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

Lebanon

Lebanon

July 2, 2026

Beirut 11:42 pm

24°C

Nawaf Salam and Asaad al-Shibani shake hands in Beirut on July 2, 2026.

Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

When asked whether Damascus would be willing to meet with Hezbollah in the future, Syria’s foreign minister indicated that it would not rule out such a meeting.

An activist takes part in a demonstration against sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence in the Lebanese capital Beirut on December 7, 2019. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Lebanon arrests man after video of public assault on wife goes viral

The man seen violently beating a woman at a restaurant has been arrested, but the incident has reignited debate over domestic violence amid warnings that such abuse can increase during periods of war.

Latest News

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

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

CENTCOM chief in Lebanon as Israel prepares partial withdrawal steps

CENTCOM

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

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

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2025.

UN chief optimistic for Lebanon's recovery, questions Syria's future

Antonio Guterres cautioned that there is no guarantee the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire will hold or lead to a final peace agreement, but he expressed encouragement over Lebanon's election of a president on Jan. 9, following two years of political impasse.

Saudi's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud attends the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Kuwait City, Kuwait, Dec. 26, 2024.

Saudi FM set to travel to Lebanon, will press Beirut for 'real reform'

Prince Faisal said he would meet Lebanon's new leadership to gauge potential for Saudi investment and noted that Trump's reelection lessened the prospect of war in the region

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon army, Syrian traffickers clash as anti-smuggling efforts ramp up

Authorities in Lebanon and Syria have stepped up their fight against the Captagon trade following the fall of the Assad regime, which heavily relied on the industry as one of its major sources of income.

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) is welcomed by Lebanon's new president, Joseph Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Beirut, Jan. 17, 2025.

France’s Macron in Lebanon as Beirut port blast probe resumes

New developments following the election of Western-backed Joseph Aoun as president perhaps offer hope for generating political momentum and restoring the international community's confidence in Lebanon.

The destroyed grain silos and a sculpture made from salvaged steel following the explosion stand in the port of Beirut as the sun sets on Lebanon, Jan. 11, 2024.

Analysis

Eyeing reconstruction, port investment, UAE resets Lebanon ties

A weakened Hezbollah and a new government in Beirut give room for the Emirates to play a big role, politically and economically, in Lebanon.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

A picture shows the four seasons hotel in Beirut with the snow covered mountain of Sannine in the background on March 8, 2019. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Al-Waleed bin Talal announces Four Seasons to reopen in Beirut, Lebanon

The planned reopening of the hotel, which was damaged in the 2020 port explosion, follows Saudi-backed Gen. Joseph Aoun's becoming president of Lebanon.

Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun delivers a speech at the parliament building in Beirut on Jan. 9, 2025.

Top US general in Mideast meets Lebanon's Aoun in bid to shore up ceasefire with Israel

CENTCOM commander Gen. Erik Kurilla's final diplomatic tour of the region under President Joe Biden came as the outgoing president defended his foreign policy legacy in a speech from Foggy Bottom.

YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Kuwait sentences 13 to prison over Hezbollah financing: What we know

Kuwait has had tense relations with Hezbollah in the past and the ruling comes as Saudi Arabia is reportedly pushing for the Iran-backed group to be disarmed.

Nawaf Salam

Nawaf Salam secures enough votes to be Lebanon's next prime minister

The ICJ president is not a Hezbollah favorite, but has secured the backing of more than 70 parliamentarians to be Lebanon's next prime minister.

Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun reviews an honor guard upon his arrival at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, on Jan. 9, 2025.

Analysis

With US-Saudi backing, can Lebanon’s new president rein in Hezbollah?

With top general’s election, the United States and Saudi Arabia aim to draw Lebanon further from Iran. To do that, a new government has to convince Hezbollah that their days of armed resistance are over.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

TOPSHOT - Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati waves from the stage next to Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the Atreju political meeting organised by the young militants of Italian right wing party Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia) on December 14, 2024 in Rome. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP) (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's Mikati set to meet Sharaa in Syria in wake of Aoun's election

Najib Mikati’s visit, the first in 15 years, comes amid pressure in Lebanon to release Islamists imprisoned during the civil war and just after the election of President Joseph Aoun.

Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun reviews an honor guard upon his arrival at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, on Jan. 9, 2025.

From Saudi to US, congrats pour in for Lebanon's new President Aoun

Lebanon's parliament elected Gen. Joseph Aoun as president on Thursday, ending the country's two-year presidential vacuum.