Lebanon

VideosAfter Four Vacant Years, Mieh Mieh Set to Vote for Municipal Council

Vanessa Kallas 10/05 09:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Mieh Mieh Municipality Elections 2025 Municipal Council Lebanon

More than 100 municipalities across Lebanon remain hollow structures—lacking elected councils to carry out essential functions and implement reforms. Mieh Mieh, the second-largest town east of Saida, is a prime example. Administrative issues have kept the municipality inactive for the last four years. Will this election finally break the ...

Op-edThe Sunni Leadership Problem...

Johnny Kortbawi 10/05 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Sunni Municipals

Lebanon has witnessed three major nationwide Sunni leaderships since independence. The first was the leadership of Riad Al Solh, a pillar of the National Pact, independence, and Greater Lebanon after the French withdrawal. The second was Saeb Salam, the leading Sunni figure within Lebanon’s Chehabist political framework and beyond. He was known ...

The Catholic Church in Lebanon Congratulates Pope Leo XIV

This is Beirut 09/05 14:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops Pope

The Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon extended its congratulations to the new pope, Leo XIV, elected on May 8, 2025, praising him as “a shepherd chosen to lead the Church in these times of challenge and hope.” In a statement, Lebanon’s Catholic spiritual leaders, patriarchs, bishops and heads of religious orders ...

Israeli Strikes and Flyovers Escalate Tensions Across Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut 09/05 11:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon South Lebanon Bekaa Israel war

Southern Lebanon witnessed a sharp escalation in Israeli military activity on Friday, with intense aerial maneuvers disturbing the region’s airspace. An Israeli drone bombed the town of Majdal Zoun on Friday evening, injuring a civilian, according to the Ministry of Health. In the evening, an Israeli fighter jet dropped a stun grenade ...

SpotlightBeirut 1945: De Gaulle Is Near

Moncef Ait-Kaci 09/05 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe Middle East United States

Before becoming the leader of Free France, the founder of the Fifth Republic or the symbolic figure of Gaullism, Charles de Gaulle was an officer stationed in the Levant, where he lived, commanded, observed. Lebanon always held a special place in his worldview—a relationship shaped by history, war and a certain idea of France. Between 1929 and ...

Aoun’s Kuwait Visit Marks Key Diplomatic Turn, Says Foreign Minister

This is Beirut 09/05 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Raggi Kuwait Lebanese-Gulf relations

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is set to visit Kuwait on May 11 and 12, in what Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji described as “an event in itself.” In an interview with Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai, Rajji emphasized the symbolic and political weight of the visit, while expressing Lebanon’s gratitude to Kuwait for its ...

SpotlightTripoli’s Municipal Battle: Power Gaps and Fractured Alliances

Rayan Chami 09/05 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Tripoli Municipal Elections Al Mina Lebanon

Tripoli district is gearing up for pivotal municipal elections on May 11, with 359 candidates competing across Tripoli city, al-Mina and Beddawi. In Tripoli municipality, 187 candidates are vying for 24 council seats in what observers call the city’s most fragmented and unpredictable race in decades. Al-Mina sees 69 candidates competing for 21 ...

Lebanese Leaders Welcome Election of Pope Leo XIV

This Is Beirut 08/05 21:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Pope Francis Lebanese Forces Joseph Aoun Lebanon Nawaf Salam Najib Mikati

Lebanese officials and political leaders extended their congratulations Thursday following the historic election of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new head of the Catholic Church, assuming the papal name Pope Leo XIV. His election, following the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, was officially confirmed as white smoke billowed ...

Salam from Beqaa: Border Reform and Development

This Is Beirut 08/05 19:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Baalbeck Lebanese Army UN Security Council Nawaf Salam

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam underscored the strategic importance of Lebanon’s official border crossings during a visit to the Beqaa Governorate on Thursday, describing them as “the mirror of Lebanese sovereignty” and the “first line of defense for internal stability.” Touring the Masnaa border crossing, Salam was briefed by General ...

Akkar: 3,569 Register for Municipal Elections as Dozens Win by Acclamation

This is Beirut 08/05 17:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Akkar Lebanon Municipal Elections Interior Ministry

Akkar’s Governorate announced that 3,569 candidates have registered for the upcoming municipal and mayoral elections, according to figures released by the Ministry of Interior after the close of nominations. Of these, 44 municipal councils and 48 mukhtar lists secured victories by acclamation, eliminating the need for voting in those areas. On ...

Bou Saab: Parliamentary Session to Be Scheduled Soon, Municipal Elections to Proceed on Time

This is Beirut 08/05 17:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nabih Berry Elias Bou Saab Parliament Beirut Municipal Elections

Ahead of an upcoming parliamentary session, set to be scheduled soon, Speaker Nabih Berri chaired a meeting of Parliament’s Bureau on Thursday to review an agenda packed with long-delayed expedited law proposals. Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab announced that Berri intends to call for a legislative session once lawmakers have had around five ...

Israel Pounds South Lebanon in Major Strikes on Hezbollah Targets

This is Beirut 08/05 14:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon Lebanon

Israeli raids targeted the hills of Kfar Tebnit and Nabatieh al-Fawqa. Panicked residents also reported frequent overflights by fighter jets.