Foreign correspondent in my hometown for @thenationalnews London bureau. Reposts and likes are bookmarks.
London, Beirut, Evia
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- Followers 1,090
- Likes 6,441
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Israel promises @dubravkasuica to allow EU aid for essential services into Gaza for first time thenationalnews.com/news/eur…
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
For Goodwill Ambassador Theo James, the right to seek safety is personal.
His grandfather fled Nazi-occupied Greece and found refuge in Syria.
His family’s story reminds us of the world’s promise from 75 years ago: no one forced to flee should be denied the chance to find safety.
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
"If this task needs me to be there ... I will not be humble."
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara tells The National he is open to running in future elections in the country.
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
You can tell Ozempic and Mounjaro are popular…in our Timpson shops we have seen a 680% increase in the number of free holes in customers belts we’ve been doing this year.
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
The challenge of Lebanon's post-war reconstruction is immense. Hezbollah joined the Israeli-Gaza war by launching rockets into Israel, triggering a full-scale Israeli offensive in 2024.
Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed and its forces significantly weakened. Yet Hezbollah launched further rockets into Israel in response to the strikes on Iran earlier this year, causing a second war Israel-Hezbollah war. Many displaced by the 2024 offensive hadn't returned, while others were displaced for a second time in two years.
@lemmanour's (@TheNationalNews) writes for the autumn issue of @TheWorldToday on the challenges facing Lebanon and its people.
Article | bit.ly/3T34dHS |
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
It has come to my attention this morning that a document is circulating with my name on it issued and signed by the SIC to freeze my accounts in Lebanese banks- the document is fake and a correction will be issued to the relevant banks!
Thank you kindly for the Mafia giving me so much attention while I uncover your financial crimes keep going while you boost my profile! Much love ! We stride on 🇱🇧🇱🇧🇱🇧
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
Europe could have avoided the refugee wave from Syria and the resurgence of the far-right that followed it if they had simply bombed the Assad regime in 2013. The numbers could not be clearer, opposing regime change in Syria was a catastrophe for Europe politically.
Irregular crossings by Syrians into the EU continue to decrease since Assad's fall.
Before December 2024, @Frontex detected around 4,000 Syrians a month at the EU's external borders. In 2025, the monthly average was 511. So far in 2026, it's 169.
In April 2026, Frontex recorded just 75 detections, the lowest monthly figure since May 2011. The 2025 total of 6,126 was the lowest annual figure since 2011, and well below even the COVID year of 2020 (21,631). Detections in January–July 2026 were down 66% on the same period of 2025 and 95% on 2024.
July did tick up to 373, mostly on the Aegean sea route, but this likely reflects seasonality, since more crossings happen in the summer months. Crossings also rose over summer 2025, and they remain a fraction of pre-transition levels.
This is what researchers have long argued: conflict, not poverty, is the main driver of irregular migration. Syria is still one of the poorest countries in the world. Yet once the immediate threat of violence and arbitrary detention receded, so did the impulse to risk a deadly crossing.
The transition has not made Syria prosperous quite yet. But it may have made it survivable, and for many, that is enough to stay.
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
بعد ستين عامًا على إغلاقها، أعيد افتتاح مدرسة "الأرض المقدسة" في قريتي القنية واليعقوبية بجسر الشغور.
رسالة واضحة من الحكومة السورية: التعددية والتنوّع جزء أصيل من نسيج مجتمعنا، وسوريا الجديدة تتّسع لجميع أبنائها وبناتها.
#سوريا #جسر_الشغور
facebook.com/share/r/19LVmM3…
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Iran expels Swedish diplomat, after Tehran was accused of security threats. While Sweden is used to hostile activities from Russia, "Where Iran really stands out is its willingness to co-operate with organised crime in harming Sweden," says Elisabeth Braw
thenationalnews.com/news/eur…
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This is quite spectacular
.@vonderleyen 1/ blames EU states for inaction on Gaza/WB 2/acknowledges states are opting for national bans on trade with Israeli settlements bcos of EU inaction 3/ conveniently ignores the fact that EU inaction is also caused by the @EU_Commission refusing to table a proposal
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Can Lebanon’s bankrupt government deal w a long term displacement crisis from Lebanon’s south? My story for @TheWorldToday @ChathamHouse ‘the Israelis left villages unsuitable for life. It’s more than an occupation, there could be demographic change.’ chathamhouse.org/publication…
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
The challenge of Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction is immense. Hezbollah joined the Israeli-Gaza war by launching rockets into Israel, triggering a full-scale Israeli offensive in 2024.
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed and its forces significantly weakened. Yet Hezbollah launched further rockets into Israel in response to the strikes on Iran earlier this year, causing a second war Israel-Hezbollah war. Many displaced by the 2024 offensive hadn’t returned, while others were displaced for a second time in two years.
Read @lemmanour's (@TheNationalNews) writes for the autumn issue of @TheWorldToday on the challenges facing Lebanon and its people.
Article | bit.ly/3T34dHS |
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
LOL IS THIS REAL?
The very same McGurk who has been criticising Turkey for backing Sharaa in Idlib when he was the anti-ISIS Envoy
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa will discuss his vision for Syria’s future and his government’s priorities for reconstruction, economic recovery, and institutional reform - Sept 22, 2026
Moderated by
@brett_mcgurk
piped.video/watch?v=JgFcoW9f…
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From ground zero to Muslim Mayor: How New York changed in 25 years thenationalnews.com/news/us/…
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
Next time you order a Mocha you need to say an Iranian backed Houthi controlled Mocha.
Al Mukha (Mocha) is where cafe mocha (or mocca, mochacino..etc) got its name.
For about 200 years, and starting in the mid 1400's: Port Mocha was the world's primary global hub for exporting coffee.
Yemeni beans were known to be rich, dark and almost tasted like chocolate.
Baristas later just added chocolate to coffee to make the mochachino.
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Lemma Shehadi retweeted
We are witnessing levels of British NIMBYism previously thought impossible.
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A prominent Syrian government minister has made a plea for the British government to stop using conditions-based humanitarian assistance as the main plank of its support for Syria.
thenationalnews.com/news/uk/…
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It was a privilege to read Omar Mohammed’s book about his work chronicling the IS occupation of Mosul and the city’s many heroes thenationalnews.com/news/men…
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Slop doesn't have to be AI generated
wrote about the mind-numbing experience of watching three of netflix’s latest original movies in one day, and my firm belief that mediocrity is no longer happenstance, but an intentional and integral part of their business model. salon.com/2026/09/02/why-net…
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