Lebanon

Etienne Chaer, Lebanon’s Pride at the 2025 World Games

Lebanon has reason to celebrate as powerlifter Etienne Chaer captured the silver medal at the Classic Powerlifting Championship during the 2025 World Games in China. The event brought together over 6,000 athletes from 66 countries, showcasing some of the world’s top talent in non-Olympic sports. By achieving this remarkable feat, Chaer not only ...

Rai: Pope Leo to Visit Lebanon Soon

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Rai revealed that Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Lebanon in December. Speaking in a television interview, Rai said, “We are waiting for the Vatican to announce the exact date of the visit.” When asked if he might visit Jerusalem again, the patriarch responded, “If the need arises, I will go.”

Education Minister Announces Four-Day School Week

Education Minister Rima Karami confirmed on Wednesday that public schools in Lebanon will continue operating on a four-day week in the upcoming academic year, describing the decision as “a continuation of the previous measure, with the hope that this will be the last year.” Karami made the announcement following a meeting with ...

Patriarch Rai: Resistance Slogan Has Fallen, Consensus on Disarming Hezbollah

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai said on Tuesday that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon would facilitate the disarmament of Hezbollah, stressing that there is a firm national consensus on carrying out the decision to strip the group of its weapons. He noted that the Lebanese government’s stance is clear in confining all arms to the ...

Syria Seizes Weapons Cache Intended for Lebanon Border Smuggling

The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced Tuesday evening that “internal security forces seized in Homs Governorate a vehicle loaded with Grad rockets, in addition to various shells and ammunition, which had been hidden in eastern rural Homs and were prepared for smuggling toward the Lebanese border.” The Ministry explained via its Telegram ...

Beirut Traders Index Points to Fragile Economic Rebound

The latest index of the Beirut Traders Association-Fransabank (Q2 2025) shows the first signs of a recovery in local markets, a welcome development as the World Bank forecasts 4.7% GDP growth for Lebanon in 2025 and a sharp drop in inflation. The retail trade index rose to 33.13 points in Q2 2025, up from 30.01 the previous quarter (base 100 = Q4 ...

UNIFIL: Withdrawal or Extension? The Countdown Begins

Will UNIFIL’s presence in southern Lebanon be extended beyond August 31? The question is at the heart of diplomatic negotiations as the Security Council prepares to vote on August 25, while the mandate of the UN force expires at the end of the month. On Monday, the UN Security Council began debating a draft resolution presented by France to ...

Aoun Stresses Lebanon’s Commitment to Renewing UNIFIL's Mandate

A week ahead of U.N. talks on extending UNIFIL’s mandate, and with some Security Council members questioning the usefulness of renewing the peacekeepers’ mission, President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to maintaining the multinational force in the south “for as long as necessary” to fully implement UN Resolution ...

YASA Sounds Alarm over Soaring Road Deaths in August

More than 40 people lost their lives on Lebanon’s roads in August alone, with dozens more injured, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Youth Association for Social Awareness (YASA). The organization described the toll as “shocking,” warning that if accidents continue at this pace, the country could see over 1,000 fatalities in a ...

Iraq-Lebanon Dismantle Major Captagon Factory

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday that, in coordination with Lebanese authorities, one of the largest Captagon factories in the Middle East has been dismantled. In a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the ministry said that “close security and intelligence cooperation between Iraq’s General Directorate of ...