This is Beirut - middle east

Washington Deploys Third Aircraft Carrier Near the Middle East

This is Beirut, 20/06 22:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The USS Gerald R. Ford will depart for Europe next week, a Navy official said Friday, placing a third American aircraft carrier in closer proximity to the Middle East as Israel and Iran trade strikes. Israel launched an unprecedented air campaign against Iran last week, and US President Donald Trump has said he is weighing whether to join Israel ...

What Would Actually Set Off a Nuclear Disaster

Kaline Antoun, 20/06 22:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Middle East Ukraine United Nations

Since the Israeli strikes on Iran’s Natanz nuclear site on June 13, one question has taken on new urgency: What exactly needs to be hit in a nuclear facility to trigger a radioactive or chemical leak? And more critically, did the recent strikes come dangerously close to that threshold? To assess the risk, we first need to understand what a ...

Crude Sinks as Trump Delays Decision on Iran Strike

This is Beirut, 20/06 11:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Oil

Oil prices tumbled Friday and equity traders fought to end a volatile week on a positive note after Donald Trump said he would consider over the next two weeks whether to join Israel's attacks on Iran. Speculation had been swirling that Trump would throw his lot in with Israel, but on Thursday he said he would decide "within the next two weeks" ...

Rasamny Highlights Air Travel Recovery and Security at BIA and Port

This is Beirut, 20/06 11:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Beirut International Airport Middle East Beirut Port Israel Fayez Rasamny

Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny announced on Friday that several airlines, including Cyprus Airways, have begun gradually resuming flights to and from Lebanon, following a government-approved strategy to keep the country’s airspace open despite heightened regional tensions. The announcement comes in the aftermath of a ...

Lebanon’s Tourism: The Endless Summer That Fails to Deliver

Christiane Tager, 19/06 23:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Since June 13, the travel sector in the Middle East has faced severe turbulence following clashes between Iran and Israel. And as always, Lebanon — true to its role as the region’s perennial bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time — ends up paying the price, once again caught in the center of the storm. “The sector has suffered ...

Tehran’s Shadow Arsenal: Chemical, Biological and Radiological Threats

Mario Chartouni, 19/06 21:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Tehran Gulf Israel Middle East nuclear

Despite Iran’s largely nominal commitments to international treaties, mounting evidence suggests the existence of an active or developing chemical, biological and radiological weapons program. Long-sidelined concerns are resurfacing as regional tensions escalate, and a Damoclean sword hangs over the mullah’s regime. On one side, Israel claims ...

The World Bank Unveils a Roadmap to Revitalize the Economy in 2025

This is Beirut, 19/06 19:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The World Bank forecasts real GDP growth of 4.7% for Lebanon in 2025, driven by a recovery in tourism, moderate growth in consumption and the beginnings of renewed confidence, despite persistently weak private investment. This hoped-for rebound is based on the implementation of a one-year multisectoral action plan designed to accelerate ...

Syrians Watch Missiles Overhead Amid Iran-Israel Escalation

This is Beirut, 19/06 14:45 - Reading : less than a minute

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From rooftops in Damascus, Syrians watch as Iran and Israel exchange fire for a sixth consecutive day in their most intense confrontation yet, raising fears of a prolonged conflict that could destabilize the entire region. https://x.com/ThisIsBeirut_/status/1935696955809959990

US Bases in the Middle East

This is Beirut, 19/06 11:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The United States has thousands of troops deployed on bases across the Middle East, a region in which Washington's forces have carried out repeated military operations in recent decades. Israel launched an unprecedented air campaign against Iran last week, and US President Donald Trump has said he is weighing whether to join Israel in the ...

Gulf States on Iran's Doorstep Scramble for End of War

This is Beirut, 19/06 10:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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As Iran and Israel trade strikes and the US weighs joining in, wealthy Gulf states on the conflict's doorstep are engaged in frantic diplomacy to halt the war -- but solutions remain elusive. A spillover of the conflict or the Iranian government's collapse are both worrying outcomes for the energy-rich region, which hosts several major US ...

Netanyahu: The Opportunist Who Rode America’s Wars to Redraw the Middle East

Salam El Zaatari, 19/06 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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For over three decades, Benjamin Netanyahu has stood at the intersection of Israeli ambition and American power, a figure as enduring as the conflicts that define the Middle East. Since the early 1990s, Netanyahu has not merely responded to the region’s shifting sands—he has, in the eyes of critics and admirers alike, helped shape them. From ...

Caught Between Missiles and Militias: Iraq Struggles Under Regional Strain

Mario Chartouni, 18/06 16:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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As Israeli airstrikes and Iranian missile launches intensify across the Middle East, Iraq finds itself trapped in a precarious position amid a mounting diplomatic and military storm. Still fragile after decades of conflict, the country’s geographic and strategic location leaves it exposed to the escalating rivalry between two powerful regional ...

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