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BEIRUT: With most of its natural and mineral resources having fallen under rebel control, Syrian state revenues have shrunk, leaving the government dependent on unstable sources of income for its survival. Four years of conflict have decimated the state coffers. Now the government’s only revenues are drawn from dwindling customs and income taxes, heavily bolstered by lines of credit from …

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s national museum officially reopened Saturday after 12 years of painstaking efforts during which close to a third of 15,000 pieces looted during the U.S.-led invasion were recovered. The reopening was brought forward in what officials said was a response to the destruction of priceless artifacts by ISIS in the northern city of Mosul. “We have been preparing to reopen for …

BEIRUT: A selfie showing Miss Lebanon Saly Greige posing next to Miss Israel Doron Matalon, a wide smile on their faces, caused uproar in Lebanon as the hashtag “Two words for Miss Lebanon” trended over the weekend. Greige defended herself against accusations that she posed for a selfie with Miss Israel during the Miss Universe contest currently being held in Miami, saying Matalon photobombed the picture. …

BEIRUT: Hezbollah’s deputy chief implied Sunday that news of the arrest of a senior party official over espionage for Israel was true. “There is no party in the world as big and sophisticated as Hezbollah that was able to stand with the same steadfastness despite some major infiltrations,” Naim Qassem told Hezbollah’s An-Nour radio station. “Hezbollah has worked intensely on battling espionage among its ranks and …

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s General Security approved unprecedented entry restrictions for Syrian nationals who will no longer be able to enter Lebanon without a visa, in a move aimed at curbing the entry of refugees fleeing almost four years of conflict. A statement released by General Security on New Year’s Eve said that under the new regulations, which will take effect on Jan. 5, …

BEIRUT: The Agriculture Ministry Wednesday morning set the wheels in motion for a reforestation project to plant 40 million trees, sponsored by Prime Minister Tammam Salam. The U.N.’ Food and Agriculture Organization representative in Lebanon, Maurice Saade, announced during a news conference at the Grand Serail that the FAO would offer the Agriculture Ministry technical help and funding to the tune of almost $300,000 …

THE HAGUE: Dutch F-16s Tuesday carried out their first strikes on ISIS in Iraq, the defense ministry said, with militants possibly killed. “Two Dutch F-16s this morning used weapons for the first time in Iraq against the ISIS terror group. They dropped three bombs on armed ISIS vehicles that were shooting at (Kurdish) Peshmerga fighters in the north of the country,” the statement said. “Vehicles were …

BEIRUT: “Madad, madad oh master Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.” The reverent-sounding words issue from the six musicians seated in a semicircle, their call-and-response vocals backed by furiously strummed oud and a buzuk, and the rhythmic beats of a tar, a large frame drum used in Levantine classical music.“You who rule by God’s rules,” they continue, referring to the supposedly Islamic rule …