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

Lebanon

Lebanon

July 5, 2026

Beirut 2:15 pm

29°C

Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Israeli officials believe the US failure to attain the kind of agreement with Iran that it originally sought stems from the strategic mistakes made during and after the recent war.

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

The court stands at the start of the first hearing at the International Court of Justice in which Myanmar is accused of committing genocide against the country's Muslim minority, the Rohingya, in the Hague on January 12, 2026. The Gambia filed the genocide case in cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in 2019. Myanmar's military deliberately targeted the Rohingya minority in a bid to destroy the community, Gambia's Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told the International Court of Justice Mond

Explainer

Does provision 13 of Lebanon-Israel deal bar Beirut from pursuing war crimes claims?

Part of the Israeli-Lebanese agreement has led to calls for Beirut to grant the International Criminal Court jurisdiction in Lebanon or sign the Rome Treaty to allow prosecutions.

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

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

This picture taken on August 9, 2020 shows a view of destroyed freight containers before the cranes at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, while in the background are seen the damaged grain silos opposite the blast site of a colossal explosion due to a huge pile of ammonium nitrate that had languished for years at a port warehouse. - The huge chemical explosion that hit Beirut's port, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital and claiming over 150 lives, left a 43-metre (141 foot) deep crater, a sec

International donors pledge nearly $300M in Beirut relief

The virtual conference on Sunday was co-hosted by France and the United Nations.

Shiite Muslims Hezbollah militants stand to attention as hundreds of people gather in a huge hall waiting to watch a televised speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Shiite Muslim Lebanese Hezbollah militant group on February 22, 2008, in Beirut's southern suburb, ten days after the assassination of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnieh in a bomb attack in Damascus. Nasrallah's televised speech marked the killing of Mughnieh and the 1992 assassination of its former leader Abbas Mussawi in an Israeli heli

Gantz calls Hezbollah chief Nasrallah 'Lebanon’s biggest problem'

On the backdrop of the explosion in Beirut, Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned that Hezbollah has the habit of stocking ammunition in homes of civilians.

TOPSHOT - A Lebanese protester beats a drum amid clashes with security forces near an access street to the parliament in central Beirut on August 9, 2020, following a deadly explosion that turned the city into a disaster zone. - The huge chemical explosion that hit Beirut's port, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital and claiming over 150 lives, left a 43-metre (141 foot) deep crater, a security official said. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanese government resigns amid fallout from Beirut explosion

Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he and his cabinet were stepping down in response to popular demands, saying "the system of corruption is bigger than the state."

BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 09: People make their way toward a a clash happening between two separate factions of protestors during a protest at Martyrs Square on August 9, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. Large protests continued for a second day as the Lebanese capital reels from this week's massive explosion that killed more than 150 people, wounded thousands, and destroyed wide swaths of the city. Residents are demanding accountability for the blast, whose suspected cause was 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored

Lebanese government resigns amid ongoing protests in wake of Beirut blast

Protests that started in mid-October have intensified significantly due to the Beirut port blast, with Prime Minister Hassan Diab announcing the government's resignation Monday evening.

IMF calls for Lebanon reforms, explores ways to assist Beirut

The International Monetary Fund, which began talks with Lebanon in May, called for critical economic reforms in the aftermath of the Beirut blast.

TOPSHOT - A ship is pictured engulfed in flames at the port of Beirut following a massive explosion that hit the heart of the Lebanese capital on August 4, 2020. - Rescuers searched for survivors in Beirut on August 5 after a cataclysmic explosion at the port sowed devastation across entire neighbourhoods, killing more than 100 people, wounding thousands and plunging Lebanon deeper into crisis. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanese president says 'foreign interference' possible in Beirut blast

As investigations into Tuesday's deadly explosion continue, conspiracy theories abound.

Volunteers clean the rubble and broken glass from the streets in DT Beirut on August 6, 2020 in the aftermath of a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Beirut rallies to clear wreckage in wake of blast

Citizens assess the damage, pick up the pieces and express anger at politicians whom they blame for the crisis.

Air quality a concern in Beirut following explosion

The American University of Beirut said air quality has returned to normal following the explosion of ammonium nitrate on Tuesday that killed around 150 and injured thousands.

Lebanese and French rescuers search for victims or survivors amidst the rubble of a building in the Gemayzeh neighbourhood on August 6, 2020, two days after a massive explosion in the Beirut port shook the capital. - The blast caused massive destruction and killed at least 113 people, heaping misery on a country in crisis. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Beirut redoubles rescue efforts; patients continue to surge to exhausted hospitals

As rescue efforts continue in Beirut following Tuesday's explosion, a wave of new patients seek care at damaged, overworked hospitals.

US military delivers humanitarian aid to Lebanon in wake of Beirut explosion

The US military is sending three aircraft loads of food, water and medical supplies to Beirut.

TOPSHOT - French President Emmanuel Macron (C), surrounded by Lebanese servicemen, visits the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut, on August 6, 2020 two days after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. - French President Emmanuel Macron visited shell-shocked Beirut on August 6, pledging support and urging change after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that left 300,000 people homeless. (Photo by T

In Beirut visit, France’s Macron promises reform in 'new political pact'

The French president said he would meet with Lebanon's political elite to propose a series of reforms that would ensure aid does not go to waste.

IRGC says Iran to ‘mobilize’ to help Lebanon after blast

Iranian officials and media have offered condolences after the explosion that rocked Beirut.