War in the Middle East

UN General Assembly demands immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza

This is Beirut 2024-12-12 16:29 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Israel UN Security Council ceasefire

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States and Israel. The resolution -- adopted by a vote of 158-9, with 13 abstentions -- urges "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," and ...

Renewed Hope for a Gaza Truce: Talks Gain Momentum in Doha

This is Beirut 2024-12-12 12:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel truce Qatar

Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Doha on Wednesday to discuss a potential deal. This meeting is part of a renewed mediation effort after months of deadlock. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated in a phone call on Wednesday with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin ...

Gaza: Over 67 Dead, Including Children and Aid Workers, in Israeli Strikes

This is Beirut 2024-12-12 11:22 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Rafah

The Gaza Civil Defense reported that 33 people, including several children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday night, shortly after the United Nations General Assembly called for an immediate ceasefire in the war-torn Palestinian territory. Israeli warplanes targeted two houses near the Nuseirat refugee camp (central Gaza) and in ...

Syria: Israeli Strikes Hit Latakia and Tartous

This is Beirut 2024-12-12 10:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Syria

Israeli airstrikes targeted military installations in Syria, belonging to the army of the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, an NGO said on Wednesday. Among the "military sites" targeted were "the port of Latakia" and warehouses in Tartous. "Israeli fighter jets continue to destroy what remains of Syria's military arsenal, for the fourth ...

Op-edIs Democracy Possible in the Arab World?

Marc Saikali 2024-12-12 07:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Bachar el-Assad Democracy Morocco Iraq syria

The Assad family, more accurately known by the name "Al-Wahesh" (the savage), has surpassed all limits of hatred and brutality. After the dictator and his cronies fled, the world, horrified, discovered the full extent of the crimes against humanity that had been the norm in a country left in ruins. In Lebanon, we have long known, through our own ...

Aoun and Kurilla Discuss US Support for Lebanese Army and Ceasefire Implementation

This is Beirut 2024-12-11 20:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Ceasefire Joseph Aoun Lebanese Army USA

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun hosted US Central Command Chief General Michael E. Kurilla at his office in Yarzeh. The two officials discussed the overall situation in Lebanon and the broader region, as well as strategies for maintaining US assistance to the Lebanese Army. The meeting also covered the progress and implementation of ...

Southern Lebanon: LAF Deploys in Five Positions Around Khiam

This is Beirut 2024-12-11 19:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Lebanese Army South Lebanon United Nations USA

The Lebanese Army Command announced on Wednesday evening that "Army units have deployed to five positions around the town of Khiam, in the Marjayoun region, in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)." According to the official statement, this marks the first phase of the deployment in the region, which coincides ...

UN Seeks $4.07 Billion for Urgent Humanitarian Aid in Gaza and West Bank

This is Beirut 2024-12-11 17:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Nations West Bank

The UN on Wednesday appealed for $4.07 billion to provide desperately needed aid in war-ravaged Gaza and the West Bank next year, saying that the actual amount needed was far higher. The aim will be to provide assistance to "the entire population of Gaza, estimated at 2.1 million people, and 900,000 people in the West Bank," the ...

The Atrocities Committed by the Assad Regime

Assaad Bechara 2024-12-11 16:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Saydnaya prison torture Bashar al-Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime embodies the worst a tyrannical regime can inflict on its people. The only hope for Syrians lies in achieving justice and holding those responsible accountable to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated in the future, and to organize a peaceful power transition to close this long, dark chapter in ...

Assad Followers and Officers Sneaking into Lebanon

Bassam Abou Zeid 2024-12-11 15:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Assad Border Entry

The Lebanese-Syrian border, particularly the eastern sector, is in disarray as thousands of Syrians – mostly supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad's regime – illegally enter Lebanon. Security sources anticipate that, in the coming days, Syrian rebel factions will establish control over this border, focusing on the official crossings ...

Mikati Reaffirms Lebanon's Commitment to UN Resolution 1701

This is Beirut 2024-12-11 14:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Spain 1701 United Nations Ceasefire Israel

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to fully implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 during a meeting on Wednesday. Mikati also called on Israel to “honor the ceasefire agreement” announced on November 27, and urged the country to “withdraw from the towns and villages in southern ...

New Momentum Building Up, What Future Role for Anti-Hezbollah Shiites?

Joanne Naoum 2024-12-11 13:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon

The setbacks suffered by Hezbollah in over a year of confrontations and a most devastating conflict with Israel in the past months usher in a new phase in Lebanon. The ceasefire agreement that took effect on November 27, calling for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the Army’s deployment in southern Lebanon, places the Iran-backed group at a ...