Lebanon

Tensions Remain on the Southern Front
Tensions Remain on the Southern Front

Clashes continued unabated in South Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon. An interceptor missile exploded over Mays al-Jabal, followed by recurrent low-level flights over Tyre and the surrounding area. An Israeli drone targeted an unoccupied house in Odaisseh, which caught fire. Phosphorus shells were also fired on the outskirts of Naqoura, as were ...

FPM Appealed Army Commander-in-Chief Extension Law
FPM Appealed Army Commander-in-Chief Extension Law

The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) submitted an appeal to the Constitutional Council last Wednesday regarding the law extending Army Commander-in-Chief General Joseph Aoun's term for one year starting tomorrow, when the army chief reaches the legal age limit for his position. The appeal, signed by 10 FPM MPs (Gebran Bassil, Ghassan Atallah, ...

The Historical Role of Christians
The Historical Role of Christians

After the civil war, the declining number of Christians in Lebanon was cause for alarm not only in the country, but in the region too, knowing that Lebanon is the only Middle Eastern state to have a Christian president. Immigration and the impossibility for expatriates to reclaim their citizenship became a major hurdle as far as the protection of ...

Mawlawi Inspects the Airport, Suggests the Breach Might Be External
Mawlawi Inspects the Airport, Suggests the Breach Might Be External

Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi conducted an inspection tour on Tuesday at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut to assess the functioning of the inspection systems. He assured that a French company is assisting them to "ensure that the system is working properly again," and revealed that the breach is most likely ...

Oussama Saad Breaks His Alliance
Oussama Saad Breaks His Alliance

Well-informed sources in Saida have revealed that MP Oussama Saad, who previously participated in elections outside the Hezbollah lists as part of a Saida alliance, has decided to break with his allies and move into the ranks of independent MPs. Saad is thus positioning himself against the opposition and loyalists, considering them to be part of ...

Any Pilot on Board?
Any Pilot on Board?

The cyberattack at Beirut's Rafic Hariri Airport on Sunday afternoon caused major disturbance, both in terms of security and on social media, with internet users speculating about the reasons and consequences. But the essential question to ask at this moment is: is anyone really in control? At around 5 PM on Sunday, the flight information ...

Hamiye: No Details on Airport Cyberattack Yet
Hamiye: No Details on Airport Cyberattack Yet

The caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiye, did not elaborate on the origin of the cyberattack that targeted Beirut International Airport (AIB) on Sunday, stressing that he did not know "whether it was due to an internal or external action." "We must await the results of the investigation carried out by the security services ...

Hezb-FPM: An Alliance of Pure Necessity
Hezb-FPM: An Alliance of Pure Necessity

An Opposition MP described the alliance between the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah as one purely based on necessity and interest, even though it is often weakened when important deadlines approach. "Hezbollah puts its interests ahead of those of its ally," he said. A Lebanese Forces MP also described this alliance as "a marriage of ...

Airport Screens Hacked to Display Anti-Hezbollah Message
Airport Screens Hacked to Display Anti-Hezbollah Message

The situation at Beirut International Airport is back to normal on Sunday evening, following the hacking of the Departure and Arrival Screens that displayed an anti-Hezbollah message and lasted for one hour. According to sources close to This Is Beirut, three people were arrested by authorities for suspected involvement. At around 5 PM local ...

Bishop Audi Reproaches Parliament for Failure to Elect a President
Bishop Audi Reproaches Parliament for Failure to Elect a President

The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, Bishop Elias Audi, began his sermon on Sunday by reproaching the parliament. He asked, “Hasn't the parliament realized that its failure to elect a president contributes to the disintegration of this country, demoralizing its citizens, displacing them, and making the country vulnerable to recent attacks ...

Costa Brava: A Looming Waste Crisis?
Costa Brava: A Looming Waste Crisis?

A potential new waste crisis could break out, as municipalities in the southern suburbs of Beirut are threatening to forbid – starting Sunday, January 7 – the dumping of waste from the Chouf, Aley and Baabda regions into the Costa Brava landfill. Located in Choueifat, the landfill is at risk of imminent saturation, compounded by the daily ...

J. Aoun Meets Borrell
J. Aoun Meets Borrell

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, met with the army’s Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Aoun, in Yarzeh on Sunday, the second day of his diplomatic mission to Lebanon. Discussions revolved around the situation in Lebanon and the ...