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Lebanon

Lebanon

August 18, 2026

Beirut 12:53 pm

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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

Lebanon passes law criminalizing sexual harassment

Lebanese lawmakers broadened what constitutes domestic violence but did not specifically outlaw marital rape.

A man walks past a shop in the main commercial market at the Lebanese coastal city of Jounieh north of Beirut on December 01, 2020. - Lebanon's economy is sinking into a "deliberate depression", the World Bank said on December 1 in a damning report stressing the authorities' failure to tackle the crisis. Lebanon's economy started collapsing last year as a result of years of corrupt practices and mismanagement. The crisis was made worse by a nationwide wave of anti-government protests that paralysed the coun

Lebanese citizens see no relief as economic downturn worsens

Amid plans to lift subsidies and private universities’ decision to raise tuition fees, the Lebanese people continue to suffer under the country’s crumbling economy with no end in sight.

Lebanese activist sentenced to prison for collaborating with Israel

Kinda El-Khatib, a critic of Hezbollah on social media, was sentenced to three years in prison by a military court.

Hezbollah operative receives life sentences for Hariri assassination

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon at the Hague had already convicted Salim Jamil Ayyash for involvement in the 2005 car-bomb assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister.

Members of Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah take part in a Martyr's Day parade in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on November 11, 2020. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Slovenia designates Hezbollah as terrorist organization

Slovenia has followed other European states in designating Hezbollah as a terror group, including both its political and its military wings.

A picture shows a man standing at the booth of a money exchange company in the city of Jounieh north of Beirut on December 01, 2020. - Lebanon's economy is sinking into a "deliberate depression", the World Bank said on December 1 in a damning report stressing the authorities' failure to tackle the crisis. Lebanon's economy started collapsing last year as a result of years of corrupt practices and mismanagement. The crisis was made worse by a nationwide wave of anti-government protests that paralysed the cou

Lebanese GDP to decrease by nearly 20% in 2020

The World Bank has proposed several reform measures as Lebanon continues to struggle with currency depreciation, the COVID-19 pandemic and more.

A picture taken on October 12, 2020, shows maritime border markers near the Rosh Hanikra Crossing, also known as the Ras Al Naqoura Crossing, between Israel and Lebanon. - On October 1, Lebanon and Israel, which are still technically at war, said they had agreed to begin UN-brokered negotiations over the shared frontier, in what Washington hailed a "historic" agreement, with a tentative date set for the discussions for October 14, which would be confirmed, according to a US envoy. (Photo by JALAA MAREY / AF

Israel-Lebanon sea border talks postponed

Israel and Lebanon have paused direct discussions over their maritime dispute in a gas-rich part of the Mediterranean in October under US supervision.

Lebanese youths gather around the Revolution fist, symbol of Lebanons October 2019 uprising, after it was set on fire during clashes between anti-government protesters and supporters of former prime minister Saad Hariri, in the capital Beirut's central Martyr's square, on October 21, 2020. - Hariri resigned as premier in October 2019 in the wake of unprecedented street protests, but he is now expected to make a comeback at the helm of the next government.
Most parliamentary blocs have pledged support for Ha

Lebanon’s PM struggles to form Cabinet amid economic crisis

Lebanon’s political elite have yet to form a government despite the urgency as the country slides further into economic collapse.

The influential head of Lebanon's General Security apparatus, Abbas Ibrahim, is pictured during an interview at his office in the capital Beirut on July 22, 2020. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon’s intelligence chief visited Damascus amid efforts to free Austin Tice

Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim suggested efforts to secure the American journalist's release continued after Ibrahim visited Washington last month.

An Italian medic walks around in the coronavirus ward at the Italian field hospital in the Lebanese University campus in the town of Hadath, north of the capital Beirut on September 8, 2020. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon returns to lockdown as virus cases surge

COVID-19 infections have risen steadily in Lebanon since the August explosion in Beirut.

Syrian refugee in Lebanon sets himself on fire

The UN refugee agency said the 58-year-old man was hospitalized and is receiving the necessary care.

People arrive to receive food aid packages from workers, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, at the Food Blessed NGO's centre in Lebanon's capital Beirut on July 28, 2020. - Amid Lebanon's worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, food aid has become a lifeline even for the once relatively affluent middle class. Lebanon's economy has collapsed in recent months, with the local currency plummeting against the dollar, businesses closing en masse and poverty soaring at the same alarmi

Lebanese brace for lifting of subsidies as conditions deteriorate

As Lebanon suffers from its worst economic crisis in decades, the Lebanese are growing concerned as the central bank warns that its reserves will soon be depleted, forcing it to lift subsidies off basic commodities.