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The Star of David painted on a wall inside the Magen Abraham Synagogue, ocated in the former Jewish quarter of Wadi Abu Jamil, in Beirut (Photo JOSEPH EID/AFP).
Society
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By Makram Rabah
Published Oct 25, 2026 - 01:06
Lebanon’s claim to be a refuge must be measured by its ability to protect the right of all its citizens to live freely, without concealing their identity, justifying their presence or repeatedly proving their loyalty. When a community leaves because its members can no longer imagine a safe future at home, Lebanon loses part of its meaning and its capacity to accommodate difference. Rhetoric about diversity and coexistence cannot compensate for that failure. These questions shaped the discussion of Nada Abdel Samad’s book, When the Jewish Balconies of Wadi Abu Jamil Went Dark , at the American University of Beirut, organized by the Department of History and Archaeology and the History and Archaeology Student Society. The gathering confronted what we often prefer not to see: how a Jewish neighborhood disappeared from public memory, and how a Lebanese community’s departure became a footnote, despite what it reveals about our society, our state and our political discourse.
Strategia
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By Khalil Helou - Published Oct 24, 2026 - 23:36
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An Orthodox choir takes part in a procession during celebrations on the eve of the Ethiopian festival of Meskel, equivalent to the Feast of the Cross in the Levant, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. (AFP)
Since April 2023, the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), commanded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti,” has plunged Sudan into a destructive spiral. By October 2026, this civil war had become the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The country's strategic position, where the Red Sea meets the Nile Basin, combined with its vital mineral resources, particularly gold, makes it a major geopolitical linchpin. The prolonged collapse of state institutions threatens stability across the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, intensifying international security concerns.
Decryption

United States - Iran, the war of last resort?

Signs of renewed hostilities as “Iranians struggle to feed themselves”
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By LevantTime . - Published Oct 24, 2026 - 23:25
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A masked Iranian portrays US President Donald Trump inside a symbolic prison cell installed on a billboard in northern Tehran, Iran. (AFP)
Bellicose statements from senior U.S. officials, followed by the deployment of substantial naval forces to the region, warnings to American citizens in the Gulf, and a heightened state of alert among Israeli forces, whose air force has conducted “maneuvers” near Iran’s borders… The United States appears to be preparing to resume large-scale strikes against Iran. For several weeks, Washington and Tehran have been confronting each other primarily at sea: the United States is blockading Iranian ports, while the Islamic Republic is trying to exert control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Neither country has launched a major attack on land targets since early September, but that could soon change.
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Environmental Crime, a Weapon of War from Antiquity to the Present Day

The use by the Israeli air force, on February 1, 2026, of a powerful herbicide, Glyphosate, over vast areas of Lebanese territory, has reignited the question of the deliberate damage inflicted on natural resources in times of war. February 1, 2026: the Israeli air force is observed spraying an apparently toxic substance over large swathes of southern Lebanese territory, in the region of Bint Jbeil. Three days after the incident, on February 4, following analyses conducted on samples collected by the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment announced that the substance in question was Glyphosate, a powerful herbicide. The ministries’ statement reported that the product had been sprayed “at a very high concentration,” denouncing a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty” and an “ecological crime.”

Algeria at the Sahara Crossroads
By
Khairallah Khairallah
Published

The recent meeting held at the United States Embassy in Madrid, centered on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2797 adopted last October 31 regarding the Moroccan Sahara, was no ordinary diplomatic encounter. Algeria’s presence, represented by its Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, was particularly significant, as it restored matters to their proper context: the dispute over the Sahara is, at its core, a Moroccan-Algerian conflict, while the Polisario Front serves merely as an instrument employed by the Algerian regime to justify a war of attrition waged against Morocco for nearly half a century, ever since Rabat recovered its Saharan provinces following Spain’s withdrawal in November 1975.

Nassib Lahoud… Remains the Ideal President

On the anniversary of Nassib Lahoud's passing, in a country accustomed to consuming its presidents even before putting them to the test, and lowering expectations before raising them, Nassib Lahoud's name remains outside this game of consumption. Not because he disappeared from political life, but because he was present in another way: the presence of an idea, not an agreement; the presence of a project, not a power-sharing arrangement. Thus, every time Lebanon goes through a new presidential crisis, Nassib Lahoud's name resurfaces as that of the “ideal president”; not as a romantic nostalgia, but as a moral and political benchmark, a symbol of what could have been.

Massacres in Iran: in Paris, the mobilization does not weaken

Paris, by Arthur Bassil Since the beginning of January, the Iranian diaspora in Europe has been mobilizing to stigmatize the Islamic Republic and the massacres perpetrated against the Iranian people. In Paris, this gathering is renewed every Sunday. Around 3 PM, Place de la Bastille, this Sunday, February 8, a sunny day in Paris. Approximately five thousand demonstrators are gathered around the Iranian flag adorned with the lion and sun to denounce the massacres perpetrated by the Islamic Republic. In addition to this strong symbol, demonstrators brandish images of the victims of these massacres. On January 8 and 9, 2026, exactly one month ago, the Khamenei regime committed the unthinkable: thousands of Iranians were killed in cold blood. Their crime? Having dared to demonstrate against the socio-economic crisis, but above all against the oppression that has plagued Iran for decades.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: An Architectural Jewel and Symbol of Tolerance

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is one of the most iconic landmarks of the United Arab Emirates. A true architectural masterpiece, it welcomes nearly 7 million visitors a year, 82% of whom are international tourists. Beyond its grandeur, the mosque serves as a platform for interfaith dialogu and the promotion of universal human values. The mosque’s story begins in the 1980s, when Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, envisioned a place of worship that would symbolize the moderation of Islam. His vision was clear: to create a building that promotes tolerance and cultural exchange while blending the cultural diversity of the Islamic world with both historical and contemporary architectural and artistic values.

The Feast of Saint Maron: history, sacrifices, and promise of the future

« Lebanon does not belong to the Maronites; it is the Maronites who belong to Lebanon »  Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir Saint Maron, whose feast is celebrated on February 9, is not only a religious figure; he is, for the Maronites and for Lebanon, a founding symbol of freedom, faithfulness, and resilience. Rooted in asceticism and prayer in the 4th century, this Syrian hermit inspired a spiritual tradition that spread over centuries and became the Maronite Church: an essential pillar of Lebanese history and a vital force in the construction of a pluralistic identity in the heart of the Middle East.