Arab World

US House Votes to Repeal Caesar Act Sanctions on Syria

This is Beirut 08:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA US House of Representatives US Treasury Damascus Caesar Act

The US House of Representatives has voted to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a landmark sanctions regime imposed in 2019 on officials of former president Bashar al-Assad’s government for war crimes and human rights abuses. The repeal measure was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, ...

Hamas Proposes Weapons 'Freeze' in Return for Long-Term Truce

This is Beirut 10/12 23:46 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Gaza Khaled Meshaal

A top Hamas leader told Qatari news channel Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the militant group is open to a weapons "freeze" but rejects the demand for disarmament put forward in the US-sponsored peace plan for Gaza. "The idea of total disarmament is unacceptable to the resistance (Hamas). What is being proposed is a freeze, or ...

Israel’s Power Vacuum Dilemma

Seth J. Frantzman 10/12 17:10 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu USA Lebanon Syria Gaza

On December 2 Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israel Defense Forces soldiers wounded in recent fighting in southern Syria. Their injuries followed a November 26 IDF raid on the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria, an operation that left several Syrians dead and wounded a number of Israeli soldiers. Netanyahu had a ...

Barrack's Glaring Error on Syria and Lebanon

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 10/12 16:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Palestine Syria Tom Barrack

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack keeps warning that Lebanon will be “reabsorbed” into Syria unless Hezbollah is disarmed, a historically unfounded threat from someone who derides the Sykes-Picot boundaries as colonial nonsense yet treats Syria’s borders as sacrosanct. His selective anti-colonialism spares Syria, disregards Kurdish and Druze ...

Bulgaria Court Refuses to Extradite Beirut Blast Shipowner

This is Beirut 10/12 15:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Port Beirut Lebanon Rhosus Bulgaria

A Sofia court on Wednesday refused to extradite a shipowner wanted by Lebanon over the devastating 2020 Beirut port blast, one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions that destroyed swathes of the Lebanese capital, killed more than 220 people, and injured more than 6,500. Lebanon wants Bulgaria to extradite Igor Grechushkin, a ...

VideosThe Future of AI… Is Rising in the Middle of the Desert

Maria Chami 10/12 14:45 - Reading : less than a minute

United Arab Emirates AI

What if the future of artificial intelligence was being built right in the heart of the desert? In the United Arab Emirates, a colossal 26 km² AI campus is taking shape, a project designed to become one of the largest data-center parks in the world, capable of serving up to 4 billion people.

Al-Qard al-Hassan’s Gold: Hezbollah’s New Financial Scheme

Natasha Metni Torbey 10/12 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Al Qard Al Hassan Hezbollah financing

After introducing ATMs, easy-access loans, and clandestine counters scattered throughout the alleys of Beirut’s southern suburbs, al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH), Hezbollah’s financial arm, has taken its operations a step further: direct gold trading. Gold bars, coins, and jewelry are reportedly now being offered to the Shiite community, turning gold ...

Real-Life Horror to TV Drama: Feared Syria Sites Become Sets for series

This is Beirut 10/12 12:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Saydnaya Syria Mazzé TV

At a Damascus airbase once off-limits under Bashar al-Assad, a crew now films a TV series about the final months of the ousted leader's rule as seen through the eyes of a Syrian family. "It's hard to believe we're filming here," director Mohamad Abdul Aziz said from the Mazzeh base, which was once also a detention center run by Assad's air force ...

AnalysisWho Really Defeated ISIS in Syria?

Mario Chartouni 09/12 20:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Washington Russia Syria ISIS

In the narrative promoted by Moscow and Damascus, Russia and Bashar al-Assad’s regime are credited with delivering the decisive blow against ISIS in Syria. This account frames Russia’s military intervention, which began in September 2015, as the turning point in the fight against the terrorist group. Yet, a closer look at the data paints a ...

Shelling of Unknown Origin Hits Damascus Area

This is Beirut 09/12 19:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Mezzeh

Syrian state media said shelling of unknown origin hit a Damascus area home to a military airport on Tuesday, without causing casualties. "The vicinity of the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus was targeted by three shells of unknown origin, without causing casualties or material damage," state news agency SANA quoted a military source as ...

Syria: Three Wounded in Israeli Incursion

This is Beirut 09/12 17:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Syria Israeli Army

Three people were wounded on Tuesday by Israeli gunfire during an incursion in southern Syria, state television reported, while the Israeli army described the incident as a “clash” with “suspects.” According to state television, “three people were wounded by fire from the Israeli occupation forces” in the Quneitra region, on the Golan ...

Yemen Leader Warns Separatists a 'Serious Threat' after Territorial Gains

This is Beirut 08/12 23:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Yemen Houthi Movement Rashad al-Alimi

The leader of Yemen's internationally recognized government criticized separatists who have made large territorial gains in a near bloodless takeover in recent days, calling them a threat to the country's stability. Last week, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, which wants to revive an independent South Yemen, swept through large parts ...