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“Hope:” The Last Lifeline

“Young people of Lebanon, grow strong like the cedars and let the world blossom with hope!” With these words, Pope Leon XIV concluded his address to the 15,000 Lebanese youths gathered around him on December 1 at the patriarchal siege in Bkerke. “Hope”, a word charged with meaning and symbolism, invites us to revisit both its spiritual ...

Lebanon Sees Push for Foreign Troops in South Litani Region

Through Jean Yves Le Drian and the French military team in Lebanon, France has informed Lebanon’s political and military leadership that it is ready to take charge of an international force to be stationed south of the Litani River once UNIFIL pulls out at the end of 2026. The message added that Paris is working to rally backing for this ...

Lebanon’s Diplomatic Pivot: Understanding Simon Karam’s Role

Wednesday’s meeting of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in Naqoura carried the weight of history. Lebanon held civilian-led direct talks with Israel for the first time in decades, a development that offered Beirut a rare opportunity to resuscitate the faltering November 27, 2024, ceasefire and begin moving toward substantive political ...

Over Half of Gen Z Already Shows Noise-Induced Hearing Damage

In the deafening clamor of the 21st century, Generation Z, those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, stands out for its unprecedented relationship with sound. From massive festivals to headphones glued to their ears and constant social media use, exposure to noise has never been so intense or continuous. The figures from the Royal ...

Day Two: Pope Leo XIV Highlights Peace, Unity and Solidarity

On the second day of his visit to Lebanon on Monday, Pope Leo XIV met with bishops, clergy, religious communities, and pastoral workers at the Our Lady of Lebanon Shrine in Harissa, where he delivered an address focused on his trip’s theme: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” The Pope praised the Lebanese Church’s role in sustaining hope amid ...

Israeli Operation in Southern Syria: 13 Killed

Violent clashes erupted overnight from Thursday to Friday in southern Syria when Israeli soldiers operating in the Beit Jinn area came under fire from armed residents, according to local and military sources. At least one Syrian was reported killed in the first hours of the exchange, which began around 3:15 a.m. local time and lasted several ...

Football: At 38, Champion and Two-Time MVP, Messi Refuses to Slow Down

At 38 years old, Lionel Messi has just delivered the first title in Inter Miami’s history in Major League Soccer, while also securing a second consecutive MVP trophy. Champion, best player, record-breaker: even in exile in Florida, the Argentine continues to push the limits of time and statistics. Lionel Messi did not cross the Atlantic to ...

I Sing to The God of Israel

Like many Lebanese of her generation, Carine Bassili was traumatized by civil war, loss, and a patriarchal culture, hardships that forged her personality and shaped her journey from Lebanon to the U.S., where she would come to form a religious bond with Israel. Bassili’s journey—a spiritual one based on her faith and reading of the Bible—led ...

Lebanon Must Answer the Pope’s Call for Peace

From the heart of Lebanon—a biblical land living under Hezbollah’s shadow—Pope Leo XIV issued a clarion call for genuine peace, not merely a ceasefire, between longstanding adversaries. Although he refrained from naming Israel directly, the implication was unmistakable: the pontiff was urging Lebanon to pursue normalization with its southern ...

Netanyahu Submits Pardon Request in Israel Corruption Cases

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on trial facing corruption charges, announced Sunday he had submitted a pardon request, saying the long-running cases were tearing the country apart. US President Donald Trump wrote to Israeli President Isaac Herzog earlier this month, asking him to pardon Netanyahu, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing ...

Taekwondo: A Precious Bronze for Jane Abboud at the Sarajevo Grand Prix

Young Lebanese taekwondo athlete Jane Abboud (–37 kg category) claimed an impressive bronze medal at the Grand Prix Finals Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in the 12–14 age division, marking yet another major achievement for Lebanese taekwondo on the international stage. At her age, reaching the podium at such a high-level competition is ...

Iran Says Dual National Arrested During 12-day War on Trial for Spying for Israel

Iran's judiciary said Monday that a dual national arrested during the recent 12-day war with Israel has been referred to trial on charges of spying for the enemy. The judiciary's Mizan Online news agency did not name the defendant, describing him only as a "dual national who lives in a European country" and was arrested in Iran during the June ...

Lebanon’s F&B Boom Masks Illicit-Economy Risks

Lebanon finds itself in a paradox. While its broader economy is collapsing, the food-and-beverage (F&B) sector is showing surprising vitality. It may look like a feel-good tale of resilience, but in fact it reveals one of the greatest structural threats to Lebanon’s recovery: a cash-based economy that undermines transparency, fuels illicit ...

Doctor Jailed for Supplying Ketamine to ‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry

A doctor who supplied Friends star Matthew Perry with ketamine in the months before he fatally overdosed, musing to a fellow physician over "how much this moron will pay" for the drug, was jailed in California on Wednesday. Salvador Plasencia, 44, is the first of five people to face justice over Perry's 2023 death in the hot tub of his Los ...

Children of the Ruins: Rebuilding the Soul of South Lebanon

One year after the bombings that ravaged southern Lebanon, the villages are slowly rebuilding. Walls are repainted, schools have reopened, yet behind the desks, young hearts remain fragile. The children of this region carry a silent trauma, born from the roar of bombs, sleepless nights, and constant fear. Where the sirens have fallen silent, the ...

Kurds at a Crossroads as Middle East Shifts

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi’s November 19 trip to the autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq was an important moment, underscoring that Kurdish leaders now appear to understand the importance of cooperation amid sweeping changes in the region. Abdi—a close partner of the US military in Syria who spent ...

Pressures and Calculations on Lebanon's Southern Border

Israeli defense officials increasingly fear that the relative quiet along the northern border may mask conditions for a rapid escalation. According to Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth, on Monday, senior Israeli army officers say Hezbollah has continued to reinforce its military infrastructure in Lebanese villages deeper inside the country, despite almost ...

J. Aoun Announces a Five-Point Plan to Reassert State Authority and Open the Path to Peace

On the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of Lebanon’s Independence, President Joseph Aoun delivered a speech Friday evening from South Lebanon, focusing on sovereignty, the state’s exclusive control over arms, and the need to turn the page on “mini-states.” The head of state unveiled a five-point plan aimed at fully restoring state ...

After Call for Christian Unity, Pope Leaves Turkey for Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV headed to Lebanon on Sunday with a message of peace for the crisis-hit nation after wrapping up a four-day trip to Turkey's tiny Christian community that focused on unity within the Church. Ending the first part of his maiden overseas tour since being elected leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo boarded the papal ...

Triathlon: Mia Sahioun Rises to the Top of West Asia

At just 15 years old, triathlete Mia Sahioun is already collecting national titles and international medals. From Kfarchima to Abu Dhabi, passing through Jounieh, Bahrain, and Fujeirah, Lebanon’s “golden girl” of triathlon has climbed to the very top of the West Asian rankings… with Asia, Dakar, and perhaps one day the Olympic Games now in ...

Washington Sends Warning with Cancellation of LAF Chief’s Trip

Washington's abrupt cancellation of Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) chief General Rodolphe Haykal's planned visit earlier this week signals deepening U.S. dissatisfaction with both Lebanon's approach to Hezbollah's disarmament and the LAF’s public stances on ongoing Israeli border incursions. Haykal, appointed to his post in March, was poised for ...

US Presses Ukraine to Cede Land as Russian Strikes Kill 26

A new US peace proposal would see Kyiv ceding land and more than halving its army, a source told AFP Wednesday, as a Russian strike in the west of Ukraine killed 26 people, including three children. The proposal appears to repeat Russia's maximalist terms to end the war -- demands consistently rejected by Ukraine as tantamount to ...

Papal Visit Funding: Where Does Lebanon Stand?

With less than two weeks to go before Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon at the end of the month, preparations have entered their final stage. Roger Zaccar, head of the visit’s financial committee, told This is Beirut that nearly 80% of the required funds have already been secured, with the remaining 20% are still needed to complete the ...

Speedy by Louis Vuitton: Audrey Hepburn’s Nomadic Elegance

Within the world of luxury leather goods, few pieces have endured with the same grace and universal appeal as the Speedy. It has graced the arms of both everyday sophisticates and Hollywood legends. But behind its clean, understated silhouette lies a surprisingly rich story. At once a reflection of its era and a catalyst for change, the Speedy has ...

Quarries in Lebanon: An Out-of-Control Industry with Devastating Costs

Item 27 on the agenda of the Council of Ministers, which is scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon, has reignited long-standing anger in Koura. The request by the National Cement Company for a permit to “operate and rehabilitate” its quarries in Kfarhazir and Bedbahon immediately brought back to residents the memory of a two-decade-long ...

Saudi Prince, Eyeing Defence Pledge, to Meet Trump After Long US Absence

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will press for security guarantees while US President Donald Trump will urge him to normalise ties with Israel when the de facto Saudi ruler breaks a seven-year absence from Washington this week. Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to normalisation at this stage, with Prince Mohammed's priority set for firmer US ...

Al-Qard al-Hassan’s Gold: Hezbollah’s New Financial Scheme

After introducing ATMs, easy-access loans, and clandestine counters scattered throughout the alleys of Beirut’s southern suburbs, al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH), Hezbollah’s financial arm, has taken its operations a step further: direct gold trading. Gold bars, coins, and jewelry are reportedly now being offered to the Shiite community, turning gold ...

Ceasefire Anniversary: Hezbollah Rebuilds, Israeli Strikes Persist

One year after the 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, southern Lebanon remains tense as the militia steadily rebuilds its military and civilian infrastructure, triggering daily Israeli airstrikes despite the truce. Hezbollah’s Ideology Drives Reconstruction An analysis of 669 Israeli airstrikes since November 27, 2024, by the ...