Lebanese officials say Saudi Arabian citizen kidnapped in Beirut, motive unclear

BEIRUT (AP) — Assailants kidnapped a Saudi Arabian citizen in Beirut but the motive behind the abduction was not immediately clear, Lebanon's interior minister and security officials said Monday. State-run Saudi TV station Al-Ekhbariya reported that the kidnapped man works for...

From ashes and debris, iconic Beirut museum reopens 3 years after massive damage from port blast

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s Sursock Museum has reopened to the public, three years after a deadly explosion in Beirut's port — set off by tons of improperly stored chemicals — reduced many of its treasured paintings and collections to ashes. The reopening Friday night offered...

Prominent Egyptian rights activist briefly detained in Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese authorities Wednesday briefly detained a prominent Egyptian blogger and human rights activist, his lawyer and sister said, but the reason for his arrest was not immediately clear. The first word about the arrest of Abdul-Rahman Tarek, also known by his...

US authorities take down 13 Hezbollah-affiliated web domains

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S. authorities have seized over a dozen website domains used by sanctioned associates, businesses, and charities of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. Washington has listed the Iran-backed group as a terrorist...

US, Turkey sanction 2 al-Qaida-linked militants in Mideast

BEIRUT (AP) — The United States and Turkey on Tuesday slapped sanctions on two al-Qaida-linked militants believed to have raised money for two militant groups operating in Syria, the U.S. Treasury said. The announcement followed another joint move by Washington and Ankara four...

Lebanon still proxy battleground, 50 years after Israel raid

BEIRUT (AP) — It was a cold night 50 years ago when an Israeli commando team led by a man disguised as a woman infiltrated a posh Beirut neighborhood and shot and killed three top officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization in their apartments. The anniversary is little...

Amnesty: West's 'double standards' fuel Mideast repression

BEIRUT (AP) — A leading international rights group on Tuesday decried what it said were double standards by Western countries that have rallied behind a “robust response” to Russia's invasion of Ukraine but remain “lukewarm" on issues of human rights violations in the Middle East. ...

Rushed daylight-saving decision puts Lebanon in 2 time zones

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese government’s last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight saving time by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in mass confusion Sunday. With some institutions implementing the change while others refused, many...

Activist groups say US airstrikes targeting positions of Iranian-allied forces in Syria killed at least four people

IMF warns without reforms, Lebanon could see hyperinflation

BEIRUT (AP) — The International Monetary Fund gave a grim assessment Thursday of Lebanon’s prospects for getting out of its deepening financial crisis, saying that without reforms, the country is headed for hyperinflation. Since late 2019, tiny Lebanon has fallen into the worst...