L'Orient Today

L'Orient Today Lebanon's independent, critical news service. A sister publication of L'Orient-Le Jour

L’Orient Today is the English-language sister publication of L’Orient-Le Jour. It is an independent news platform that aims to examine the failure of the Lebanese system and to hold political and economic powerbrokers accountable through comprehensive, in-depth reporting.

19/12/2025

🍷 “Wine is a science in itself: the more you learn, the more you love wine—and the more you love wine, the more you learn.”

Founded in 1857 by Jesuit monks, Château Ksara () is a national heritage landmark in Lebanon.

The discovery of Roman caves in 1898 marked a turning point in the history of modern winemaking in the Bekaa Valley.

For our special wine edition this year, we spoke with Zafer Chaoui, President of Ksara.

🔗 Read the article, in partnership with Château Ksara, by clicking the link in our bio.

On Dec. 8, 2025, at al-Nour Square in Tripoli, all eyes are fixed on a large portrait of interim Syrian President Ahmad ...
19/12/2025

On Dec. 8, 2025, at al-Nour Square in Tripoli, all eyes are fixed on a large portrait of interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and his foreign minister, Assad al-Shaibani, displayed at the heart of the roundabout. Like in Damascus, Lebanon’s northern capital marks the anniversary of the Assad clan's fall.

Closely linked to Syria by geography and deep economic, cultural and family ties, Tripoli is no stranger to the Syrian regime’s abuses, from the Bab al-Tabbaneh massacre to forced disappearances and humiliations at checkpoints.

🔗 Read Lyana Alameddine's report through the link below
Olj.me/1488879

📸 Mohammed Yassin/L'Orient Today

It's a big year already for Arab cinema at the Oscars. Of the 15 films shortlisted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts...
19/12/2025

It's a big year already for Arab cinema at the Oscars. Of the 15 films shortlisted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for best international feature, a record four selections hail from the Arab world, including three that feature Palestinian stories and female directors at the helm.

It's a strong message, just weeks before the official nominations are set to be announced, on Jan. 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars awards ceremony will be on March 15.

This quartet of films — "The President’s Cake" (Iraq), "All That’s Left of You" (Jordan), "Palestine 36" (Palestine) and "The Voice of Hind Rajab" (Tunisia) — signal a shift in Hollywood and the mainstream film industry, fed by a surge in global recognition of Arab storytelling, especially focused on Palestinian narratives, after two years of Israel's devastating onslaught against Gaza.

🔗 Tap on the link below for the full article
Olj.me/1488975

18/12/2025

In Ain Ebel, a village in southern Lebanon
located a few kilometers from the border
Israeli, a Christmas market was held despite the war.

While Israel continues to bomb the south of the country, this festival offered, for a few hours, a respite for children affected by years of violence, fear and stress.

Organised within the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts school, alongside several contingents of UNIFIL and humanitarian associations, this "Christmas on the Blue Line" was intended to be deeply symbolic.

A message of peace and resistance to war, in a region devastated by Israeli bombing. An event all the more powerful as this edition could be the last before the announced departure of UNIFIL in 2026. And because, this year, more residents, particularly Shiites, were able to return to their border villages.

At the heart of this celebration: the children. To remind them of something other than bombings, fear, and trauma. To give them back, if only for a moment, the right to laugh, to play, and to enjoy the magic of Christmas.

📽️

Does Nabih Berri really want parliamentary elections to be held?The question arises today as it appears that the speaker...
18/12/2025

Does Nabih Berri really want parliamentary elections to be held?

The question arises today as it appears that the speaker has never faced a situation this difficult, both within his Shiite community and at the national level.

There is broad agreement on one point. For the Shiite community, the 2026 vote will not resemble previous elections.

🔗 Read Yara Abi Akl's article through the link below
Olj.me/1488868

📸 Mohammed Yassin/ L'Orient Today

“Will Israel strike today?” At a time when Lebanon has been living for more than two years under the rhythm of bombings ...
18/12/2025

“Will Israel strike today?” At a time when Lebanon has been living for more than two years under the rhythm of bombings that have caused thousands of deaths and injuries, online platforms turned this war into a real casino.

On one of these platforms, Polymarket, over $8 million has been poured into a grim betting system that allows users to predict, daily, whether Israel will carry out an air strike on Lebanese territory or not.

🔗 Read Salah Hijazi's article through the link below
Olj.me/1488767

📸 AFP

What should be said after a year? That the former jihadist, a powerful This topic is one of the most sensitive. Every wo...
16/12/2025

What should be said after a year? That the former jihadist, a powerful This topic is one of the most sensitive. Every word must be weighed carefully because each will face close scrutiny. Whatever the substance of the argument, it invites dissatisfaction, disapproval, or even accusations from all sides.

It’s a topic that opens too many doors, touches on too many unspoken issues, pulls on threads so tangled that it’s impossible to fully unravel them, even though each one carries its own story.

🔗 Read Anthony Samrani's editorial through the link below
olj.me/1488607

📸 AFP

It took law enforcement more than a year to arrest two suspects in an infant trafficking case who, in the meantime, cont...
16/12/2025

It took law enforcement more than a year to arrest two suspects in an infant trafficking case who, in the meantime, continued their daily lives. On Nov. 26 and Dec. 8, State Security arrested gynecologist J.F., 66, and former mokhtar (local official in charge of records) D.S., 55, respectively, in Saida.

Both are accused of the “illegal sale and transfer of newborns by falsifying birth certificates and civil status documents,” according to official statements released after their arrests.

🔗 Read Nemtala Edde's article through the link below
olj.me/1488585

📸 Joao Sousa

Chtoura customs officials announced Tuesday the seizure of quantities of expired or smuggled food during several raids c...
16/12/2025

Chtoura customs officials announced Tuesday the seizure of quantities of expired or smuggled food during several raids carried out in localities in the Zahle district of the Bekaa, according to a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Large quantities of expired spices and zaatar stored in violation of health regulations were seized during a raid on a mill in the Bar Elias area, in the presence of a representative from the Health Ministry, the statement said.

🔗 Tap on the link below for more⁠
olj.me/1488609

📸 Joao Sousa

Serious efforts to improve relations between Lebanese Army Chief Rodolph Haykal and the United States are ongoing. In re...
16/12/2025

Serious efforts to improve relations between Lebanese Army Chief Rodolph Haykal and the United States are ongoing. In recent days, Haykal, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, and Chairman of the cease-fire monitoring mechanism Joseph Clearfield met during a public event in Beirut.

During this meeting, Haykal was praised by the U.S. for the army’s plan to restore the state’s strict control over weapons. Meanwhile, reports indicate that his visit to Washington has been rescheduled.

🔗 Read Mounir Rabih's analysis through the link below
olj.me/1488583

📸 Lebanese Army

Last Nov. 12, thirteen students were injured in Shhour (Sour) after their private van veered off the road. A month earli...
16/12/2025

Last Nov. 12, thirteen students were injured in Shhour (Sour) after their private van veered off the road. A month earlier, a school bus ended up in a ditch in Dohat al-Hoss (Mount Lebanon), causing several minor injuries. On May 28, in a collision in Bint Jbeil, a teacher lost her life.

"More than a hundred students lose their lives every year on the way to school, whether they walk, take a school bus, use private transportation, or go with their parents," warns Joe Daccache, president of the Lebanese Association for Safety Awareness in Schools (Lassa), a branch of the YASA For Road Safety association, citing estimates in the absence of official figures.

🔗 Read Anne-Marie El-Hage's article through the link below
olj.me/1488504

📸 NNA

Despite security uncertainties related to escalating tensions with Israel and the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament, trav...
15/12/2025

Despite security uncertainties related to escalating tensions with Israel and the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament, travelers are once again keen to visit Lebanon for the upcoming holiday season.

Jean Abboud, president of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies in Lebanon (ATTAL), confirmed yesterday that the current flight occupancy rate to Lebanon stands at "around 90 percent and is likely to increase even more in the coming days with last-minute bookings."

🔗 Read Fouad Gemayel's article through the link below
olj.me/1488431

📸 Mohammed Yassin/ L'Orient Today

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