Lebanon

Civil Defense on Full Alert Ahead of Municipal Elections in Beirut, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel

This is Beirut 16/05 10:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Baalbeck Hermel Beirut Civil Defense Municipal Elections

The General Directorate of Civil Defense announced on Friday a full state of alert and operational readiness from Saturday, May 17, at 8:00 AM until Monday, May 19, at 8:00 AM, in anticipation of the third phase of Lebanon’s municipal elections. Acting Director General Brigadier General Nabil Farah has ordered all operational units to be fully ...

Ortagus Urges Full Disarmament of Hezbollah

This is Beirut 15/05 20:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Gulf Israel Middle East Saudi Arabia Morgan Ortagus USA Lebanon

Deputy United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus delivered a strong message on Thursday, declaring that the path to peace and prosperity lies in the full disarmament of Hezbollah, not just in southern Lebanon, but across the entire country. In an interview with LBCI, Ortagus emphasized the unified stance of the US, Saudi ...

Israeli Drone Strike Kills Hezbollah Operative

This Is Beirut 15/05 19:53 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon

One person was killed Thursday in an Israeli drone strike in the plain of Yohmor al-Shaqif, in the Nabatiyeh district (caza), the Ministry of Public Health announced. According to available information, the strike targeted a bulldozer believed to be operated by Hezbollah member Mohammad Marouni. The deadly attack was part of a wider escalation ...

US Sanctions Four Key Hezbollah Financiers in Lebanon and Iran

This Is Beirut 15/05 18:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah US Treasury Washington Lebanon

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on two senior Hezbollah officials and two financial facilitators based in Lebanon and Iran for coordinating funding to support the group’s “terrorist activities.” According to a press release issued by the Department of the Treasury on ...

ExplainerRiyadh Without Beirut: Lebanon’s Omissive Absence From a Key Regional Summit

Natasha Metni Torbey 15/05 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Lebanese Army Damascus Hezbollah Israel

Riyadh, May 2025—In the heart of the Saudi desert, a private summit between US President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh reignited crucial conversations on the Middle East’s future. But one absence was consistently noted: that of Lebanon. While Lebanon’s persistent crises were ...

83 Draft Laws Submitted, Only One Passed

This Is Beirut 15/05 12:00 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Banque du Liban Beirut International Airport Central Bank of Lebanon Hezbollah Internal Security Forces

On Thursday, May 15, MPs gathered at Nejmeh Square for a legislative session with an exceptionally heavy agenda: 83 draft laws were submitted for review, underscoring a chronic governance crisis oscillating between institutional paralysis and reform efforts. Only one law was approved by the end of the session: an amended law criminalizing ...

Behind the ScenesMunicipal Elections in Beirut: Will “Change MPs” Be Punished by Voters?

This is Beirut 15/05 11:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Beirut Municipal Elections

Well-informed sources about the electoral dynamic in Beirut's constituency report a sharp anger among voters against the so-called “Change” MPs. Behind the “reformist” rhetoric and breakaway slogans, more and more voters are perceiving ambiguous and sometimes confusing positions on sensitive issues, fuelling doubts ...

Two Judges Elected Ex Officio to the Higher Judicial Council

This is Beirut 15/05 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Palace of Justice Judge Souheil Abboud Court of Cassation

Judges Nada Dakroub and Habib Rizkallah have been elected ex officio as members of the Higher Judicial Council following a vote held on Thursday at the Palace of Justice in Beirut. Judge Dakroub now presides over the Eighth Chamber of the Court of Cassation, while Judge Rizkallah heads the Ninth Chamber. They join the Council for a three-year ...

EditorialDonald Trump Reshapes the Middle East: A New Geopolitical Era

Mark Saikali 15/05 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Israel Saudi Arabia Middle East Lebanon

Donald Trump had promised that his visit to the Gulf would be historic — and he delivered. From the moment he stepped off the plane, a series of announcements followed swiftly. Let’s start with the numbers — and they’re staggering: $300 billion in signed deals spanning industry, research, defense, space, and even civilian nuclear energy. ...

Hezbollah-Affiliated Religious Singer Accused of Spying for Israel

This is Beirut 15/05 09:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel lebanon

The Lebanese government’s commissioner at the military court, Judge Fadi Akiki, filed charges on Wednesday against Mohammad Hadi Saleh, a Shiite religious singer (mounshid) known for his close ties to Hezbollah. Saleh is accused of “collaboration with the Israeli enemy” and “complicity in acts that led to the deaths of Lebanese ...

Official Results Released for Municipal and Mukhtar Elections in North and Akkar

This is Beirut 15/05 09:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Ministry of Interior Municipal Elections Results North Lebanon

Lebanon’s Ministry of Interior has released the official results of the municipal and mukhtar elections held on May 11 in the North and Akkar governorates. The full results were made available on the ministry’s website (@MOIM_Lebanon) by Thursday, May 15. In Tripoli, the municipal results were announced on Wednesday evening, following ...

In Tripoli, a Municipal Council Without Christian Representation

This is Beirut 14/05 23:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Municipal elections Tripoli

The results of the municipal elections in Tripoli were finally announced on Wednesday evening, following a three-day vote count. According to information obtained by This is Beirut, the “Vision Tripoli” list—backed by a coalition of political figures and parties, including Faysal Karameh, Ashraf Rifi, MP Karim Kabbara, and the Al-Ahbash ...