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Lebanon

Lebanon

June 3, 2025

Beirut 11:12 pm

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COURTNEY BONNEAU/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s FM vows 'noninterference' in Lebanon during Beirut visit: What to know

The Iranian visit to Lebanon comes as talks of disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah group is gaining momentum.

Armed and masked men attend the funeral of two militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon on Nov. 1, 2024.

PLO officials in Lebanon as push to disarm Palestinian camps gains steam

The effort to disarm Palestinian armed groups in Lebanon’s refugee camps will require outside support, according to one expert, as pressure to disarm Hezbollah grows.

A photo taken from the Lebanese side of the northern border crossing of al-Arida shows Syrian rebel fighters assisting with the passage of Syrians back into their country, Dec. 10, 2024.

Syria to reopen war-damaged border crossing with Lebanon: What we know

The move comes as the new authorities in both Lebanon and Syria work to ensure border security and better relations.

FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon to launch 'process' to disarm Palestinian camps: What we know

The decision to remove weapons inside Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon follows PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Beirut this week.

Latest News

Mahmoud Abbas declares from Lebanon ‘era of weapons outside state' over

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (2nd L) walks alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas as they review an honour guard at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, on May 21, 2025.

Analysis

First in 8 years: Abbas visits Lebanon amid push to disarm Palestinian camps

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Why US is offering $10M reward for info on Hezbollah in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay

A man pays tribute during the commemoration of the 26th anniversary of a bomb attack

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

Senior News Editor

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional geopolitics, China in the Middle East

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

Aoun Sisi

After Kuwait, Lebanon’s Aoun visits Egypt seeking reconstruction support

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is in Egypt on a tour seeking support for Lebanon’s reconstruction.

People drive on a street past portraits of slain Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and buildings damaged in Israeli strikes in the recent war in the Ghobeiry neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburb on May 4, 2025.

Analysis

Lebanon’s municipal elections: Hezbollah holds, Sunnis splinter, Christians rebalance

Two rounds of municipal elections reveal a clear win for the Lebanese Forces at the expense the rival Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah maintaining support in its strongholds.

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Commuters drive past a newly-installed billboard bearing the image of a Lebanese flag and a statement that reads in Arabic "Lebanon a new era", replacing a Hezbollah billboard, on the road leading to Beirut's Rafic Hariri International airport on April 10, 2025. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's first municipal elections in nearly 10 years: What to expect

The elections come amid seemingly shifting political dynamics in the country after the Israel-Hezbollah 13-month war that ended late last November.

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa upon arriving for a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, Paris, May 7, 2025.

Exclusive

Skepticism shrouds Syria-Israel indirect talks with bets on Sharaa

Sources told Al-Monitor that shortly after Sharaa visited the UAE last month, an unofficial meeting between Syrian and Israeli delegations took place at an Abu Dhabi villa owned by an Emirati government official.

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

Qusayr

Lebanese, Syrian forces raid Captagon labs along border: What to know

The neighboring countries have stepped up their fight against the production and smuggling of Captagon, which had flourished in the border area during the Assad regime and Hezbollah’s dominance.

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site near a burnt-out vehicle reportedly hit by an Israeli strike in Ghazieh, near Sidon, on April 18, 2025. Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike on April 18 hit a vehicle near the southern coastal city of Sidon, killing one person. Despite a November 27 ceasefire that sought to halt more than a year of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes in Lebanon. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/A

Can new US general advance Hezbollah disarmament in Lebanon?

The Pentagon has assigned a new general to oversee the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire as the Trump administration continues to pressure the Beirut government to hasten the disarmament of Hezbollah.

UAE/LEBANON

UAE lifts Lebanon travel ban, signals support for $11B reconstruction in sign of thaw

The United Arab Emirates and Lebanon will establish a joint business council and explore joint projects, suggesting the UAE could play a role in Lebanon’s economic recovery.

Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, April 20, 2025.

On first state visit, Aoun lauds UAE-Lebanon ties, says 'past behind us'

The Lebanese president’s visit to the UAE is the first by a head of state in years, as ties between the two countries became increasingly strained during Hezbollah’s growing influence in Lebanon.

France s President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanon s President Joseph Aoun during an official visit of the President of Lebanon, at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Magali Cohen / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by MAGALI COHEN/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's Aoun heads to UAE seeking economic support, reconstruction aid

The Lebanese president's visit to the UAE visit marks a bid to rebuild ties and garner financial support for the country's postwar reconstruction efforts.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey rank in top 20 global military spenders: What to know

Regional military spending saw a significant increase in 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, amid conflicts in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, though it found that Europe drove the overall hike in global expenditures.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron take part in a joint press conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on July 20, 2022. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Macron’s Palestine gamble: Can recognition plan jump-start peace talks?

French President Emmanuel Macron said he may recognize a Palestinian state in June when he will cohost a peace summit with Saudi Arabia, but has not committed to such a move.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Franco Origlia/Getty Images

From Al-Azhar to Turkey: Middle East dignitaries gather for Pope Francis' funeral

Lebanon is sending President Joseph Aoun to Rome for the funeral, with Turkey, Iran and other states also dispatching officials.