War in the Middle East

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 ...

How Long Will Impunity Prevail in Syria?

Moncef Ait-Kaci 12/08 18:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

UN Security Council Damascus Internal Security Forces United Nations

In Sweida, the worst escalation in years erupted on July 12 after reciprocal kidnappings between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes spiraled into rapidly escalating armed clashes. The Syrian Army intervened but, according to the UN and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the fighting left more than 1,400 dead, mostly Druze civilians, and ...

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 ...

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 ...

Gazans Mourn Al Jazeera Staff Killed by Israel

This is Beirut 11/08 16:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Gaza Israel Hamas

Gazans gathered on Monday for the funeral of five Al Jazeera staff members and a sixth reporter killed in an Israeli strike, with Israel calling one of them a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas. Dozens stood amid bombed-out buildings in the courtyard of Al-Shifa hospital to pay their respects to Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera ...

Israel PM Says New Plan for Gaza 'Best Way to End The War'

This is Beirut 11/08 07:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Gaza Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his plan to take control of Gaza City and target the remaining Hamas strongholds, saying Sunday it was "the best way to end the war", despite growing calls to stop the fighting. More than 22 months into the war, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, the country is ...

Walid Joumblatt Calls for National Unity and Neutrality

This is Beirut 10/08 17:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Druze Jumblatt Unity Peace

During a tour of Baalchmay and Aley alongside political and religious leaders, former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt addressed the regional situation, warning of a “great conspiracy” whose outcome remains uncertain. Joumblatt stressed that in light of the painful events unfolding in the region, Lebanon’s role is limited. ...

Arab and Muslim Nations Condemn Israel's Plan for Gaza City Takeover

This is Beirut 09/08 13:23 - Reading : less than a minute

Gaza Middle East

Several Arab and Muslim countries on Saturday condemned as a "dangerous escalation" Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City. Some 20 countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, said the plan constituted "a flagrant violation of international law and an attempt to entrench the illegal occupation and impose a fait accompli... in ...

Global Support for Lebanon’s Move to Control Weapons

This is Beirut 08/08 20:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Sovereignty Weapons United Kingdom Spain Arab League

The Lebanese government’s announcement of a national plan to restrict weapons possession exclusively to state security forces has received strong international endorsement, with Arab and European officials supporting the move. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit welcomed the decision, stating that the monopoly of arms by the state ...

Israel Prepares to Take Control of Gaza

This is Beirut 08/08 17:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a Thursday interview on Fox News that Israel intends to take control of the Gaza Strip, though it does not plan to directly govern or maintain long-term control. He said the goal is to eventually transfer authority to Arab forces who would pose no threat to Israel and ensure a decent quality ...

Gaza: Israel Approves Controversial Military Plan, International Community Reacts

This is Beirut 08/08 16:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Kingdom UN

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday asked Israel to reconsider its plan to take control of Gaza City, which he branded as "wrong". "This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages," he said, warning that it "will only bring more bloodshed". The ...

Op-edLebanon’s Moment of Truth: Disarm or Disintegrate

Salam El Zaatari 07/08 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel United States Hezbollah

There’s a phrase I’ve heard a lot in Beirut lately. It's whispered between sips of Turkish coffee, murmured across newsrooms and tossed around military circles like a live grenade: “Either we get our country back, or we become a geography with a flag.” And this week, for the first time in nearly two decades, the Lebanese government ...