lebanon

UNIFIL to Withdraw Majority of Troops in Lebanon by Mid 2027

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is preparing to withdraw most of its troops from Lebanon by mid-2027, following the expiration of its mandate, spokesperson Kandice Ardiel told AFP on Tuesday. UNIFIL, which has served for decades as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon, has recently been supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces ...

Will Hezbollah Turn to Political Assassinations Again?

As Hezbollah faces mounting pressure, the risk is growing that the group could once again turn to assassinations to preserve its fragile military, political, and financial positions. In December 2025, fresh revelations about the activities of Hezbollah’s assassination squad, Unit 121, brought the group’s use of political violence back ...

Northern Israeli Residents Tell This Is Beirut They Hope for Peace With Lebanon

Israeli independent journalist and political analyst Selena Ryan traveled across northern Israel to speak with residents of border communities about peace with Lebanon. From Metula to Shlomi, Malkia, Hanita, and Adamit, she interviewed coffee cart owners, farmers, teachers, students, couriers, and artisans. Despite their different backgrounds and ...

Kuwait Targets Hezbollah’s Health Network With New Terrorism Designations

Kuwait added eight Lebanese hospitals to its national terrorism list on Monday in an effort to target service sectors that Hezbollah incorporates into its cashflow. This development grows the list of sanctioned Lebanese entities by the Kuwaiti government, which notably includes the Hezbollah-affiliated financial apparatus Al Qard Al Hassan. The ...

Qassem: Israeli-U.S. Aggression Is Lebanon’s Core Challenge

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said on Monday that Lebanon has preserved its independence through resistance and possesses “real capabilities,” arguing that the country’s central challenge remains what he described as ongoing Israeli and American aggression. Speaking during a public address, Qassem said that sustained Israeli ...

What the LAF Chief’s Visit to the U.S. Revealed

Lindsey Graham portrayed his meeting with Rodolphe Haykal, which collapsed within minutes, as a complete debacle. The U.S. senator asked the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) chief if Hezbollah was a terrorist organization. Haykal’s reply—“not in the Lebanese context”—prompted Graham to walk out in fury, insisting that any group responsible ...

Israel Detains Senior Islamic Group Operative in South Lebanon

Israeli forces carried out a cross-border raid into southern Lebanon overnight, detaining what the military described as a “senior operative” from Al-Jama‘a al-Islamiya, the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said troops from the 210th Division conducted the operation in the Mount ...

Israeli Drone Strike Kills Three in Southern Lebanon

Israel struck a vehicle in the southern town of Yanouh, in the district of Tyre on Monday. Shortly after the strike, the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said the operation targeted a Hezbollah member in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s state-run news agency (National News Agency) said the raid resulted in the death of ...

Who Rises Next? Sunni Perspectives on the Muslim Brotherhood and President Al-Sharaa

In Lebanon today, the Sunni streets are largely leaderless, and many are searching for new direction. This Is Beirut went on the ground in Sunni areas to ask residents about the Muslim Brotherhood’s designation as a foreign terrorist organization and whether the Brotherhood or President Ahmed al-Sharaa can fill the leadership void. Many ...

Syria Says It Arrested Terrorist Cell and Seized Hezbollah-Linked Drones and Missiles in Rif Dimashq

Syria’s Ministry of the Interior announced that it cracked down on terrorist cells in the Rif Dimashq Governorate and captured military hardware and weapons linked to Hezbollah, according to a report from Nidaa al-Watan.  In the operation, internal security forces arrested all members of the cell and seized Hezbollah drones, missiles, and ...

Senior Hezbollah Official Wafiq Safa Steps Down as Qassem Reshapes Leadership

Wafiq Safa, the head of Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit, resigned from his position on Friday as Secretary General Naim Qassem has pushed to reshape the organization’s leadership, sources close to Reuters confirmed. Safa has maintained a senior position within Hezbollah since 1987 and was appointed to his role as a powerful ...