This is Beirut

Barrack and Ortagus to Bring Israeli Responses to Beirut on Tuesday

Bassam Abou Zeid, 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fatah Israel Lebanese Army Tom Barrack Morgan Ortagus Lebanon

Lebanese official sources said that US envoy Tom Barrack and US official Morgan Ortagus will return to Beirut on Tuesday, bringing Israel’s response on withdrawals, the cessation of attacks and assassinations, and the release of prisoners, along with a US proposal on renewing UNIFIL’s mandate. According to these sources, the Presidency and ...

Nadim Gemayel: Bashir’s Vision Still Alive

This is Beirut, 12:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Nadim Gemayel Bashir Gemayel

Marking 43 years since Bashir Gemayel’s election as president, MP Nadim Gemayel said his father’s vision for a strong Lebanese state “has not died and will be achieved despite all challenges.” Speaking to Voice of Lebanon, he described the recent removal of weapons from Burj al-Barajneh camp as “the first step toward ...

Burj al-Barajneh Disarmed… What’s Next?

Mario Chartouni, 22/08 20:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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On Thursday, August 21, the long-delayed disarmament of Lebanon’s Palestinian camps finally began. This milestone marks the first tangible step stemming from agreements reached last May between President Joseph Aoun and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas. After decades of stalled efforts, the move immediately raises a pressing question: ...

The Arrogance of Wasted Time

Johnny Kortbawi, 22/08 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army Washington Palestinian camps

The handover of Palestinian weapons from the camps to the Lebanese state marks the beginning of a historic shift: the effort to confine all arms within Lebanon and close a chapter that has weighed on the country for nearly six decades – the use of Lebanese soil as a battlefield for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is evident to all regional ...

Israeli Raid in Aita al-Shaab and Deir Kifa

This is Beirut, 22/08 12:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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An Israeli airstrike on Friday struck the town of Aita al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district, killing one person, according to the Ministry of Health. An Israeli drone also dropped a bomb near a drilling machine located between Ainata and Kounine, both in the Bint Jbeil district. Meanwhile, hostile drones and warplanes were reported flying at low ...

UN Declares Famine in Gaza, First Ever in Middle East

This is Beirut, 22/08 12:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United Nations Middle East Palestine Hamas Israel Famine

The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, with its experts saying 500,000 people were facing "catastrophic" hunger. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the famine was entirely preventable, saying food could not get through to the Palestinian territory "because of systematic obstruction by ...

Israel Vows to Destroy Gaza City if Hamas Doesn't Disarm, Free Hostages

This is Beirut, 22/08 10:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Friday to destroy Gaza City if Hamas did not agree to disarm, release all remaining hostages in the territory and end the war on Israel's terms. "Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas's murderers and rapists in Gaza - until they agree to Israel's conditions for ending the war, ...

US Asks Israel to Limit Lebanon Operations, Pushes for a ‘Trump Economic Zone’

This is Beirut, 21/08 21:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The Trump administration has asked Israel to reduce non-urgent military operations in Lebanon to support a wider disarmament initiative, while planning a “Trump economic zone” in parts of southern Lebanon, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Officials say the limitation could be extended if the Lebanese Armed Forces take ...

Israel PM Orders Start of Immediate Negotiations to Release 'All Our Hostages'

This is Beirut, 21/08 20:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Palestine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he had ordered the beginning of immediate negotiations to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. The announcement comes a day after the defence ministry approved a plan authorising the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists to help capture Hamas's last major strongholds in Gaza ...

Palestinian Camps: How Many Divisions?

Mario Chartouni, 21/08 20:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fatah Hamas Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army

The Palestinian Authority is beginning a new phase of weapons handover in Lebanon’s Palestinian camps. The operation, ordered by President Mahmoud Abbas, is overseen by the new Palestinian Ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad al-Assaad, and supervised by Fatah. Palestinian sources cited by Voix du Liban say the handover began Thursday at 3 PM in Burj ...

21 Countries Sign Joint Statement Condemning Israel's West Bank Settlement Project

This is Beirut, 21/08 19:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Britain and France were among 21 countries to sign a joint statement Thursday calling Israel's approval of a major settlement project in the West Bank "unacceptable and a violation of international law". Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem on ...

Israel Army Calls on Hospitals, Aid Groups in North Gaza to Prepare for Evacuations

This is Beirut, 21/08 16:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel NGO Hospitals Gaza

The Israeli military on Thursday said it had informed medical personnel and aid groups in northern Gaza to start making evacuation plans ahead of a military offensive to seize the area. Israeli military officials this week informed "medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip... to prepare for the evacuation of ...

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