Lebanon

August 4: Still No Justice for the Victims' Families
August 4: Still No Justice for the Victims' Families

More than four years after the Beirut port explosion, the victims' families are still waiting for justice. They are demanding the resumption of the investigation by Judge Bitar, which remains on hold.

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"Optimum Invest" Case: File Sent to Beirut's First Investigative Judge

The preliminary investigation into the "Optimum Invest" case has been concluded. The Public Prosecution at the Court of Cassation closed the file and transferred it to the Financial Prosecutor's Office, which has initiated proceedings against the former governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, who is being held in preventive detention in ...

Parliamentary Committees: Operating Guidelines and Political Context
Parliamentary Committees: Operating Guidelines and Political Context

Scheduled for October 22, the upcoming elections of parliamentary committees — typically a routine affair — will this year be a focal point of political maneuvering amid rising tensions within the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). For the FPM, the stakes are high, as the elections will decide whether key figures — Ibrahim Kanaan (Chair of ...

State's Shura Council Reverses Defense Minister's Decision
State's Shura Council Reverses Defense Minister's Decision

According to information obtained by This is Beirut, the State’s Shura (consultative) Council has nullified Defense Minister Maurice Slim’s decision to extend the mandates of Major General Pierre Saab and Major General Mohamad Mustapha

TeleLiban Archives Receive Emergency Preservation Boost
TeleLiban Archives Receive Emergency Preservation Boost

The Ministry of Information and UNESCO Beirut Office unveiled a new initiative on Monday. This joint effort, titled “Documentary Heritage Emergency Intervention for TeleLiban Archives” was achieved with the support of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) emergency interventions. TeleLiban's ...

Berri: Ex-FPM MPs Stay in Parliament Committees
Berri: Ex-FPM MPs Stay in Parliament Committees

Relations between resigning MPs of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the party leadership under MP Gebran Bassil are on the brink of total estrangement, following MP Ibrahim Kanaan’s public criticism of the party’s policies and performance. Bassil has reportedly asked the quitting MPs to resign from the parliamentary committees they are ...

Riad Salameh Under Provisional Arrest Pending Interrogation
Riad Salameh Under Provisional Arrest Pending Interrogation

Lebanon’s former Central Bank Governor, Riad Salameh, was arrested on Tuesday by order of Public Prosecutor, Judge Jamal Hajjar, after being questioned over the Optinum Invest affair. Hajjar said Salameh “will remain under arrest for four days as a precautionary measure” after which he would be referred to the investigating judge for ...

Before We Lay Greater Lebanon to Rest…
Before We Lay Greater Lebanon to Rest…

Media outlets aligned with the Axis of Resistance were quick to voice their opinions on the topic of Greater Lebanon, with some commentators arguing that the Lebanese state was never truly a product of Lebanese thought but rather the result of a historical mistake in separating Lebanon from Syria. In fact, the resurgence of nationalist rhetoric ...

Presidency Tied to Regional Dynamics Despite Quintet Efforts
Presidency Tied to Regional Dynamics Despite Quintet Efforts

Is the stalled presidential election progressing in parallel with American pressure to cease fire in Gaza and establish a humanitarian truce, to be renewed as necessary, and a halt to military operations in southern Lebanon? This follows the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate and the foreseen return of US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanon to ...

Turkey Seizes Large Drug Shipment Coming from Lebanon
Turkey Seizes Large Drug Shipment Coming from Lebanon

The Turkish authorities announced on Monday that they had seized a substantial amount of drugs smuggled from Lebanon via Syria. Turkish intelligence managed to intercept the narcotics cargo, following a two-month surveillance operation in northern Syria involving two local military factions. Around 50 kg of hash, 208 g of methamphetamine and ...

LF at Dar al-Fatwa: The Need to Elect a President
LF at Dar al-Fatwa: The Need to Elect a President

During a meeting on Monday with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdellatif Deriane, the Lebanese Forces (LF) reaffirmed their commitment to electing a president, appointing a prime minister and forming a government. They view these three steps as crucial for "Lebanon's recovery and for facilitating the implementation of international resolutions, as well as ...