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

Lebanon

Lebanon

September 9, 2025

Beirut 7:57 am

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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (C) heads a cabinet session to discuss an army plan to disarm the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, on Sept. 5, 2025.

Lebanon to move on Hezbollah disarmament after testy cabinet meeting: What to know

The Lebanese government is under mounting pressure to disarm Hezbollah, but the group’s allies in the government are not on board.

Lebanese soldiers stand guard outside an army base in the southern city of Tyre, on Aug. 28, 2025.

Analysis

Lebanon army mum on Hezbollah disarmament plan ahead of split cabinet meeting

As the Lebanese army scrambles to finalize a crucial plan for disarming Hezbollah, officials have been engaged in intense diplomacy to avoid internal confrontations and move ahead with the disarmament process.

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun (left), receives Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Baabda Presidential Palace, on Sept. 1, 2025.

Lebanon faces tough test as army pushes plan to seize Hezbollah weapons

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed preparations for a cabinet session due this week that will tackle an army plan to take control of weapons outside of the state’s authority.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Israel cautious on Lebanon withdrawal despite Netanyahu overtures, US push

The Trump administration is pressuring Netanyahu to make concessions to the Lebanese government in exchange for its efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

Latest News

Analysis

Attack, concede, stall: Hezbollah’s options as Lebanon advances disarmament plan

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivers a statement during a ceremony to honor the Shiite cleric Abbas Ali Al-Moussawi, who passed away the week prior, Beirut, Aug. 25, 2025.

Dario Sabaghi

By Dario Sabaghi

UN Security Council renews Lebanon peacekeeping mission for one year

unifil

Lebanon's army receives 8 truckloads of weapons from Palestinian camps

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

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

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

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

German special police talk near the El-Irschad (Al-Iraschad e.V.) centre in Berlin, Germany, April 30, 2020, after Germany has banned Iran-backed Hezbollah on its soil and designated it a terrorist organisation. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke - RC2UEG9F1PDQ

Germany designates entirety of Hezbollah a terrorist organization

Germany previously only classified Hezbollah's military wing as terrorists. Israel hopes the rest of Europe will follow suit.

People shop at a supermarket after the Saudi government eased a curfew and allowed stores to open, following the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia April 29, 2020. REUTERS/Marwa Rashad - RC2CEG9U1YOY

Saudi Arabia eases anti-virus measures

Saudi Arabia allowed businesses to reopen today, but mosques, schools and other places remain closed.

Lebanese demonstrators wear face masks during a protest against the collapsing Lebanese pound currency outside Lebanon's Central Bank in Beirut, Lebanon April 23, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RC2IAG903BZB

Lebanese protest dire economic conditions as coronavirus lockdown eases

Protests have resumed in Lebanon, with many people lamenting hunger and economic strife as the country's financial crisis continues during the coronavirus lockdown.

A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine, amid fear of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Tehran, Iran April 2, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2DWF9GIRD0

Women, children face increased risk of abuse during Mideast lockdowns

No COVID-19 furlough for imprisoned Iranian women’s rights activists; Interreligious, LGBT couples struggle to connect; Yemen’s cease-fire gets a second chance.

A health worker and armed Palestinians gather under the portrait of their late leader Yasser Arafat at the Wavel Palestinian refugee camp (also known as the Jalil camp) in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, on April 24, 2020, after cases of infection by the novel coronavirus were detected there. - The residents of the Wavel camp were tested after a member of a household, a Palestinian refugee from Syria, was admitted to the state-run Rafic Hariri hospital in the capital Beirut for demonstrating COVID-19 sympt

Four new coronavirus cases in refugee camp in Lebanon

The four infected individuals are relatives of the first refugee woman who tested positive for the coronavirus in a Palestinian refugee camp this week.

A general view of tents at a camp in Bar Elias, in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon January 13, 2020. Picture taken January 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RC2QFE9G8SHJ

NGO: Most refugees in Lebanon lack soap after refugee tests positive for coronavirus

The International Rescue Committee's survey was released after a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon tested positive for the virus.

A farmer is seen in a green of cannabis plants in a field overlooking a lake in Yammouneh in West of Baalbek, Lebanon August 13, 2018. Picture taken August 13, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RC1701D184F0

Lebanon becomes first Arab country to legalize cannabis farming

Despite pushback from Hezbollah, the Lebanese parliament passed legislation Tuesday legalizing cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial purposes.

Workers disinfect the Wavel camp (also known as the Jalil Camp) for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, on April 22, 2020, after the UN announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus there. - The patient, a Palestinian refugee from Syria, has been taken to the Lebanese state-run Rafiq Hariri hospital in Beirut, UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said in a statement on April 21. More than 2,000 people live in Wavel, according to statistics released by Lebanons' government a

First confirmed coronavirus case in Lebanon Palestinian refugee camp

A Palestinian refugee woman tested positive for the coronavirus in Lebanon amid fears that the conditions in such camps could lead to an outbreak.

Lebanese members of Parliament attend a legislative session in a theatre hall to allow social distancing amid spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in UNESCO Palace building in Beirut, Lebanon April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RC2Y8G9Q09EO

Lebanese parliament reconvenes with anti-virus measures in place

The Lebanese parliament voted to pass a bill allowing cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes as protests resumed in Beirut.

Lebanon records zero new COVID-19 cases for first time since virus emerged

Anti-government protesters return to the streets of Beirut, the Lebanese parliament approves an IMF loan and the Health Ministry reports no new cases of COVID-19.

The message behind Israel’s drone attack

Hezbollah is on edge as Israel continues its drone war in Lebanon.

Domestic violence in Lebanon spikes under lockdown

More women are reporting abuse and domestic violence in Lebanon as the country's citizens remain stuck at home to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.