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

Lebanon

Lebanon

August 15, 2026

Beirut 10:51 pm

25°C

Israeli army vehicles move to a position in southern Lebanon, March 27, 2026.

Analysis

Israel defies Trump on Lebanon as Netanyahu, Katz prioritize elections

Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump face fateful elections this fall, but one needs progress in Lebanon while the other wants more of the same.

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

FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Who benefits from Lebanon’s amnesty law and why it is controversial

The law, initially intended to ease prison overcrowding, could see the release of Islamists accused of killing soldiers and allow Lebanese exiled to Israel return to the country.

Latest News

Culture

Lebanon becomes first Arab country to abolish death penalty

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Lebanon-Israel talks drag on, can Beirut break Iran linkage?

Manon Roca / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

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 picture shows a metal installation set up across from the destroyed Beirut port silos during a gathering to honour the victims of the catastrophic port explosion in 2020 and to call for accountability for the blast, in Beirut on August 4, 2025. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on August 4, vowed justice and accountability five years after a catastrophic explosion at Beirut's port, as the investigating judge finished questioning defendants, a judicial official said. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSE

5 years after Lebanon's port explosion: Can Beirut find accountability?

Not one official has been held accountable five years after the deadly port blast that killed over 220 people and destroyed much of Beirut.

TOPSHOT - A person holds a sign with the Arabic slogan "we will not relinquish arms" as Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah supporters take part in a ceremony during the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein, in Beirut's southern suburbs on July 6, 2025. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon’s cabinet to discuss Hezbollah disarmament as US ups pressure

Lebanon is under growing US pressure to issue a formal decision on the disarmament of Hezbollah as soon as possible, with US Ambassador to Lebanon nominee Michel Issa, who is of Lebanese origin, saying the issue is a "necessity.”

Fayruz

Culture

In rare appearance, Fairuz mourns son Ziad Rahbani as Lebanon bids farewell

Legendary Lebanese singer Fairuz attended the funeral of her son, renowned composer and playwright, Ziad Rahbani, at a church in a town north of Beirut, in her first public appearance in years.

TOPSHOT - France's President Emmanuel Macron (2nd-R) and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (2nd-L) pose ahead of their working lunch at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on July 24, 2025. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP) (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images)

On first visit to Paris, Lebanon's Salam secures $88M reconstruction pledge

During discussions with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that Beirut must implement economic reforms before an aid conference can be organized to support Lebanon's reconstruction.

An image of Karim Attiyeh.

Meet Karim Attiyeh, youngest Arab American billionaire of Lebanese origin

Karim Attiyeh, a Lebanese-born technologist, has been named by Forbes Middle East as the youngest billionaire of Arab origin in the United States, joining the list of the 125 richest immigrant billionaires in the US.

A woman walks past a mural depicting Lebanese Druze politician Walid Jumblatt (bottom, R) and Syrian Druze nationalist leader Sultan al-Atrash, in the predominantly Druze city of Beit Jann on November 16, 2023. Around 150,000 Druze, Arab adherents of an esoteric offshoot of Shiite Islam, live in Israel. Most identify as Israelis and the men -- not women -- are conscripted into the military, many serving in combat units. The Druze community is concentrated in 16 villages in northern Israel, among them Beit J

Lebanon's Druze mobilize in solidarity with Syria's Suwayda: What to know

Druze leaders in Lebanon are voicing their growing concerns over the deadly violence unfolding in Suwayda while members of the community are trying to cross the border into Syria.

Traffic moves beneath a banner depicting the slain leader of the Lebanese Shiite Islamist movement Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah (C) and his deputy Hashem Safieddine (C-R) as well as that of slain Iranian General Qassem Soleimani on Beirut Airport Road, in Beirut on February 19, 2025. The pro-Iran group has called for a huge turnout when Nasrallah, killed in a September Israeli strike, is laid to rest in the Lebanese capital on February 23. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon bans dealings with 4 Hezbollah-linked financial institutions

Lebanon’s Central Bank has banned licensed financial institutions from interacting with unauthorized entities including those linked to Hezbollah.

Roumieh

Sharaa reportedly mulls action against Lebanon over Syrian prisoners

Reports that Syria's interim president is threatening action over thousands of Syrians still held in Lebanese prisons have revived the long-standing issue.

Members of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol the road near the border with Israel in the southern Lebanese coastal town of Naqura on March 19, 2025.

UNIFIL patrol in southern Lebanon comes under attack: What to know

A group of men blocked a UNIFIL patrol in southern Lebanon, citing the absence of a Lebanese army escort, leading to brief clashes in the latest incident involving local residents and the UN peacekeeping mission.

Nabih and Barrack

US envoy warns Lebanon 'will be left behind' without action on Hezbollah

US envoy Tom Barrack’s visit to Beirut comes as Israel continues to launch near daily attacks at Lebanon despite a ceasefire that ended the 13-month conflict with Hezbollah late last year.

Pictures of Lebanese Hezbollah's slain leader Hashem Safieddine (L) and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani (2nd-L) and others during a memorial vigil mourning slain members of the IRGC and scientists killed in recent Israeli airstrikes, outside the Iranian embassy headquarters in Baghdad on June 28, 2025. Iran held a state funeral service on June 28 for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel, after Tehran's top diplomat cond

Israel strikes Lebanon as pressure mounts in Beirut to disarm Hezbollah

The US demands that the Lebanese cabinet approve a plan on the disarmament of Hezbollah as Israeli attacks in south Lebanon continue despite a ceasefire.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday held a phone call with billionaire businessman and former senior figure in the Trump administration Elon Musk, during which the two discussed the potential of Musk entering Lebanon’s telecom and internet sectors. What happened: A statement from the Lebanese presidency said that in their phone call, Musk “expressed his deep interest in Lebanon and its telecommunications and internet sectors.” Musk also expressed his desire for his companies to “have a presence

Elon Musk calls Lebanon’s Aoun, signals plans to bring Starlink to Beirut

A senior Starlink official met with Joseph Aoun last month for ongoing talks on bringing the technology to Lebanon.