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Lebanon

Lebanon

October 19, 2026

Beirut 2:39 am

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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.

Syria denies meeting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in Turkey: What to know

Both Damascus and Ankara denied reports that Syrian officials met with Hezbollah representatives in Turkey, as relations between the two sides remain fraught with tensions mainly over the Lebanese group’s support for Assad’s forces against rebels during the Syrian civil war.

Latest News

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

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

Gargash

United Arab Emirates

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

Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh gives an interview with AFP at his office in the capital Beirut on December 20, 2021. (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's Riad Salameh probe tops visit of European investigators

A European delegation is conducting an investigation into Lebanon’s banking system and the port explosion in the hope of providing some answers.

Beirut international airport

Lebanon arrests seven suspects in killing of Irish UNIFIL soldier

Seven suspects have been arrested in relation to the killing of an Irish peacekeeper in south Lebanon and six more are being investigated.

Supporters of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah attend a televised speech by the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah in the Lebanese capital Beirut's southern suburbs on Jan. 3, 2023 marking the third anniversary of the US killing of top Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Hezbollah's Nasrallah refutes health rumors, slams Ben-Gvir

Hassan Nasrallah praised internal efforts to choose a Lebanese president, but criticized attempts to link the issue to geopolitical developments.

The flags of (front to back) France and Lebanon fly near the damaged grain silos at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on July 14, 2021, almost a year after the August 4 massive explosion that killed more than 200 people and injured scores of others. (Photo by PATRICK BAZ/AFP via Getty Images)

French defense chief in Lebanon, pledges more support to military

Sebastien Lecornu's visit came two weeks following the killing of an Irish UNIFIL soldier as his convoy came under attack. A suspect is now in custody

Lebanon parliament

2022 in review: Lebanon in paralysis, fails ten times to elect President

Head of Lebanese Army General Joseph Aoun is emerging as potential presidential candidate in Lebanon after a year of political dysfunction, rising poverty and economic collapse in country

Sunset shot showing a row of electricity pylons in the desert, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Getty Images)

Analysis

2022 in review: Saudi-China, Qatar-Germany deals cap Middle East's energy developments

Hydrogen power, oil price fluctuations and electric vehicles could feature prominently in the region in 2023.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Bars toast holiday season in Lebanon

Lebanon's beleaguered food and beverage sector is hoping for relief from holiday travelers.

This picture taken on March 21, 2020, shows an aerial view of the Ashrafieh district of Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

As Lebanon unravels, Beirut neighborhood takes security into its own hands

Amid Beirut’s unlit streets, men wield torches and batons to ensure security and safety in the neighborhood in an initiative that began in Achrafieh, one of Beirut’s oldest and most charming districts.

Italian members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon gather in the village of Seddiqine, from near where four rockets were fired toward Israel, Tyre district, south Lebanon, May 19, 2021.

Irish UN peacekeeping soldier killed in south Lebanon

A UNIFIL convoy came under attack Dec. 14 resulting in the death of an Irish soldier and the injury of three others.

A man walks past the World Bank building in Washington on April 21, 2022.

World Bank says debt increasing in Middle East countries

Egypt, Iran and Turkey’s debt rose significantly last year.

Security forces stand guard during the lighting of the Christmas tree in Sassine Square in the Ashrafieh district of Lebanon's capital Beirut on December 7, 2022. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Morocco's win at World Cup reopens Lebanon's civil war wounds

Lebanon's former prime minister calls for calm amid sectarian clashes in Beirut following Morocco's win against Portugal.

A man walks past a French-language daily newspaper stand displaying the final issue of Algerian French-language daily newspaper "Liberté" in Algeria's capital Algiers on April 14, 2022. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images)

In press freedom index, Middle Eastern countries go from bad to worse

Press freedom and journalist safety remain “very bad” in the majority of the Middle East and North Africa nations, Reporters Without Borders' 2022 index shows.