August 18th, 20200By Laura Albast
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Between 50 and 60 individuals from the Lebanese diaspora gathered in front of Lebanon’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday afternoon. They demonstrated to show solidarity with, and demand justice for, the victims of the Beirut blast.
Compared to the demonstrations held last year at the...
August 18th, 20200LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands — On Tuesday, a U.N.-backed tribunal convicted Salim Jamil Ayyash, allegedly a member of the Hezbollah group, of conspiring to kill former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in a 2005 bombing that set the stage for years of confrontation between Lebanon’s political forces.
Hariri, a Sunni Muslim...
August 15th, 20201On August 4, hours before a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an ominous warning to Lebanon.
“We hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers,” Netanyahu said during an official tour of a military facility in central Israel. “I suggest to all of them, including,...
August 14th, 20200BEIRUT — Another day of unrest and protests in Beirut on Thursday, as Lebanese security forces tried to stop angry protesters from approaching a meeting of MPs. The MPs gathered for the first time since the port side blast that killed 172 people on Tuesday, Aug. 4, with dozens still missing.
The death and injury toll (estimated...
August 10th, 20200BEIRUT — On Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the official resignation of his government after a powerful Beirut port explosion sparked outrage and protests against the country’s leaders. The massive explosion that devastated the capital last Tuesday killed some 200 people and wounded 6,000 others.
Diab...
August 7th, 20200BEIRUT (REUTERS) — Lebanon’s president said on Friday an investigation into the biggest blast in Beirut’s history would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference, as residents tried to rebuild their shattered lives after the explosion.
The search for those missing has intensified, as rescuers sifted...
August 5th, 20200BEIRUT — On Wednesday, Lebanese rescue teams pulled out bodies and hunted for missing people in the wreckage caused by a massive warehouse explosion that sent a devastating blast wave across Beirut, killing at least 135.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared three days of mourning from Thursday as early investigations blamed...
August 4th, 20200BEIRUT — A huge explosion in Beirut has caused at least 78 deaths and 4,000 injuries. The explosion sent a shockwave across the Lebanese capital, creating massive destruction, shattering windows and collapsing apartment balconies.
Social media became flooded with videos and photos from eyewitnesses on the ground soon after the...
August 3rd, 20200
BEIRUT (REUTERS) — Lebanon named the president’s diplomatic adviser as new foreign minister on Monday after Nassif Hitti quit the post, blaming a lack of political will to enact reforms to halt a financial meltdown, which he warned could turn Lebanon into a failed state.
Foreign donors have...
July 27th, 20200BEIRUT (Reuters) — Lebanon reimposed severe COVID-19 restrictions on Monday for the next two weeks, shutting places of worship, cinemas, bars, nightclubs, sports events and popular markets, after a sharp rise in infections.
Shops, private companies, banks and educational institutions would be permitted to open, but only on Tuesdays...
July 18th, 20200ROCHESTER — Majd Faraj, a second-year medical student at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWB), is leading a project to bring much needed medical supplies to Lebanon.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the Lebanese healthcare infrastructure this year. The problem has been compounded by an already...
July 17th, 20200
BEIRUT - Lebanon’s financial adviser Lazard will see if a government financial rescue plan can be adjusted to reach a compromise workable for the International Monetary Fund, two sources said on Friday, after the plan hit resistance from politicians, banks and the central bank.
The plan, which...
June 28th, 20200BEIRUT — President Michel Aoun warned on Thursday of an “atmosphere of civil war” during recent unrest in Lebanon and what he described as attempts to stir up sectarian tensions as a financial crisis sweeps the country.
Aoun, a Maronite Christian, was speaking at a meeting that he said was called to protect civil peace, but...
June 19th, 20200BEIRUT — A financial adviser working with Lebanon’s government in talks with the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that he had resigned, citing “no genuine will” to reform and attempts to dismiss the size of losses in the financial system.
Lebanon began IMF talks in May, aiming to secure aid to steer its way out of...
June 4th, 20201BEIRUT — Earlier in the week, Tania Saleh, a Lebanese singer and visual artist based out of Beirut, decided to show her support for international protests by photoshopping her face on that of another, presumably Black woman’s, face and posting it on her social media accounts.
The image, which may have been well-intentioned, was...
February 28th, 20200DUBAI - Coronavirus cases have now been confirmed in at least nine countries in the Middle East, with the largest number of deaths in Iran, and six countries reporting first infections this past week.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the first country in the Middle East to report a confirmed case of the virus, officially known as...
February 19th, 20200DEARBORN — Brothers Mohamad and Ali Bydon were guests of honor at a packed dinner celebration on Saturday, Feb. 15, where members of Michigan’s Arab American community gathered to acknowledge recent remarkable medical achievements by two of their own.
Both brothers have made significant achievements in their fields. Mohamad is...
January 30th, 20200SEATTLE — A report by a community newspaper in Washington unveiled a directive issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Seattle Field Office that instructs officers to perform vetting on individuals from or who have connections to Palestine, Lebanon or Iran, as well as those belonging to other nationalities that have traveled...
January 16th, 20200BEIRUT — An upsurge of violence in Lebanon’s protests against the ruling elite, with police meting out beatings and protesters hurling stones, has alarmed rights groups and whipped up public fury. After a brief lull in largely peaceful protests since October, people filled the streets again this week, angry at a political class that...
January 16th, 20200How did Lebanon end up on the brink of financial collapse? A country that many have called in the past the Switzerland of the Middle East and the birthplace of Khalil Gibran and Kamel Al-Sabbah.
With the third largest shipping company (CMA-CGM) in the world belonging to a Lebanese family, the country benefits from one of the richest...
December 27th, 20190NORTHVILLE — Fine fabrics, stylish and often lavish suits, pants, jackets and shoes adorn a beautiful and classy interior at Alexander’s Custom Clothiers in a chic Northville shopping and commercial neighborhood.
Though miles away from the Arab American hubs of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, the town has its own connections with...
December 4th, 20190DEARBORN HEIGHTS — On a cold Monday morning, community leaders stood with the family and friends of Dearborn Heights resident Median El-Moustrah, who is slated for deportation to Lebanon despite the country’s inability to treat his many serious health conditions.
Hours before Thanksgiving Immigration and Customs Enforcement...
November 27th, 20192DEARBORN HEIGHTS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to deport a very ill Dearborn Heights resident to Lebanon, an act which can potentially mean a death sentence for the beloved 49-year-old husband and father of three.
Median El Moustrah has been diagnosed with multiple serious medical conditions, including diabetes,...
August 10th, 20190BEIRUT - On top of being refugees who have been displaced twice, Palestinian refugees who previously resided in Syria and fled the war to Lebanon have been rejected entry visas to visit Mecca for the holy pilgrimage.
Tens of Palestinian refugees with "stateless" passports from Syria have been denied the chance to perform Hajj by Saudi...
June 30th, 20190BEIRUT — The Lebanese government and parliament both oppose a U.S. plan for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Wednesday, the National News Agency reported.
The first phase of President Trump’s plan to revive the peace process is being discussed at an economic workshop in Bahrain and...
June 22nd, 20190SOUTHFIELD – The Lebanese Consulate in Detroit is an active and contributing member in the community, with Suzan Mouzi-Yassine as its consul general and the head of the mission. In an interview with The Arab American News, Mouzi-Yassine explained the various services the Consulate offers to the large Lebanese American community in...
June 4th, 20190BEIRUT - A militant attacked a security patrol in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers before blowing himself up, officials said.
Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan described it as a “lone wolf attack”, though authorities canceled Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the coastal...
May 31st, 20190DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Abbas Youssef remembers the mood in his southern Lebanese village the day Israel fled and relinquished control of the region after 22 years of occupation.
Israel was driven out by Lebanese resistance on May 25, 2000, a day known to many in the Lebanese American community as Liberation Day.
The Guardian reported...
