LEBANON

BAABDA, Lebanon — Lebanon’s fragile political landscape veered once again into deadlock on Monday, as Hezbollah’s leadership publicly rejected calls to hand over its weapons or commit to a timeline for disarmament. The move coincided with a high-stakes cabinet session in Baabda Presidential Palace that had been expected to lay…

BEIRUT — Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem has again rejected any disarmament of his party. In a speech broadcast today, he stressed that Hezbollah will not agree to any proposed timetable under the shadow of Israeli aggression, rejecting any new agreement other than the November 2024 ceasefire agreement with Israel.  Disarmament…

QABB ELIAS, Lebanon — In a striking testament to Lebanon’s enduring role as a beacon of Christianity, home to countless monasteries and sacred sites despite its modest size, the town of Qabb Elias in the Zahle District unveiled the tallest statue of Saint Rita in the Middle East.  The inauguration…

BEIRUT — The Monastery of Our Lady of Ilige is recognized as the third seat of the Syriac Maronite Patriarchate in Lebanese history. Following their settlements in the monasteries of Kfarhay and Yanouh, the Syriac Maronites established themselves in Ilige around 1120 AD, remaining there until 1440. The name “Ilige”…

BEIRUT — Ahead of the Lebanese Council of Ministers’ session scheduled for Tuesday, 5 August 2025 — which carries a pivotal agenda to reaffirm state sovereignty and restrict arms possession exclusively to state authorities — Ibrahim Mrad, President of the Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP), issued a firm statement calling…

BEIRUT — In a powerful symbolic gesture, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam inaugurated “August 4 Victims Street” at the entrance to the Beirut Port on Friday evening — the site of the catastrophic explosion that devastated the Lebanese capital five years ago, claimed the lives of more than 220 people,…

BEIRUT — On the fifth anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion, the most devastating disaster since the Hiroshima nuclear bombing, with no prospects for uncovering the perpetrators, accomplices, or those obstructing the investigation due to interference by certain parties, several Lebanese political parties and parliamentarians issued statements emphasizing the urgent…

BEIRUT — Five years have passed, yet the wound left by the Beirut port explosion continues to bleed. The pain lingers for the city and its people, fueled by the absence of justice and persistent efforts by political actors to obstruct the investigation and shield those responsible. Marking this somber…

BEIRUT — On the fifth anniversary of the catastrophic Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people and injured thousands, Syriac Maronite Lebanese President Joseph Aoun delivered a solemn address, promising unwavering pursuit of justice, no matter the political cost.  In a nationally televised statement, Aoun said, “Justice will…

BETH KERKE (BKERKI), Lebanon — On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Beirut port explosion — one of the most devastating peacetime urban disasters since Hiroshima — Syriac-Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai used his Sunday sermon to deliver an unflinching call for justice, unity, and national reckoning. Speaking…