Lebanon marked the 14th anniversary of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who was assassinated  on Valentine’s day  in 2005 in a massive and shocking suicide bombing  that destabilized the country. Political and religious leaders headed to downtown Beirut to lay flowers at Hariri’s grave. A torch sculpture, that is part of a memorial that includes […]

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Lebanon says the kingdom has lifted a 15-month warning that had advised its citizens not to travel to Beirut. Walid Bukhari made the statement in Beirut on Wednesday following a meeting between Saudi royal court envoy Nizar al-Aloula and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. In November 2017, Saudi Arabia advised its citizens […]

By Yousef Gamal El-Din, Abbas Al Lawati,  Zainab Fattah Lebanon anticipates allies will help it maintain the pound’s stability by depositing money with its central bank, Deputy Prime Minister Ghassan Hasbani said on Sunday. Beyond a pledge by Qatar to buy government bonds worth $500 million, Lebanon is looking “to have the confidence of Arab countries and […]

As in the past visits Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif ended his visit to Lebanon by holding talks Monday with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah at an undisclosed location. The meeting was held in the presence of Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Jalal Firouznia and the delegation accompanying Zarif. “Sayyed Nasrallah thanked the Islamic Republic of […]

Prime Minister Saad Hariri Monday demanded answers over the fate of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen detained in Iran, during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Hariri stressed that “this file must be terminated,” according to a statement from his office released after his meeting with  Zarif “This [would be] a positive gesture […]

BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun held talks on  Monday with  the Iranian foreign minister and told him  that his country has a role to play in helping Lebanon resolve the Syrian refugee issue by assisting in the refugees’ return. “The Syrian refugees issue in Lebanon requires a solution that takes into consideration the necessity of their safe return […]

Lebanese politicians Sunday mourned the loss of former MP and minister Robert Ghanem, who died this weekend after a heart attack, according to the state-run National News Agency. He was 77. Ghanem, the son of late Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Iskandar Ghanem was born in the Western Bekaa town of Saghbine. He served in the […]

BY COLIN P. CLARKE Responding to a question on current instability in Venezuela and the presence of terrorist groups in the region, specifically Lebanese Hezbollah, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed in a recent interview that the Trump administration believes that the “Party of God,” as Hezbollah is known, maintains “active cells” in Venezuela. […]

Lebanon’s new government on Thursday approved a policy statement committing to reforms that are seen as critical to putting the heavily indebted state’s finances on a sustainable path. The statement sets the main policy objectives of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s national unity government, formed last week after nine months of wrangling over cabinet portfolios. A […]

Renault said Thursday it would inform investigators that its former chief Carlos Ghosn, who is being held in Japan on allegations of financial misconduct, personally benefited from a corporate sponsorship deal. The latest allegations concern Ghosn‘s lavish marriage at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris in October 2016. According to a report in the Figaro […]