Paula Astih

Paula Astih
Arab World A man walks amid the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Beirut’s Zokak el-Blat district near the city center (Reuters)

Israel Targets Hezbollah-Linked Financial Interests

Israel has stepped up its operations against Hezbollah in recent days, escalating on multiple fronts in response to the group’s intensified attacks into…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Features Damage after a rocket fired by Hezbollah toward Nahariya (Reuters)

What Remains of Hezbollah’s Military Arsenal?

The rockets that Hezbollah continues to fire, since its decision to join what it calls a support war for Iran, have surprised observers with their intensity…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Arab World A child plays during a visit by Lebanon’s Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine to Maroun Abboud Secondary Public School, which is hosting displaced people, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Aley district, Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, March 15, 2026. (Reuters)

War Disrupts Education in Lebanon, Deepening Inequality Among Students

Lebanon’s education system is struggling to survive an unprecedented crisis as war forces hundreds of thousands from their homes. Many schools have been…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese soldiers check the identity of a man in Marjeyoun, southern Lebanon. (Reuters file)

Lebanon’s Weapons Monopoly Efforts to Shape International Support for the Army

The understanding between the quintet committee for Lebanon and President Joseph Aoun over the planned conference in support of the army has raised questions…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Arab World Supporters of Hezbollah hold portraits of its general secretaries on the first anniversary of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah. (Reuters file)

Aoun, Hezbollah Ties Cool as Contacts Stay at Minimum

Relations between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah have grown visibly strained, with contacts confined to what ministerial sources described as …

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese army soldiers stand next to a truck carrying weapons at the Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Beirut, Lebanon, 29 August 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon Voices Official Anger at Hamas over Refusal to Hand over Weapons

As the Lebanese army presses ahead with efforts to seize weapons inside Palestinian refugee camps across the country, a key question remains unresolved: what…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Arab World Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)

Lebanese Deputy PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Political Negotiations with Israel

Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri denied on Saturday that the appointment of civilian negotiators between Lebanon and Israel means that political…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Arab World A member of the Civil Defense stands on the rubble of a house hit by an Israeli airstrike in the town of Jbaa in South Lebanon. (Reuters)

Lebanese State Formally Launches Reconstruction Effort with Modest Public Funding

More than a year after the end of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, which caused widespread destruction in South Lebanon, the Lebanese state has formally…

Paula Astih (Beirut)