Lebanon

Amal Movement condemned on Saturday all the US sanctions on the Astan Quds Razavi, denouncing the blacklisting of the religious shrines. In a statement, the movement considered that the desecration of sanctities is a hostile act that provokes all the Muslims and necessitates a response from all the nations because it infringes on all the ...

The Lebanese ministry of public health issued on Saturday its daily report in which it announced 5872 new coronavirus cases, 5861 of them for locals and 11 among the arrivals, raising total to 249158. The report added that 21135 PCR tests were conducted during the past 24 hours, adding that the number of cases of ...

Lebanon’s Higher Islamic Shiite Council denounced on Saturday all the US sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran, highlighting those which targeted the Astan Quds Razavi. In a statement, the Council stressed that the US decision targets the religious sanctities and comprises an act of unprecedented, serious hostility that provokes the feelings of […]

Hezbollah condemned on Saturday sanctions imposed by European Union against Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mekdad. In a statement, Hezbollah’s Media Relations voiced solidarity with the Syrian diplomat. “EU proceeds its hostile policy towards Syria and its legitimate government and struggling people, targeting Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad who […]

Hezbollah lashed out at US over rolling out fresh sanctions on Iranian foundations including Astan Quds Razavi which runs the Imam Reza holy shrine in Mashhad. “It seems that US Secretary of state’s level of madness and hatred have been considerably increasing as the presidential term (of Donald Trump) is coming to an end,” Hezbollah’s ...

In a documentary titled “The Last Meeting” which refers to the last meeting between Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and the former Commander of IRGC’s Al-Quds Force, General Qassem Suleimani, before the latter’s martyrdom on January3, 2020, Al-Manar TV Channel displayed more information and multimedia data about this encounter. […]

The Lebanese ministry of public health issued on Friday its daily report in which it announced 6154 new coronavirus cases, 6133 of them for locals and 21 among the arrivals, raising total to 243286. The report added that 21854 PCR tests were conducted during the past 24 hours, adding that the number of cases of ...

Streets across Lebanon have been considerably empty in the second day of the total shutdown aimed at stemming a dangerous surge in coronavirus infections and deaths. Local media reported that a high percent of citizens have been complying with an all-day curfew, with Internal Security Forces and Lebanese Army implementing the strictest measures Lebanon has […]

The Lebanese caretaker health minister, Dr. Hamad Hasan, hailed the parliament approval of the law which allows the government to import the anti-coronavirus vaccines. From his hospital room where he has been undergoing the medical treatment after testing positive for the coronavirus, Dr. Hasan said, via Twitter, that this law would allow Lebanon to import […]

The Lebanese parliament held on Friday the UNESCO Palace at a legislative session in which it endorsed a draft law aimed at obtaining the anti-coronavirus vaccines. Lebanon, accordingly, would be able to import all the approved coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and any other medical firm. It is worth noting that Lebanon would receive the first batch ...

Revelations about London company reinforce suspicions that Beirut, and not Mozambique, was intended destination of ammonium nitrateThe company used to ship a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate to Beirut port, where it caused a devastating explosion last August, has been linked to three influential businessmen with ties to the Syrian president, Bashar […]

The sun still rises and sets every day but I am stuck at 6.08pm on 4 August 2020, when Isaac was taken from meFive months ago, my son died.As I write these words and read them over and over again, they are so incomprehensible that they might as well be in a foreign language. Again and again I read them, unable to grasp that they relate to me, that they form […]

Exhibition presents torn paintings and grazed sculptures in a museum itself hit by explosionThrough the entrance is a version of Guido Reni’s 17th-century portrait of St John the Baptist, blown to shreds. Nearby, a chandelier lies splattered on the ground where it fell. Mirrors are cracked, paintings ruptured, and roofs in some rooms half-caved in.Beirut […]

Lebo is a special blend of Lebanese and Australian, rooted in western Sydney and thoroughly uniqueI am not actually Lebanese.Sure, my parents are Lebanese, my Arabic is Lebanese-tinted and I can be extremely critical of my local Lebanese joint, but the reality is I am not actually from Lebanon. Related: After Beirut, grief and pain in the Australian […]

Three people wounded in clash between camp residents and youths near coastal city of TripoliHundreds of Syrian refugees have fled their makeshift camp in north Lebanon after their tents were set alight when fighting broke out between local youths and camp residents.At least three people were wounded in the clash on Saturday in the Miniyeh region near the […]

Four officials accused of negligence in connection with explosion at port, which killed more than 200 peopleA prosecutor has charged Lebanon’s acting prime minister and three former ministers in connection with the port blast that killed more than 200 people and disfigured the heart of Beirut, in a rare move against the country’s ruling elite.The […]

At least 30% will go to the women-led grassroots organisations that have been ‘critical’ through Covid pandemicThe UN is to spend $25m (£19m) from its emergency fund to address what has been called the “shadow pandemic” of gender-based violence against women displaced by wars and disasters.The money will be divided between the UN population fund […]

Survivors and lawyers sceptical about Lebanese investigation into August blast that killed 200Calls are growing for an international investigation into the blast 100 days ago that devastated Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, as survivors, human rights groups and lawyers claim the Lebanese government’s inquiry is badly flawed and unlikely to yield credible […]

Lebanon’s August explosion was one of the largest non-nuclear blasts ever. Survivors tell their stories using the media they recorded on their smartphonesWarning: this interactive contains audio, photos and videos that some may find distressing. Continue reading...

Novelist Naji Bakhti chooses fiction, history and memoir to tell stories of a country that has weathered decades of upheavalMany years ago, a well-meaning American friend introduced me to his favourite student pastime: a drinking game. I had just moved to London and it was my first time living outside Beirut. “It’s called Beirut,” said my friend as he […]

Trump administration moves against Gibran Bassil for alleged corruptionThe Trump administration has imposed Treasury sanctions on one of Lebanon’s most influential politicians as it intensifies attempts to defang the militia and political powerhouse Hezbollah.The move against Gibran Bassil for alleged corruption was announced on Friday as Trump’s […]

The president must demonstrate that the secular state – with a subtle dose of multiculturalism – works for themAs a dual citizen of France and Canada, I never cease to be amazed by the depth of misunderstanding there is about French attitudes to religion. France’s shortcomings in its management of diversity are obvious – as are everyone else’s – […]

Demonstrations held in Pakistan, Lebanon, Palestinian territories and AfghanistanTens of thousands of Muslims in Pakistan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and elsewhere joined protests on Friday over the French president Emmanuel Macron’s vow to protect the right to caricature the prophet Muhammad.Demonstrations in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, […]

New leader faces task of securing international support and averting country’s collapseA year after resigning, Saad Hariri has again been named as Lebanon’s prime minister and tasked with forming a government that could win critically needed international support and help stem the country’s catastrophic collapse.The appointment of Hariri on Thursday […]

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Lebanon, Northern Ireland, and Rwanda, a new project and book by the VII Foundation, Imagine:Reflections on Peace shows the difficult work being done to break cycles of conflict in each country’s recent history. Survivors and photographers who witnessed events during and after the dark times, tell their […]

After civil war, decades of corruption and then the blast that ripped through Beirut this summer, things could hardly get any worse. But they have In early September, Mohammed Khaldoon sold a necklace his sister had given him and scrounged what he could from friends and family. He gave the sum total, $400, to a smuggler in his hometown of Tripoli, northern […]

Firefighters in Lebanon have been battling fierce wildfires across the Mount Lebanon area and along the country's border with Israel. The Lebanese Civil Defense said rising temperatures and high wind speeds were contributing to the spread of the fires.Lebanon: Beirut fuel tank explodes in building basement, killing four Continue reading...

A fuel tank exploded inside a Beirut building on Friday night, killing four people and injuring several others, the Lebanese Red Cross said. The explosion came two months after a massive blast at Beirut's port killed nearly 200 people and injured at least 6,500. Lebanon: Beirut fuel tank explodes in building basement, killing four Continue reading...

Blaze erupts inside bakery shaking city, two months after a massive blast at port killed nearly 200 peopleA fuel tank has exploded inside a Beirut building, killing four people and injuring several others, the Lebanese Red Cross said.It was not immediately clear what triggered the blast in the western neighbourhood of Tariq al-Jadida on Friday night. The […]

The acting prime minister failed to form a government from among the feuding political blocs that have led the country to ruinLebanon’s prime minister designate, Mustapha Adib, has stood down after failing to form a government in a month of negotiations, in a further blow to a country reeling under the weight of multiple crises.The talks were brought down […]