This is Beirut

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 ...

Joumblatt Calls for Calm in Sweida Under Government Authority

This is Beirut, 14/07 15:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Walid Joumblatt Sweida Druze Syria violence de-escalation

As deadly clashes continue in Syria’s Druze-majority province of Sweida between Bedouin militias and armed Druze groups, former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt called on Monday for a political de-escalation under the authority of the Syrian government. In a statement to An-Nahar newspaper, Joumblatt expressed hope for “the ...

Syrian Prisoners and Islamist Detainees in Lebanon: A Ticking Time Bomb

Badih Karhani, 14/07 11:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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The issue of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon has resurfaced, alongside that of Islamist detainees, many of whom have been held for years without trial or clear charges. This tragic reality highlights a blatant pattern of ongoing political and judicial injustice, where hundreds of individuals are denied their most basic legal and human rights under ...

The Unfinished Wars

Charles Chartouni, 14/07 10:40 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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The regional political scene is quite treacherous, as it conveys misleading signals regarding the outcomes of the ongoing wars in the greater Middle East. American diplomacy remains evasive regarding these wars and their prospects. This uncertainty complicates international relations and makes it challenging for global powers to formulate coherent ...

The Syrian Bogeyman: A Cover for Hezbollah’s Weapons

Bassam Abou Zeid, 13/07 19:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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As part of its ongoing campaign to justify keeping its weapons outside state authority, Hezbollah has been circulating claims of Syrian troop build-ups along Lebanon’s eastern border and alleged infiltrations of extremist fighters into Lebanese territory. On multiple occasions, the Lebanese Army has swiftly and unequivocally denied these reports ...

Syria says Wildfires Contained After 10 Days

This is Beirut, 13/07 14:26 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Syria's civil defence agency on Sunday said wildfires in the country's west, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, had been brought under control after 10 days. In a statement on Facebook, the agency said that "with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts" on ...

Barrack Warns Lebanon Faces “Existential Threat” if Hezbollah Issue Left Unresolved

This is Beirut, 12/07 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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US Special Envoy Tom Barrack warned that Lebanon faces an "existential threat" if it fails to address the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons in an interview with the Emirati media outlet The National published Friday. He called on Lebanese leaders to take urgent action or risk the country falling back under regional influence. After ...

Syrian-Israeli Relations: The Emergence of Complex Dialogue

Amal Chmouny, 12/07 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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A significant shift is unfolding in the Middle East's diplomatic landscape as dialogue between Syria and Israel begins to take shape. This budding interaction has garnered substantial international attention, particularly as the United States and the United Arab Emirates assume pivotal roles as facilitators. Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to ...

The Dual Peril Facing Eastern Christians

Fady Noun, 12/07 09:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

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On June 22, a deadly bombing inside Damascus’s Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah during Mass claimed 25 lives and left around 50 injured. In response, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Youhanna X, rightly declared that the victims deserve to be honored as martyrs of the faith, just as those who perished in past tragedies in Lebanon, ...

Damascus Denies Threatening Escalation Against Lebanon

This is Beirut, 11/07 13:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Reports that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was preparing a series of diplomatic and economic measures against Lebanon in response to Beirut’s alleged neglect of the file of Syrian detainees were denied, al-Arabiya said, quoting a Syrian government source. “There is no truth to the reports being circulated about the ...

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