Thaer Abbas

Thaer Abbas
Arab World Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Beshara al-Rahi (Asharq Al-Awsat) 

Lebanon: Patriarch al-Rahi Urges Hezbollah to Hand Over Weapons, ‘Free Itself from Iran’

Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Beshara al-Rahi has called on the United States to pressure Israel to “end its violations of Lebanon,”…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)

Lebanon Reaffirms Negotiations as Path to Resolve Dispute with Israel

Senior Lebanese officials reaffirmed their commitment to negotiations with Israel through the international committee tasked with overseeing the November 2024…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Features A Saudi Anti-Narcotics official displays bags of Captagon pills seized in Jeddah hidden inside a shipment of pomegranates, April 25 (AFP)

Lebanon’s Drug Empire Faces Beginning of Its End

A sense of optimism is growing within Lebanon’s security establishment that 2026 could mark the end of the country’s “drug world,” a shadow economy born out of…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar addresses a press conference at the headquarters of the Information Branch in Beirut, Lebanon, 15 September 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanese Interior Minister: We Made a Major Stride Forward in Combatting Narcotics

Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar said in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that Lebanon has taken a major leap forward in combatting the…

Thaer Abbas
Arab World President Joseph Aoun and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meet at the Baabda palace on Monday. (Lebanese presidency)

Berri Reveals to Asharq Al-Awsat Details of How Suggestion to Negotiate with Israel Was Dropped

Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Monday that the proposal to hold negotiations between Lebanon and Israel was dropped because Tel Aviv was not…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Head of the Lebanese Forces party Samir Geagea.

Geagea to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hezbollah Rejects Any Cooperation, Delays Everything in Lebanon  

Head of the Lebanese Forces party Samir Geagea said resolving the crises in the region will require more time, citing “facts, the sequence of events, and the…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during a cabinet meeting to approve the monopoly on arms (EPA). 

Lebanese Govt Welcomes Army Plan to Disarm Hezbollah, Grants ‘Operational Discretion’

The Lebanese government has welcomed the army’s plan to implement the principle of the “exclusive possession of arms,” through a formula that was met with…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (NNA)

Setback in Hezbollah Arms Talks Puts Lebanon on Alert

Lebanon has entered another waiting phase as political leaders brace for fallout from what appeared to be a setback in US mediation efforts with Israel, after…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)