Drone shot down by air defenses over Erbil near US consulate
An explosive-laden drone was shot down by air defenses over Iraq's Erbil, security sources told Reuters on Wednesday. The drone fell near the U.S. consulate in the city, sources added.
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Trump: Israel should 'redeploy' from Lebanon, Sharaa would be more 'precise' against Hezbollah
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa would “take care” of Hezbollah in a different way from Israel. “He wouldn’t knock down buildings. I’d hate to...
15 July 2026
Unprecedented Iraqi sanctions against Hezbollah and its affiliates
Iraq placed Hezbollah and entities linked to the group on its “banking sanctions” list, following the latest U.S. sanctions targeting the party, according to a leaked document published by Lebanese...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
Tehran allegedly tracked US phones in the Middle East during the Iran war
Iran allegedly exploited telecommunications networks across the Middle East to track U.S. soldiers and contractors, according to a report by the Mobile Surveillance Monitor reviewed by the...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
Civil Defense battles major fire after tanker truck explosion in Hermel
BEIRUT — Civil Defense announced Wednesday that its teams intervened to control a fire that broke out on a tanker truck transporting gas in the city of Hermel. During the firefighting operations,...
15 July 2026
Lebanon, Israel conclude US-brokered talks on 'pilot zones' in Rome
BEIRUT — Lebanon and Israel concluded U.S.-brokered talks in Rome on Wednesday, with a U.S. official saying they had made progress on implementing a plan that could see occupying Israeli forces...
15 July 2026
Military court lifts travel ban on Fadl Shaker
BEIRUT — The Military Court, presided over by Gen. Wassim Fayad, lifted the travel ban imposed on Lebanese-Palestinian singer Fadl Shaker, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported...
15 July 2026
Parliament passes exam and customs bills, ahead of amnesty and death penalty debates
BEIRUT — Parliament on Wednesday passed measures officially canceling the 2026 official exams, and bills related to compensation for victims of the recent Hezbollah-Israel wars, retirement schemes...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
Iranian safe house, meetings abroad: Inside Mossad's alleged plan to return Ahmadinejad to power
A yearslong Israeli intelligence operation aimed to return former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, despite his hardline rhetoric against Israel, according to a report by The New...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
Sami, retired soldier, survives on $300 a month
Six years after the start of Lebanon's economic collapse, and with the war between Hezbollah and Israel having devastated parts of the country since October 2023, L’Orient-Le Jour met Lebanese...
Layal DAGHER, 15 July 2026
In Nicosia, Aila Mroueh opens Etxetera, a hybrid space built for connection
Behind the pink façade and large bay windows that let in the intense Cypriot sunshine, you'll find clothes, towels and colorful tote bags to the left, with a corner at the back filled with...
Anne ILCINKAS, 15 July 2026
Lebanese Army takes control of Fatah-Intifada positions at entrance to Beddawi Palestinian camp
NORTH LEBANON — Units from the Lebanese Army have started taking control of Fatah-Intifada offices at the entrance to the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, according to...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
Lebanon launches 'Dawlati,' a digital portal for state services
BEIRUT — Lebanon's Ministry of State for Administrative Development launched Tuesday "Dawlati," a new unified electronic platform designed to give citizens direct access to government...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
Is Yemen on the brink of war again?
Early warning signs had already begun to emerge. In early July, 16 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes with Houthi rebels in the southern part of Hodeida governorate, while 50 Houthi fighters...
Laure-Maïssa FARJALLAH, 15 July 2026
‘Pilot zones’: Aoun listens to Amal-Hezbollah’s objections as army refines its vision
The Lebanese delegation is taking part in the sixth round of negotiations, this time in Rome, with a sense of resignation. Preliminary contacts have not revealed any genuine Israeli willingness to...
Scarlett HADDAD, 15 July 2026
Museum Night: Six cultural figures draw their ideal itinerary in Lebanon
About 30 museums in Beirut and across Lebanon will open their doors to the public free of charge on Thursday, July 16, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. for Museum Night. Organized by the Culture Ministry in...
Interview by Zéna ZALZAL, 15 July 2026
Former deputy PM Saade Chami: Banks are the most powerful lobbying group in Lebanon
Former Deputy Prime Minister in Najib Mikati’s government from 2021 to 2022, Saade Chami reflects in his book, "Bound by Design: Public Service in a Broken System," on his role in...
Mounir YOUNES, 15 July 2026
US launches new round of strikes against Iran as escalation threatens shipping
The U.S. said it had begun a new wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports. The...
L'Orient Today/Reuters, 15 July 2026
Trump's ICC order violates free speech, advocacy groups say in lawsuit
Two U.S.-based advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, arguing that sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court (ICC) violate constitutional free speech protections...
L'Orient Today/Reuters, 15 July 2026
Lebanon does not need an AI Ministry, it needs digital governance
Mohamad Najem is the executive director of the Beirut–based digital rights organization SMEX — the West Asia and North Africa’s leading digital rights organization.Over the past 18 months,...
Mohamad Najem, 15 July 2026
'ÉTUDE for 10 Dancers': The first steps of a new generation of dancers in Lebanon
For several years now, Jana Younes has been working to build a genuine professional contemporary dance scene in Lebanon. Head of the Beirut Contemporary Ballet, the choreographer also founded the...
Nanette Ziadé-Ritter, 15 July 2026
Chubby Fish introduces the 'hand roll' to Gemmayzeh
Located in one of the capital’s liveliest neighborhoods, the restaurant can accommodate around 60 guests across a counter where hand rolls are prepared in front of customers, an indoor dining area...
Nagi MORKOS, 15 July 2026
Aoun: Framework agreement formula is best possible and is beginning to bear fruit
BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun affirmed Wednesday that "the formula of the framework agreement" concluded on June 26 with Israel is "the best possible and is beginning to bear...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
From Hormuz to Bab al-Mandab: Regional escalation puts Lebanon's gamble to the test
From the Strait of Hormuz to Bab al-Mandab, the Middle East is once again sliding toward escalation. A war that nobody truly wants — or that many hope for — but which, if it erupted, would bear...
Mounir RABIH, 15 July 2026
The French aren't ready for shawarma croissant
Dear reader, When a foreigner visits Lebanon, there’s a very specific, unwritten itinerary you’re expected to follow. First come the heritage checkboxes: the ruins of Baalbek, Saida’s citadel, the...
15 July 2026
Through archives and art, Lamia Joreige’s exhibition revisits the making of modern Middle East
Upon entering Marfa’ gallery, two large canvases by Lamia Joreige invite visitors on a journey through time. The first, titled "Safar Barlik," depicts, in a palette of pale, blurred...
Zéna ZALZAL, 15 July 2026
Lebanese-born neurosurgeon Issam Awad honored for his work on brain hemorrhages
Neurosurgeon Issam A. Awad, an American of Lebanese origin whose career spans more than 46 years in the United States, received the most prestigious award in this field in May: the "H. Richard...
Suzanne BAAKLINI, 15 July 2026
Tax adjustment: Jaber launches mechanism allowing penalty reductions
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber has issued a decision setting out the mechanism that allows taxpayers to benefit from reductions in penalties imposed in cases of tax adjustment, a measure aimed at...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
'Pickaxe Mountain,' the secret Iranian nuclear site Trump threatens to destroy
For the third consecutive night, U.S. forces struck military targets in southern Iran, while Tehran retaliated against American facilities and Washington's partners in the region. This ongoing...
Dany MOUDALLAL, 15 July 2026
Israel claims to have killed 3 Hezbollah members in Beit Yahoun | LIVE
21:56 Beirut Time Ghalibaf says Tehran has no reason to honor US memorandum of understanding without benefits Iran’s top negotiator in talks with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf,...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
Washington will likely have to resort to much more aggressive force to get Tehran to change its calculations
Barely a month after Iran and the United States signed a fragile memorandum of understanding which was intended to pave the way toward a lasting agreement, the Middle East has plunged back into a...
Interview conducted by Noura DOUKHI, 15 July 2026
US-Iran exchange strikes; Israeli attacks on Gaza kill at least 10, settler violence in West Bank surges: Everything you need to know this Wednesday
Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign up.Wednesday, July 15 2026 Some key things to watch today:10 a.m. Press conference with Minister of Agriculture, Nizar Hani, entitled: “We...
Abbas Mahfouz, 15 July 2026
Herve Magro: France always stands by Lebanon and in every field
BEIRUT — During the Bastille Day ceremony at the Résidence des Pins, French Ambassador Herve Magro reiterated his country's support for Lebanon in these very difficult times. "France...
L'Orient Today staff, 15 July 2026
In Damascus, Amer Bisat meets Ahmad al-Sharaa to strengthen Lebanese-Syrian economic ties
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met Tuesday evening in Damascus with Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Amer Bisat, who is accompanied by a Lebanese economic delegation for a visit during...