Lebanon

Lebanon’s Tourism: The Endless Summer That Fails to Deliver

Since June 13, the travel sector in the Middle East has faced severe turbulence following clashes between Iran and Israel. And as always, Lebanon — true to its role as the region’s perennial bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time — ends up paying the price, once again caught in the center of the storm. “The sector has suffered ...

Raids at Casino du Liban and OMT: Sweeping Out Parallel Financing Networks

It was an operation that took everyone by surprise and deserves to be loudly applauded: Lebanese security forces, in coordination with financial judiciary authorities, carried out raids yesterday at Casino du Liban—seizing computers and servers—and at a branch of OMT, a money transfer company. This is a rare assertion of authority in a country ...

Sleeping Through the Storm: Lebanon’s Crisis of Inaction

While Iran and Israel hurl drones, missiles and threats back and forth, while diplomats scramble to respond, analysts raise alarms and psychological warfare escalates, a small Mediterranean country keeps doing what it does best: nothing. Lebanon, fractured and barely governed, seems oblivious to the fact that it’s sitting on a powder keg with ...

Return of Displaced Syrians: Lebanon and UNHCR Polish Action Plan

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji met with Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to discuss the issue of war-displaced Syrians in Lebanon and their gradual return to Syria. During his official visit to Lebanon, Grandi – accompanied by a UNHCR delegation – expressed full understanding of the heavy ...

Arrest Warrant in Absentia Issued Against Former Minister Amin Salam

Beirut’s First Investigative Judge, Bilal Halawi, has issued an arrest warrant in absentia against former Economy Minister Amin Salam. The decision is based on Articles 359 and 363 of the Lebanese Penal Code, relating to embezzlement and misuse of public funds, forgery, and accepting bribes. On June 11, 2025, Salam and his brother Karim were ...

Barrack Warns Against Any Hezbollah Intervention in Iran-Israel War; Salam Stresses Lebanon's Neutrality

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed to visiting US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack Lebanon’s commitment to staying out of regional conflicts during their meeting on Thursday. In the talks, held amid an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Salam emphasized the country’s “keenness not to get ...

Economy on Hold: Lebanon Trapped in Other People's War

With regional tensions mounting, Lebanon’s economy teeters between stagnation and potential collapse. Nassib Ghobril, Chief Economist at Byblos Bank, tells This is Beirut that the conflict’s primary consequence is widespread instability, discouraging investment, slowing trade, and deterring tourism. The looming threat of war—particularly ...

Rasamny: Qlayaat Airport Rehabilitation Project Gaining Momentum

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny on Wednesday reviewed progress on the long-anticipated Qlayaat Airport rehabilitation and reactivation project, in the presence of representatives from Dar Al-Handasah – Shair and Partners, the consultancy firm behind the master plan, which was presented as part of ...

BDL Raises Monthly Withdrawal Limits

The Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL) announced on Wednesday a one-year extension of Circulars 158 and 166, initially set to expire on June 30, 2025. The decision, which comes amid a prolonged financial crisis, aims to address the pressing needs of depositors and help preserve social stability. As part of the extension, BDL also increased the monthly ...

Breathe if You Can: The Toxic Underside of Our Generators

They appeared in the 1990s, just after the end of the civil war. Four decades later, they are still here and are more powerful, more numerous, louder. These diesel giants have colonized the streets, balconies, rooftops and backyards. Lebanon lights up through explosions of decibels and toxic clouds. As if that Weren’t Enough... To this ...

Rai Says Neutrality Key to Lebanon’s Future

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai stressed the need for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, as a necessary step for the President to act effectively on the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament. Speaking from Bkerke on Wednesday during a special media forum organized by the Catholic Center for Information, Rai emphasized that neutrality ...