Thaer Abbas
Arab World Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with Amos Hochstein, top aide to US President Joe Biden, in Munich. (Lebanese government)

French Source to Asharq Al-Awsat: Chances of Comprehensive War in Lebanon Are Very High

The international community is still seeking to come up with the groundwork to ease the tensions in southern Lebanon and kick off negotiations, or any form of…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Part of the meeting of the Quintet ambassadors at the Saudi Ambassador's residence. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Lebanon's Quintet Committee Says It Won't Be Substitute for Country's Sovereignty

The ambassadors of the Quintet Committee on Lebanon held a meeting on Thursday to break the impasse created by the failure to solve the Lebanese presidential…

Thaer Abbas (London)
Arab World Hochstein before his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (EPA)

Hochstein Seeks ‘Diplomatic Solution’ to Prevent Lebanon, Israel from Sliding to 'Further Conflict'

The US President’s special envoy Amos Hochstein has sought to overcome the Israeli “narrow window” and reach a “temporary compromise” with the Lebanese leaders…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab briefed Speaker Nabih Berri on his meeting with US envoy Amos Hochstein in Rome (Parliament)

US Envoy Hochstein in Beirut to Address Post-Gaza War Issues

The global community closely watched the recent statement from Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, seen by many as a potential signal for diplomatic…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World The Special Tribunal for Lebanon officially closed on Sunday. (STL)

Lebanon's Hariri Tribunal Officially Closes, Leaving 3 Cases Unresolved

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has closed an international tribunal that was created to investigate the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Archive photo of Speaker Nabih Berri receiving Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (Lebanese Parliament website)

Dispute over Aoun’s Term Extension Opens Door to Search for an Acting Commander of Lebanese Army

The extension of the term of Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, who is due to retire in January, has sparked divisions in the political scene and…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati holding meeting with the French delegation (Dalati and Nohra)

France Freezes Aid to Lebanon, Pressuring Resolution for Army’s 'Vacuum Crisis’

While France may acknowledge the growing challenge in foreseeing the election of a president in Lebanon, it has not yielded in its efforts to avert a…

Thaer Abbas (Bierut)
Arab World Wassim Mansouri, Acting Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL), speaks during a press conference. (AP)

BDL Acting Governor: I Will Not Use People’s Deposits to Lend to the State

It may not be fair to compare the 30 years that the former Governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL), Riad Salameh, spent in managing the country’s financial…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)