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Lebanon

Lebanon

October 24, 2026

Beirut 7:53 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

A closed First National Bank branch is seen in Beirut September 4, 2013. Banks and private business corporations saw a one-day strike being held in many parts of Lebanon on Wednesday, organised by economic committees aiming to pressure Lebanese political parties to form a cabinet to maintain the country's economy, local media reported. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: BUSINESS CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX136O5

Lebanon needs drastic steps to avoid bankruptcy

After the growth rate of the public debt and the slow economic growth have reached alarming levels, the new Lebanese government must restore economic confidence in the country.

A general view shows the Sunni Muslim border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley March 19, 2014. The Lebanese army reopened a road between two towns near the Syrian border on Wednesday to try to calm sectarian rivalry aggravated by the conflict in neighbouring Syria. Shi'ite Muslims from the Bekaa Valley town of al-Labwa, where Hezbollah has strong support, had erected sandbag barriers at the weekend to cut off the Sunni Muslim town of Arsal from the rest of Lebanon. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah (LEBANON - Ta

Lebanese factions seek unity against terrorism threat

After the new Lebanese government secures parliament’s official blessing, it may have the political cover to act militarily to address troubling security problems.

An Israeli army officer speaks to a soldier who was wounded during an explosion as he is evacuated to hospital, in the northern city of Haifa March 18, 2014. A roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, and Israel retaliated with artillery fire on Syrian army positions, the army said. It was not clear who had planted the bomb in an area where the Syrian military, Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas and Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad all have a p

Israel sets new red lines with Syria

The Israeli government prefers that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces keep the Golan quiet, while making clear it will not tolerate any game-changing weapons transfers to Hezbollah.

A banner of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is seen at a Yabroud town square in the Damascus countryside, after the soldiers loyal to Assad took control of it from the rebel fighters, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA on March 17, 2014. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT ) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUT

Yabrud victory a setback for Lebanon’s security

While Hezbollah was celebrating the victory in Yabrud, another stronghold of the Shiite resistance was targeted by a suicide attack, which raised questions about the repercussions of the victory on Lebanon.

A piece of wreckage from a vehicle is seen at the site of Sunday's explosion in Nabi Osmane in the Bekaa Valley March 17, 2014. At least three people were killed when a suicide car bomber struck a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Sunday in an apparent response to the fall of a rebel-held town to government forces across the border in Syria. A security source said two of the dead from the blast in Nabi Osmane were members of the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim militant group Hezbollah whose fighters

What does the fall of Yabrud mean for Lebanon?

After the Syrian regime regained control of the rebel-held town of Yabrud this past weekend, some in Lebanon fear that the influx of extremist militants means more terrorist attacks inside the country.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam (C) walks at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut February 15, 2014. Lebanon announced a new government on Saturday, breaking a 10-month political deadlock during which spillover violence from neighbouring Syria worsened internal instability. Parliament designated Sunni lawmaker Salam as prime minister in April 2013, but he had been unable to form a government for months due to rivalries between the Hezbollah-dominated March 8 bloc and the March 14 alliance, l

Lebanon deserves better

Despite the formation of a long-awaited Lebanese Cabinet, the country must rethink sectarianism if it is to persevere in the midst of regional conflicts.

Future Movement campaign posters featuring members of the "March 14" Alliance are displayed on the walls of a tent in the Bekka Valley village of Qabb Elias June 5, 2009. Lebanese vote on June 7 in a parliamentary election that pits the powerful Shi'ite group Hezbollah and its allies against an anti-Syrian alliance that won a 2005 poll. The vote will determine the shape of parliament and government until 2013. REUTERS/Steve Crisp (LEBANON ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR24BIR

Lebanon's March 14 bloc takes stock on ninth anniversary

As the ninth anniversary of the March 14, 2005, demonstrations in Lebanon approach, the March 14 movement is faced with both challenges and opportunities.

M302 rockets found aboard the Klos C ship are displayed at an Israeli navy base in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat March 10, 2014. The ship seized by the Israeli navy on suspicion of smuggling arms from Iran to the Gaza Strip docked on Saturday in Israel, which planned to put the cargo on display in hope of denting Tehran's rapprochement with the West. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3GG0P

Iranian weapons shipment no 'tiebreaker'

The rollout of Israel's seizure of a ship carrying Iranian arms may have disappointed Israeli leaders looking for a public relations windfall.

What next for Qatar and the GCC?

Following the decision by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar, will Doha reassess its foreign policy to ensure it can continue playing the vital role of mediator in thorny regional issues?

Avoiding the 'disaster scenario' in Lebanon

Lebanon at a crossroad: in the best-case scenario Lebanon would see a new president who forms a new government, while in a worst-case scenario no president is elected and the government does not enjoy parliament's confidence.

Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman (L) and Parliament speaker Nabih Berri (3rd L) look on as Hezbollah's deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem (C) greets released Lebanese prisoner Maher Qorani at Beirut airport July 16, 2008. Five Lebanese freed from captivity in Israel were flown to a heroes' welcome in Beirut on Wednesday after Hezbollah returned the bodies of two Israeli soldiers seized in a cross-border raid in 2006. REUTERS/ Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON) - RTX7ZV4

Dispute between Lebanese president, Hezbollah heats up

As presidential elections approach in Lebanon, the dispute between President Michel Suleiman and Hezbollah over the latter’s intervention in Syria has intensified.

Forensic inspectors and Lebanese army soldiers inspect the wreckage of a van at the site of an explosion in Choueifat, south of the capital February 3, 2014. A suicide bomber killed himself and one other person when he detonated explosives in a van in southern Beirut on Monday, a Lebanese security source said. Lebanese television footage showed the chassis of a vehicle with no roof. Smoke rose in the air and debris lay on a street. Body parts, including a head, were on the road. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LE

Lebanese minibus hero helps thwart suicide bomber

Hussein Msheik, a Lebanese minibus driver who survived a suicide attack on Feb. 3, speaks to Al-Monitor about the incident and his future plans.