This is Beirut

Tehran’s Grip on Lebanon: Will the Shia Duo Break Free or Fall in Line?

Philippe Abi-Akl, 23/09 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Amal Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army Iran Lebanon

On the eve of the first anniversary of the September war, Israel escalated its strikes. A raid on Bint Jbeil on Sunday killed five civilians, including three children, and wounded two others. The attack has reignited speculation over the possible activation of “Plan B,” as outlined by US Senator Lindsey Graham, who declared that Hezbollah’s ...

Iran’s Top General Warns of “Strategic Surprises” Amid Sacred Defense Week

This is Beirut, 22/09 20:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran Sacred Defense Week Israel United States Abdolrahim Mousavi Iraq

The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, issued a stern warning on Monday, asserting that the country is prepared to deliver “strategic surprises” in response to any attack. In a message marking the commencement of Sacred Defense Week, he emphasized Iran’s growing deterrent capabilities and stated ...

Hamas Releases Video of Israeli-German Hostage Seen Alive

This is Beirut, 22/09 19:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Gaza

Hamas' armed wing released a video on Monday showing an Israeli-German hostage alive, the second such footage of him shared by the militants this month. The Israeli campaign group Hostages and Missing Families Forum and the captive's family identified him as Alon Ohel, who was abducted by Palestinian militants during their October 7, 2023 attack ...

Al-Sharaa Hopes for Security Deal with Israel, Downplays Normalisation

This is Beirut, 22/09 19:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa Israel

Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visiting New York for the UN General Assembly, voiced hope Monday for a security deal that eases tensions with Israel, but he played down the prospect of recognition. Sharaa, a former jihadist whose forces toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December, met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He will ...

Israel Army Says Intercepts Projectile from Gaza City

This is Beirut, 22/09 17:33 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations Hamas Gaza

The Israeli military said it intercepted a projectile fired on Monday from Gaza City, where troops are currently pressing a major ground offensive to capture the territory's largest urban center. It had earlier said the projectile was launched toward the area of Nahal Oz, a community near the Gaza border. "A projectile that crossed from ...

Palestine Recognition: A Symbolic Gesture Devoid of Substance

This is Beirut, 22/09 16:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Palestine United Nations

On September 21, several Western capitals—including London, Ottawa, Lisbon and Canberra—announced the recognition of a Palestinian state. France is set to follow suit on Monday, with Emmanuel Macron confirming that Paris will formalize its decision at the United Nations. The initiative, backed by a United Nations General Assembly resolution a ...

New Revelations About Nasrallah's Assassination

This is Beirut, 22/09 13:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Hezbollah Yedioth Ahronot Israel lebanon

On the first anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth published new details about the operation which it described as “worthy of a science-fiction movie.” The mission took place in September 2024, while Israeli fighter jets were heavily bombing Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs of ...

Germany: Palestinian State Should Come as Result of Negotiations

This is Beirut, 22/09 09:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Nations Israel Palestine Germany Diplomacy

Germany on Monday reaffirmed its position that it would not recognize a Palestinian State until the Israelis and Palestinians negotiate a two-State solution. The comments came ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, where France is expected to become the latest country to recognize a Palestinian State, following Australia, Britain, Canada, ...

Apocalypticism and War Ending

Charles Chartouni, 22/09 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Hamas Iran Israel United States Lebanon

The paradoxes of the Islamic summit are blatant and quite equivocal. One wonders what elicited this mobilization after two years of apathy and diplomatic inaction. An early summit could have spared Gaza and its population the tragedies brought about by the apocalyptic vision of Hamas, the cynicism of its handlers and leaders and their ruinous ...

The Deception of the Obstructionist Axis: Did You Say ‘Resistance’?

Michel Touma, 22/09 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Naim Qassem Saudi Arabia Iran

A textbook example of deceit and blatant bad faith — that’s how one could describe the speech delivered late last week by Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem. With a straight face, he called on Saudi Arabia to “open a new page in its relations with the resistance,” and he added, almost innocently, that “the weapons of the ...

The Path to Peace Is Underway

This is Beirut, 21/09 18:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Hezbollah Syria Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration on Sunday that peace with Lebanon and Syria is now “possible” may be the most consequential statement on regional diplomacy in years. Coming after decades of hostility, wars, and missed opportunities, the prospect of reconciliation with Israel’s northern neighbors is ...

Five Dead in Israeli Drone Attack on Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut, 21/09 18:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Five people were killed and two others wounded on Sunday in an Israeli drone strike on Bint Jbeil, the latest in a string of attacks in south Lebanon in recent days. The strike which targeted a motorcycle, also hit a car that was passing by killing and wounding its passengers, a family of six. Three children are among the dead. According to Saudi ...

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