This is Beirut

MP Alameh: Up to 400,000 Syrian Refugees Would Return Home Soon

This is Beirut, 15:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey United Nations Jordan lebanon Syria General Security Refugees

Lebanon may see up to 400,000 Syrian refugees return home in the near future, MP Fadi Alameh said on Wednesday, noting that between 200,000 and 250,000 have already gone back. Speaking after chairing a session of the Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee, Alameh said the meeting focused on the refugee return file and was attended by Deputy ...

High-Level Russian Officials Arrive in Damascus

This is Beirut, 09/09 14:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Syria Russia Alexander Novak

A Russian government delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, arrived on Tuesday at Damascus International Airport. According to official Syrian news agency SANA, Novak is beginning a visit during which he will meet with several high-ranking Syrian officials. The discussions will mainly focus on economic, security and defense ...

Israeli Strike Hits Near Syrian City of Homs

This is Beirut, 09/09 09:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Israel USA Syria

Israeli air strikes hit areas of the central and western Syrian cities of Homs and Latakia late Monday, state news agency SANA reported. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that "the Israeli strike near Homs targeted a military unit south of the city." Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in ...

EU Asylum Applications Down 23% in 1st Half of 2025

This is Beirut, 08/09 10:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

European Union Syria Asylum

Asylum applications to the European Union fell by 23 percent in the first six months of 2025, driven by a massive drop in Syrians seeking protection, the EU's asylum agency said Monday. Data from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) showed Syrians lodged around 25,000 requests in the 27-nation bloc plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+), down ...

Saudi Launches Damascus Area Reconstruction Project

This is Beirut, 07/09 15:04 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Saudi Arabia Syria Reconstruction KSrelief

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday humanitarian projects for Syria, including the removal of wartime rubble around Damascus, weeks after inking investment deals worth billions to help rebuild the country's infrastructure. The oil-rich Gulf kingdom has been a major backer of the new Syrian government, which came to power after an Islamist-led ...

The Guardianship Syndrome

Johnny Kortbawi, 05/09 15:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Middle East Lebanon Syria France

Lebanon’s modern history has been shaped by successive forms of foreign tutelage, beginning with the proclamation of Greater Lebanon 105 years ago. Over the course of half a century, the country experienced various mandates and occupations: 23 years under the French Mandate, 30 years under Syrian domination, alongside repeated Israeli invasions ...

Drone Strike Near Syria's Aleppo Airport Kills Two: Security Official

This is Beirut, 04/09 18:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Syria Drones Conflict

A Syrian security official said a drone strike near Aleppo airport on Thursday killed two people, with state media reporting the attack but without saying who may be behind it. An AFP correspondent saw a vaporized car near the airport in Syria's north, with shrapnel scattered around it. Official news agency SANA reported that "a drone targeted a ...

Lebanese Officials Inspect Northern Borders Ahead of Displaced Syrians’ Return

This is Beirut, 03/09 10:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Michel Menassa Ahmad Hajjar Fayez Rassamni Syria Displaced

Lebanon’s top defense and security officials conducted an inspection of Arida and Abboudieh border crossings in northern Lebanon on Tuesday to review the organizational, administrative, and security measures in place for the departure of displaced Syrians returning to their country. Defense Minister Michel Menassa, accompanied by Interior ...

Traces of Uranium Detected at Syrian Site Hit by Israel in 2007

This is Beirut, 02/09 19:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Uranium Syria Reactor Israel IAEA Deir al-Zor

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog detected uranium particles at a remote site in Syria that was bombed by Israel in 2007, reviving questions about whether the destroyed facility once housed a secret nuclear reactor. According to a confidential report shared with member states, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found a ...

France Issues Arrest Warrant for Syria's Assad over 2012 Journalist Killings

This is Beirut, 02/09 17:04 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Bashar al-Assad France

French judicial authorities have issued arrest warrants for ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and six other top former officials over the bombardment of a rebel-held city in 2012 that killed two journalists, lawyers said Tuesday. Marie Colvin, 56, an American working for The Sunday Times of Britain, and French photographer Remi Ochlik, 28, ...

UN says Over 200,000 Syrian Refugees Return from Lebanon

This is Beirut, 02/09 12:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Syria Lebanon Refugees

Since the beginning of 2025, nearly 200,000 Syrian refugees have left Lebanon to return to their homeland, Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees at the UNHCR, told AFP on Monday. Most of these returns have been carried out individually, though some have been organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs in coordination ...

Lebanon and Syria to Form Committees to Address Prisoners, Missing Persons, and Border Issues

This is Beirut, 02/09 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Hezbollah lebanon Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa MTV

Lebanon and Syria are set to establish two joint committees to tackle three major issues affecting relations between the two countries, judicial and security officials said, according to the Associated Press. The committees will focus on the fate of nearly 2,000 Syrian prisoners currently held in Lebanese prisons, locating Lebanese citizens who ...

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