This is Beirut

Israeli Army Chief in Southern Lebanon: We Will Not Allow Threats to Re-Emerge

This is Beirut, 13/08 19:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir toured in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. He met soldiers on the front lines and observed ongoing security operations in the northern sector. Accompanied by senior commanders, including Northern Command Division 91’s Brigadier General Yuval Goz and Brigade 769’s Colonel, Zamir spoke ...

Lebanese Officials Stress Sovereignty as Iran’s Larijani Maps Out Suggestions for Lebanon

This is Beirut, 13/08 13:55 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun Iran Ali Larijani

The Lebanese government’s message to Tehran was crystal clear on Wednesday: Beirut will not tolerate any interference in its internal affairs, let alone intrusions into its sovereign decisions, most notably, the state’s monopoly on arms. This unequivocal stance was delivered first by President Joseph Aoun and then by Prime Minister ...

Israel Military Says Approved Plan for New Gaza Offensive

This is Beirut, 13/08 12:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Hamas United Nations

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had approved the "framework" for a new offensive in the Gaza Strip, days after the security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza City. Armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir "approved the main framework for the IDF's operational plan in the Gaza Strip," a statement released by the army ...

Israel PM Netanyahu Says 'We Will Allow' Gazans to Leave

This is Beirut, 12/08 20:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Gaza Hamas Israel Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Israel would let Palestinians leave the Gaza Strip as the military prepares a broader offensive in the territory. "Give them the opportunity to leave, first of all, to leave combat zones and generally to leave the territory, if they want," Netanyahu said in a televised interview. "We will allow ...

Israeli Drone Attack Injures Two in Naqoura

This is Beirut, 12/08 19:35 - Reading : less than a minute

lebanon South Lebanon Tyre Israel

On Tuesday afternoon, an Israeli drone strike on the port of Naqoura in Tyre District injured two people, one of whom is in critical condition, the Public Health Ministry confirmed. Ambulances from the Islamic Mission Scouts promptly responded to the scene to provide medical assistance. The attack comes amid intensified Israeli drone activity ...

Egypt Says Working with Qatar, US to Revive 60-day Gaza Truce Plan

This is Beirut, 12/08 19:28 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Egypt Qatar Gaza Israel Hamas

Egypt said Tuesday it was working with fellow Gaza mediators Qatar and the United States to broker a 60-day ceasefire as part of a renewed push to end the Israel-Hamas war. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have played a key role in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7, 2023 attack ...

Netanyahu’s Gaza Strategy: Ambiguity, Internal Divisions and Looming Chaos

Élie-Joe Kamel, 12/08 18:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine Hamas Israel United Nations

As the war in Gaza enters its 22nd month, political and on the ground uncertainties continue to grow. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements highlight this growing strategic confusion. He says he wants to “take control of Gaza,” while specifying that Israel has “no intention of governing” the territory. This ...

Hamas Delegation Expected in Cairo to Discuss Gaza Truce Efforts

This is Beirut, 12/08 17:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Egypt Gaza Israel truce negotiations

A senior Hamas delegation was due in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials on efforts by mediators to secure an elusive ceasefire in Gaza, two Palestinian sources told AFP on Tuesday. Together with Qatar and the United States, Egypt has been involved in mediation between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas that has failed to secure ...

WHO Wants More Aid in Gaza Ahead of Israeli Occupation of the City

This is Beirut, 12/08 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Israel United Nations WHO Gaza Aid

The UN health agency on Tuesday said Israel should let it stock medical supplies to deal with a "catastrophic" health situation in Gaza before it seizes control of Gaza City. Israel has said its military would "take control" of Gaza City in a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet that sparked a wave of global ...

Nabih Berri Rules Out Any Possible Government Resignation

This is Beirut, 12/08 11:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nabih Berri Hezbollah Parliament Fitna Israel

Since the government's decision to grant the state the monopoly on arms by withdrawing Hezbollah’s arsenal, Hezbollah has kept a firm stance on its refusal to disarm. However, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has taken a lighter approach. In an interview with the daily Al-Joumhouria on Tuesday, Berri affirmed that “the resignation of the ...

Assad Is Gone. The Syrian Problem Persists

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 12/08 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Syria Hezbollah Ahmad el Sharaa

Nine months after Bashar al-Assad's fall and Ahmad al-Sharaa's rise to power, the UN Security Council met to address Syria’s ongoing crisis. The Council urged Damascus to establish a government “of the Syrians, by the Syrians, for the Syrians.” Despite the change in leadership, the Security Council views Syria as a failing state. Damascus ...

Hezbollah and the Monopoly of Arms: A Political Tug of War

Philippe Abi-Akl, 12/08 08:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun Disarmament Lebanon

Lebanon’s long-standing dispute over weapons has moved from political debate to decisive state action. Following a landmark Cabinet ruling, Hezbollah’s legal justification for maintaining arms has been revoked, forcing the group to either disarm peacefully or face consequences. Since the 1989 Taif Agreement, Hezbollah has refused to hand over ...

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