Hasan LakkisHussein Dakroub| The Daily Star BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army Thursday defused a car rigged with 100 kilograms of explosives on the outskirts of the Bekaa town of Arsal, which a senior military official said was meant to target a military post in the area. The incident revived bitter memories of the spate of… اقرأ المزيد
At the time this was written, it was expected that President Barack Obama, in explaining to Americans his military strategy against ISIS, would announce that he intended to extend airstrikes into Syria. That may be true, but it leads us to other questions. What is the future of Bashar Assad’s regime? Would such attacks help… اقرأ المزيد
BEIRUT: Qatar has delayed an expected visit to the country by General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim to negotiate the release of police officers and Army soldiers held hostage by ISIS and Nusra Front militants, security sources told The Daily Star. The visit will be delayed until the captors’ official demands are relayed to… اقرأ المزيد
Never in the modern history of the Middle East have so many countries experienced such intense, often violent, domestic conflict or political paralysis. The ongoing wars or severe ideological confrontations in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan and Bahrain have sparked a new industry in explaining what is really going on in the… اقرأ المزيد
Rakan al-FakihNidal al-SolhHasan Lakkis| The Daily Star BEIRUT/BAALBEK: The Lebanese Army took control of a key, strategic hill near Arsal Tuesday, severing the supply lines of militants who continue to hold soldiers and policemen hostage, as the military struggled to bring peace to the Bekaa Valley after tit-for-tat kidnappings linked to the hostage crisis.… اقرأ المزيد
BAALBEK, Lebanon: Rival gunmen engaged in tit-for-tat kidnappings in the Bekaa Valley Monday, heightening sectarian tensions in the region that are already boiling over in the case of 23 Lebanese soldiers and policemen held hostage by militants. The wave of kidnappings that swept the Bekaa Valley, some of which were motivated by ransom,… اقرأ المزيد