Lebanon - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Lebanon

Lebanon

August 25, 2026

Beirut 3:28 pm

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Lebanese Presidency

Large UAE delegation set to arrive in Lebanon in major investment push

A large Emirati delegation of around 70 business leaders and government officials is heading to Beirut, in the latest sign of thaw between the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.

Iranian ambassador Mohammad Reza Sheibani

In shift, Lebanon grants Iranian ambassador residency extension

Mohammad Reza Sheibani’s visa was set to expire early Tuesday morning and he was first ordered to leave in March.

ALINE DESCHAMPS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

In Lebanon, Italy proposes robust multinational force to replace UNIFIL: What to know

Italy has produced alternative to replace the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon and preserve an international security presence there.

Latest News

US Treasury issues Hezbollah sanctions, labels group Iran-linked

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent

In first, Lebanon to hand over former Syrian general to Sharaa government

This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on Aug. 18, 2026, shows Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan (C) during the sentencing of Wassim al-Assad.

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

Tarek Bitar

Meet judge Tarek Bitar, rattling Lebanon's political class in Beirut blast probe

The leading investigative judge into the Aug. 4 Beirut port blast has come back after a 13-month stall, rattling the political and judicial establishment.

A Yemeni man looks up at pillars at the Awam, or Moon Temple, near the recently restored Arsh, or Throne of Balquis, the site of the legendary kingdom of Sheba, Marib province, Yemen, Dec. 21, 2000.

Culture

UNESCO lists two locations in Lebanon, Yemen as heritage sites in danger

In an urgent session on Wednesday, UNESCO named two sites from Lebanon and Yemen to its List of World Heritage in Danger, calling for their immediate preservation.

Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Emir of Qatar, departs after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery on May 20, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Qatar's energy giant joins Lebanon gas exploration group

France’s TotalEnergies, which is also part of the consortium, said they hope to start drilling in Lebanese waters for oil and gas in 2023.

A supporter of Hezbollah and the Amal movements carries a portrait of Judge Tarek Bitar.

Lebanon's prosecutor retaliates, charges judge investigating Beirut port blast

The latest charges made by Beirut port explosion Judge Tarek Bitar against Lebanon’s key political figures has angered many in the political elite who banned him from travel on Wednesday.

An exterior view of the building of US Department of the Treasury is seen on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

US sanctions Hezbollah financial adviser in Lebanon

The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on Lebanese economist Hassan Moukalled, his two sons and his money-exchange business.

Smoke plume rising after the new collapse of the northern section of the grain silos at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, which were previously partly destroyed by the 2020 port explosion. (Photo by DYLAN COLLINS/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's blast investigator charges former PM Diab, senior security officials

Among those charged are Prosecutor General Ghassan Oweidat, the head of Lebanon's domestic intelligence agency Major General Abbas Ibrahim, former army commander Jean Kahwaji, and other current and former security and judicial officials.

A picture taken from the northern Israeli town of Metula near the border with Lebanon shows a member of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon talking with Israeli soldiers through the border fence, on the outskirts of the southern village of Kfarkila, Lebanon, Jan. 19, 2023.

Lebanon's army 'on alert' following border tension with Israel

The Lebanese army is on alert following rising tensions with Israeli forces at the border.

Lebanese pound exchange

Lebanon's currency hits an all-time low as gridlock continues

Lebanon's currency has set a new record low as the parliament failed yet again to elect a president.

Visitors look at paintings by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso displayed at the Sursock Museum, Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 27, 2019.

Culture

Lebanon’s cultural scene roars back, defying the economic meltdown

After years of dramatic political events and economic struggles, the Lebanese cultural scene is regaining its local footing, reopening museums and launching new ones.

Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh gives an interview with AFP at his office in the capital Beirut on December 20, 2021. (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

European investigative team in Lebanon starts probe into Riad Salameh

French Judge Aude Buresi is leading the European delegation, and was scheduled to interview at least 15 bankers and business figures in the country tied to Salameh.

Judges David Re (2nd L) and Janet Nosworthy (L) are seen before the start of the session of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, where the sentence was set for Salim Jamil Ayyash, a member of the Hezbollah militant group who was convicted of involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others in 2005, Leidschendam, the Netherlands, Dec. 11, 2020.

UN extends Lebanon investigation into Hariri assassination for another year

The UN approved the extension of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon for about a year, to finalize its work.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar attends a ceremony to honor fallen soldiers at the Brother's Cemetery in Riga city, on July 28, 2022 in Riga, Latvia. (Photo by GINTS IVUSKANS/AFP via Getty Images)

Middle East military rankings: Turkey highest, Lebanon lowest per global index

Turkey stands out as the most powerful country in terms of its military capacities in its region while Lebanon is the weakest, a global military strength index finds.