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Lebanon

Lebanon

July 6, 2026

Beirut 12:23 pm

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Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Israeli officials believe the US failure to attain the kind of agreement with Iran that it originally sought stems from the strategic mistakes made during and after the recent war.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

The court stands at the start of the first hearing at the International Court of Justice in which Myanmar is accused of committing genocide against the country's Muslim minority, the Rohingya, in the Hague on January 12, 2026. The Gambia filed the genocide case in cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in 2019. Myanmar's military deliberately targeted the Rohingya minority in a bid to destroy the community, Gambia's Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told the International Court of Justice Mond

Explainer

Does provision 13 of Lebanon-Israel deal bar Beirut from pursuing war crimes claims?

Part of the Israeli-Lebanese agreement has led to calls for Beirut to grant the International Criminal Court jurisdiction in Lebanon or sign the Rome Treaty to allow prosecutions.

Nawaf Salam and Asaad al-Shibani shake hands in Beirut on July 2, 2026.

Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

When asked whether Damascus would be willing to meet with Hezbollah in the future, Syria’s foreign minister indicated that it would not rule out such a meeting.

An activist takes part in a demonstration against sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence in the Lebanese capital Beirut on December 7, 2019. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Lebanon arrests man after video of public assault on wife goes viral

The man seen violently beating a woman at a restaurant has been arrested, but the incident has reignited debate over domestic violence amid warnings that such abuse can increase during periods of war.

Latest News

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

Hanna Davis

In Beirut, reporting on politics, migration, human rights

Rodayna Raydan

In Boqaata, reporting on culture

A couple are seen walking at Zaytouna Bay in Beirut October 25, 2012. The party capital of the Arab world, Beirut is a freewheeling city where Gulf Arabs, expatriates and Lebanese emigres fly in to enjoy its luxury hotels. But under the veneer of modernity lie sectarian demons coiled to strike. The car-bomb assassination last Friday of intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan - an attack almost universally blamed on Syria and its local allies - brought the merry-go-round to a juddering halt. Gunmen and protester

Syria's Wealthy Refugees Wait Out War in Beirut

Many affluent Syrians who have escaped the violence sweeping their country have temporarily settled in Beirut, given its proximity to Syria and opulent lifestyle, writes Elie Hajj.

A man kisses a woman as they hold up a placard during a protest demanding to legalize civil marriage in Lebanon, at Martyrs' square in downtown Beirut February 4, 2013. Lebanese laws do not recognise civil marriages conducted in Lebanon. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3DCHX

Civil Marriages to Mark Anniversary of Civil War

In a symbolic ceremony to be held on April 13, the anniversary of the outbreak of the civil war, Lebanese couples will obtain civil marriages in a gesture of national unity, writes Mohammad Harfoush.

A woman stands next to a poster of assassinated leftist politician Chokri Belaid during a demonstration, calling for Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and his cabinet to step down, at the National Constituent Assembly in Tunis, February 11, 2013. A party led by interim President Moncef Marzouki said on Monday it had "frozen" its withdrawal from Tunisia's coalition government while talks continue on a political crisis sharpened by the killing of an opposition politician. Belaid's killing - Tunisia's first such po

Failure to Confront Extremists Keeps Tunisian Unity Elusive

The Tunisian government's lackluster reaction to the murder of opposition leader Chokri Belaid is setting a very dangerous precedent, writes Nassif Hitti.

Men drink tea and smoke water pipe at a cafe in the old city of Damascus November 8, 2012. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman (SYRIA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR3A600

Life Continues in Damascus Despite Surrounding Conflict

As the Syrian conflict nears its third year, Damascus remains largely detached from its rural surroundings, writes Nasser Chararah.

Lebanese Christian leaders and members of the ruling majority stand during a minute of silence in memory of slain Lebanese army general Francois El Hajj, at the Kataeb party headquarters in Beirut 12 December 2007. Hajj and his bodyguard were killed today in a car bomb that also injured eight others in a Christian suburb on the outskirts of Beirut. L-R: National Liberal Party's Dory Chamoun, deputy parliament speaker Farid Makari, Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea, former Lebanese president Amine Ge

Deputy Speaker Makari: 'We Do Not See Stability in Lebanon'

Speaking to Al-Monitor's Elie Hajj, Lebanon's Deputy Speaker Farid Makari explains why he believes the European Union will likely implicate Hezbollah's military wing in the murders in Bulgaria, but not classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Lebanon's Christian Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, attends an interview with Reuters in Bkirki, north of Beirut, February 28, 2012. Violence and bloodshed is turning the "Arab Spring" into winter, the head of Lebanon's Maronite Church said, threatening Christians and Muslims alike across the Middle East. Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, whose Maronite Church also has a strong presence in Syria, said change could not be brought to the Arab world by force and that Christians feared the turmoil was helping extrem

Visit of Lebanese Patriarch to Syria Sparks Controversy

Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai recently visited Syria, in a move that sparked controversy among Lebanon's already divided political circles, writes Elie Hajj.

A bus, that was damaged in a bomb blast on Wednesday is seen outside Burgas Airport, about 400km (248 miles) east of Sofia July 19, 2012. A suicide bomber carried out an attack that killed seven people in a bus transporting Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, the country's interior minister said on Thursday, and Israel said Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants were to blame. Video surveillance footage showed the bomber was similar in appearance to tourists arriving at the airport, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetano

Hezbollah Goes on Defense In Response to Bulgaria Bombing

After a period of apparent indifference on Hezbollah's part regarding recent accusations that it was behind last summer’s Burgas bombing, Nasser Chararah argues that the party will soon adopt a strategy of defense.

A woman holds a picture of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during a rally to commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammad in Beirut's suburbs, January 25, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3CY5K

Hezbollah Prepares to Make Its Case On Bulgaria Indictment

Hezbollah will respond on Feb. 16 to Bulgarian accusations that the group is responsible for the Burgas bombing in July, writes Jean Aziz.

A couple mourns next to a Tunisian flag during the funeral procession for the late secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid in the Jebel Jelloud district in Tunis February 8, 2013. Tens of thousands of mourners chanted anti-Islamist slogans on Friday at the Tunis funeral of Belaid, whose assassination has plunged Tunisia deeper into political crisis. REUTERS/ Anis Mili (TUNISIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS OBITUARY) - RTR3DHTW

Is Spring Over in Tunis?

The recent assassination was a rare interruption in Tunisia's peaceful revolution, writes Clovis Maksoud, who fears a dangerous polarization is emerging between secularists and Islamists there.

Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters gesture as they pray during a ceremony to mark Ashura in Beirut's suburbs, November 25, 2012. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel on Sunday that thousands of rockets would rain down on Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities if Israel attacked Lebanon. In a speech marking the Shi'ite Muslim festival of Ashura, Nasrallah said Hezbollah's response to any attack would dwarf the attacks from Gaza during the eight-day conflict between Israel and the Islamist Hamas rule

Hezbollah, Part 1: Origins and Challenges

Mohammad Harfoush looks at Hezbollah, one of Lebanon’s most polarizing organizations, in part one of a survey of the factors that led to the movement's formation and its present status in Lebanese society and politics.

U.S. President Barack Obama arrives with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) to make a statement on Middle East Peace talks in the East Room of the White House in Washington September 1, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2HTEC

Obama Visit to Israel an Opportunity

US President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to Israel is an opportunity for a new start in US policy in the region, writes Clovis Maksoud.

A destroyed truck, thought to be used by Islamist rebels, is seen on the road between Konna and Sevare February 4, 2013. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier (MALI - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3DDI1

Fear of Extremism Grows in Maghreb

Nassif Hitti comments on regional concerns about the rise of extremism following developments in Mali.