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Lebanon

Lebanon

June 19, 2026

Beirut 11:05 pm

22°C

US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

Analysis

How Netanyahu used Lebanon strikes to push back on Trump’s Iran deal

The latest ceasefire in Lebanon leaves Netanyahu squeezed between Washington and domestic pressure.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Marada Movement leader Suleiman Frangieh (L) meets with Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi (C) and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea (R), Bkerke, north of Beirut, Nov. 14, 2018.

Who is Lebanon’s Suleiman Frangieh, sanctioned by US for Hezbollah ties?

The politician and Marada Movement leader has a close relationship with the Syrian Assad family and staunchly supports Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.

Lebanese soldiers man a check point beside a Hezbollah flag at the entrance to Nabatieh on June 15, 2026.

Analysis

Fears in Lebanon that US-Iran deal boosts Hezbollah without restraining Israel

The deal that ended the war between the United States and Iran has left Hezbollah feeling empowered, which could mark a setback for the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm the group and move forward with its talks with Israel.

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Latest News

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun to visit White House this month, Trump says

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a government meeting at the Presidential Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 5, 2025.

Who is Fahd Al-Dosari, Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Lebanon?

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji meets with Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Hathloul Al-Dosari, the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut on June 17, 2026.

Analysis

Why Trump’s push for Syria to confront Hezbollah is an unlikely bid

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa is welcomed by Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia on April 24, 2026, on the sidelines of a European summit.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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 member of internal security forces distributes protective masks for demonstrators, as preventive measures against the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during a protest in cars against the growing economic hardship and to mark Labour Day in Tyre, Lebanon May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC2OFG96BP4S

Lebanon’s lockdown extended amid fears of ‘second wave’ of virus

To keep the coronavirus from spreading, a curfew and other restrictions on movement in Lebanon will continue through at least May 24.

Demonstrators are seen near a bank on fire during unrest, as an economic crisis brings demonstrations back onto the streets in Tripoli, Lebanon April 28, 2020. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim - RC2ODG9O5VDN

In Lebanon’s new wave of protests and riots, Tripoli is leading the way

Lebanon’s protests have resumed, but more violently, especially in Tripoli, where bank facades were smashed and a protester was killed by the army.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 8, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC2M0G9CRVU4

Intel: US praises Germany for expanding Hezbollah terrorist designation

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and pro-Israel lawmakers welcomed Germany’s decision this week to designate the entirety of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia-cum-political party, as a terrorist organization.

A man wearing a face mask walks past a damaged facade of a bank, after overnight protests fuelled by worsening economic conditions, in the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon April 30, 2020. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho - RC2ZEG9LTAWF

Lebanon to seek IMF assistance to help with economic crisis

The prime minister said Lebanon would seek $10 billion in loans from the international financial institution after passing a reform bill.

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.