israel

MP Salim al-Sayegh: Airport Incident Confirms Lebanon's Ability to Restore Sovereignty

On the issue of airport security searching the Iranian delegation accompanying Larijani, MP Salim al-Sayegh framed it as a challenge to Iran's political dominance in Lebanon, asserting that legitimate Lebanon is capable and can maintain and restore sovereignty. MP Salim al-Sayegh has also expressed concerns over Lebanon's precarious position, ...

Rampant Looting in Marjayoun Adds to the Suffering of Its Displaced Inhabitants

In the South Lebanon town of Marjayoun, most homes have shuttered their windows, and shops have rolled down their metal gates. Cars rarely pass through what has become a ghost town. The majority of its 15,000 residents have fled the bombings that have extended to residential areas and neighborhoods on the outskirts or within the town. However, ...

Beirut's Southern Suburbs Under Fire, Rising Casualties in the South

Violence went on unabated on Friday with devastating Israeli airstrikes hitting Beirut’s southern suburbs for the fourth consecutive day, while strikes and fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah continued in South Lebanon, causing additional casualties among civilians. Evacuation warnings were issued during the day and late afternoon by ...

NGOs Report: Israel's Targeting of Gaza Police Facilitates Aid Looting

Looting of aid reaching Gaza has been made easier by Israel's army targeting the local police which would otherwise be able to prevent it, a group of non-governmental organizations said Friday. A report by the 29 NGOs, including Save the Children, Oxfam and Care, said that humanitarian aid entering the Palestinian territory had fallen to an ...

2025 Budget: A Looming Fiscal Crisis

With spending on the rise and revenues falling short of expectations, the 2025 budget proposal is now effectively obsolete. The government must act swiftly to withdraw it from Parliament, where it was submitted on time, to prevent a deepening crisis. Why is a crisis inevitable? The current draft budget relies on unrealistic revenue projections, ...

Second Israeli Strike in Two Days Hits Damascus

Syrian state-run media said Israel struck the upscale Mazzeh district of Damascus on Friday, the second such attack in as many days to hit the neighborhood home to embassies, security headquarters and United Nations offices. Attacks blamed on or claimed by Israel have intensified in Syria, including in areas near the Lebanese border mainly ...

Berri Confirms Receipt of US Ceasefire Proposal, Reveals Knot in Negotiations

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri confirmed to Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat that he received a written United States proposal as part of the negotiations to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Denying claims that the proposal included a provision allowing the Israeli army freedom of movement in Lebanon, Berri stated firmly, ...

French Court Orders Release of Lebanese Militant Held Since 1984

A French court on Friday ordered the release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, jailed for 40 years for the 1982 killings of two foreign diplomats, prosecutors said. The court said Abdallah, first detained in 1984 and convicted in 1987 over the murders, would be released on December 6 provided he leaves France, French ...

Saad Hariri Meets Russian FM, Calls for Ceasefire in Lebanon

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Abu Dhabi on Friday, during which he stressed the urgent need to end the brutal Israeli aggression on Lebanon, which targets civilians, as well as humanitarian and health institutions. “There is an urgent necessity for an immediate ceasefire and the ...

Why Fear the New When We Know the Old?

The idea of a "new Middle East" often takes on more weight than it deserves, as it is always associated with assumptions, fears, and troubling considerations as if this new Middle East is inherently an enemy of everything we know today. If we look back at World War I, when the concept of a "new Middle East" was first discussed before the ...

Hamas Official Says ‘Ready’ for Gaza Ceasefire, Urges Trump to ‘Pressure’ Israel

A senior Hamas official said Friday that the group is "ready for a ceasefire" in Gaza and urged US President-elect Donald Trump to pressure Israel to end the war. "Hamas is ready to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if a ceasefire proposal is presented and on the condition that it is respected" by Israel, Hamas political bureau member Bassem ...