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Beatrice Farhat

Beatrice Farhat

Al Monitor

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Lebanon's army expands presence, dismantles 500 Hezbollah sites: What to know

Lebanon's army expands presence, dismantles 500 Hezbollah sites: What to know

The Lebanese army intensified its deployment in southern Lebanon, dismantling Hezbollah positions and confiscating weapons as part of a US-brokered...

17.04.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

UN watchdog chief says Iran 'not far' from nuclear bomb

UN watchdog chief says Iran 'not far' from nuclear bomb

The United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi warned Wednesday that Iran was "not far" from possessing a nuclear bomb, shortly before he...

16.04.2025 2

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

'Snow White' banned in Lebanon, Kuwait over Israeli star Gal Gadot

'Snow White' banned in Lebanon, Kuwait over Israeli star Gal Gadot

Lebanon's government banned Disney's latest film for its inclusion of Israeli actress Gal Gadot while countries like the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia,...

16.04.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Lebanon’s PM Nawaf Salam makes first Syria visit, meets Sharaa as border tensions loom

Lebanon’s PM Nawaf Salam makes first Syria visit, meets Sharaa as border tensions loom

The visit is the latest sign of an apparent effort to improve ties between Syria and Lebanon after the fall of the Assad regime.

14.04.2025 5

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Spain public broadcaster calls for 'debate' over Israel's Eurovision participation

Spain public broadcaster calls for 'debate' over Israel's Eurovision participation

Spain's public broadcaster said on Friday it has called for a "debate" over Israel's participation in this year's Eurovision Song Contest in...

11.04.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Lebanon grills former security chiefs over Beirut port blast: What we know

Lebanon grills former security chiefs over Beirut port blast: What we know

The probe into the explosion caused by thousands of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate at the port has stalled for the past four years due to...

11.04.2025 10

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Lebanon's Hezbollah ready to talk 'defense strategy' amid calls to disarm

Lebanon's Hezbollah ready to talk 'defense strategy' amid calls to disarm

A Hezbollah parliament member has shown willingness to begin talks on what he called a national defense strategy, while stressing that the Lebanese...

10.04.2025 10

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Iran, US to hold high-stakes talks in Oman Saturday: What to know

Iran, US to hold high-stakes talks in Oman Saturday: What to know

Iran appeared to confirm Trump’s earlier announcement about nuclear talks due this Saturday, but stressed that they would be indirect.

08.04.2025 10

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Egypt, France, Jordan call for end to Gaza offensive in Cairo summit: What we know

Egypt, France, Jordan call for end to Gaza offensive in Cairo summit: What we know

French President Emmanuel Macron signed several agreements in Egypt prior to the tripartite summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and...

07.04.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Khartoum accuses RSF of looting and destroying Sudan's heritage: What to know

Khartoum accuses RSF of looting and destroying Sudan's heritage: What to know

The Sudanese government accused the Rapid Support Forces of looting and destroying cultural heritage sites, including the Sudan National Museum,...

02.04.2025 5

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Israel strikes Beirut for first time since Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire: What to know

BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes launched at least three airstrikes in Beirut on Friday, according to local media, shortly after the Israeli military...

29.03.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Meet Karim Souaid, Lebanon’s new central bank chief with daunting mission

The appointment of a new central bank governor comes nearly two years after the term of embattled governor Riad Salameh ended in July 2023.

28.03.2025 6

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Saudi Arabia hosts defense chiefs of Syria, Lebanon as border heats up: What to know

The Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers will meet soon as the border between the two countries remains volatile following clashes between Lebanese...

27.03.2025 2

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Oscar-winning Palestinian director freed from Israeli detention after night in custody

Hamdan Ballal, a co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," was assaulted by Israeli settlers and later detained by Israeli forces...

25.03.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Israel supreme court freezes PM bid to sack intel chief

Israel's supreme court Friday froze a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to sack the internal security agency chief, an...

21.03.2025 5

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Sudan's army seizes presidential palace in blow to RSF: What we know

Sudan’s army has taken the presidential palace Khartoum, in RSF hands since the war broke out almost two years ago.

21.03.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Hamas fires at Tel Aviv in first riposte to deadly Israel assault

Hamas said it fired rockets at Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv on Thursday in its first military response to the growing civilian death toll from...

20.03.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

The Europeans still held in Iran

France said Thursday one of its citizens detained in Iran has been released, leaving at least over half a dozen European passport holders still held...

20.03.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Germany reopens embassy in Syria after 13-year closure: What we know

Berlin was a vocal critic of the Assad regime and after its fall, has repeatedly stressed the need to ensure the unity of Syria and equality between...

20.03.2025 10

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

6 killed in Lebanon-Syria border clashes as Hezbollah denies role: What we know

Clashes erupted along the Lebanon-Syria border after three Syrian security personnel were reportedly killed, prompting shelling by Syrian forces and...

17.03.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

In boost to Sharaa, Qatar to supply electricity to Syria via Jordan: What we know

Qatar will begin supplying natural gas to Syria via Jordan to generate 400 megawatts of electricity daily via Jordan. Sources indicated to Reuters...

14.03.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Meet Lebanon's new military, security chiefs after leadership shake-up

Lebanon's government has approved the appointment of new heads of security and military institutions.

13.03.2025 2

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

As Iran set to receive Trump's letter, China to host talks on nuclear program

China will host a trilateral meeting with Russia and Iran in Beijing Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear program, amid renewed US efforts to renegotiate...

12.03.2025 2

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Syria government says coast operation against pro-Assad militias completed

The announcement comes as the fighting between pro-Assad militias and members of the security forces killed more than 1,000 people, majority of whom...

10.03.2025 6

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

World Bank estimates $11B reconstruction bill for Lebanon after Israeli war

The war in Lebanon came as the country was already struggling with its worst economic crisis in decades.

07.03.2025 10

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Four accused smugglers killed on Jordan-Syria border: What we know

Jordan’s border forces killed four drug smugglers attempting to cross from Syria, seizing weapons and narcotics in the latest crackdown on smuggling...

06.03.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

New Iran-backed group wants to fight plans to 'divide' Syria: What to know

A newly formed armed Syrian group called the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria, pledged to counter efforts by the United States, Israel and Turkey to...

05.03.2025 6

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Arab summit opens in Cairo as Egypt floats Gaza plan in response to Trump: What to know

Arab leaders convened in Cairo to approve an Egyptian plan on the reconstruction of Gaza, seen as an alternative to Trump’s proposal for a US...

04.03.2025 8

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Palestinian-Israeli documentary, Iranian film win at Oscars: What to know

Two films from the Middle East won Oscars at Sunday's Academy Awards, highlighting the growing reputation of the region's film industry at a time of...

03.03.2025 7

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Thousands mass for funeral procession of Israeli hostage killed in Gaza

Thousands lined the streets around the Israeli commericial hub Tel Aviv on Friday for the funeral procession of Tsachi Idan, a hostage killed in...

28.02.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Canceled Syrian justice workshop sparks repression fears: What to know

Syrian civil society organizations condemned the sudden cancelation of a planned workshop on transitional justice in Damascus, calling it an act of...

28.02.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Ethiopia’s PM in Somalia after deal to end Somaliland row: What to know

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit is the first since Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to end their dispute over a controversial agreement signed last...

27.02.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

'Sorry I couldn't protect you': Israel mourns Bibas mother, sons

Hundreds of mourners gathered at a cemetery in southern Israel on Wednesday to bid a final farewell to Shiri Bibas and her two sons, who were killed...

26.02.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Jordan’s king hosts Sharaa amid Israeli escalation in Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Jordan on Wednesday, his third foreign visit since taking office, while Israeli airstrikes targeted...

26.02.2025 7

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Syria's national dialogue conference calls for reforms, constitutional draft

Participants in Syria’s first national dialogue called for reforms in the political and judicial systems as the country navigates the transitional...

25.02.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

In first since 2002, Israel sends tanks to occupied West Bank as 40,000 Palestinians flee

Israel has stepped up its raids in West Bank towns and cities over the weekend in an apparent response to bus bombings near Tel Aviv last week.

24.02.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Eight civilians killed in Syria UXO blast: monitor, civil defence

Eight civilians including three children were killed on Thursday when unexploded munitions ignited at a house in northwestern Syria, a war monitor and...

20.02.2025 2

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

'One of the hardest days': Israelis gather for return of hostages' bodies

Hundreds of grieving Israelis gathered in the Tel Aviv plaza dubbed Hostages Square on Thursday, standing or sitting in silent mourning, after Hamas...

20.02.2025 2

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Syria arrests Hezbollah-linked smugglers in Damascus: What to know

A crackdown on smuggling operations between Lebanon and Syria has intensified since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

20.02.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

In first since regime fall, Syria’s Asma al-Assad breaks silence: What to know

In a series of posts on an X account attributed to her, Syria’s former first lady Asma al-Assad wished the Syrian people safety and said she will...

17.02.2025 8

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Iran’s IRGC unveils first drone carrier warship

The new warship is the latest locally made addition to Iran’s growing military arsenal.

06.02.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

From Saudi Arabia to Australia and China, world leaders denounce Trump’s plan to 'take over' Gaza

President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about a possible US takeover of Gaza after relocating the Palestinians caused a wave of uproar across the...

05.02.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

CNN launches new operation in Qatar amid regional rivalry: What we know

CNN's move will fuel Qatar’s growing role as a media hub in the region.

03.02.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

UAE, Saudi Arabia congratulate Sharaa as Jordan resumes Syria flights

Arab leaders have warmly welcomed Ahmed al-Sharaa as Syria's interim president, with close allies of his deposed predecessor remaining noncommittal.

31.01.2025 2

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

UAE receives first French Rafale fighter jets as F-35 deal remains in limbo

The United Arab Emirates has received its first Rafale fighter jet under a deal with France amid ongoing US-French competition for influence in the...

30.01.2025 40

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate, HTS offshoot Hurras al-Din dissolves: What we know

Hurras al-Din, which split from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham after the latter distanced itself from al-Qaeda, had led attacks against Srian government forces...

29.01.2025 3

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Russian delegation in Syria as Moscow scrambles to secure military presence

The visit marks the first since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, who had been Moscow's key ally in Syria.

28.01.2025 2

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Al-Arabiya journalist questioned in Lebanon for interviewing Israeli official

The case of Layal al-Ekhtiar, who interviewed Israel's Arabic-language military spokesman last year as the Gaza war raged, has divided Lebanese...

23.01.2025 5

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Spaniard kidnapped in Mali thanks Algeria after rescue

A Spanish man kidnapped by an armed group in the turbulent Algeria-Mali border area thanked the Algerian authorities on Wednesday after his ...

22.01.2025 10

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat

Syria’s new government ends Russian lease of Tartous port: What we know

The new authorities in Syria ended an agreement with the Russian company managing the key port of Tartous in the latest sign of Russia's waning...

22.01.2025 4

Al Monitor

Beatrice Farhat