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

Lebanon

Lebanon

May 6, 2026

Beirut 11:57 pm

14°C

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Haret Hreik on May 6, 2026.

Israel strikes Beirut in breach of Lebanon ceasefire

Israel has continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon but had not targeted Beirut since the ceasefire took effect.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Lebanon, Israel eye third round of talks, but no Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in sight

The US appears to be pushing for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Lebanese government says it won't happen while Israel continues to launch attacks on Lebanon.

A man sits watching as Lebanese first responders search for human remains among the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026.

Culture

Lebanon's churches, mosques and archaeological sites damaged in Israeli strikes

Israeli strikes in Lebanon have damaged a growing number of cultural and religious sites, as sites in Israel have also sustained damage from Hezbollah and Iranian attacks.

Latest News

Under US pressure, will Lebanon repeal Israel Boycott Law?

Members of Lebanese security forces stand guard in the perimeter of the Parliament, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president in Beirut on January 8, 2025. Lebanese political heavyweights held talks on January 8, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president of the tiny Mediterranean country, already deep in economic and political crisis, and which has been without a president for more than two years. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

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

US seeks to train Lebanon army units to disarm Hezbollah: What to know

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C), alongside US State Department Counselor Michael Needham (2L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (2R), speaks during a meeting.

Analysis

Despite Trump pressure to limit Israel's Lebanon attacks, Aoun-Netanyahu meeting still unlikely

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Lebanese Christian leader Michel Aoun arrives at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, near Beirut, to attend a new session of the national dialogue, June 11, 2012. Lebanese politicians held a National Dialogue meeting aimed at resolving deep rifts which have been exacerbated by the unrest in neighbouring Syria and have spilled over into unrest inside Lebanon. The last such meeting was held 18 months ago, before the Syrian uprising erupted. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS)

Lebanese Electoral Law Shakes Political Coalitions

Political alliances are shifting and rifts widening as legislators again take up a new electoral law, reports Elie Hajj.

U.S. actress Mia Farrow (C), a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, sits with children of Syrian refugees at an UNICEF office in Wadi Khaled, north Lebanon, January 14, 2013. Farrow is on a two day visit to Lebanon, meeting Syrian refugees. REUTERS/Roula Naeimeh (LEBANON - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT)

Lebanon Faces Increased Pressures From Syrian Refugees

Mohammad Harfoush reports on how Lebanon is trying to deal with the strain of increasing numbers of Syrian refugees.

Lebanon's House Speaker Nabih Berri speaks during a rally organized by members of the Amal movement to mark the 33rd anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, who was the founder and leader of the Amal movement in Lebanon, in Baalbeck, in the Bekaa valley August 31, 2011. Sadr, the founder of the Shi'ite Amal movement, disappeared with his two companions on a visit to Libya in 1978. REUTERS/ Ahmad Shalha (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Russia Sees Al-Qaeda Growth in Lebanon

Russia has voiced fears that al-Qaeda is spreading in Lebanon, and Nasser Chararah reports that the group is setting down roots to help fighters in neighboring Syria.

A Syrian child who is also a refugee, plays with snow outside tents in al-Marj, in the Bekaa valley January 10, 2013. REUTERS/Afif Diab (LEBANON - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY)

Syrian Armed Groups Among Those Displaced in Lebanon

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are reportedly in Lebanon, and their presence is having a destabilizing effect on the country, writes Jean Aziz.

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (C) talks with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal (3rd L) during their meeting in Cairo in this picture provided by the Egyptian Presidency January 9, 2013. REUTERS/Egyptian Presidency/Handout (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS ? THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

President Morsi Urges Unity for Palestine

Clovis Maksoud writes that Cairo's hosting of the Hamas and Fatah leadership is a sign that Egypt takes Palestinian unity seriously, even if Palestinian leaders seem to be in no hurry.

A Syrian refugee woman carries her child as they sit inside a tent near Tripoli January 9,2013. More than 600,000 Syrian refugees have fled to neighbouring countries exposed to the storm. Many in Lebanon and Jordan were forced to move after their tents were flooded. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim (LEBANON - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER CIVIL UNREST)

Lebanon Struggles to Manage Palestinian, Syrian refugees

As more Syrians flee to Lebanon, displaced Palestinians from refugee camps in Damascus threaten the fragile political and sectarian balance in the country, writes Nasser Chararah.

Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman (5th from bottom) presides a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut January 3, 2013. Lebanon, now a haven for 170,000 Syrians fleeing civil war, has asked foreign donors for $180 million to help care for them and said it will register and recognise refugees after a year-long hiatus. The Beirut government has officially sought to "dissociate" itself from the 21-month-old struggle in Syria, nervous about the destabilising impact of the increasingl

Lebanon Struggles With Political Deadlock, Syria Crisis

Lebanon is threatened by the escalating situation in neighboring Syria, as well as by internal political disputes, writes Mohammad Harfoush.

Syrian refugees stand in snow outside their tents during a winter storm in al-Marj, in the Bekaa valley January 9, 2013. The worst winter storm in two decades has hit the eastern Mediterranean this week, bringing destruction and death to Syria and its neighbours who are already dealing with a refugee crisis from the country's civil war. REUTERS/Afif Diab (LEBANON - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER)

Displaced Syrians in Lebanon 'Beyond Our Control'

As the conflict in Syria intensifies, Elie Hajj speaks to an opposition activist in Beirut about the influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon.

A participant leaves a candle next to a sign during a candlelight vigil for the Indian rape victim, who passed away last Friday, in Singapore January 2, 2013. The death of the 23-year-old woman, who has not been named, prompted street protests across India, international outrage and promises from the government of tougher punishments for offenders. About 150 people took part in the vigil in Singapore. REUTERS/Edgar Su (SINGAPORE - Tags: OBITUARY SOCIETY CIVIL UNREST)

India's Loss of Values

Clovis Maksoud comments on the plight of women in India.

Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman (5th from bottom) presides a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut January 3, 2013. Lebanon, now a haven for 170,000 Syrians fleeing civil war, has asked foreign donors for $180 million to help care for them and said it will register and recognise refugees after a year-long hiatus. The Beirut government has officially sought to "dissociate" itself from the 21-month-old struggle in Syria, nervous about the destabilising impact of the increasingl

Lebanon Must Reform Electoral Law

Nassif Hitti writes that the Lebanese elections will not matter unless there is fundamental reform, including of the electoral law.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) addresses his meeting with President Barack Obama about the country's debt ceiling, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington May 12, 2011. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)

Never Rush to Judgment

Relatives of Lebanese who had gone missing in Syria on Friday chant slogans during a protest to enquire about their relatives' fate, in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, December 3, 2012. At least 12 Lebanese gunmen were killed in a Syrian army ambush in the central Syrian province of Homs, a security source and people close the men's families said on Friday, a sign that Lebanon is getting further tangled in Syria's war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 30 Lebanese fighters had gone missing and a secon

Lebanon and the FutureOf 'Greater Syria'

One consequence of the Syrian crisis may be the end of its "greater Syria" approach to Lebanon, writes Mohammad Harfoush.