Lebanon

SpotlightThe Incredible Pagers Affair: The Shadow Behind the Explosion

Natasha Metni Torbey 17/09 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah Beirut

September 17, 2024, 3:30 p.m. Like so many other dates, this one once again thrust Lebanon into the unexpected. In an almost everyday silence, thousands of small devices, pagers, and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah forces exploded almost simultaneously. A deafening roar, flames erupting from offices, vehicles, and command centers. Dozens killed, ...

Rifi: Complaint Against Hezbollah’s Qassem Still Pending

This is Beirut 17/09 13:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah ISF

MP Ashraf Rifi announced on Wednesday that the complaint filed against Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on August 27 remains with Judge Jamal Hajjar’s office and has not yet been referred to the judicial police. Speaking at a press conference for the Sovereign Front, Rifi said, “although more than 24 days have passed since the ...

Retired Soldiers Protest: Roadblocks and Postponed Parliamentary Sessions

This is Beirut 17/09 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banque du Liban Lebanese Army

The situation returned to calm on Wednesday in downtown Beirut after former security forces veterans staged a protest in the morning. Following this, it was announced that a new cabinet meeting would be held later in the day to continue reviewing the draft budget. As part of their mobilization, protesters burned tires and blocked the road in the ...

EditorialSame Script, Same Backdrop, Same Secretary-General

Marc Saikali 17/09 11:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah Politics Naim Kassem

Every single week, like clockwork, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General graces us with yet another appearance. And somehow, even those Turkish soap operas dubbed in the Syrian dialect manage to look like Hollywood blockbusters by comparison. Naturally, the speeches are always prerecorded. Spontaneity is risky business when you’d rather not let the ...

SpotlightNew Banknotes to Boost the Lebanese Pound

Liliane Mokbel 17/09 10:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Economy Banknotes BDL

Issuing higher-denomination banknotes for the Lebanese pound is simply common sense, given that the largest note currently in circulation is LBP 100,000—worth about USD 1. The others are worth even less: LBP 50,000 (roughly USD 0.50), LBP 20,000, LBP 10,000, and LBP 5,000. Lebanon has been in the grip of a currency collapse for six years, with ...

Cabinet Tasks Interior Minister to Relay Electoral Law Flaws

This is Beirut 16/09 21:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Cabinet Elections Parliament expatriates budget

The Cabinet agreed to task Minister of Interior Ahmad al-Hajjar with relaying to Parliament the government’s concerns over ambiguities in the electoral law to allow next year’s parliamentary elections to proceed without legal challenges. The decision was taken during a Cabinet session convened on Tuesday at the Grand Serail under the ...

Ministry of Finance Announces Fiscal Stamps Available at Accredited Centers

This is Beirut 16/09 19:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon economy finance stamps

After months of chronic shortage that fueled frustration and a black market, the Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday that fiscal stamps of all categories are now available, but only at accredited centers. In a statement, the Ministry of Finance specified that their distribution will be expanded to a larger number of accredited centers as ...

Netanyahu Says Nasrallah’s Death Brought Down the Pro-Iranian Axis

This is Beirut 16/09 19:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the death of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27, 2024, in a violent Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, triggered the collapse of the pro-Iranian axis. “On October 7, we were attacked by the monsters of Hamas. The next day, Hezbollah joined the fight ...

Progressive Socialist Party Hails Damascus Agreement on Sweida Crisis

This is Beirut 16/09 18:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sweida Damascus Jumblatt Agreement PSP Syria

The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) welcomed on Tuesday the agreement signed in Damascus on the situation in Sweida, describing it as a step that echoes the party’s long-standing proposals and regional outreach. In a statement, the PSP said the deal reflected ideas it had previously advanced in meetings with US envoy Tom Perriello, during ...

ISF Dismantles Syrian Counterfeiting Network in Beirut Suburbs

This is Beirut 16/09 18:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon ISF forgery Syria network

The General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced on Tuesday that it had dismantled, last August, a network of Syrian counterfeiters specializing in forging official Lebanese and Syrian stamps. According to the statement, the ISF’s intelligence bureau had received information that members of the network were obtaining ...

Pope Eyes Trip to Lebanon and Turkey Late November

This is Beirut 16/09 17:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Pope Leo XIV Vatican

Preparations are underway for Pope Leo XIV to travel to Turkey and Lebanon at the end of November in what would be his first trip abroad, Vatican sources told AFP. The two-stage trip would likely last just under a week, AFP understands. The Vatican does not normally confirm official visits until closer to the time. It would mark the first ...

UNIFIL Donates Vehicles to LAF to Bolster Southern Stability

This is Beirut 16/09 16:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon UNIFIL LAF Donation stability Security

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) donated on Tuesday more than 100 vehicles and pieces of equipment to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), aimed at reinforcing state authority and enhancing stability in southern Lebanon. At a ceremony held in Naqoura, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara and ...