middle East: Casualty Figures from Across the Region

Since the United States and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on February 28, war has spread across the region and casualties have been reported in countries around the Middle East. AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls. The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, health authorities and ...

Israel Renews Beirut Strikes as Netanyahu Vows Hard Line on Hezbollah

Israel renewed its strikes on Beirut on Thursday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that if the Lebanese government did not disarm Hezbollah, Israel would do the job "on the ground". "You are playing with fire," Benjamin Netanyahu said to Lebanese authorities during a press conference, as Israeli jets carried out three strikes on ...

Lebanon to Summon Iranian Diplomats After IRGC Claim of Joint Attack with Hezbollah

Information Minister Paul Morcos announced on Thursday that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has instructed Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji to summon the necessary diplomats from the Iranian Embassy following a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claiming a joint military operation with Hezbollah against Israel. Earlier Thursday, ...

UNIFIL Voices ‘Grave Concern’ Over Escalation Between Hezbollah and Israel

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expressed “grave concern” on Thursday over the dangerous escalation of hostilities along the Blue Line overnight on Wednesday. In a press release, UNIFIL said it had observed “more than 120 projectiles fired from Lebanese territory into Israel, as well as seven Israeli ...