Minutes before a deadly Hezbollah drone strike on an army base in northern Israel this weekend, Israeli police officers notified the Air Force about reports of a suspicious aircraft, the police said. They were told not to worry because the aircraft was Israeli, prompting the officers to close the case. …
Read More »Opinion | ‘Are We Not Humans?’
After my reporting trip to the Chad-Sudan border and columns about the murder, rape and starvation that have devastated Sudan, readers wrote in with many thoughtful comments and questions. Here’s my effort to address some of them: Perhaps you could help us understand the root causes of this conflict. Is …
Read More »What International Law Says About Israel’s Invasion of Lebanon
Since the start of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon last month, debate has swirled regarding the wisdom of Israel’s two-front strategy amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the threat that the fight against Hezbollah poses to civilians and the risk it could ignite a regional war with Iran. But perhaps even …
Read More »In Battered Lebanon, a Lone Gas Station Is a Lifeline in the East
The gas station is nestled on the side of the road, a lone hive of liveliness in an otherwise deserted stretch of eastern Lebanon. By 9 a.m., a steady stream of cars is already pulling up to its pump, and the station’s owner, Ali Jawad, waves them in one by …
Read More »Israeli and U.S. Defense Ministers Discuss Israel’s Expanding Conflicts in Mideast
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III spoke on Thursday with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel’s expanding military operations in Lebanon, the Pentagon said on Friday. A short summary of the call released by Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Mr. Austin’s spokesman, made no mention of any discussion about Israel’s …
Read More »Lebanon’s Prime Minister Calls for U.N. Resolution on an ‘Immediate’ Cease-Fire
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, appealed to the United Nations on Friday to adopt a resolution calling for an “immediate” cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, the latest attempt by his embattled government to bring an end to the violence in Lebanon that has killed thousands and displaced nearly one …
Read More »In Beirut’s Once-Bustling Suburbs, Smoking Rubble and Eerie Quiet
There is little life left in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Roads, typically crammed with bumper-to-bumper traffic and the deafening screech of car horns, are eerily empty. Once-bustling sidewalks where people talked politics over coffee and tea are desolate too. In lieu of plastic bistro chairs, there are shards of …
Read More »Inside the Lebanese Valley Where Israel Is Bombarding Hezbollah
Few signs of life can be seen along the highway in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon. Nearly every shop lining the road is shuttered and the sidewalks empty. The red-and-white painted barriers of some Lebanese army checkpoints are vacant, abandoned by the soldiers guarding them. Even the road is …
Read More »Forced From Home by War, They Found Solace in Soccer
It was just a regular practice, but the players were excited to get on the soccer field. They divided into teams and chose from an array of bibs that all bore the same message: “Women Win.” Just being on the field was a revolutionary act for some of these girls …
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