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

Lebanon

Lebanon

February 16, 2026

Beirut 8:03 am

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Kuwait blacklists eight Lebanon hospitals over alleged Hezbollah ties: What to know

The affected hospitals, located in areas where Hezbollah has a heavy presence, are believed to be run by Hezbollah-affiliated institutions.

Hezbollah marchers

US sanctions Hezbollah-linked gold exchange, Iran-tied shipping network

The move comes as the United States pursues a deal with Iran that would curb its support for Hezbollah and other regional militias.

A picture shows a view of a street with access to a detention center under the Adliyeh (Palace of Justice) bridge (L) of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on Aug. 7, 2022.

Lebanon, Syria sign deal to transfer 300 Syrian prisoners: What we know

Lebanon and Syria signed a deal to transfer more than 300 convicted Syrians held in Lebanese prisons to their home country to complete their sentences.

Lebanese soldiers standing atop a military vehicle in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, on Nov. 28, 2025.

Lebanon’s army chief in Washington as Hezbollah disarmament enters critical phase

Gen. Rodolphe Haykal is seeking US support for what is likely to be a cautious approach to expanding the geographic scope of the Lebanese army's efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

Latest News

Lebanon army chief to visit US Tuesday to shore up support: What to know

This photograph taken during a press tour organised by the Lebanese army shows Lebanese soldiers standing atop military vehicles in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, on November 28, 2025. It was the first guided tour the army gave journalists since a November 2024 ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images)

Christian party in Lebanon says alliance with Hezbollah over: What to know

Lebanese MP Gebran Bassil attends the 12th parliamentary session to elect a new president in Beirut's downtown district on June 14, 2023.

UAE firm’s $1.7B legal threat spotlights Gulf split on Lebanon as Qatar invests

This aerial view taken from a Hellenic Air Force aircraft carrying medical aid supplies to Lebanon shows the skyline and port of Beirut during the landing approach towards Beirut International Airport on October 25, 2024. Israel expanded operations in Lebanon nearly a year after Hezbollah began exchanging fire in support of its ally, Hamas, following the Palestinian group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. (Photo by ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU/POOL/AFP via Getty

From Egypt to Lebanon: What’s at stake for regional states on Trump’s visa ban list?

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 Lebanese security official holds a handful of confiscated captagon pills in his palm at the judicial police headquarters in the city of Zahle in Lebanon's central Bekaa valley on July 21, 2022. (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Three Lebanese soldiers killed in Bekaa drug raid

Lebanon plays a big role in the Captagon trade, though authorities are trying to crack down on drugs.

A Lebanese protester flashes the V-sign for victory and shouts slogans as others vandalise banks in Beirut on February 16, 2023, one day after the Lebanese pound hit a record low against the dollar on the black market. - The country's grinding political and economic crises shows no signs of abating as the pound has lost more than 95 percent of its value against the greenback since the start of the economic collapse in 2019. (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Banks burn in Lebanon as exchange rate falls to historic low

Lebanese banks were already on strike and the government’s interventions have failed to alleviate the economic crisis.

Lisa Johnson, State Department

Meet Lisa Johnson, US nominee to be ambassador to Lebanon

Lisa Johnson has a background fighting the drug trade, which could relate to Lebanon’s role as a transit point for illegal Captagon.

A money changer counts notes at his shop in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Sept. 22, 2022.

Explainer: What is behind Lebanon's new exchange rate?

There are multiple exchange rates between the Lebanese pound and the US dollar, and the official rate being below the black market rate helps financial institutions pass on their losses to the public.

Middle East corruption rankings: Syria most corrupt, UAE least, Turkey slipped

Corruption remains rampant across the Middle East and North Africa, Transparency International reports, with the region’s average score in combating corruption hitting a new low of 38.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Qatar's energy giant cements Lebanon deal, substituting Russia

The Qatari firm officially took over the stake previously held by a Russian company.

Tarek Bitar

Meet judge Tarek Bitar, rattling Lebanon's political class in Beirut blast probe

The leading investigative judge into the Aug. 4 Beirut port blast has come back after a 13-month stall, rattling the political and judicial establishment.

A Yemeni man looks up at pillars at the Awam, or Moon Temple, near the recently restored Arsh, or Throne of Balquis, the site of the legendary kingdom of Sheba, Marib province, Yemen, Dec. 21, 2000.

Culture

UNESCO lists two locations in Lebanon, Yemen as heritage sites in danger

In an urgent session on Wednesday, UNESCO named two sites from Lebanon and Yemen to its List of World Heritage in Danger, calling for their immediate preservation.

Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Emir of Qatar, departs after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery on May 20, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Qatar's energy giant joins Lebanon gas exploration group

France’s TotalEnergies, which is also part of the consortium, said they hope to start drilling in Lebanese waters for oil and gas in 2023.

A supporter of Hezbollah and the Amal movements carries a portrait of Judge Tarek Bitar.

Lebanon's prosecutor retaliates, charges judge investigating Beirut port blast

The latest charges made by Beirut port explosion Judge Tarek Bitar against Lebanon’s key political figures has angered many in the political elite who banned him from travel on Wednesday.

An exterior view of the building of US Department of the Treasury is seen on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: January 25, 2023, 4:50 pm

US sanctions Hezbollah financial adviser in Lebanon

The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on Lebanese economist Hassan Moukalled, his two sons and his money-exchange business.

Smoke plume rising after the new collapse of the northern section of the grain silos at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, which were previously partly destroyed by the 2020 port explosion. (Photo by DYLAN COLLINS/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's blast investigator charges former PM Diab, senior security officials

Among those charged are Prosecutor General Ghassan Oweidat, the head of Lebanon's domestic intelligence agency Major General Abbas Ibrahim, former army commander Jean Kahwaji, and other current and former security and judicial officials.