This is Beirut

Hezbollah Sends Messages to the State as It Seeks Justifications

Philippe Abi-Akl, 25/02 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun Hassan Nasrallah

The funeral of Hezbollah’s leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine was not just about their burial. The party, backed by Iran, mobilized hundreds of thousands to signal to the Lebanese state that despite heavy losses, it remains the strongest force. Any attempt to disarm it will face significant challenges. A well-informed source ...

Sweida's Military Council Announces Its Goals Amid Fears of Israel

This is Beirut, 24/02 22:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Israel Benjamin Netanyahu

The Military Council in Syria’s Sweida announced on Monday that it is coordinating with the spiritual leader of the Druze, Hikmat al-Hijri, and is advocating for a decentralized secular state. This announcement was made in the council’s first official statement during a military parade held at the Kafr Agricultural Airport in the province's ...

Hashem Safieddine Laid to Rest in South Lebanon

This is Beirut, 24/02 18:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah South Lebanon Hashem Safieddine Israel

Hezbollah held a funeral procession for Hashem Safieddine, former head of the party’s Executive Council, in his hometown of Deir Qanoun al-Naher in southern Lebanon on Monday. Mourners gathered to pay their final respects to the senior Hezbollah figure, killed in an Israeli strike on October 3, 2024. The funeral followed a mass ceremony held ...

Palestinians Have Some Soul-Searching To Do

Pierre Nahas , 24/02 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Palestine Israel USA Gaza

United States President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” has sparked widespread debate. Whether his plan is feasible remains to be seen. Regardless, Palestinians need a new modus operandi if they are to survive. They must recognize that leaders in the Middle East now ...

Israel Ready to Resume Gaza War, PM Warns after Truce Delay

This is Beirut, 24/02 09:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was prepared to resume fighting against Hamas after the Palestinian group accused it of endangering a five-week-old Gaza truce by suspending prisoner releases. The first phase of the truce, which has largely halted more than 15 months of devastating war in the Gaza Strip, is due to ...

Misleading Appearances

Michel Touma, 24/02 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun

A relentless mobilization and exploitation of the popular masses on Lebanese soil. The objective: to offset the massive strategic losses suffered in recent months. This appears to be the defining feature of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ approach—and, by extension, that of Hezbollah, its frontline proxy—in the coming phase. Neither ...

Netanyahu Vows Continued Israeli Military Presence in Lebanon

This is Beirut, 23/02 19:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reaffirmed that Israeli forces will maintain their positions in Lebanon, citing strategic oversight of several Israeli areas. “We expect the Lebanese army and government to uphold their commitments under the ceasefire agreement,” Netanyahu stated during a military ceremony in Holon, ...

Israeli Reactions to Nasrallah and Safieddine’s Funerals

This is Beirut, 23/02 17:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah Israel

Israeli reactions surfaced on Sunday, coinciding with the funeral of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, held in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that “the fighter jets flying over Beirut send a clear message: whoever threatens and attacks Israel will meet ...

Israel Says Army to Stay in Evacuated West Bank Camps for 'Coming Year'

This is Beirut, 23/02 14:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine

Israel on Sunday said troops would stay in West Bank refugee camps for the coming year, announcing expanded military operations including tank deployments, after the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. The military one month ago began a major raid against Palestinian militants in the West Bank just after a truce began in the Gaza ...

Israeli Strikes on Lebanon-Syria Border on the Eve of Nasrallah's Funeral

This is Beirut, 22/02 20:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon France

On the eve of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral, Israel struck a border area near Janta, in the Bekaa, accusing Hezbollah of smuggling weapons into Lebanon. On his part, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced Saturday night that Israeli airstrikes targeted "transport routes on the Lebanon-Syria border ...

Israel Delays Palestinian Prisoners' Release Under Gaza Deal

This is Beirut, 22/02 19:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that freeing Palestinian prisoners under the Gaza ceasefire deal will be delayed until Hamas ends its "humiliating ceremonies" while releasing Israeli hostages. Since the ceasefire came into effect on January 19, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in well-rehearsed handovers, ...

Hamas Frees 6 Israeli Hostages in Latest Transfer Under Truce

This is Beirut, 22/02 15:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hamas Gaza Israel

Palestinian militants on Saturday freed six Israeli hostages, the last living captives to be released under the first phase of a fragile truce that is also expected to see Palestinian prisoners released. Freedom for the captives caps an emotional two days in Israel, where the family of another hostage, Shiri Bibas, earlier on Saturday confirmed ...

israel