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Lebanon

Lebanon

October 24, 2026

Beirut 3:58 am

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tunnel

Lebanon uncovers new tunnel amid tensions with Hezbollah: What to know

A tunnel was discovered near Beirut as tensions between Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah have been running high over the seizure of weapons shipments destined for the Iran-backed group.

Israeli troops stand guard on the dividing line between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syrian, near Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025.

Analysis

'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma

The Israeli leader revealed that he spoke with the Syrian president last year, but stalled talks and Israel's fortification of a security zone on Syrian land underscore his mistrust of Sharaa.

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

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

Qatar PM in Beirut as Lebanon seeks economic relief: What to know

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani’s visit to Beirut coincides with the Lebanese authorities’ ongoing efforts to curb Hezbollah’s influence in the country.

Mihrac Ural, who was also known as Ali Kayali, was arrested

Explainer

Syria arrests Mihrac Ural, ex-Assad militia head also wanted by Turkey

The Turkey-born militia chief and a longtime ally of the Assad-regime, was sought by Ankara over the deadly Reyhanli bombings and by Damascus over his alleged role in massacres on the Mediterranean coast.

Latest News

Syria denies meeting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in Turkey: What to know

Lebanon seeks Turkey’s help to join Syria-Saudi rail link: What to know

A picture taken on May 1, 2019 shows a railroad of Mar Mikhael neighborhood in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Lebanon PM meets Rubio as Israel talks stall: What to know

SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon's PM calls for international force to replace UNIFIL: What to know

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

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

Fans of Lebanon cheer their team during their 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Qatar in Doha, November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (QATAR - Tags: SPORT SOCCER) - RTR3AEDG

Lebanon’s World Cup 'crisis'

A dispute over broadcasting rights has led the Lebanese to temporarily ignore political crises and focus on ways to watch World Cup games.

Lebanese riot police stand guard at the Lebanese Central Bank in Beirut February 25, 2013. An open-ended strike by teachers and civil servants entered its second week today for the government to approve the wage hike proposal. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3E9U4

Deficit overpowers Lebanon's draft budget

Amid political and security crises in Lebanon, the issuance of the 2014 draft budget by the Ministry of Finance was a positive sign, but many questions remain about how major economic problems will be addressed.

A Syrian refugee points at his make-shift home in Tfail village in Bekaa Valley after fleeing the violence in Syria, April 22, 2014. The only accessible road to the Lebanese border village of Tfail, cut off by Syrian regime troops as part of the regime's offensive to root out rebels in the Qalamoun region, was reopened on Tuesday by the Lebanese Army. REUTERS/Ahmad Shalha (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3M9R6

Displaced Syrians target of new Lebanon law

A recent law to revoke the displaced status of Syrian refugees if they return to Syria was meant to prevent Syrians from voting in the June 3 elections.

A rainbow is seen over Zaytouna Bay in Beirut May 21, 2014. REUTERS/Hasan Shaban (LEBANON - Tags: ENVIRONMENT) - RTR3Q94Q

Lebanon's debt grows with political stalemate

A report by Merrill Lynch has downgraded Lebanon's financial standing because of its external debt and political paralysis.

A Syrian national living in Beirut holds a picture of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his father, late President Hafez al-Assad, as Syrians gather to make their way to the Syrian Embassy in Beirut to cast their votes ahead of the June 3 presidential election, in Yarze, east of Beirut May 28, 2014. Expatriates and those who have fled the war were casting their ballots at dozens of Syrian embassies abroad ahead of next week's vote inside the country that opponents have dismissed as a farce as the fighti

Syrian voters shake up Lebanese politics

The throngs of Syrian voters in Beirut shocked the Lebanese political establishment.

Outgoing Lebanese President Michel Sleiman gestures beside his wife during his farewell ceremony at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut May 24, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3QNBY

Lebanon needs new electoral law, then a president

The core of the crisis of the Lebanese national pact is the absence of an electoral law that represents the sects fairly, especially the Christians.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wait for the start of talks in Vienna May 14, 2014. Six world powers and Iran launch the decisive phase of diplomacy over Tehran's nuclear work during three-day talks starting in Vienna on Wednesday, with the aim of resolving their decade-old dispute by July 20 despite skepticism a deal is possible. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTR3P1Z8

Iran nuclear talks hit snag over sanctions

Lifting US sanctions, as called for in the Joint Plan of Action, would eventually require dealing with Hezbollah.

Romania's President Traian Basescu (R) walks with Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman during an official welcoming ceremony at Cotroceni palace in Bucharest February 28, 2012. President Suleiman is on a three-day official visit to Romania. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel (ROMANIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2YKF8

What can Lebanon learn from Suleiman's presidency?

As Lebanese President Michel Suleiman’s term ends on May 25, his successor should examine the obstacles and successes of his mandate to prepare for the path ahead.

Teachers hold placards during a protest in front of the Grand Serail in Beirut, February 27, 2013. An open-ended strike by teachers and civil servants entered its second week today for the government to approve the wage hike proposal. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS EDUCATION CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3ECE2

Lebanon: private education soars, public education sinks

Despite a student-teacher ratio of 7-1, public education in Lebanon ranks poorly worldwide and reform is urgently needed.

Lebanese members of parliament gather to elect the new Lebanese president in the parliament building in downtown Beirut April 23, 2014. Lebanese parliamentarians failed to elect a new president in a first round of voting on Wednesday, with leading candidate Samir Geagea falling well short of the required two-thirds majority. REUTERS/Joseph Eid/Pool (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3MAQN

Lebanon approaches presidential deadline

If Lebanon’s parliament fails to elect a president by the constitutionally stipulated deadline of midnight on May 24, the ensuing vacuum could further exacerbate the already tense situation in the country.

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman (R) gestures beside Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai (L), in a celebration to solidify the reconciliation between Christians and Druze in Brih May 17, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR3PLSX

How will Lebanon’s Christians deal with presidential vacancy?

If a new Lebanese president is not elected by the constitutionally stipulated deadline of May 25, the Christians’ options are limited.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran

Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hassan Firouzabadi (R) and former Revolutionary Guards commander Yahya Rahim-Safavi salute during a military parade to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, in Tehran September 22, 2010. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: ANNIVERSARY MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXSIL4

Former IRGC leader claims Iran's border to Lebanon's shores

The Lebanese presidential elections are of a piece with Iran's regional strategy.