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Lebanon

Lebanon

October 24, 2026

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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

U.S. President Barack Obama listens during his meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman (not pictured) at the United Nations General Assembly in New York September 24, 2013.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13XUK

Is US letting down allies in Lebanon with Iran deal?

There is a growing belief among traditional US allies in Lebanon that the recent Iranian nuclear deal will be at their expense.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela (R) and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (L) take leave of one another after holding a meeting on the crisis in the Middle East May 3, 2001. Arafat is in south Africa to attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) meeting on Palestine, and also to inform President Thabo Mbeki about developments on the Middle East.

JN/WS - RTRHQJQ

Mandela's legacy shines on

Late South African leader Nelson Mandela will always remain a powerful symbol of liberation and triumph for the countries of the Arab Spring and others.

People clean the streets as the Lebanese army deploys on the streets of the Sunni Muslim Bab al-Tebbaneh neighbourhood in Tripoli, northern Lebanon December 4, 2013. The Lebanese government has told the army to take over security in the restive coastal city of Tripoli for six months, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday. Ten people were killed in weekend clashes between Tripoli's Alawite minority, which supports Syria's Alawite President Bashar al-Assad, and majority Sunni Muslims who back h

Regional violence threatens Lebanon's fragile stability

As suicide attacks and explosions increase in Beirut, Lebanon is being inexorably drawn deeper into the Syrian conflict.

Torn posters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi are seen on a wall at Tahrir Square in Cairo September 26, 2013. On Thursday, the groundwork for the construction of a garden was begun at the square. The poster reads, "To be on trial... No reconciliation without justice, no justice without retribution, no punishment without trial". REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX140EG

National reconciliation in Egypt still in doubt

As the political conflict escalates in Egypt, some are calling for a national reconciliation, yet many obstacles stand in the way.

Lebanon's Hezbollah members and relatives carry the coffin of commander Hassan al-Laqqis during his funeral in Baalbeck, in Lebanon's Bekaa valley December 4, 2013. Al-Laqqis, a Hezbollah commander who fought in Syria's civil war was shot dead outside his home in Lebanon on Wednesday in an attack which the militant Shi'ite group blamed on Israel. Israel denied any role in the killing of Hassan al-Laqqis, who was shot from close range by a silenced gun as he arrived home at around midnight in the Hadath dist

Laqis assassination reveals crack in Hezbollah’s ‘security fortress’

The Dec. 4 assassination of a leading Hezbollah figure in Beirut occurred when the organization was in a state of heightened vigilance.

Lebanon's Hezbollah boy scouts carry a picture of Hezbollah commander Hassan al-Laqqis during his funeral in Baalbeck, in Lebanon's Bekaa valley December 4, 2013. Al-Laqqis, a Hezbollah commander who fought in Syria's civil war was shot dead outside his home in Lebanon on Wednesday in an attack which the militant Shi'ite group blamed on Israel. Israel denied any role in the killing of Hassan al-Laqqis, who was shot from close range by a silenced gun as he arrived home at around midnight in the Hadath distri

Assassinated Hezbollah leader key to technology, drone operations

A source said Hassan al-Laqis was one of Imad Mughniyeh’s “smart students.”

Members of the Somali parliament vote by a show of hands in Mogadishu December 2, 2013. Somalia's parliament voted on Monday to sack Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, the speaker of parliament said, after a row with the president that has paralysed the state and threatened a shaky recovery from war. The prime minister, who was appointed last year, fell out with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud over what legislators said was a dispute over the composition of a new cabinet, prompting Monday's no confidence v

Somalia's democracy a pleasant surprise

The Arab League and the African Union should support the nascent democratic transition in Somalia.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (4th L) attends a meeting for the 2nd Joint High Committee in Kuwait City on December 1, 2013. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee (KUWAIT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15ZK7

Iran nuclear deal may be start of new era in Persian Gulf

The Iran nuclear deal could be a breakthrough on regional ties.

A forensic inspector collects evidence at the site of the two suicide bombings that occurred on Tuesday near Iran's embassy compound in Beirut November 20, 2013. Two suicide bombings rocked Iran's embassy compound in Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least 23 people including an Iranian cultural attache and hurling bodies and burning wreckage across a debris-strewn street. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX15LK0

Beirut blast a lesson in terrorism

The perpetrators of the Iranian Embassy bombing in Beirut carefully crafted the attack to cause maximum physical and psychological damage.

Lebanese commandos take part in a military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Lebanon's independence in downtown Beirut November 22, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX15OGS

Lebanese independence from 1943 pact to Baabda Declaration

In Lebanon’s 70th year as an independent republic, the series of treaties and agreements to overcome internal disputes can all contribute to a more comprehensive solution to the question of national unity.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the media about the deal that has been reached between six world powers and Iran at the International Conference Centre of Geneva in Geneva November 24, 2013. Iran and six world powers reached a breakthrough deal early on Sunday to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief, in what could be the first sign of an emerging rapprochement between the Islamic state and the West. REUTERS/Carolyn Kaster/Pool (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS EN

Obama going big in the Middle East

The "first step agreement" with Iran is a giant step toward recasting the strategic landscape in the Middle East for the better, including for US allies Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu take part in a joint news conference in Moscow's Kremlin November 20, 2013. Putin said after talks that both sides hoped a "mutually acceptable resolution" could soon be found over Iran's nuclear ambitions. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15M33

Netanyahu's nuclear blind spot

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reaction to the Iran nuclear deal shows a blind spot in his thinking — and a bit of hypocrisy.