Lebanon

Ortagus to Visit Beirut with Sweeping Proposals

This is Beirut 29/05 20:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel United Nations Washington Morgan Ortagus Syria

Morgan Ortagus, the Deputy United States Special Envoy to the Middle East, is expected to arrive in Beirut by the end of next week. She will carry a wide-ranging set of proposals aimed at addressing several of Lebanon’s most pressing and controversial issues, according to a report by al-Jadeed television. Among the key elements of the US ...

New Mother-and-Child Unit Inaugurated at Quarantine Governmental Hospital

This is Beirut 29/05 19:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Beirut Port Saudi Arabia Lebanon Robert Sacy

A new state-of-the-art obstetrics department named the Dr. Robert Sacy Mother-and-Child Unit was officially inaugurated on Thursday at the Quarantine University Governmental Hospital in Beirut. The launch ceremony was attended by Minister of Public Health Rakan Nassereddine, French Ambassador Hervé Magro, and numerous local and international ...

VideosA Craftsman, a Tradition: Can He Keep It Alive?

Yara Germany 29/05 19:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebbedeh workshop Hrajel ancient craft

In his workshop tucked away in the hills of Hrajel, he is the last to craft the lebbedeh by hand. Youssef Karam Akiki is keeping an ancient tradition alive. Full report this Sunday, June 1st, on This is Beirut.

2025 Municipal Elections See Significant Rise in Women’s Representation

This is Beirut 29/05 18:45 - Reading : less than a minute

United Nations

The 2025 municipal elections in Lebanon marked a notable increase in women’s representation, according to a study released Thursday by the Ministry of Interior. Women secured 10.37% of the total elected municipal council seats, a significant rise compared to previous election cycles. In 2010, the figure stood at just 4.6%, increasing modestly ...

Two Men Killed in Israeli Strikes in Southern Lebanon

This Is Beirut 29/05 16:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon

Two men were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported, with Israel claiming to have targeted a Hezbollah member. A municipal worker was killed on Thursday in an Israeli drone strike targeting the Ali al-Taher wooded area in Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, according to a statement from the Ministry of ...

Cabinet Approves Military Grants and Key Appointments

This Is Beirut 29/05 16:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Joseph Aoun Cabinet Nawaf Salam

The Council of Ministers, convening Thursday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, approved a series of financial and administrative measures, including grants for military personnel and a string of high-level appointments. Effective July 1, active-duty military personnel will receive financial grants of 14 million Lebanese pounds, while retirees ...

General Lázaro on Peacekeepers Day: “Major Challenges Remain”

This is Beirut 29/05 12:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army South Lebanon United Nations

UNIFIL Force Commander Major General Aroldo Lázaro welcomed Thursday the relative calm observed in South Lebanon since November but cautioned that “major challenges remain.” Speaking at a ceremony marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, he underlined that the situation along the Blue Line remains tense, with continued ...

EditorialIMF: Three Billion to Bury 85 Billion? No, Thank You.

Marc Saikali 29/05 11:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

International Monetary Fund Europe Gulf Hezbollah

The International Monetary Fund wants to lend $3 billion to Lebanon. On paper, it’s an "opportunity" to get a devastated country back on its feet. In reality, it’s a cruel joke. Lebanon is staring into an $85 billion abyss - a gaping hole dug by decades of mismanagement, clientelism, and public governance as cynical as it is incompetent. In ...

Gulf Surge in Registrations for Lebanon AI Conference 2025

This is Beirut 29/05 10:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

AI Lebanon Conference Gulf Innovation Technology

Lebanon's 2025 Artificial Intelligence Conference is witnessing an unprecedented wave of interest from Gulf countries, with organizers announcing on Wednesday a sharp rise in registration requests from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other GCC nations. This surge of Gulf engagement comes as Lebanon resumes high-level diplomatic and cultural ...

EditorialHezbollah’s Overused Triptych: Paranoia, Reality, and Danger

Marc Saikali 29/05 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah United States Syria Morgan Ortagus

Six months after the ceasefire took effect, residents of southern Lebanon are still left wondering who will rebuild their homes. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s secretary-general clings to the old ideological lifeline—“People, Army, Resistance”—like a castaway clutching his last buoy. Once a rallying cry, the slogan now rings hollow—a mantra ...

Israeli Incursion Near Blida

This is Beirut 28/05 23:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon South-Lebanon Israel

An Israeli unit, backed by two Merkava tanks and a bulldozer, carried out an incursion Wednesday night east of the village of Blida, in South Lebanon, in an area known as Bir Chaib. The Israeli force advanced approximately 200 meters into Lebanese territory, not far from a Lebanese Army outpost, which was placed on high alert. An additional ...

Alfa and Touch: Weak Signal, Weaker Employee Rights

Christiane Tager 28/05 21:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Telecommunications

For years, employees of Lebanon’s two mobile operators, Alfa and Touch, have been fighting—unsuccessfully—to claim what they’re rightfully owed: bonuses, a 13th-month salary, collective contracts, and a worthy pension. Their determination hasn’t waned. And today, they’re making themselves heard —once again. Marc Aoun, head of the ...