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

Protesters have taken to the streets outside the Egyptian embassy in Beirut to voice their opposition to Egypt’s closure of the Rafah border crossing, a crucial passageway linking Egypt with the Gaza Strip. Egypt holds the keys to this vital crossing and has expressed its opposition to any form of forced migration of Palestinians from Gaza into the desert regions …

Qatar’s Energy Minister, Saad al-Kaabi, has urged for a ceasefire in Gaza to alleviate disruptions in the Red Sea impacting hydrocarbon shipments along this crucial maritime route. Al-Kaabi, who is also the CEO of QatarEnergy, attributed the tensions in the Red Sea to the Israeli military actions in Gaza. He expressed hope for a resolution that would cease the conflict, …

Israel has criticized Brazil’s president for making a comparison between the conflict in Gaza and the Holocaust, denouncing his remarks as antisemitic and diminishing the significance of the Nazi genocide against European Jews during World War II. This criticism comes amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two nations since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva assumed office, positioning himself as …

A maritime security company, Ambrey, disclosed on Monday that a cargo vessel under the U.S. ownership and flying the flag of Greece requested military help following a “missile attack” while it was navigating off the coast of Yemen. The firm relayed that according to radio transmissions, the attack occurred, but fortunately, the crew members remained safe and unharmed.

Paris is gearing up to host a conference aimed at supporting the Lebanese Army towards the end of February, with a subsequent conference slated for early March in Rome with the same goal, according to a report by al-Akhbar newspaper. The initiative is a continuation of France’s proposal to bolster the Lebanese Army’s capabilities in southern Lebanon, including the installation …

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki addressed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday, highlighting the suffering of the Palestinian people under what he described as “colonialism and apartheid” due to Israeli occupation. During the week-long hearings at The Hague, which will see representations from an unprecedented 52 countries including the United States, Russia, and China, Al-Maliki called for the …

A Yemeni Houthi rebel attack targeted a Belize-flagged, Lebanese-managed cargo vessel navigating through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, causing significant damage. This incident led to the crew evacuating the ship for safety. The Houthi group, supported by Iran, also claimed to have downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, a claim not …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains steadfast in continuing the military campaign in Gaza, dismissing increasing international pleas for a ceasefire. He insists on achieving “total victory,” particularly emphasizing the potential action in Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has sought safety. Benny Gantz, a key figure in Netanyahu’s War Cabinet, hinted at an invasion into Rafah …