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

Lebanon

Lebanon

April 26, 2026

Beirut 6:28 am

24°C

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (L) disembarks from an airplane upon his arrival at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Jan. 23, 2025.

In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia pursues quiet diplomacy as Trump pushes Israel normalization

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in intense diplomacy in Lebanon in recent days, leading up to the extension of a ceasefire with Israel.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

Some Israelis worry the US president might force them to accept an unsatisfactory agreement driven by his inability to secure a tangible achievement in Iran.

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

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israel Ambassador to US Yechiel Leiter, US Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh and US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting at the White House in Washington on April 23, 2026.

Trump says Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended by three weeks

President Trump said the second meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese envoys went "very well."

Amal Khalil, a veteran correspondent for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, in the southern Lebanese border village of Jebbayn in 2024.

Lebanon bids farewell to Amal Khalil, journalist killed by Israel: What to know

Khalil's death in a targeted strike on a house where she and a colleague took cover sparked widespread condemnation by Lebanese officials and international media groups.

Latest News

Interview

Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'

Olmert

Lebanon-Israel negotiations to continue even as Iran talks stall

Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images

Who are Lebanon’s main players influencing talks with Israel?

Joseph EID / AFP via Getty Images

Aoun says Lebanon seeks 'permanent agreements' with Israel after White House invite

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun delivers a speech during a meeting of Pope Leo XIV with authorities, civil society and diplomatic corps at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on November 30, 2025. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images)

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

sraeli soldiers take positions near the Israeli military base of Har Dov on Mount Hermon, a strategic and fortified outpost at the crossroads between Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, on October 10, 2023. Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed three Hezbollah members on October 10 amid surging tensions after Palestinian militants tried to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon, in an escalation on Israel's northern border two days after Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on the country's southern flank from the

Explainer: As Lebanon-Israel border heats up, 3 armed groups stand out

Several Palestinian militants are active in southern Lebanon, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Solar panels are installed on a rooftop near the red-and-white chimneys of a power plant in the industrial district of Zouk Mikael, where residents believe they are more likely to develop cancer than elsewhere in the country because of air pollution, north of Lebanon's capital Beirut on October 10, 2022. - A Greenpeace study found that the surrounding Jounieh area ranked fifth in the Arab world and 23rd globally for cities most contaminated by nitrogen dioxide, a dangerous pollutant released when fuel is bu

How solar power has become a lifeline in Lebanon

Private solar energy is serving as a lifeline for commerce, industry, and homes in Lebanon during the economic crisis. But for solar power to have a lasting impact on the Lebanese economy, a better legal framework and more financing is needed.

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

MBZ Mikati

UAE reopens embassy in Lebanon as MBZ hosts Mikati in Abu Dhabi

The move comes as Lebanon continues to face deteriorating political, economic and security conditions.

The Tungsten Explorer, a drillship to explore for oil and gas off the coast of Lebanon.

Eni, Qatar Energy, TotalEnergies bid for Lebanon offshore gas exploration fields

The three energy companies, which are already operating in another block in Lebanese waters in the Eastern Mediterranean, submitted their tenders for offshore exploration in blocks 8 and 10.

Lebanese Armenians gather during a demonstration outside the Azerbaijani embassy in Ain Aar to denounce Azerbaijan's reintegration of Nagorno-Karabakh, Sept. 28, 2023.

Armenians in Lebanon protest Azerbaijan's offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh

Demonstrators gathered outside the Azerbaijani embassy outside Beirut to protest the takeover of the majority Armenian enclave.

Lebanese protesters burn tyres during a demonstration called for by the banks depositors committee against monetary policies, on May 9, 2023. Lebanon's economic meltdown, described by the World Bank as one of the worst in recent global history, has plunged most of the population into poverty according to the United Nations. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon protesters storm electricity company as Beirut plunges into darkness

Angry Lebanese stormed the state electrical company in Beirut to protest the high power bills as the devastating economic crisis continues to blanket Lebanon in darkness.

The new US embassy under construction on land adjacent to the current compound, Metn, Beirut, May 5, 2023.

Lebanon investigates shooting incident near US Embassy

In a rare incident, an unknown assailant reportedly fired shots near entrance to the US embassy outside Beirut.

A fighter watches as Palestinian youths parade during a military-style summer camp.

Gaza Palestinian factions hold drills amid infighting in Lebanon’s refugee camp

Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk arrived in Beirut to discuss an end to the fighting between rival Palestinian factions in Ain al-Hilweh camp.

Argentine Israeli Mutual Association

US unveils sanctions on Hezbollah operatives in South America, Lebanon

The targets include one of Hezbollah's alleged operational members behind the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association bombing in 1994.

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon: Can latest truce calm tensions in Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian camp?

The fighting between rival factions inside Ain al-Hilweh had been ongoing for five days, with the Lebanese army threatening to take action after some of its military bases were hit by rockets.

Members of Lebanon's LGBTQ community attend a picnic the coastal city of Batroun, north of Beirut, on May 21, 2017, as part of the Beirut Pride week aimed at raising awarness about the rights of the community. / AFP PHOTO / IBRAHIM CHALHOUB (Photo credit should read IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Lebanon: Backlash as MPs introduce bill to decriminalize LGBTQ+ relationships

Some Lebanese leaders have intensified their campaign against the LGBTQ+ community after news emerged of a bill to repeal an anti-LGBTQ+ provision of the Penal Code.

MAHMOUD ZAYAT/AFP via Getty Images

With 20 wounded, Ain al-Hilweh clashes fuel Palestinian rivalries in Lebanon

The camp for Palestinian refugees has long been a scene of conflict, and a recent truce has been unable to stop clashes between Fatah and rival Islamists.