This is Beirut

Lebanese Officials Condemn Israeli Strikes on Damascus

This is Beirut, 16/07 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Sweida Syria Walid Jumblatt Israel Joseph Aoun Lebanon

Israeli strikes on Damascus and escalating sectarian violence in Sweida on Wednesday drew sharp reactions from top Lebanese officials, who voiced strong condemnation and urged de-escalation. President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel’s strikes as "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of a sister Arab state" and warned that continued aggression ...

Renewed Violence in Sweida Raises Concerns for Druze Civilians

This is Beirut, 16/07 13:43 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Syria NGO Sweida

In southern Syria, the city of Sweida has descended into chaos. An NGO accuses government forces of executing Druze civilians following their deployment in the region. Fighting broke out after intercommunal violence that left over 200 people dead. Israel responded with airstrikes on Syrian forces, claiming to protect the Druze population. Despite ...

Southern Syria: Israeli Strikes Continue Despite U.S. Calls for De-escalation

This is Beirut, 16/07 11:14 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel United States Syria

Despite repeated calls from the United States to reduce tensions, Israeli warplanes carried out new airstrikes in southern Syria on Wednesday. According to Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiya, Israeli jets conducted three strikes near the outskirts of Sweida province, followed by a fourth targeting the 52nd Brigade in eastern Daraa. This escalation comes ...

Efforts in Congress to Repeal the Caesar Act Amid Shifts in Syria

Amal Chmouny, 16/07 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria United States Sanctions Caesar Act Donald Trump

In a significant shift in US foreign policy, a growing bipartisan movement in Congress is pushing to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019. This push follows President Trump's recent executive order that lifted several longstanding US sanctions on Syria, coinciding with a transformative political climate in the region, ...

US Envoy Says Working to Restore Calm in Syria, Calls Clashes 'Worrisome'

This is Beirut, 15/07 20:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria United States Tom Barrack

US diplomat Tom Barrack said Tuesday that deadly violence in Syria's southern province of Sweida was "worrisome" and that his government was working to restore calm in the country. "The recent skirmishes in Sweida are worrisome on all sides, and we are attempting to come to a peaceful, inclusive outcome for Druze, Bedouin ...

Hezbollah Is a State within the State, Not Only “Heavy and Medium” Weapons

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 15/07 10:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Syria Iraq Israel United States

In policy, simplicity is valuable; naiveté is catastrophic. Lebanon has by now diluted UNSCR 1701 from dismantling Hezbollah’s militia, arms production, and illicit funding to merely surrendering “heavy and medium” weapons, or as U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack frames it: Hezbollah must hand over weapons that threaten Israel. Such oversimplification ...

Barrack, Greater Syria and Lebanon’s Precarious Future

Johnny Kortbawi, 15/07 09:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Middle East

It is remarkable how a single phrase—whether a diplomatic misstep or a calculated message—can ignite such a storm of debate and unease, both in Lebanon and abroad, especially at a moment when the specter of redrawn borders looms once again over the Middle East. Thomas Barrack’s recent remark ...

Ceasefire Talks Underway After Southern Syria Clashes, Says Druze Group

This is Beirut, 14/07 22:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Israel Sweida

Negotiations are underway between Syrian authorities and Druze representatives in southern Syria to halt the fighting that has left around 100 people dead, one of the main Druze armed groups told AFP on Monday evening. Syrian government forces are advancing toward the city of Sweida, held by Druze fighters, following clashes since Sunday with ...

Almost 100 Killed as Syria Sectarian Clashes Rage

This is Beirut, 14/07 20:59 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Syria Sweida

Syrian government forces were advancing towards the southern city of Sweida on Monday amid clashes in the region between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes that have killed nearly 100 people, according to a war monitor. As the violence escalated, Israel, which had previously warned that it would intervene in Syria to protect the Druze, said it ...

Joumblatt Asserts Commitment to Sovereignty and Praises LAF Efforts

This is Beirut, 14/07 20:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army United States Nabih Berry lebanon Syria Walid Joumblatt Nabih Berri

Former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Joumblatt emphasized on Monday that preserving the Lebanese state remains a shared priority with international partners, particularly the United States. “Our concern is the same as the American concern, to preserve Greater Lebanon,” Joumblatt said following a meeting with Parliament ...

Violence Surges in Sweida: Syria Grapples with Sectarian Strife

Mario Chartouni, 14/07 17:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Sweida Druze Violence Bedouins

The Syrian province of Sweida, home to a Druze majority, is once again gripped by sectarian violence. Deadly clashes between members of Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters have left at least 89 people dead since Sunday, according to the latest toll from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Hundreds more have been wounded, including ...

SOHR: 89 Killed as Clashes Rage in Southern Syria

This is Beirut, 14/07 16:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Israel Druze Sweida

At least 89 people were killed in the southern Syrian province of Sweida as clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters raged for a second day Monday, a monitor said. As the violence escalated, Israel, which had previously warned that it would intervene in Syria to protect the Druze, said it struck "several tanks" in Sweida, without ...

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