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

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi initiated a visit to the conflict-affected southern Lebanon on Thursday, beginning with a prayer at the Our Lady of the Seas Cathedral in Tyre. Al-Rahi expressed concerns about the ongoing war, noting its potential to spread beyond Gaza. Emphasizing his desire for peace, he mentioned plans to meet with both Muslim and Christian leaders in the …

Joel Embiid overcame recent health issues to score an impressive 50 points, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 131-126 win over the Washington Wizards in Wednesday’s NBA game. After missing two games due to illness, the reigning NBA MVP returned in stellar form, achieving a season-best performance on the road. This marked Embiid’s second high-scoring game against the Wizards this …

Rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for a “war crime” investigation into an Israeli strike in Lebanon that resulted in the death of one journalist and injuries to six others. This was reported to AFP on Thursday. The incident, which occurred on October 13 near the Israeli border in southern Lebanon, claimed the life of 37-year-old …

A new security team from France is set to arrive in Beirut within the next couple of days. This visit follows closely on the heels of a recent trip by Bernard Emie, the French intelligence chief, as reported by Annahar newspaper on Thursday. The newspaper indicated that this delegation is scheduled to meet with numerous officials. In addition, there’s speculation …

On Wednesday evening, Maria Lourdes Carle emerged victorious against Valeriya Strakhova with scores of 6-4, 6-3. This win secured Carle, the fifth seed from Argentina, a spot in the second round of the Montevideo Open, held at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club. Ranked 140th, Carle is set to face Slovenian player Polona Hercog in the upcoming round. Other first-round results …

American officials are currently assessing the feasibility of a land border agreement between Israel and Lebanon, akin to the maritime border deal established in 2022, according to Israeli sources. As reported by the Yedioth Aharonot newspaper, Amos Hochstein, a key figure in the maritime border agreement and actively working to de-escalate border tensions since October 7, is exploring ways to …

This week, a French delegation consisting of diplomats and high-ranking military officers arrived in Israel. France is actively seeking a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, as reported by Israeli media. Channel 13 in Israel revealed that this delegation is scheduled to hold discussions with representatives from Israel’s foreign and defense ministries. Israeli officials …

Lebanon is eager for the TotalEnergies-led consortium to start drilling a second well in offshore Block 9 as soon as feasible, as per a Reuters report quoting Lebanon Energy Minister Walid Fayad. The first exploratory well in Block 9 did not yield a commercially viable amount of natural gas. TotalEnergies, holding a 35% stake, leads the operation of Block 9, …