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

On Tuesday, May 14, the sun unleashed its most powerful solar flare since 2005, shortly after severe solar storms had illuminated the skies with vibrant northern lights in various locations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center reported that the solar flare peaked just before 1 pm ET and was classified as an X-class flare, specifically …

Astronomers have discovered a new Earth-sized planet just 55 light-years away, orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star. The findings were published in Nature Astronomy. This planet is only the second of its kind found around this type of star. Named SPECULOOS-3 b, the planet completes an orbit in approximately 17 hours, making a year on the planet shorter than a …

On Wednesday, Hezbollah launched attacks on two Israeli command centers in northern Israel as a retaliatory act against an Israeli airstrike that killed a Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah reported that it struck an air control command center in Meron using a barrage of artillery shells, Katyusha rockets, and heavy rockets. Additionally, they targeted the Biranit barracks with heavy …

On Wednesday, Palestinians across the Middle East commemorated the anniversary of their mass displacement from what is now Israel with protests and various events. This remembrance comes amid growing concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Nakba, meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians during the 1948 conflict surrounding the creation of Israel. Since the …

Parliament met on Wednesday to address the Syrian refugee crisis and the recent controversial EU aid package, with lawmakers from across the political spectrum calling for increased refugee returns and stricter measures. “Lebanon’s fate hinges on this session,” said Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri as he opened the meeting. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized the need for national consensus to …

On Wednesday, the European Union called on Israel to immediately halt its military operation in Gaza’s Rafah, cautioning that continued action could damage its relationship with the bloc. “If Israel persists with its military operation in Rafah, it will inevitably place significant strain on the EU’s relationship with Israel,” stated EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in an official statement.

Lebanese state media reported that an Israeli strike on a car in southern Lebanon on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including a Hezbollah field commander, according to a source close to the Iran-backed group. Following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, which ignited the Gaza conflict, Israel and Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, have been …

The upcoming Copa Libertadores match on Thursday features Fluminense facing off against Cerro Porteno. **Fluminense** Fluminense is eager to bounce back after a 2-1 defeat to São Paulo in their last Serie A match. During that encounter, Fluminense held 51% of possession and made 7 attempts on goal, with 2 on target. However, São Paulo was more effective, netting 3 …