Seth J. Frantzman 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 ...
Hussain Abdul-Hussain 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 ...
This is Beirut 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 ...
Maria Chami 14:45 - Reading : less than a minute
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.
Natasha Metni Torbey 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 ...
This is Beirut 12:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
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 ...
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 ...
This is Beirut 09/12 19:55 - Reading : less than a minute
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 ...
This is Beirut 09/12 17:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
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 ...
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 ...
This is Beirut 08/12 20:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa vowed to usher in an era of justice and coexistence a year after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, with tens of thousands taking to the streets to mark the anniversary. Sharaa's Islamist-led alliance launched a lightning offensive in late November last year and took Damascus on December 8, bringing a sudden ...
This is Beirut 08/12 19:01 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Monday signed a deal to construct a high-speed rail connecting the Gulf countries' capitals, marking the latest sign of improved ties between the two nations that were once deeply at odds. According to a statement in the official Saudi press, the "high-speed electric passenger railway" would connect Riyadh ...