The Daily Star Lebanon Breaking News, Lebanon News, Middle East News & World News

Thousands of mourners gathered in southern Lebanon for an emotional funeral ceremony, honoring nearly 100 Lebanese people who were killed during last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah. This large-scale funeral, held in the village of Aitaroun, was the biggest mass burial Lebanon has seen since the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect three months earlier. The ceremony followed a separate …

The Trump administration has authorized a substantial arms sale to Israel, totaling nearly $3 billion, by invoking an emergency provision to bypass the standard congressional review process. This decision facilitates the immediate transfer of munitions that have been utilized in Israel’s recent military operations against Hamas in Gaza. The approved package includes over 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs, along …

In the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun, families gathered on Friday to mourn 95 individuals, including civilians and Hezbollah fighters, who perished during a 14-month conflict with Israel. These victims had been temporarily interred in Tyre due to the Israeli military’s extended presence in border areas beyond the initial withdrawal deadline. The Lebanese Health Ministry and military had designated a …

On Friday morning, authorities at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport apprehended a man identified as Mohammad H. upon his arrival on a Turkish Pegasus Airlines flight. During a routine inspection, officials discovered $2.5 million in cash concealed within his luggage. This significant seizure has prompted an intensive investigation to determine the origin of the funds and their intended destination. Preliminary …

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief Herzi Halevi recently suggested that the military considered targeting the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Addressing cadets at the 1st Infantry Division, Halevi mentioned deliberations about the event, implying a potential attack was under discussion. During Nasrallah’s funeral in Beirut, Israeli warplanes conducted low-altitude flyovers, causing a significant disturbance among the tens of thousands …

Hamas has expressed its readiness to enter discussions for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, following a significant prisoner exchange. In this recent exchange, Hamas handed over the remains of four Israeli hostages in return for the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody. This marks the completion of the initial phase of the truce, which commenced …

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has expressed optimism about the potential inclusion of Saudi Arabia in the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab nations brokered during Trump’s first term. Witkoff believes that such a development could pave the way for broader regional peace, suggesting that countries like Lebanon and Syria might …

Major General Uri Gordin, head of Israel’s Northern Command, has informed local leaders near the Lebanese border that the current security conditions permit evacuated residents to return to their communities. He also announced plans to reopen tourist sites in northern Israel by early March. Approximately 60,000 Israelis were evacuated from border areas during the 14-month conflict with Hezbollah. Although a …