Lebanon Financial News

Lebanon's billionaire caretaker prime minister has denied allegations of money laundering after a complaint was filed in France by two anti-corruption groups this week

Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war across the Middle East, trading attacks by land, sea, air and in cyberspace. Iran has largely used foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests, while targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists have been a key part of Israel's strategy. Israel's strike in the Syrian capital, Damascus, that killed three top Iranian commanders Monday was the most brazen attack in years, raising fears of a wider confrontation. That would be particularly dangerous in a region already in turmoil on multiple fronts, including Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, cross-border skirmishes between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia against Western interests in the Red Sea. An escalation between Israel and Iran would also risk further entangling the United States, given the presence of U.S. troops in the region.

worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust, conflict has spread across the Middle East. In all, ten countries are now caught up in fighting. In Gaza Israeli soldiers and Hamas are still killing each other, even as 2m people face famine.

Tawfiq Muhammad Said Al-Law, a hawala operator involved in Hezbollah crypto funding, has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the federal agency announced Tuesday.

Hezbollah targets in northeast Lebanon's Hermel area on Tuesday, the deepest raid since cross-border hostilities erupted in October with the Iran-backed group over the Israel-Hamas war. Following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas after the Gaza militants' October 7 attack, Israeli forces along the border with Lebanon have exchanged near-daily fire with the powerful Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah. The group says it is acting in support of its ally Hamas, while Israel has also targeted Hezbollah and Hamas officials in Lebanon, including with strikes deep into Lebanese territory.

Hamas under attack in Gaza, the head of Iran's Quds Force visited Beirut in February to discuss the risk posed if Israel next aims at Lebanon's Hezbollah, an offensive that could severely hurt Tehran's main regional partner, seven sources said. In Beirut, Quds chief Esmail Qaani met Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the sources said, for at least the third time since Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel and Israel's devastating retaliatory assault on Gaza. The conversation turned to the possibility of a full Israeli offensive to its north, in Lebanon, the sources said. As well as damaging the Shi'ite Islamist group, such an escalation could pressure Iran to react more forcefully than it has so far since Oct. 7, three of the sources, Iranians within the inner circle of power, said.

Gaza." According to eyewitnesses, the area was struck by what sounded like artillery fire or a tank. In a statement on Thursday, Gaza Civil Defense Spokesman Mahmoud Basal accused Israel of being responsible for the attack, CNN reported.

Three and a half years after hundreds of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate ignited at the Beirut port, setting off one of the world’s biggest non-nuclear explosions, Lebanese and French officials have put forward a plan for reconstruction and ...

Brent futures for May delivery were up 24 cents at $82.45 a barrel by 1420 GMT. The April U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude contract rose 31 cents at $78.24.

TEL AVIV—The last email Israeli tech executive Itamar Ben Hemo sent before a bullet ripped through his ribs, diaphragm and intestine was a note to a colleague. Ben Hemo wanted to know how close the startup he founded was to signing on a new client.For weeks, Ben Hemo—an Israeli army reservist who returned to active duty after Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel—had been using breaks in combat to fire up his laptop, messaging investors and working on making his next sales.

A top U.S. Treasury official has pressed Lebanese authorities to prevent funds from being funneled to Hamas by way of Lebanon during a visit to Beirut

Krystyna Pyszkova clinched the prestigious Miss World 2024 crown at the glittering event held in Mumbai's Jio World Convention Centre. The occasion, graced by luminaries and renowned personalities, marked a celebration of femininity and global diversity. This year's Miss World competition garnered immense anticipation, particularly due to India's rich history of producing exceptional beauty queens. The event, far beyond a mere pageant, resonated as a tribute to womanhood in its entirety. Renowned Indian designer Archana Kochhar curated the stunning ensembles donned by the contestants, adding a touch of Bollywood flair to the spectacle.

Sini Shetty was bested by Miss Lebanon who made it till top 4. Sini Shetty, a 22 year old Bharatnatyam dancer represented India in the beauty pageant. She was born and raised in Mumbai.

French cryptography startup Zama has raised $73 million in a Series A funding round led by Multicoin Capital, Protocol Labs and participation from well-known crypto players such as Polkadot co-founder Gavin Wood, and Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko.

The Middle East franchisee of Starbucks has begun firing some 2,000 staff at its coffee shops across the region after the brand found itself targeted by activists during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip

Chief mate Mahmoud Gwealy awoke to a loud bang that sent the laptop on his chest crashing into his nose. The 29-year-old Egyptian sailor had dozed off for the evening while watching Lebanese soap operas in the upstairs quarters of the Rubymar. The British-owned bulk carrier had been rocking in such high swells that he wondered if it had been slammed by a huge wave.

Indian man, Pat Nibin Maxwell, was tragically killed in a missile strike near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday. The attack, which targeted an orchard in northern Israel, also injured two other Kerala natives, Paul Melvin and Bush Joseph George. Maxwell, who hailed from Kollam, Kerala, had only been in Israel for two months, leaving behind his pregnant wife and five-year-old daughter. His family received the devastating news in a phone call from his wife on Monday evening, learning of his initial injury and later, his passing. «He was in Muscat and Dubai and then returned home,» Maxwell's father, Pathrose, recounted. «Then, he went to Israel. First my elder son went there. A week later, my younger son followed.»

Israel on Tuesday advised Indians working in Israeli border areas to relocate to safe zones within the country. The advisory comes a day after an anti-tank missile attack near Israel's border with Lebanon killed one foreign worker and seriously wounded two Indians. «In view of the prevailing security situation and local safety advisories, all Indians nationals in Israel, especially those working in or visiting border areas in the north and south, are advised to relocate to safe areas within Israel,» said the embassy in a post on X. «The Embassy remains in touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals,» it added.

Ramadan started on March 24 and finished on April 21. In countries like United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UK, US, Turkey, Maldives, Ramadan is likely to start on 11 March. In India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt, Ramadan is likely to start from 12 March, a report by Hindustan Times has states.

Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been trading fire since the Palestinian group Hamas stormed southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, in a steadily intensifying conflict that has fuelled concern of wider escalation. "The war in the south is linked to the aggression on Gaza on the one hand, and to securing means of protection for our country on the other," senior Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah said.

export violations including Chinese employees in China improperly downloading documents related to U.S. Defense Department programs.