This is Beirut - Middle East

Pope Leo XIV’s Visit: Bookings Soar, Hotels Remain on Standby

Christiane Tager, 20/10 20:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

With the historic visit of Pope Leo XIV, scheduled from November 30 to December 2, 2025, drawing near, Lebanon is experiencing a surge in travel bookings. Airlines report a strong rise in demand, while the hotel sector is still waiting to see tangible gains. The announcement of Pope Leo XIV’s first trip to the region has generated widespread ...

Khamenei Tells Trump to 'Keep Dreaming' Over Claims of Destroying Iran Nuclear Sites

This is Beirut, 20/10 15:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Tehran USA Ali Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday rebuffed claims by US President Donald Trump that the Islamic republic's nuclear sites had been destroyed by US strikes in June. In a statement on his official website, Khamenei told Trump to "keep dreaming" over the comments on the sites' destruction and questioned the US president's right ...

Hezbollah and the “Reality Principle”

Michel Touma, 20/10 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Middle East United States

Major developments are unfolding rapidly in the Levant, placing the region before what increasingly seems like an urgent reality: Hezbollah’s leadership, and more broadly its Iranian backers, need to align their political conduct with the so-called “reality principle.” In psychoanalytic terms, the “reality principle” means facing facts ...

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Delicate Position of Iran’s Jews

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 19/10 19:10 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Palestine Tehran

With around 10,000 members, Iran’s Jewish community is the second largest in the Middle East. Its presence is discreet but tangible in a nation marked by pronounced hostility toward Israel, most recently expressed during 12 days of open conflict last June. The Jewish presence in the lands of present-day Iran dates back to the eighth century ...

Trump to Meet Zelensky after Announcing Putin Summit

This is Beirut, 17/10 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Middle East Palestine Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Donald Trump at the White House Friday, seeking US-made Tomahawk missiles even as the US president reaches out to Russia's Vladimir Putin for a fresh summit. Zelensky will be making his third trip to Washington since Trump returned to office, following a disastrous televised shouting match in ...

BDL Governor Holds Key Talks with IMF Officials in Washington

This is Beirut, 16/10 18:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

International Monetary Fund Central Bank of Lebanon Washington Middle East lebanon Karim Souhaid

The Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL), Karim Souhaid, held a series of high-level meetings in Washington with officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to a statement issued by his press office on Thursday. Souhaid was accompanied by Deputy Governors Salim Shahine and Gaby Shnouzian, along with the Chairman of the ...

Lebanon: Signs of Recovery Amid Economic and Humanitarian Challenges

Liliane Mokbel, 16/10 13:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Middle East

As Lebanon gradually emerges from a period marked by deep political, economic, and humanitarian turmoil, the World Bank’s latest MENAAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) Economic Report, published in October 2025, gives encouraging prospects for the country. Despite ongoing fragility, particularly in public finances and ...

Sharm al-Sheikh: A Statement to Turn the Page on War

Mario Chartouni, 14/10 15:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hamas Israel Middle East Gaza Sharm al-Sheikh

The international summit held on Monday in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt, marked a diplomatic turning point regarding the Gaza conflict. This was not just a simple agreement between Israel and Hamas. It was a solemn declaration co-signed by the mediator countries, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, along with the United States. The document, presented as the ...

Trump: The Peace Achieved is the Beginning of a New Era

This is Beirut, 14/10 11:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Gaza Peace

U.S. president, Donald Trump, addressed a new message from aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington, following the summit in Egypt aimed at consolidating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to MTV. Trump stated that “peace in the region is not a matter of chance, but the result of the firm will of the United States,” ...

Trump at the Knesset Ahead of the Peace Summit

This is Beirut, 13/10 17:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Donald Trump Hamas Israel Middle East USA

US President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025, as part of the recently concluded peace plan between Israel and Hamas. This visit marks a major step in the regional stabilization process, which Washington presents as the foundation for a “new Middle East.”

Trump in Israel: 'The Historic Dawn of a New Middle East'

This is Beirut, 13/10 17:20 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu Gaza Knesset

“The historic dawn of a new Middle East and the end of the era of terrorism.” These words could summarize the speech delivered on Monday afternoon by US President Donald Trump at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. Described by observers as “historic,” this address provided an opportunity for the US president to call on Israel and the ...

Hamas Hands Over Surviving Israeli Hostages

This is Beirut, 13/10 11:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Donald Trump Israel Middle East Hostage

Hamas handed over the 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday under a ceasefire agreement, as US President Donald Trump and other world leaders geared up for a summit on Gaza. In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd which gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first releases, though the pain for the loss of ...

Middle East