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Port Explosion: Israeli Army Claims Hezbollah Eliminated Four Key Witnesses

The Israeli army accused on Tuesday a Hezbollah unit of assassinating four Lebanese figures who allegedly possessed information implicating the Shiite movement in the Beirut port explosion of August 2020, according to its Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on X (formerly Twitter). According to the Israeli army, Hezbollah’s Unit 121 ...

Araghchi "Surprised" by Raggi’s Decision to Decline Tehran Visit

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi voiced surpirse after his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Raggi, declined an official invitation to visit Tehran, citing “unsuitable conditions” at the present time. Araghchi noted that countries maintaining “brotherly relations and full diplomatic ties” should not require neutral ...

Disarmament: Government Says It Is Monitoring the Army’s Plan

Following a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Information Minister Paul Morcos said that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam “is monitoring the implementation of the army’s plan on the issue of weapons through monthly reports.” At the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasized the distinction between apparent delays and a deliberate intention to ...

Syria Launches First Official Print Newspaper Since Fall of Assad

Syria published the first print issue of the official Al Thawra Al Souriya newspaper Monday, the latest government-owned media outlet to launch since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. The move brings print media back for the first time in five years. Assad's government stopped printing dailies during the Covid-19 pandemic, citing rising ...

Box Office Weekend Surprises Audiences with 'Now You See Me'

Now You See Me: Now You Don't — the third installment in the crime-heist franchise about a group of magicians — debuted atop the North American box office, besting the Glen Powell-fronted remake of The Running Man, industry estimates showed Sunday. Lionsgate's Now You See Me — which reunites Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and ...

“Embargo”: When Economics Becomes a Weapon

On January 1, 2025, the United States tightened its technological embargo on China, doubling tariffs on a wide range of strategic goods, from semiconductors to industrial equipment. Beijing retaliated ten days later with countermeasures targeting American agricultural products, adding a new chapter to the escalating economic confrontation between ...

Lebanese MP Yacoubian Files Complaint Against Antoun Sehnaoui Over “Illicit Relations with Israel”

Lebanese parliamentarian Paula Yacoubian has filed a complaint with the Ministry of Economy and Trade, specifically with the Office for the Boycott of Israel, against Antoun Sehnaoui, chairman and general manager of Société Générale, accusing him of maintaining “illicit relations with the enemy Israeli ...

Michel Issa: Negotiations Between Lebanon and Israel Are Necessary for Lasting Peace

U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa stressed that “negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are essential for lasting peace, and both sides are ready to engage in U.S.-mediated talks when the conditions are right.” In an interview with MTV, Issa stated that “the Lebanese Army has significantly expanded its deployment in the South and has already ...

UAE Pledges $1 Billion Investment in Electricity for Government-Controlled Yemen

The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it would invest $1 billion in the electricity infrastructure of government-held Yemen, which has been devastated by civil war. On a visit to Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based, Emirati ambassador Mohammed Hamad al-Zaabi announced his country had "allocated $1 billion to build ...

Athletics: Six National Records Broken at the Jamhour Meeting

As part of its development strategy aimed at raising the level of Lebanese athletics and preparing young athletes for upcoming national and international competitions, the Lebanese Athletics Federation continued its 2025 program by organizing a meeting on the track of Notre-Dame de Jamhour. Six New National Records The event was highlighted by ...

Iran Warns of Attempts to Target Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran's intelligence ministry has warned of attempts by foreign adversaries, including the United States and Israel, to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and destabilize the Islamic republic. The country's ISNA news agency reported on Saturday that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib cautioned, "The enemy seeks to target the supreme ...

Boston Museum of Fine Arts Returns Two Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

The Museum of Fine Arts in the US city of Boston has returned two of the famed Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, authorities in the West African nation said late on Monday. The move represents "the return of a huge part of Nigeria's history," Olugbile Holloway, the head of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), said. "As much as ...

Israeli Army Fortifying Positions in South Lebanon

One year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army still maintains five positions in south Lebanon, with fortifications and widened access routes. The November 27, 2024, truce, which sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, required Israel to fully withdraw troops from ...

Pope Reiterates Support for Two-State Solution for Israel and Palestinians

Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that a two-state solution was the only one likely to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Flying from Istanbul to Beirut during his first foreign trip since his election in May, the pope continued the tradition of his predecessors by speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane. "The Holy See has ...

Lebanese Army Arrests Six after Attack on UN Patrol

The Lebanese army has arrested six people after gunmen attacked UN peacekeepers patrolling in the south of the country, the military said Saturday. The UN force, known as UNIFIL, had reported that six men riding on three mopeds opened fire on a patrol vehicle Thursday without hurting anyone. Saturday's statement said the army's intelligence ...

Raggi Declines Tehran Visit, Proposes Meeting in Neutral Country

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi has announced that he will not be able to accept an invitation from his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to visit Tehran at this time. He clarified that this decision does not signal a refusal to engage in dialogue with Iran, but rather reflects the absence of a conducive environment for such a ...

Spanish Star Rosalía Unveils 2026 World Tour for New Album Lux

Spanish star Rosalia on Thursday announced 2026 world tour dates for her critically acclaimed new album, Lux, with shows across Europe, the United States, and Latin America. The 33-year-old, hailed for her genre-defying versatility, revealed the news on Instagram. The trips will begin with a stop in the French city of Lyon on March 16 and finish ...

What is the Enigma M4 Cipher Machine

The auction of an Enigma M4 cipher machine at Christie's today is more than a landmark for collectors of rare artifacts. It represents a unique intersection of military history, cryptanalysis, and the birth of modern computing. This device is both a weapon of war and a witness to the extraordinary intellectual achievement that unlocked state ...

France’s far-Reaching Focus: From Naqoura to Damascus

France’s focus on Lebanon is closely aligned with that of its American and Saudi partners. French envoys in Beirut highlight active coordination with Washington and Riyadh on a range of critical issues, most notably the military situation in the south, Hezbollah’s disarmament, financial reforms—particularly the proposed fiscal gap law—and ...

Pope Plans Trip to Africa, Starting with Algeria

Wrapping up his first international trip as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday he would like to visit Algeria in 2026 as part of a voyage to Africa, which could be his next overseas destination. "I hope to make a trip to Africa, which could be my next trip," the US pope said during a press conference aboard the papal plane during his return from ...

Hezbollah Training Compound Hit in Overnight Israeli Airstrikes

Israel launched a wave of intensive airstrikes on southern Lebanon overnight, targeting several Hezbollah facilities, including what the Israeli military described as a training and qualification compound used by the group’s elite Radwan Force. Training Compound and Military Sites Targeted In a statement, the Israeli army said the air ...

Why Is Bitcoin Plunging?

What Has Caused the Latest Price Drop?  Prior to the recent slump, Bitcoin broke a series of record highs in the wake of Donald Trump's return to the White House. The US president came out strongly in favor of cryptocurrencies before his re-election, and has continued to do so. Bitcoin first surpassed $100,000 in May before reaching its latest ...

New Israeli Strikes on Deir Kifa and Chahour

The Israeli military struck sites in several south Lebanon towns on Wednesday after issuing evacuation warnings saying it would target Hezbollah. "The Israeli army is currently striking several Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon," the Israeli army said in a brief statement after issuing evacuation warnings for ...

A Lasting Message of Peace: Last Day of the Pope's Visit

The Pope concludes his stay, and This is Beirut brings you every key moment, live. Starting at 8:30 a.m., we will be at Jal El Dib, located at the Sisters of the Cross Hospital. At 10:30 a.m., follow the mass on the waterfront, a unique moment of reflection and unity. At 12:45 p.m., the farewell ceremony at Beirut Airport marks a solemn close to ...

Syrian Security Forces Foil Hezbollah Landmine Smuggling Operation

Syrian authorities said on Wednesday they had killed a man and arrested four others who were attempting to smuggle hundreds of landmines to Hezbollah. In a statement, the interior ministry said it launched a raid in Al-Jebbe, near the capital Damascus, during which "four people were arrested and a fifth neutralized after a clash." Khaled Abbas ...

Pope Leo Meets Families of Beirut Port Blast Victims

Pope Leo XIV visited the site of the August 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion on Tuesday morning, in what became one of the most symbolically charged moments of his third and final day in Lebanon. Still scarred by the blast, he was welcomed by families of the victims, who came to express both their grief and their unrelenting demand for truth and ...

The Future of AI… Is Rising in the Middle of the Desert

What if the future of artificial intelligence was being built right in the heart of the desert? In the United Arab Emirates, a colossal 26 km² AI campus is taking shape, a project designed to become one of the largest data-center parks in the world, capable of serving up to 4 billion people.

What the US Plan for Ukraine Entails

The United States reportedly sent Ukraine a new peace proposal with Russia on Wednesday, according to Axios, the Financial Times, and the New York Times. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that the 28-point plan appears to incorporate several of Russia’s demands. While the proposal may be acceptable to Moscow, Ukrainian authorities view it as ...

At the Airport, a Wave of Emotion After the Arrival of Pope Leo XIV

This is Beirut spoke with children Celine Rai and Tony Beainy, who welcomed Pope Leo XIV upon his arrival at the Beirut airport, offering him bread, salt, and flowers. Rita Abi Hanna, the representative of the Guides du Liban to APECL Jeune (the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon), also shared her thoughts with This is Beirut.