VideosKobayat Forest Fire Contained After Multiple Reignitions

This is Beirut 02/07 17:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Fire Forests North Lebanon Qobayat

The fire that has been ravaging the hills of Kobayat, in northern Lebanon, has been brought under control as of Wednesday, according to local residents who spoke to This is Beirut. The blaze, which broke out on Sunday evening in the Maqal el-Baghel area, has already destroyed more than 20 hectares of forest. Thousands of trees have been lost, ...

Lebanon’s Sunni Leadership's Void Post-Hariri

Bassam Abou Zeid 02/07 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Mufti Sunnis Ahmad al-Sharaa Abdel Latif Derian

Lebanon’s Sunni Mufti, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, is set to travel to Syria this Saturday, leading a delegation from Dar al-Fatwa to meet Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh. This visit follows the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which had kept Syria’s Alawite minority in power for decades. In contrast, Chareh has restored ...

South Lebanon’s Young Pioneers: Rebuilding Life Against the Odds

Katia Kahil 02/07 13:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

South Lebanon war youth Lebanon

In South Lebanon, where the scars of past conflicts still run deep, a fresh wave of energy is quietly taking root. It isn’t the product of government initiatives, but rather the determined work of a young generation refusing to succumb to despair. Against all odds, young entrepreneurs are returning to their villages, reopening shops, cafés, ...

PM Salam: Lebanon Intensifying Efforts to Implement UN Resolution 1701

This is Beirut 02/07 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Nations Joseph Aoun South Lebanon Economic Council

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed on Wednesday that the government is stepping up efforts to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Speaking during a session of the Economic and Social Council, Salam stressed the state’s commitment to asserting sovereignty across all Lebanese territory, curbing the illegal ...

Lebanon’s Gas Station Owners Syndicate Elects New Executive Council After Four-Year Vacancy

This is Beirut 02/07 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

After more than four years without leadership, Lebanon’s Syndicate of Gas Station Owners has elected a new executive council. The vote took place on June 19 during the syndicate’s General Assembly, and the newly appointed council held its first meeting on Tuesday at the union’s headquarters in Adlieh. Georges Brax, succeeding his late ...

Lebanon Eases Passport Renewal Process for Expats

This is Beirut 02/07 10:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon’s General Security Directorate has introduced new measures aimed at simplifying passport procedures for Lebanese citizens living abroad. Under the updated guidelines, Lebanese expatriates holding the older blue passport – issued in or after 2003, whether expired or still valid – will now be able to replace it with a biometric ...

VideosHeart Over Headlines: Why Tourists Are Still Choosing Lebanon

Lyne Sammouri 02/07 10:30 - Reading : less than a minute

beirut lebanon tourists middle east

In a region marked by unrest, Lebanon continues to welcome those drawn to its culture and warmth. Tourists share why they’re defying the headlines to experience the real Lebanon.

Salam Reaffirms Support for UNIFIL and Calls for Mandate Extension

This is Beirut 01/07 18:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army UN Security Council United Nations Nawaf Salam

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reaffirmed Lebanon’s full commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 during a meeting Tuesday with the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Diodato Abagnara, and a delegation from the peacekeeping mission. Salam emphasized the Lebanese government’s commitment ...

Casino du Liban: Hitting the Jackpot of Scandal

This is Beirut 01/07 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Free Patriotic Movement Gebran Bassil Casino du Liban Lebanon corruption gambling

For decades a beacon of entertainment in Maameltein, Casino du Liban now finds itself at the heart of a storm of scandal and investigation. At the center of a sprawling probe—where suspicions of money laundering, illegal online gambling, political collusion and opaque financial schemes converge—the iconic casino has been entangled in a series ...

LAF Arrests 67 Syrians for Illegal Entry

This is Beirut 01/07 16:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanese Army lebanon Syria Beqaa Crossings Border

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced on Tuesday that army units arrested 67 Syrians over the past week for illegally crossing into Lebanese territory. In a statement, the Army Command said the arrests were made during security operations in the Beqaa region along the Lebanese-Syrian border. The measures, which include regular patrols and ...

Parliament Approves Key Bills Amid Boycotts

This is Beirut 01/07 16:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanese Forces Kataeb lebanon parliament Nabih Berri

After a series of delays and political standoffs, the Lebanese Parliament finally convened the second day of its plenary legislative sessions on Tuesday, but not without controversy. Initially postponed the evening before and then delayed by over an hour, the session opened just after midday, with the absence of MPs from the Kataeb Party, the ...

AnalysisWhat Is the Shia Issue with the Diaspora?

Johnny Kortbawi 01/07 12:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Amal Hezbollah Expat Vote Diaspora Shiite

The issue of expatriate voting - if it makes it onto Parliament’s agenda - has taken on a sectarian dimension, placing the Shia community in an increasingly contradictory position, both in relation to the broader Lebanese diaspora and to the very idea of Lebanese emigration itself. This tension is especially perplexing given that Shias ...