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

Lebanon

Lebanon

August 28, 2025

Beirut 5:30 pm

29°C

Lebanon's new Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam delivers a statement at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, on Jan. 14, 2025.

Lebanese PM meets Egypt’s Sisi amid Hezbollah disarmament push: What to know

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged support for Lebanon’s stability and reconstruction during talks in Cairo with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon’s ex-Central Bank chief to be released on $20M bail: What to know

Judicial authorities in Lebanon agreed to release former Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh on $20 million bail nearly a year after his arrest on fraud and embezzlement charges.

A truck with a container leaves the Port of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on August 1, 2025. US President Donald Trump unveiled new tariffs on July 31 on nearly 70 countries -- including a blistering 35 percent on neighbor Canada -- as he seeks to reshape global trade to benefit the US economy. However, in a minor reprieve that opens the door to further negotiations, the White House said the measures will take effect in a week for most countries, not Friday as previously expected. (Photo by ANDREJ I

Canada: Montreal port tied to Hezbollah car trade, presence in Americas

The Canadian government said Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as Sikh nationalist groups, are receiving financial support originating from Canada.

US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a joint press conference following his meeting with Lebanon's president at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on August 18, 2025. Barrack called on Israel to honour its commitments under a ceasefire that ended its war with Hezbollah, after the Lebanese government launched a process to disarm the militant group. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

US envoys in Lebanon as Hezbollah balks at disarmament plan

Israel said it was “ready to support” Lebanon’s efforts to disarm the militant group by year's end.

Latest News

Lebanon begins disarming Palestinian factions after refugee camp hands over weapons

Lebanese army soldiers are stationed at the Burj al-Barajneh camp for Palestinian refugees in Beirut's southern suburbs on Aug. 21, 2025, as armed Palestinian groups in the refugee camps start handing over their weapons.

Lebanon PM in Jordan as Beirut pushes Hezbollah disarmament, Iran’s influence wanes

Jordanian King Abdullah II receives Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Amman on Aug. 19, 2025.

Lebanon's PM slams Hezbollah chief for making 'threat of civil war'

RABIH DAHER/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Lebanon key to Trump plan for turnaround in Middle East

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, right, meets with US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, in Baabda, east of Beirut, July 7, 2025.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security

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

Senior News Editor

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional geopolitics, China in the Middle East

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

Lebanese wait in a line outside a closed petrol station, Hamra district, Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 20, 2021.

Lebanese fear more hardships after fuel subsidies are lifted

The Lebanese are expecting higher gasoline prices in light of the central bank’s decision to lift subsidies amid market chaos, dollar exchange fluctuations and devaluation of salaries in the Lebanese pound.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Breaking | Last Updated: September 28, 2022, 12:11 pm

Two Lebanese banks held up in one day as customers demand own funds

Many Lebanese watchers praised the woman who held up the bank to get her own money as most Lebanese cannot access their funds due to systemic financial mismanagement and corruption.

Snow blankets the area of Mdeirej, in the mountains east of Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 18, 2021.

Lebanese turn to logging in preparation for winter

Lebanon’s woodlands are at risk as the poor are cutting down trees as an alternative for fuel to heat their homes in the coming winter, and with such desperate measures experts fear the loss of precious and old trees.

Sally (L) and Serene listen to callers at Embrace, a suicide prevention helpline, Beirut, Lebanon, July 13, 2018.

Digital platform treats depression, anxiety in Lebanon

In crisis-riddled Lebanon where mental well-being is no longer a priority, the Step-By-Step mobile app provides free psychological and behavioral treatment of anxiety and depression.

Lebanese protesters sail in boats with slogans affirming Lebanon's right to its offshore gas wealth, near a border-marking buoy between Israel and Lebanon in the Mediterranean waters off the southern town of Naqoura, Sept. 4, 2022.

Why Hezbollah won't torpedo Lebanon's maritime border talks with Israel

Israeli sources believe that Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah realizes how important it is for economically failing Lebanon to reach an agreement with Jerusalem on its maritime border and the extraction of natural gas.

Beirut office

Co-working draws Lebanese amid economic, power crises

Several businesses in Lebanon have started utilizing co-working spaces, allowing them to cope with crises by sharing ideas and skills as well as offices.

A welcoming billboard is seen along the airport road in Beirut on June 22, 2022.

Is dollarization best option for Lebanon’s collapsing economy?

In light of the continued collapse of the Lebanese currency, some are suggesting that the dollarization of the economy may be the best option to revive the country’s financial system.

Nasrallah

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah meets with Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The sit-down comes as Iran is calling for unity among Palestinian factions.

Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images

More silos collapse at Port of Beirut as air quality concerns mount

Other parts of the grain silos have collapsed this summer as the 2020 port explosion continues to plague Lebanon.

A photographer takes pictures of a newly wedded couple in a classic car, in front of the Saint Estephan Maronite Church at the fishermen's port in Batroun, Lebanon, Aug. 6, 2022.

Cash-strapped Lebanese turn to online civil marriages

Najwa Sbeity and Omar Abdel Baki's civil wedding ceremony that they held online went viral, enticing more people to opt for this option despite the religious backlash and bureaucratic difficulties.

Artwork by Lebanese artist Abed Alkadiri is pictured in the same gallery where he had an exhibition that was devastated the day of Beirut's port blast.

Two years on, art immortalizes Beirut port explosion

A range of artists are responding to one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.

A bank employee leaves the Federal Bank of Lebanon after being held hostage.

Family of man who held up Beirut bank stages protest

Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein took hostages at gunpoint to get his own money out of the bank. Many Lebanese, who are unable to access their savings amid the economic crisis, called him a hero.