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Lebanon Is Having Fewer Children, and the Demographic Shift Is Bigger Than It Looks

Lebanon Is Having Fewer Children, and the Demographic Shift Is Bigger Than It Looks

Births in Lebanon have fallen by roughly a quarter since 2020, with hospital-recorded live births dropping from about 103,000 to 78,000 by 2025. The decline reflects more than a global shift toward smaller families.

Oil Is Approaching $100 a Barrel as the Middle East War Threatens Global Supply

Oil Is Approaching $100 a Barrel as the Middle East War Threatens Global Supply

Brent crude is approaching $100 a barrel as renewed fighting across the Middle East threatens already strained oil supplies. Houthi attacks on Saudi cities, U.S. strikes on Iranian tankers and renewed Iranian attacks have pushed a growing geopolitical risk premium into energy markets.

Houthis Strike Saudi Cities as the Middle East War Expands Again

Houthis Strike Saudi Cities as the Middle East War Expands Again

Yemen’s Houthis have launched coordinated attacks on Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, injuring at least 73 people and disrupting operations at Saudi energy facilities.

The West Bank Is Becoming the Next Major Front

The West Bank Is Becoming the Next Major Front

The West Bank is becoming a new source of confrontation between Israel and its Western allies. Settlement expansion, unauthorized outposts and rising settler violence have led Britain, France, Canada and several European countries to move toward bans on trade with Israeli settlements.

Yemen’s Frozen War Is Thawing, and the Red Sea Is Becoming the Next Major Front

Yemen’s Frozen War Is Thawing, and the Red Sea Is Becoming the Next Major Front

Yemen’s four-year military stalemate is beginning to unravel. The Houthis have launched their biggest ground offensive in years toward Taiz and the strategic Bab al-Mandeb, while government forces have responded with rare airstrikes and Saudi Arabia is again exchanging attacks with the group.

Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 12 in Southern Lebanon as Fears of Escalation Grow

Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 12 in Southern Lebanon as Fears of Escalation Grow

Israeli strikes on Kfar Rumman in southern Lebanon have killed at least 12 people, including two children and four women. One strike hit a residential building, while another killed a paramedic.

Lebanon’s Middle Class Is Disappearing

Lebanon’s Middle Class Is Disappearing

Lebanon’s crisis has done more than increase poverty, it has hollowed out the middle class. Since 2019, frozen bank deposits, currency collapse, years of extreme inflation, dollarized expenses and deteriorating public services have destroyed the purchasing power and savings of ordinary families.