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

Lebanon

Lebanon

October 24, 2026

Beirut 3:35 pm

30°C

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

Protesters carry mock coffins draped with Lebanon's national flags, representing the parliament, as they express their refusal of the extension of parliamentary terms near the parliament in Beirut May 31, 2013. Lebanese lawmakers agreed on Friday to postpone a June parliamentary election until late next year due to instability in neighbouring Syria and political deadlock at home. Words on the banner read, "You failed in everything. You failed, you failed, you failed... Go home!" REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEB

Lebanon’s Political Crisis Set to Worsen

With Lebanon’s Constitutional Council set to end this week, and as parliament has extended its own mandate, some fear the country’s political crisis is about to get worse.

Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters wave Palestinian and Hezbollah flags during a demonstration, organised by Lebanese and Palestinian factions, against Israel's military operation in Gaza, in front of the U.N. headquarters in Beirut November 17, 2012. Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas government buildings in Gaza on Saturday, including the prime minister's office, after Israel's cabinet authorised the mobilisation of up to 75,000 reservists, preparing for a possible ground invasion. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - T

Hamas, Hezbollah Reportedly Seek To Cool Tensions

Hamas sought an urgent meeting with Hezbollah to ease tensions after accusations that Palestinians affiliated with Hamas had fought alongside Syrian rebels in Qusair.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is projected on a screen during a live broadcast as he speaks to his supporters at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Al-Nour radio station, which is operated by the Hezbollah in Beirut, May 9, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS MEDIA ANNIVERSARY) - RTXZGEC

Exclusive: I Saw Nasrallah in Qusair

The Hezbollah secretary-general’s mysterious visit to Qusair may not have been his first.

A supporter of moderate cleric Hassan Rohani gestures with a picture of him as she celebrates his victory in Iran's presidential election on a street in Tehran June 15, 2013. Rohani won Iran's presidential election on Saturday, the interior ministry said, scoring a surprising landslide victory over conservative hardliners without the need for a second round run-off. REUTERS/Fars News/Sina Shiri (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL US

Rouhani’s Election Win in Iran Promises to Ease Tension

Hassan Rouhani's election is expected to ease tensions among Iranians and the international community.

Peacekeeping troops from the unarmed United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (R) (UNTSO) and the UN Disengagement Observer Force (L) (UNDOF) stand on an observation tower located on the Israeli side of the 1973 Golan Heights ceasefire line with Syria March 21, 2012. Blue-helmeted United Nations peacekeeping troops patrolling a slice of Syrian territory to maintain a ceasefire with Israel face new risks as violence between Syrian government loyalists and rebels gets closer. Picture taken March 21, 2012

Is Israel Considering Participation By Russia in UNDOF?

If true, it raises many questions about the shifting regional balance of forces.

Life in Homs a Mixture Of Fear, Danger

A first-hand account from Homs reveals a city divided and under siege by the Syrian war.

US Prof. Richard Falk addresses the participants during the Istanbul session of The World Tribunal on Iraq. U.S. Professor Richard Falk, UNESCO peace prize holder and Professor of International Law, addresses the participants during the Istanbul session of The World Tribunal on Iraq June 24, 2005. The World Tribunal on Iraq is a worldwide initiative that works together in a non-hierarchical system as a horizontal network of local groups worldwide. The project consists of commissions of inquiry and sessions

Richard Falk Will Not Be Another Richard Goldstone

UN human rights investigator Richard Falk suggests that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has joined pro-Israel UN Watch in defamatory remarks against him.

$A side-scan sonar is seen in the waters of the Mediterranean sea, during a tour of areas believed to have gas reserves, off Lebanon's coast near Beirut May 30, 2013. Offshore seismic surveys suggest Lebanon has at least 30 trillion cubic feet in just a small fraction of its Mediterranean waters Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said. Lebanon has selected 46 international oil companies to bid to explore for gas off its coast, where survey ships have been assessing prospects after discoveries in waters off neighb$

Lebanon Seeks to Make The Most of Hydrocarbons

Lebanon seeks to avoid a false euphoria and make the most of a potential oil and gas windfall.

Lebanese residents remove barricades after months of clashes between Sunni Muslims and the small Alawite community, in Tripoli June 9, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10HDG

Lebanon’s Taif Agreement Needs Revision

The Taif Agreement is still the key to Lebanon’s political compact, although it should be reviewed and amended.

People sit in a coffee shop in Hamra street in Beirut January 24, 2011. Lebanon was plunged into political crisis after Hezbollah and its allies walked out of caretaker Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's unity government on Jan. 12 in a dispute over still-confidential indictments by a U.N.-backed tribunal which is investigating the 2005 killing of statesman Rafik al-Hariri, the premier's father. Picture taken January 24, 2011. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTXX13K

Beirut’s Historic Hamra Street No Longer Cultural Epicenter

Once an epicenter for Arab and Lebanese intellectuals, Beirut’s famous Hamra Street has in recent decades been transformed by consumption-oriented establishments.

Lebanese and Syrian supporters of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, celebrate in Qusair June 9, 2013, after the Syrian army and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters took control of the town from rebel fighters in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) 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 DISTRIBUTE

Whether Qusair Will Tip The Balance Remains to Be Seen

The defeat of Syrian opposition forces in Qusair may be a turning point toward a deepening of the conflict or a catalyst for a peace conference.

A picture taken on June 8, 2013 shows Syrian army soldiers gathering ammunition from a tunnel in the village of Buweida, north of Qusayr, in Syria's central Homs province. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have now seized all of the Qusayr area in central Syria, state television reported, as troops overran the last rebel bastion in the area. AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Syria’s War of Tunnels

An exclusive report from Qusair.