This is Beirut - middle east

Eclipse of the Century: Encounter with Darkness on August 2, 2027

Bélinda Ibrahim, 2025-08-02 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Middle East Africa Solar Eclipse World

On August 2, 2027, a narrow band of totality will stretch from southern Spain to the southern Arabian Peninsula, offering a dramatic celestial display already dubbed “the eclipse of the century.” It is set to be one of the most spectacular astronomical events of the 21st century. The eclipse will begin over the Atlantic Ocean shortly after ...

Azerbaijan: The Triumph of Pragmatism over Religious Identity

Mario Chartouni, 2025-07-31 19:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam European Union Damascus Middle East Tehran

In the heart of the Caucasus, Azerbaijan stands out for its unconventional geopolitical alignments. Though predominantly Shia in religious composition, this secular post-Soviet republic has positioned itself as one of Israel’s closest allies and a strategic partner to the West, all while maintaining a strained relationship with neighboring ...

Qassem Prioritizes Resistance Over Lebanon’s Stability

This is Beirut, 2025-07-30 20:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Middle East United States Naim Qassem

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned Wednesday that any withdrawal of Hezbollah forces from south of the Litani River would constitute “a gain for Israel,” insisting that the group’s weapons remain a “Lebanese internal matter.” Speaking at a memorial marking one year since the death of senior ...

Lebanon Bids Final Farewell to Ziad Rahbani

This is Beirut, 2025-07-28 10:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Ziad Rahbani Fairouz Music Middle East Rahbani Brothers

Lebanon paid a final tribute on Monday to renowned artist Ziad Rahbani, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 69. In a deeply emotional and somber atmosphere, the composer’s coffin arrived at the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in al-Mhaïdseh – Bickfaya. Family, friends, fellow artists, and members of the public ...

US Envoy to Discuss Finalizing Gaza Aid 'Corridor': State Dept

This is Beirut, 2025-07-22 22:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine USA Donald Trump Middle East Steve Witkoff

The United States said Tuesday that it was sending an envoy to the Middle East for talks that aim to finalize a "corridor" for aid to war-ravaged Gaza, where authorities said people are dying of starvation. Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's globe-trotting negotiator, is traveling to the region for new talks, State Department spokeswoman ...

Why No States for the Druze or the Kurds?

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 2025-07-22 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Middle East Druze Kurds United States

Self-determination in the Middle East is inconsistent. For Muslim Palestinians, statehood is seen as an unfulfilled destiny. Yet for religious minorities like the Druze or ethnic groups like the Kurds, pursuing sovereignty is branded as betrayal or capitulation to imperialism. There’s no clear logic to why Israel should be divided into two ...

From Empire to Nation

Amine Jules Iskandar, 2025-07-20 09:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Jordan Middle East Iraq

In the Levant, Islam took root in the major Mediterranean coastal cities—Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Sidon, Beirut, Tripoli, Tartus and Latakia. Surrounded by Christian and Jewish hill communities or overshadowed by dominant Christian mountain ranges, these urban populations never felt isolated. Instead, they saw themselves as fully integrated into the ...

Why Are Airfares to Lebanon So High?

Christiane Tager, 2025-07-17 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Middle East Turkey

Since relative calm returned to Lebanon, one might have expected fares to drop. Not quite. Between high taxes, risk premiums, soaring operational costs, and a limited number of flights - not to mention the complete absence of low-cost carriers - travelers are still paying a steep price to fly into Beirut. “Demand hasn’t dipped, driven by ...

Barrack, Greater Syria and Lebanon’s Precarious Future

Johnny Kortbawi, 2025-07-15 09:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Syria Hezbollah Middle East

It is remarkable how a single phrase—whether a diplomatic misstep or a calculated message—can ignite such a storm of debate and unease, both in Lebanon and abroad, especially at a moment when the specter of redrawn borders looms once again over the Middle East. Thomas Barrack’s recent remark ...

'Peace:' A Word of War?

Sana Richa Choucair, 2025-07-13 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Middle East Peace

Since returning to power in January 2025, President Donald Trump has multiplied his promises of peace: an end to the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” a global deal in the Middle East, including Gaza. But when Trump speaks of peace, he taps into a long rhetorical tradition where peace often rhymes with order, or even submission. Behind this ...

MEA Goes Low-Cost: Launch Set for March 2027

Christiane Tager, 2025-07-10 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Middle East MEA economy low-cost Beirut airport airline

Facing soaring fares and near-monopoly on direct routes, Lebanon’s national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) is preparing to shake up the market. Led by Chairman Mohamad El Hout, MEA plans to launch a low-cost subsidiary in March 2027, according to insiders. The new airline will start with 4 aircraft and offer tickets up to 30% cheaper than ...

Hebron's Short-Lived Tribal Emirate Dream

Mario Chartouni, 2025-07-08 15:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Benjamin Netanyahu Middle East West Bank Palestinians Tribes

What if the future of Middle East peace lay not in a one-state or two-state solution, but in a network of tribal emirates forging direct ties with Israel? That is the provocative vision reportedly proposed by a group of influential Palestinian clan leaders from the Hebron region in the West Bank—chief among them the powerful Sheikh Wadih ...

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