May 06 Lebanon holds first general elections in 9 years By Bassem Mroue, Associated Press Tens of thousands of Lebanese cast their ballots Sunday in the first parliamentary elections in nine years, a vote that is being fiercely contested between rival groups backed by regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia. Continue reading
Apr 14 Watch 3:21 Syrian people fight for survival as multiple powers face off By PBS News Hour Syrians have continued to flee to neighboring countries and Europe as conflict in their country has intensified, and in Lebanon, nearly one in four people is a Syrian migrant. Meanwhile, pro-Assad leaders have condemned the coordinated strikes on Syria, with… Continue watching
Mar 15 Watch 5:18 Syria's war keeps raging, amid threats of a new Hezbollah-Israel conflict By PBS News Hour What began seven years ago as an uprising against the Assad regime has become a regional proxy war. Now there is talk of another war in the offing, one between Hezbollah and Israel. What would that look like, and how… Continue watching
Nov 18 Lebanese prime minister visits France, says he will return home By Kamala Kelkar Two weeks after disappearing to Saudi Arabia and resigning, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in France on Saturday, announcing he will return home, though failing to quash speculation that he’s under the Saudi government’s control. Continue reading
Nov 06 Analysis: What happened in Saudi Arabia, and what will happen next? By Jane Ferguson Saudi Arabia had seemingly given up on attempting to curb Iran and Hezbollah’s growing influence in Lebanon under the previous King Abdullah. This is a course of action Bin Salman is determined to reverse. Continue reading
Jun 13 Watch 9:42 What the rising power of Hezbollah means for the Middle East By PBS News Hour Hezbollah, considered a terrorist group by the U.S. and others, has been a crucial fighting force in Syria's civil war, integral to the survival of the Assad regime. While the Lebanese militant group’s popularity across the Middle East has plummeted,… Continue watching
Oct 31 Watch 2:44 News Wrap: Iraqi forces fight their way into Mosul By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Monday, Iraqi troops advanced on the city of Mosul after seizing the last village held by the Islamic State on the edge of the city, two weeks after the offensive began. Also, Lebanon finally has a… Continue watching
May 13 Watch 3:24 Hezbollah's top military leader killed in huge blast in Syria By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jul 17 Kerry: Iran 'won't be crushed by sanctions' By Larisa Epatko A landmark agreement that clamps down on Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon makes the region, and particularly Israel, safer, said Secretary of State John Kerry in an interview airing on Friday’s PBS NewsHour. Continue reading
Mar 25 Fall of Yemen government leaves U.S. with few options By Ken Dilanian, Associated Press he hasty maritime departure of Yemen's U.S.-backed president Wednesday illustrated how completely one of the most important American counterterrorism efforts has disintegrated, leaving the country wide open for what could be a deeply destabilizing proxy war between Saudi Arabia and… Continue reading