As Lebanese pound hits record low against dollar, tensions seem to rise. Protests broke out in the capital city of Beirut and to prevent break-ins and hold-ups by angry protesters, banks in Lebanon have been declared close for 3 days.

Lebanon Economic Crisis: Protests break out in Beirut; protesters demand release of detainees

The display case at the Archaeological Museum of the American University of Beirut collapsed following the explosion at the Beirut port in 2020 and shattered into glass pieces. Now, after 3 months of work, 8 artifacts have been restored.

British museum restores 8 glass artifacts shattered in Beirut explosion in 2020

Just days before the second anniversary of a catastrophic explosion at the port of the Lebanese capital that destroyed the businesses and parts of the city, portions of Beirut's grain silos fell on Sunday. A cloud of dust blanketed Beirut's port, and two towers were believed to have fallen in the northern area of the severely damaged silos, where a fire has been raging for more than two weeks. The tragedy was captured on camera, with footage showing part of the silo collapsing and a huge dust cloud rising when debris hit the ground.

The building had mostly absorbed the force of the massive explosion that occurred at Beirut's port on August 4, 2020, killing over 200 people and injuring over 6,500 more. Large areas of the city's west were protected by the silos from the terrible consequences of the explosion, which was brought on by ammonium nitrate fertiliser that had been carelessly stored catching fire. According to authorities, Sunday's partial fall occurred almost two weeks after a fire broke out in the port's northern silos as a result of the fermentation of leftover grain inventories and extreme summer heat.

This week, the interim prime minister of Lebanon issued a cautionary statement. He cautioned employees, members of civil defence, and firefighters to maintain a safe distance from the site and instructed the troops to be ready. An intimidating 48-metre (157-foot) towering silo remnant that formerly had a capacity of more than 100,000 tonnes has come to represent the disastrous port disaster. Due to complaints, particularly those from the family of bomb victims who want the silos preserved as a memorial place, the government's April order to demolish them was put on hold.

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From the beginning, political resistance to the Lebanese investigation into the explosion has been persistent and obvious. According to a statement released this week, authorities were unable to remove the approximately 3,000 tonnes of wheat and corn locked in the silos because doing so might hasten their collapse. The environment and health ministries urged public to leave the port area and wear masks close to the silos in case they fell.

(with inputs from agencies)

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Just days before the second anniversary of a catastrophic explosion at the port of the Lebanese capital that destroyed the businesses and parts of the city, portions of Beirut's grain silos fell on Sunday.

Just days before the second anniversary of a catastrophic explosion at the port of the Lebanese capital that destroyed the businesses and parts of the city, portions of Beirut's grain silos fell on Sunday. A cloud of dust blanketed Beirut's port, and two towers were believed to have fallen in the northern area of the severely damaged silos, where a fire has been raging for more than two weeks. The tragedy was captured on camera, with footage showing part of the silo collapsing and a huge dust cloud rising when debris hit the ground. The building had mostly absorbed the force of the massive explosion that occurred at Beirut's port on August 4, 2020, killing over 200 people and injuring over 6,500 more. Large areas of the city's west were protected by the silos from the terrible consequences of the explosion, which was brought on by ammonium nitrate fertiliser that had been carelessly stored catching fire. According to authorities, Sunday's partial fall occurred almost two weeks after a fire broke out in the port's northern silos as a result of the fermentation of leftover grain inventories and extreme summer heat. This week, the interim prime minister of Lebanon issued a cautionary statement. He cautioned employees, members of civil defence, and firefighters to maintain a safe distance from the site and instructed the troops to be ready. An intimidating 48-metre (157-foot) towering silo remnant that formerly had a capacity of more than 100,000 tonnes has come to represent the disastrous port disaster. Due to complaints, particularly those from the family of bomb victims who want the silos preserved as a memorial place, the government's April order to demolish them was put on hold. Also Read: Putin signs Russian naval doctrine, says US, NATO ‘main threats’ to national security From the beginning, political resistance to the Lebanese investigation into the explosion has been persistent and obvious. According to a statement released this week, authorities were unable to remove the approximately 3,000 tonnes of wheat and corn locked in the silos because doing so might hasten their collapse. The environment and health ministries urged public to leave the port area and wear masks close to the silos in case they fell. (with inputs from agencies)

Beirut's fire-damaged grain silos collapse after two weeks of burning

The accusations against a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/salman-rushdie-articulate-after-stabbing-attack-responding-to-investigators-report-507441">Lebanese</a> man who took bank employees hostage last week in Beirut to demand access to his frozen savings have been dismissed, and he has been released from detention.

Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, who assaulted a Federal <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-refuses-to-release-7-billion-afghan-funds-but-usaid-will-commit-40-million-for-girls-education-507658">bank</a> branch in Beirut with a rifle, was ordered to be released by Judge Ghassan al-Khoury after the bank withdrew its accusations against him, according to a report from the state-run National News Agency on Tuesday.

Last Thursday, following an hour-long struggle, Hussein surrendered after the bank permitted him to withdraw $30,000 from his more than $200,000 in frozen savings, according to media sources.

According to state media, he made the dramatic decision to use his savings in order to pay for his father's surgery.

The event was the most recent between furious depositors who couldn't access their frozen savings since 2019 and Lebanese banks.

Many in Lebanon, who hold the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/stranded-at-tashkent-gokulam-kerala-fc-beg-for-political-support-for-players-stuck-in-the-uzbek-capital-507723"> political</a> and banking elite responsible for the nation's financial crisis, which the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent times, have welcomed Hussein as a hero.

The World Bank accused government officials of utilising a "Ponzi" scheme approach to public financing during the previous 30 years, benefiting important political and economic actors at the expense of normal depositors, in a study released this month.

It described the current economic crisis as a "deliberate depression" and claimed that the government had repeatedly and severely strayed from an orderly and disciplined fiscal policy to further its greater goal of securing political economic goals.

(With inputs from agencies)

Also watch |&nbsp;The West Asia Post: Decoding Lebanon's bank hostage standoff

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The accusations against a Lebanese man who took bank employees hostage last week in Beirut to demand access to his frozen savings have been dismissed, and he has been released from detention.

The accusations against a Lebanese man who took bank employees hostage last week in Beirut to demand access to his frozen savings have been dismissed, and he has been released from detention. Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, who assaulted a Federal bank branch in Beirut with a rifle, was ordered to be released by Judge Ghassan al-Khoury after the bank withdrew its accusations against him, according to a report from the state-run National News Agency on Tuesday. Last Thursday, following an hour-long struggle, Hussein surrendered after the bank permitted him to withdraw $30,000 from his more than $200,000 in frozen savings, according to media sources. According to state media, he made the dramatic decision to use his savings in order to pay for his father's surgery. The event was the most recent between furious depositors who couldn't access their frozen savings since 2019 and Lebanese banks. Many in Lebanon, who hold the political and banking elite responsible for the nation's financial crisis, which the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent times, have welcomed Hussein as a hero. The World Bank accused government officials of utilising a "Ponzi" scheme approach to public financing during the previous 30 years, benefiting important political and economic actors at the expense of normal depositors, in a study released this month. It described the current economic crisis as a "deliberate depression" and claimed that the government had repeatedly and severely strayed from an orderly and disciplined fiscal policy to further its greater goal of securing political economic goals. (With inputs from agencies) Also watch | The West Asia Post: Decoding Lebanon's bank hostage standoff

Lebanese man who held up bank for trapped savings walks free

How far would you go for your money? A Lebanese man has set a dangerous precedent. The 42-year-old man held a bank hostage over his own money, but the people of Beirut are hailing him as a 'hero'. Why? Watch this report by Palki Sharma to find out.

Gravitas: This man held a bank hostage over his own money

A hostage crisis in a bank in Beirut ended after the authorities agreed to grant a local gunman partial access to his frozen funds in exchange for releasing all six hostages.

WION Dispatch: Lebanon bank hostage crisis ends after partial payout

A Lebanese man who took a bank hostage in order to access his own money is being hailed as a hero by the public in Beirut.

Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, a 42-year-old food-delivery driver, stormed the Federal Bank branch in the capital to withdraw a part of his frozen savings of $210,000 to help pay for his father’s hospital bill.

According to AFP news agency, he entered the bank with a rifle, poured petrol and demanded his money. Following a seven-hour stand-off, he was arrested and taken out of the bank, with no injury being reported.

LBC TV channel reported that the armed man surrendered after he was allowed to take $35,000 of his savings upfront.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the bank during the stand-off and chanted, "You are a hero."

The hostage taker represents the anger of a wider public whose savings accounts have been frozen for over three years due to the economic crisis. Banks have allowed depositors only token withdrawals of dollars each month that are insufficient to meet the most basic of needs.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lebanon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lebanon</a>: A man has taken as many as 10 people hostage in a Beirut bank today after he was denied the ability to withdraw savings to pay his father’s medical bills. The man, named Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, reportedly was denied access to $210,000. <a href="https://t.co/7f0EkEPm72">https://t.co/7f0EkEPm72</a> <a href="https://t.co/omqfZDucki">pic.twitter.com/omqfZDucki</a>
— POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PopularFront_/status/1557753421784141825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Mariam Chehadi, Hussein’s wife, who was standing outside, told reporters that her husband “did what he had to do,”&nbsp;reports AP news agency.

Hussein’s brother Atef, also standing outside the bank, defended his brother. “My brother is not a scoundrel. He is a decent man. He takes what he has from his own pocket to give to others.”

Notably, this was the second incident of bank siege reported this year. In January, another angry depositor doused customers in a regional bank with fuel and demanded his savings. He too was successful.

The country is in the midst of one of the world's most severe economic crises. Apart from the cost-of-living crisis and shortages of wheat and medicines, Lebanon's local currency has lost more than 90 per cent of its value since 2019.

According to UN, around four-fifths of the population is living in poverty.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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A Lebanese man who took a bank hostage in order to access his own money is being hailed as a hero by the public in Beirut. Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, a 42-year-old food-delivery driver, stormed the Federal Bank branch in the capital to withdraw a part of his frozen savings of $210,000 to help pay for his father’s hospital bill.

A Lebanese man who took a bank hostage in order to access his own money is being hailed as a hero by the public in Beirut. Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, a 42-year-old food-delivery driver, stormed the Federal Bank branch in the capital to withdraw a part of his frozen savings of $210,000 to help pay for his father’s hospital bill. According to AFP news agency, he entered the bank with a rifle, poured petrol and demanded his money. Following a seven-hour stand-off, he was arrested and taken out of the bank, with no injury being reported. LBC TV channel reported that the armed man surrendered after he was allowed to take $35,000 of his savings upfront. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the bank during the stand-off and chanted, "You are a hero." The hostage taker represents the anger of a wider public whose savings accounts have been frozen for over three years due to the economic crisis. Banks have allowed depositors only token withdrawals of dollars each month that are insufficient to meet the most basic of needs. #Lebanon: A man has taken as many as 10 people hostage in a Beirut bank today after he was denied the ability to withdraw savings to pay his father’s medical bills. The man, named Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, reportedly was denied access to $210,000. https://t.co/7f0EkEPm72 pic.twitter.com/omqfZDucki — POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_) August 11, 2022 × Mariam Chehadi, Hussein’s wife, who was standing outside, told reporters that her husband “did what he had to do,” reports AP news agency. Hussein’s brother Atef, also standing outside the bank, defended his brother. “My brother is not a scoundrel. He is a decent man. He takes what he has from his own pocket to give to others.” Notably, this was the second incident of bank siege reported this year. In January, another angry depositor doused customers in a regional bank with fuel and demanded his savings. He too was successful. The country is in the midst of one of the world's most severe economic crises. Apart from the cost-of-living crisis and shortages of wheat and medicines, Lebanon's local currency has lost more than 90 per cent of its value since 2019. According to UN, around four-fifths of the population is living in poverty. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Armed man who held bank staff hostage to withdraw savings becomes hero in Lebanon

An armed Lebanese man stormed into a bank in Beirut on Thursday, holding staff members hostage and threatening to light himself on fire with gasoline if he didn't receive his trapped savings, a security official reported.

According to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations, the man, identified as 42-year-old Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, allegedly entered a branch of the Federal Bank in Beirut's busy Hamra neighbourhood carrying a canister of gasoline and held six or seven bank employees hostage. George al-Haj, the head of the Bank Staff Syndicate, however, told local media that two customers and seven to eight bank employees are being taken hostage.

<img alt="A man shouts inside the bank as he holds hostages at gunpoint in Beirut,, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. A Lebanese security official says a man armed with a shotgun has broken into a Beirut bank, holding employees hostage and threatening to set himself ablaze with gasoline unless he receives his trapped saving. " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="86be5d9e-c107-48c2-98fc-cfe45faf2001" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/1000_5.jpeg" />A man shouts inside the bank as he holds hostages at gunpoint in Beirut,&nbsp;Lebanon on&nbsp;Aug. 11, 2022. A Lebanese security official says a man armed with a shotgun has broken into a Beirut bank, holding employees hostage and threatening to set himself ablaze with gasoline unless he receives his trapped saving. (Photo credits: AP)

According to the official, the man also fired three warning shots. He reportedly has roughly $200,000 trapped in the bank, according to local media.

Since late 2019, Lebanon's cash-strapped banks have imposed stringent withdrawal restrictions on foreign currency assets, effectively wiping out many Lebanese savings. Three-quarters of the people are now living in poverty as a result of the nation's worst economic crisis in modern times, and the value of the Lebanese pound has fallen by nearly 90% versus the dollar.

The region has been surrounded by members of the Lebanese army, internal security force police officers, and intelligence personnel. Officers are attempting to negotiate a deal with the armed man, but so far without success.

According to a bank customer who left the premises as the conflict got worse, the customer was demanding to withdraw $2,000 to cover his father's healthcare fees. Standing outside the bank, his brother Atef told the Associated Press that if the bank would give him money to cover his father's medical expenditures and family expenses, his brother would be willing to turn himself in.

As Hussein waited for his savings to be released, a large group of demonstrators gathered nearby, chanting anti-Lebanese government and bank slogans. Even several onlookers praised him as a hero.

Dina Abou Zor, an attorney with the legal and advocacy group the Depositors' Union, was among the protesters. "What led us to this situation is the state's failure to resolve this economic crisis and the banks' and Central Bank's actions, where people can only retrieve some of their own money as if it's a weekly allowance," she said. And as a result, some people have acted independently.

A coffee shop owner in eastern Lebanon successfully withdrew $50,000 from a bank branch in January after holding bank employees hostage and threatening to kill them.

Since the start of the economic crisis, Lebanon has not yet implemented official capital controls.

(With inputs from the agencies)

An armed Lebanese man stormed into a bank in Beirut on Thursday, holding staff members hostage and threatening to light himself on fire with gasoline if he didn't receive his trapped savings, a security official reported.

An armed Lebanese man stormed into a bank in Beirut on Thursday, holding staff members hostage and threatening to light himself on fire with gasoline if he didn't receive his trapped savings, a security official reported. According to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations, the man, identified as 42-year-old Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, allegedly entered a branch of the Federal Bank in Beirut's busy Hamra neighbourhood carrying a canister of gasoline and held six or seven bank employees hostage. George al-Haj, the head of the Bank Staff Syndicate, however, told local media that two customers and seven to eight bank employees are being taken hostage. A man shouts inside the bank as he holds hostages at gunpoint in Beirut, Lebanon on Aug. 11, 2022. A Lebanese security official says a man armed with a shotgun has broken into a Beirut bank, holding employees hostage and threatening to set himself ablaze with gasoline unless he receives his trapped saving. (Photo credits: AP) According to the official, the man also fired three warning shots. He reportedly has roughly $200,000 trapped in the bank, according to local media. Since late 2019, Lebanon's cash-strapped banks have imposed stringent withdrawal restrictions on foreign currency assets, effectively wiping out many Lebanese savings. Three-quarters of the people are now living in poverty as a result of the nation's worst economic crisis in modern times, and the value of the Lebanese pound has fallen by nearly 90% versus the dollar. The region has been surrounded by members of the Lebanese army, internal security force police officers, and intelligence personnel. Officers are attempting to negotiate a deal with the armed man, but so far without success. According to a bank customer who left the premises as the conflict got worse, the customer was demanding to withdraw $2,000 to cover his father's healthcare fees. Standing outside the bank, his brother Atef told the Associated Press that if the bank would give him money to cover his father's medical expenditures and family expenses, his brother would be willing to turn himself in. As Hussein waited for his savings to be released, a large group of demonstrators gathered nearby, chanting anti-Lebanese government and bank slogans. Even several onlookers praised him as a hero. Dina Abou Zor, an attorney with the legal and advocacy group the Depositors' Union, was among the protesters. "What led us to this situation is the state's failure to resolve this economic crisis and the banks' and Central Bank's actions, where people can only retrieve some of their own money as if it's a weekly allowance," she said. And as a result, some people have acted independently. A coffee shop owner in eastern Lebanon successfully withdrew $50,000 from a bank branch in January after holding bank employees hostage and threatening to kill them. Since the start of the economic crisis, Lebanon has not yet implemented official capital controls. (With inputs from the agencies)

Armed man demanding savings holds Beirut bank staff hostage

Thousands of protesters marched tearfully in the Lebanese capital on Thursday, marking two years since the explosion at the Beirut port, with chants denouncing the government's failure to uncover the truth behind the blast.

Lebanon marks two years since Beirut blast

Pretty dramatic scenes are said to be unfolding are the Beirut Port. A part of Beirut's grain silos has collapsed, causing a huge cloud of dust that can be seen at Beirut port.

Part of Beirut grain silos collapses; Huge cloud of dust seen at Beirut port

For a man who sought to disappear, the leader of the Islamic State group seemed to have done everything right.

He hid out far from where his enemies expected. He never left the house, relying on trusted couriers to communicate with his far-flung underlings. He was the group’s only leader to never issue a video or voice address, for fear it would make him easier to track. Most of his most fervent followers would not have recognized him on the street.

But American commandos came for him anyway, and on Thursday, the leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, blew himself up during a raid on his hideout in northwestern Syria, U.S. officials said.

American leaders hailed al-Qurayshi’s death as a fresh wound to a fearsome organization whose reach and power had already been greatly diminished. But terrorism analysts warned that killing yet another leader would not erase a group whose members have continued to seek refuge and plan attacks in chaotic parts of the globe.

“It is another painful blow to an organization that just a few years ago cast a broad shadow across the entire region,” said Pratibha Thaker, editorial director for the Middle East and Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “But I think everyone is wondering deep down how much taking down the top leader really matters since the organization is very decentralized.”

The United States has invested great resources in killing leaders of terrorist organizations. U.S. forces took out Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who led al-Qaida in Iraq, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, al-Qurayshi’s predecessor at the helm of the Islamic State group.

While such attacks generate dramatic headlines, the groups they sought to undermine have often resurfaced in new and more powerful forms or simply replaced old heads with new ones, Hydra-style.

The killing of al-Qurayshi deprived the Islamic State of a key religious and military authority at a time when the group had already been routed from its territory and lost a huge number of fighters. Now it faces a potential leadership vacuum.

But terrorism experts said the group had become more diffuse and decentralized, allowing it to carry on. Even if it no longer has the power to hold territory as it once did, diminishing its ability to market itself as a “state,” it has proved that it can still carry out devastating, coordinated military attacks.

In recent weeks, its fighters in Iraq killed 10 Iraqi soldiers and an officer in a nighttime attack on an army post and beheaded a police officer on camera. In Syria, the jihadis attacked a prison in an attempt to free thousands of their former comrades and occupied the compound for more than a week before a Kurdish-led militia supported by the United States drove them out.

Still, the group is a shadow of its former self.

At its height around 2015, the Islamic State controlled a territory the size of Britain in Syria and Iraq and displaced al-Qaida as the world’s richest and most dangerous terrorist organization. It controlled large cities, collected taxes, provided public services and built a war machine.

Its propagandists attracted aspiring jihadis from around the world. Its operatives directed and inspired deadly attacks in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

The loss of its last patch of territory in 2019, after 4 1/2 years of war, was a major defeat. Now, it is a caliphate in name only. And persistent attacks by the United States and its partners in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere have disrupted its financing networks and led to the deaths of many of its cadres.

Al-Qurayshi was anointed the group’s leader, or caliph, in 2019 after his predecessor, al-Baghdadi, similarly blew himself up during a raid by U.S. Special Forces on his hideout in northwestern Syria.

From the start, al-Qurayshi lacked his predecessor’s public profile, and even his followers knew little about his background. The United States filled in some gaps by releasing notes of interrogation sessions from when he was detained by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2008.

But the revelations that he said he had served in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein and earned a master’s degree in Islamic studies in 2007 were overshadowed by what appeared to be his willingness to inform on his fellow jihadis.

After al-Qurayshi took control, the United States put a bounty of up to $10 million on his head and said he “helped drive and justify the abduction, slaughter and trafficking of members of Yazidi religious minority groups” in Iraq and oversaw “the group’s global operations.”

As it searches for a replacement, the militant group no longer has a large pool to draw from because years of concerted counterterrorism operations by the United States and its partners have killed so much of the group’s inner circle, an expert on the Islamic State, Hassan Hassan, wrote Thursday in New Lines, an online magazine.

“The leaders it can trust are a dying breed — quite literally,” Hassan wrote.

That leadership vacuum, the waning attractiveness of international jihadism and the increasing strength of enemy governments and competing militant groups could hinder the group’s ability to bounce back, he wrote. “The death of its leader under these circumstances will further disorient the group and weaken its ability to focus on international terrorism.”

The group already appears to be less dangerous in Iraq, according to a recent analysis of attack data by Michael Knights, the Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and his colleague, Alex Almeida.

They found that Islamic State attacks increased in 2019 and 2020, but have declined since, in both quantity and quality.

“For now, at the outset of 2022, the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq is at a very low ebb, with recorded attack numbers that rival the lowest ever recorded,” they wrote.

They said increased Iraqi security deployments in rural areas, frequent counterterrorism raids and “decapitation strikes” against Islamic State leaders had contributed to the decline.

But terrorism analysts hesitate to write off the group, noting that it was regarded as a spent force just a few years before it came roaring back and solidified its control over entire cities in Syria and Iraq in 2014.

The group has long found it easiest to operate in failed states, conflict zones and poorly governed places, and its fighters still have many such territories to choose from, including in Afghanistan and parts of Africa.

In Syria, it remains most active in the east, which was badly battered in the country’s 10-year civil war and is only loosely controlled by a Kurdish-led militia whose administration is not internationally recognized and is short on resources.

The draw of chaotic places likely explains why al-Qurayshi sought refuge in Idlib province, in Syria’s northwest, miles from his organization’s past strongholds.

The area is one of the last territories still controlled by the rebels who set out to topple President Bashar Assad, and it is packed with millions of people who fled from elsewhere during the war, making it easier for strangers to blend in.

The Islamic State’s future could depend less on who its leaders are than on the opportunities for expansion that present themselves, and the group’s ability to take advantage of them.

“What we have seen in the jihadi movement on the whole over the last two decades is that it is highly pragmatic in the pursuit of its goals,” said Shiraz Maher, author of a book on the history of the global jihadi movement. “Their next move is to continue to hold out and bide their time and react to the realities as they pan out.”

For a man who sought to disappear, the leader of the Islamic State group seemed to have done everything right. He hid out far from where his enemies expected. He never left the house, relying on trusted couriers to communicate with his far-flung underlings.

For a man who sought to disappear, the leader of the Islamic State group seemed to have done everything right. He hid out far from where his enemies expected. He never left the house, relying on trusted couriers to communicate with his far-flung underlings. He was the group’s only leader to never issue a video or voice address, for fear it would make him easier to track. Most of his most fervent followers would not have recognized him on the street. But American commandos came for him anyway, and on Thursday, the leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, blew himself up during a raid on his hideout in northwestern Syria, U.S. officials said. American leaders hailed al-Qurayshi’s death as a fresh wound to a fearsome organization whose reach and power had already been greatly diminished. But terrorism analysts warned that killing yet another leader would not erase a group whose members have continued to seek refuge and plan attacks in chaotic parts of the globe. “It is another painful blow to an organization that just a few years ago cast a broad shadow across the entire region,” said Pratibha Thaker, editorial director for the Middle East and Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “But I think everyone is wondering deep down how much taking down the top leader really matters since the organization is very decentralized.” The United States has invested great resources in killing leaders of terrorist organizations. U.S. forces took out Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who led al-Qaida in Iraq, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, al-Qurayshi’s predecessor at the helm of the Islamic State group. While such attacks generate dramatic headlines, the groups they sought to undermine have often resurfaced in new and more powerful forms or simply replaced old heads with new ones, Hydra-style. The killing of al-Qurayshi deprived the Islamic State of a key religious and military authority at a time when the group had already been routed from its territory and lost a huge number of fighters. Now it faces a potential leadership vacuum. But terrorism experts said the group had become more diffuse and decentralized, allowing it to carry on. Even if it no longer has the power to hold territory as it once did, diminishing its ability to market itself as a “state,” it has proved that it can still carry out devastating, coordinated military attacks. In recent weeks, its fighters in Iraq killed 10 Iraqi soldiers and an officer in a nighttime attack on an army post and beheaded a police officer on camera. In Syria, the jihadis attacked a prison in an attempt to free thousands of their former comrades and occupied the compound for more than a week before a Kurdish-led militia supported by the United States drove them out. Still, the group is a shadow of its former self. At its height around 2015, the Islamic State controlled a territory the size of Britain in Syria and Iraq and displaced al-Qaida as the world’s richest and most dangerous terrorist organization. It controlled large cities, collected taxes, provided public services and built a war machine. Its propagandists attracted aspiring jihadis from around the world. Its operatives directed and inspired deadly attacks in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. The loss of its last patch of territory in 2019, after 4 1/2 years of war, was a major defeat. Now, it is a caliphate in name only. And persistent attacks by the United States and its partners in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere have disrupted its financing networks and led to the deaths of many of its cadres. Al-Qurayshi was anointed the group’s leader, or caliph, in 2019 after his predecessor, al-Baghdadi, similarly blew himself up during a raid by U.S. Special Forces on his hideout in northwestern Syria. From the start, al-Qurayshi lacked his predecessor’s public profile, and even his followers knew little about his background. The United States filled in some gaps by releasing notes of interrogation sessions from when he was detained by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2008. But the revelations that he said he had served in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein and earned a master’s degree in Islamic studies in 2007 were overshadowed by what appeared to be his willingness to inform on his fellow jihadis. After al-Qurayshi took control, the United States put a bounty of up to $10 million on his head and said he “helped drive and justify the abduction, slaughter and trafficking of members of Yazidi religious minority groups” in Iraq and oversaw “the group’s global operations.” As it searches for a replacement, the militant group no longer has a large pool to draw from because years of concerted counterterrorism operations by the United States and its partners have killed so much of the group’s inner circle, an expert on the Islamic State, Hassan Hassan, wrote Thursday in New Lines, an online magazine. “The leaders it can trust are a dying breed — quite literally,” Hassan wrote. That leadership vacuum, the waning attractiveness of international jihadism and the increasing strength of enemy governments and competing militant groups could hinder the group’s ability to bounce back, he wrote. “The death of its leader under these circumstances will further disorient the group and weaken its ability to focus on international terrorism.” The group already appears to be less dangerous in Iraq, according to a recent analysis of attack data by Michael Knights, the Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and his colleague, Alex Almeida. They found that Islamic State attacks increased in 2019 and 2020, but have declined since, in both quantity and quality. “For now, at the outset of 2022, the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq is at a very low ebb, with recorded attack numbers that rival the lowest ever recorded,” they wrote. They said increased Iraqi security deployments in rural areas, frequent counterterrorism raids and “decapitation strikes” against Islamic State leaders had contributed to the decline. But terrorism analysts hesitate to write off the group, noting that it was regarded as a spent force just a few years before it came roaring back and solidified its control over entire cities in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The group has long found it easiest to operate in failed states, conflict zones and poorly governed places, and its fighters still have many such territories to choose from, including in Afghanistan and parts of Africa. In Syria, it remains most active in the east, which was badly battered in the country’s 10-year civil war and is only loosely controlled by a Kurdish-led militia whose administration is not internationally recognized and is short on resources. The draw of chaotic places likely explains why al-Qurayshi sought refuge in Idlib province, in Syria’s northwest, miles from his organization’s past strongholds. The area is one of the last territories still controlled by the rebels who set out to topple President Bashar Assad, and it is packed with millions of people who fled from elsewhere during the war, making it easier for strangers to blend in. The Islamic State’s future could depend less on who its leaders are than on the opportunities for expansion that present themselves, and the group’s ability to take advantage of them. “What we have seen in the jihadi movement on the whole over the last two decades is that it is highly pragmatic in the pursuit of its goals,” said Shiraz Maher, author of a book on the history of the global jihadi movement. “Their next move is to continue to hold out and bide their time and react to the realities as they pan out.”

Leader’s death is another blow for the Islamic State, but it’s hardly the end

The Indian embassy in Beirut and UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at a cemetery to honour the sacrifices of all the Indian soldiers who died during the two World Wars. Ghadi Francis brings you this report from Beirut.

The West Asia Post: Indian embassy and UNIFIL pay tribute to India's World War soldiers

From deadly violence in Beirut to a crippling financial crisis, Lebanon has gone through a lot in 2021. As problems mount in the West Asian nation, Ghadi Francis tells you what 2022 will mean for Lebanon.

The West Asia Post | Beirut's worst violence in years

Saudi crown prince MBS is on a whirlwind Gulf tour, adding to a flurry of diplomacy seeking to resolve long-simmering regional tensions. This comes as leaders in West Asia are on a diplomatic spree. They are ending regional rifts that have defined the region for over a decade. On The West Asia Post, Ghadi Francis tells you what this tour means for West Asia.

The West Asia Post | Saudi MBS on a gulf tour | Beirut blast probe resumes

Tanks, snipers and stray bullets. Beirut turned into a war zone after unknown gunmen targeted Hezbollah supporters at a mass protest. Divisions over the port blast inquiry have plunged Lebanon into chaos. Palki Sharma gets you more details.

Gravitas: Beirut clashes: Snipers gun down protesters

With a grave financial crisis inside, Lebanon has found itself in the middle of a diplomatic row. It all began on Friday when Saudi Arabia gave the ambassador of Lebanon 48 hours to leave the country. It also recalled its envoy from Beirut and suspended all imports from Lebanon. WION tells you more.

Saudi Arabia recalls envoy from Beirut as Kordahi's interview sparks row

In one of the worst violence seen in decades, the Lebanese capital had turned into a war zone for almost four hours. Nine people have been arrested in the gunfight in Beirut. Army tanks have rolled in. Ambulance sirens were wailing across the city and evacuations were carried out by police and civilians. All this, after gunshots were fired at protesters demonstrating outside the city's palace of justice.

Nine people arrested in Beirut gunfight

Armed clashes have broken out in Beirut during a protest, people were seen protesting against the lead judge who was investigating the last year's massive blast in the city's port. Beirut has turned into a warzone, army tanks have rolled into the city and deadly gunfire was exchanged.

Lebanon: Gunshots were fired at protestors near justice palace

A day after parts of Beirut turned into a war zone due to heavy fighting that claimed six lives and wounded dozens of citizens, the army has now deployed tanks and security personnel. Lebanese president Michel Aoun has pledged to punish those who were involved in the deadly clashes.

Beirut Incident: Worst Civil violence in Lebanese capital since 2008

In one of the worst violence seen in decades, the Lebanese capital had turned into a war zone for almost four hours. Fierce gun battle broke out in port city of Beirut. Army tanks have rolled in. Ambulance sirens were wailing across the city and evacuations were carried out by police and civilians. All this --- after gunshots were fired at protesters demonstrating outside the city's palace of justice.

At least 6 killed, 30 wounded in Beirut after firing of gun shots

A day after parts of Beirut turned into a war zone due to heavy fighting that claimed six lives and wounded dozens of citizens, the army has now deployed tanks and security personnel.

Nine people arrested after Beirut violence, tanks and troops deployed in Lebanon

At least Six people were killed and dozens&nbsp;were wounded in violence involving gunfire during a Beirut protest rally organised to demand dismissal of Beirut blast lead investigator. The protest rally was organised by Shiite Hezbollah and Amal movements in Thursday.

The army deployed tanks and troops to quell street battles that sparked memories of the 1975-1990 civil war for a city already traumatised by last year's blast disaster and Lebanon's worst-ever economic crisis.

The protesters were rallying against judge Tarek Bitar, tasked with investigating the massive explosion of poorly stored ammonium nitrate at Beirut's port last year.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Beirut clashes: Snipers gun down protesters

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Lebanese television broadcast images of men carrying rifles and heavy weaponry.

The army reported &nbsp;"bursts of gunfire in the area of Tayouneh - Badaro".&nbsp;

"The army rushed to cordon off the area and deploy in its neighbourhoods and their entrance. Patrols started as did the search for the shooters to detain them," it said.

President Michel Aoun called for calm in a televised speech late Thursday.

"Weapons cannot return as a means of communication between Lebanese parties, because we all agreed to turn this dark page of our history," he said in reference to the civil war.

In a follow-up statement, the military warned that it would open fire at anyone firing live rounds, calling on civilians to evacuate the area.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for calm to be restored and warned against attempts to drag Lebanon into violence.

The Beirut blast had taken place on August 4, 2020 at the Beirut port when large amount of Ammonium Nitrate exploded. The blast killed hundreds and caused devastation in areas of the Lebanese capital.

(With inputs from agencies)

At least Six people were killed and dozens were wounded in violence involving gunfire during a Beirut protest rally organised to demand dismissal of Beirut blast lead investigator.

At least Six people were killed and dozens were wounded in violence involving gunfire during a Beirut protest rally organised to demand dismissal of Beirut blast lead investigator. The protest rally was organised by Shiite Hezbollah and Amal movements in Thursday. The army deployed tanks and troops to quell street battles that sparked memories of the 1975-1990 civil war for a city already traumatised by last year's blast disaster and Lebanon's worst-ever economic crisis. The protesters were rallying against judge Tarek Bitar, tasked with investigating the massive explosion of poorly stored ammonium nitrate at Beirut's port last year. Watch | Gravitas: Beirut clashes: Snipers gun down protesters × Lebanese television broadcast images of men carrying rifles and heavy weaponry. The army reported "bursts of gunfire in the area of Tayouneh - Badaro". "The army rushed to cordon off the area and deploy in its neighbourhoods and their entrance. Patrols started as did the search for the shooters to detain them," it said. President Michel Aoun called for calm in a televised speech late Thursday. "Weapons cannot return as a means of communication between Lebanese parties, because we all agreed to turn this dark page of our history," he said in reference to the civil war. In a follow-up statement, the military warned that it would open fire at anyone firing live rounds, calling on civilians to evacuate the area. Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for calm to be restored and warned against attempts to drag Lebanon into violence. The Beirut blast had taken place on August 4, 2020 at the Beirut port when large amount of Ammonium Nitrate exploded. The blast killed hundreds and caused devastation in areas of the Lebanese capital. (With inputs from agencies)

Chaos at Beirut protest rally as gunfire erupts claiming lives

Armed clashes have broken out in Beirut during a protest, people were seen protesting against the lead judge who was investigating the last year's massive blast in the city's port.

Lebanon: Rallies held against lead judge probing Beirut blast

Lebanon: Deadly chaos erupts during Beirut blast probe

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