This is Beirut - Hezbollah

Hezbollah’s Arms and the US Ultimatum: Lebanon Faces Critical Decisions

Natasha Metni Torbey, 20:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon USA Israel Hezbollah Thomas Barrack Iran

The question of Hezbollah’s weapons cannot be resolved solely within Lebanon. As an ideological, military and political extension of Iran, Hezbollah’s arsenal is intrinsically linked to broader regional dynamics, especially the power balance between Tehran and Washington. Experts agree that local initiatives will be ineffective unless ...

The US Push for Hezbollah Disarmament and the Future of Lebanon

Amal Chmouny, 12:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Syria United States

As the United States escalates its initiatives aimed at the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Lebanese government finds itself at a critical juncture, facing a multitude of internal and external challenges. A recent statement from Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Turkey, the Presidential Envoy to Syria, and the "de facto envoy" to Lebanon, ...

Pasdaran-Hezbollah: Severing the Umbilical Cord

Michel Touma, 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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A former Sunni MP — once a leading voice in parliament and still one of the few clear-headed voices left in the country — told me, during a conversation at the height of the Cedar Revolution, that the 1982 Israeli siege of Beirut had been an existential turning point for his community. Under the shelling, they realized that their dream of Arab ...

Qassem Calls “Inappropriate” Weapons Debate

This is Beirut, 28/06 23:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Hezbollah Naim Qassem Illegal weapons

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem has dismissed an upcoming cabinet debate on the issue of illegal weapons, calling the timing “inappropriate” given the current state of conflict with Israel. Speaking Saturday on the third day of Ashura commemorations, Qassem pushed back against growing calls for Hezbollah to ...

New Deadly Israeli Strike in Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut, 28/06 20:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah South Lebanon

Two Israeli strikes killed three people in southern Lebanon on Saturday. One person was killed and two others were injured in a drone strike that targeted a motorbike on Saturday afternoon in the Mahrouna area, in the Tyre district. The victim has been identified as Abbas Wehbe, “an Intelligence officer of Hezbollah’s ...

Is Arms Control Key to the Continuation of UNIFIL and the Quintet's Mission?

This is Beirut, 28/06 20:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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International pressure is mounting on Lebanon to assert full state control over arms possession. According to sources quoted by al-Hadath, this move is now seen as essential for the continuation of both the international Quintet’s role and the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. The Quintet, which includes the United States, ...

Israeli Strike on South Lebanon Kills One

This is Beirut, 28/06 15:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon strike

An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed one person on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Public Health – the latest attack despite the ceasefire. In a statement, the Ministry said that an “Israeli enemy” drone strike on a car in Kounine killed one man, according to a preliminary toll. The Israeli military did not immediately ...

FM Rajji Rejects Foreign Interference in Lebanon’s Internal Affairs

This is Beirut, 28/06 13:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji reaffirmed Lebanon’s stance against external interference and called for mutual respect in regional relations during his speech at the “Path to the State” conference on Saturday. Rajji stressed Lebanon’s commitment to a non-interventionist policy: “We do not want anyone to interfere in our internal ...

Katulis: Iranian Proxies' Influence in the Region Has Considerably Weakened

Tylia El Helou, 27/06 16:30 - Reading : less than a minute

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Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute Brian Katulis gave insights regarding the current situation between Iran and Israel, as well as the diminishing influence of Iranian proxies in the region.

Lebanon’s Shia Bloc and the Emigrant Vote Dilemma

Johnny Kortbawi, 27/06 16:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Amal Hezbollah Diaspora Vote Elections Lebanon Shia

Lebanese emigrants have found themselves entangled in a crisis not of their making—namely, the existential crisis of the Shia community amid unfolding developments across the Middle East. Calls to amend the provision governing emigrant voting—whether by assigning them to Electoral District 16 or allowing them to vote for MPs in their home ...

Argentina to Try 10 in Absentia over 1994 Bombing of Jewish Center

This is Beirut, 26/06 19:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Argentina will try in absentia ten Iranian and Lebanese nationals suspected of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people, a ruling seen by AFP on Thursday said. The attack, which caused devastation in Latin America's biggest Jewish community, has never been claimed or solved, but Argentina and Israel ...

Jumblatt Urges Disarmament Under State Authority

This is Beirut, 26/06 17:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun United States Walid Jumblatt PSP lebanon

In a firm call for national sovereignty, former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt urged that all weapons in Lebanon be placed solely under the control of the state, stressing that the region is entering a “new page” in its history. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Jumblatt called on all parties in ...

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