Netanyahu meets Trump's envoy Witkoff after Saudi trip
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was meeting in Jerusalem with U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Netanyahu said in a statement on...
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Southerners face Israeli troops as they push to return home
BEIRUT — Israeli soldiers opened fire on residents of Maroun al-Ras, in the Bint Jbeil district, on Wednesday, as they attempted to return to their homes in the village. According to the...
L'Orient Today staff, 29 January 2025
Israeli airstrike kills three Turks attempting to cross from Lebanon to Israel, Turkey says
ANKARA — An Israeli airstrike killed three Turkish citizens who attempted to cross illegally from Lebanon to Israel, Turkey's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. "It has been...
29 January 2025
Syria's Sharaa declared president for transitional period, state news agency says
CAIRO — Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was named president for a transitional period, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported on Wednesday, citing commander Hassan Abdel Ghani....
29 January 2025
Association of Banks reappoints Salim Sfeir, expands board of directors
BEIRUT — No surprises were expected and no surprises occurred. In less than two hours, the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) amended its articles of association on Wednesday, then reappointed...
29 January 2025
A finance ministry that saves Lebanon … or lets it crumble
Exhausted by decades of mismanagement, corruption and manipulation, the Lebanese people are desperate for leadership that prioritizes their survival over entrenched political interests. The...
Ramzi Abou Ismail, 29 January 2025
Three Israeli hostages to be exchanged for 110 Palestinian prisoners Thursday
BEIRUT — Hamas gave Israel, on Wednesday evening, the list of hostages slated to be released from Gaza the next day, and, according to a report from Haaretz citing an anonymous political source,...
L'Orient Today staff, 29 January 2025
Who is Morgan Ortagus, new US envoy set to replace Amos Hochstein?
BEIRUT — U.S. President Donald Trump's choice for deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East peace is Morgan Deann Ortagus: political commentator, Navy Reserves officer, former U.S. Treasury...
Ghadir Hamadi, 29 January 2025
Looking ahead from within Lebanon’s thawra
There is a moment of cinema magic in Myriam El Hajj’s documentary “Diaries from Lebanon.” During a fixed-camera conversation with one of her characters — a Civil War veteran lamenting how life has...
Jim Quilty, 29 January 2025
Army blows up old projectiles abandoned in Tripoli street
Old military projectiles were found in the Mina area of Tripoli, among a pile of scrap metal dumped at the roadside, according to information from our correspondent in North Lebanon. The Lebanese...
29 January 2025
Military drone falls into house yard in Akkar
A Lebanese Army reconnaissance drone fell Wednesday in Haysa in Akkar after encountering a technical problem, the army confirmed in a statement. The incident did not result in any injuries, the...
29 January 2025
Hezbollah seeks a ‘new look’
At a time when negotiations to form a cabinet are being held, Hezbollah is elsewhere. Its main concern today is to seemingly rebuild its image and its role after the hard blows it received....
Scarlett HADDAD, 29 January 2025
UNRWA in Lebanon 'not affected' by US aid freeze or new Israeli law
Activities of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Lebanon 'will not be affected by the suspension of U.S. aid payments nor by the new Israeli law banning its presence...
29 January 2025
Lebanon ready to implement World Bank reforms, says Joseph Aoun
The president of the Lebanese Republic, Joseph Aoun, assured World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa region, Ousmane Dione, on Wednesday that Lebanon is "ready to...
29 January 2025
Israeli forces arrest, shoot at Maroun al-Ras residents attempting to return
Israeli forces arrested and injured Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil) residents who were attempting to return to their village, one of the town's mukhtars told L'Orient Today Wednesday....
29 January 2025
The major challenges awaiting the next finance minister
As negotiations of the formation of the new government continue, one ministry in particular stands out: Finance, which the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, is eager to keep in his fold –...
Stéphanie KHOURI, 29 January 2025
Social media uproar: Hezbollah and Amal supporters trample and burn LF flag
A video circulating since Tuesday shows Hezbollah and Amal Movement supporters trampling on a Lebanese Forces (LF) flag, is sparking controversy on social media. In the 20-second clip, a group of...
29 January 2025
Israeli ambassador to US says Israel-Saudi normalization 'closer than ever'
Israel-Saudi normalization is "closer than ever," Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, told the Jerusalem Post on Thursday. "The Saudis want to ensure that...
29 January 2025
Syria demands Israeli withdrawal from Golan demilitarized zone
The new Syrian authorities have demanded Israel withdraw from Syrian territories it has occupied since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, during a meeting with the head of the U.N. peacekeepers,...
29 January 2025
Russian delegation in Syria expresses support for 'territorial integrity' and 'sovereignty'
The Russian delegation that visited Damascus, for its first visit since the recent fall of the Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad, expressed its support for Syria's "territorial integrity and...
29 January 2025
Men's ready-to-wear for winter 2025: Nomadic architectures for the Hermès man
It would be a coat ... or rather a blanket. It would be a scarf or rather a piece of jewelry. It would be a bag that contains a life. It would be materials so soft they feel like love, so...
Fifi ABOU DIB, 29 January 2025
Joumblatt urges Hezbollah to 'abandon military action,' focus on politics
Former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Joumblatt suggested that the political and military leadership of Hezbollah should recognize that "the past is over" and engage...
29 January 2025
Crime in Mazraet Yachouh: Gas station owner tortured and killed
Monday evening, the lifeless body of the owner of a gas station in Mazraat Yashouh, located on the road between Antelias and Bikfaya in Metn, was found tied up and thrown inside the station's...
Claude ASSAF, 29 January 2025
Analysis of seismic tremors: 10 new seismic stations in Lebanon
The devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria in February 2023, strongly felt in Lebanon given that the Yammouneh Fault (the main one in the country) extends from those that caused the catastrophe...
Suzanne BAAKLINI, 29 January 2025
After the Shiite duo, the Sunnis of the National Moderation bloc enter the fray
After the preconditions and pressure through parades that the Amal-Hezbollah alliance used against Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam to claim what they believed “their rights” in terms of...
Jeanine JALKH, 29 January 2025
Leila, Latifa, Chimamanda, latest feminist work by Lina Abyad at LAU
From drama to vaudeville to intimate theater, Lina Abyad has explored all genres of dramaturgy since her name became synonymous with quality in the Lebanese cultural landscape.With over 40 plays in...
Nanette Ziadé-Ritter, 29 January 2025
By lifting some sanctions, EU sends cautious message to Damascus
“This could give a boost to the Syrian economy and help the country get back on its feet,” said Kaja Kallas.The chief of European diplomacy was speaking after consultation in Brussels with the 27...
Tatiana KROTOFF, 29 January 2025
Trump invites Netanyahu to White House on Feb 4: Israel PM office
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited by US President Donald Trump to a meeting at the White House on Feb, 4, the Israeli premier's office said on Tuesday. "Prime Minister...
29 January 2025
Lebanese Foreign Ministry tries to guide Lebanese evacuating Goma and Kinshasa
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that it was monitoring developments and events in the cities of Goma and Kinshasa with the Lebanese embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo....
L'Orient Today staff, 29 January 2025
Star of David etched into a Gaza farmland: Israeli army's new 'expression'
Satellite images of Beit Hanoun, a village in northeastern Gaza about six kilometers from the Israeli city of Sderot, show a Star of David etched into agricultural land, Al Jazeera reported Monday....
Nemtala EDDÉ, 29 January 2025
Association of Banks in Lebanon set to reelect leadership in a vote deviating from its own rules
Away from the spotlight since the start of the 15 months of clashes followed by the war between Hezbollah and Israel, the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) will meet on Wednesday to renew its...
Philippe HAGE BOUTROS, 29 January 2025
Nawaf Salam’s mission to form a cabinet becomes more complicated
Once again, the most optimistic observers risk having their hopes dashed. The very first government of President Joseph Aoun’s term appears likely to be delayed. The latest twists in this ongoing...
Yara ABI AKL, 29 January 2025
Negotiation or confrontation: What strategy to adopt against Hezbollah and Amal?
For a new world to emerge, must the old order necessarily disappear — at any cost?This is the question faced by all ruling powers during times of great transition, and Lebanon today is no...
Anthony SAMRANI, 29 January 2025
Sought by the Lebanese Prosecutor's Office, Fadi al-Khatib subject of international arrest warrant
A dozen people were on this list. Since Jan. 17, Interpol has issued a new "red notice" against a Lebanese citizen: Fadi el-Khatib, an icon of Lebanese basketball known for his...
Gabriel BLONDEL, 29 January 2025
Washington announces new exemptions to foreign aid freeze
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday expanded the exemptions under a general freeze on U.S. foreign aid, ensuring that emergency aid for shelters or medicine will continue to be funded....
29 January 2025
Israeli army opens fire on residents trying to enter Maroun al-Ras, two injured | Live updates
21:22 Beirut Time Qatar and Turkey are expected to host Palestinians released from Israeli prisons as part of the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, the Times of Israel reports....
Muntasser Abdallah, 29 January 2025
New Syrian government and Russia discuss 'justice' for Assad's victims
The new Syrian government claimed to have discussed on Tuesday with a Russian delegation that came to Damascus, about "judicial transition mechanisms" intended to bring "justice to...
29 January 2025
Over 24 injured in Israeli strikes on Nabatieh, southern residents attempt to return for third day: Everything you need to know this Wednesday
Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign up.Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2024Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz. Some key things to watch today:International response to the Israeli violation of...
Abbas Mahfouz, 29 January 2025
Escalation in southern Lebanon: First Israeli strikes north of Litani
For the first time since the truce agreement between Israel and Hezbollah on Nov. 27, two Israeli drone strikes targeted north of the Litani River, in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, in southern Lebanon....
