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Lebanon

Lebanon

September 19, 2026

Beirut 6:41 pm

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Hibatullah Barakat / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon charges 5 in alleged Hezbollah operation to train Assad loyalists

A Lebanese military court has charged the five, including an Assad-era Syrian officer and Hezbollah members, with running a cross-border security network planning attacks in Syria’s coastal region.

ISRAEL-ENTERTAINMENT-TELEVISION-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-MASS-MEDIA-D (L to R) Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, co-creators of the hit Israeli TV show "Fauda", attend a demonstration against the Israeli government's plans to shut-down public broadcaster KAN, in Israel's Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on January 25, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Israeli show ‘Fauda’ tops Netflix in Lebanon, hits top 10 across Arab states

The show was created by Israeli journalist Avi Issacharoff and actor Lior Raz, drawing on their experiences serving in the Israeli military’s elite Duvdevan unit.

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

Showing its support for Lebanon, Paris is backing Beirut’s request at the UN for a short-term extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, although French sources acknowledge that the chances of the request being approved are slim.

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Nabatieh shows smoke as it rises from the site of Israeli strikes that targeted the hilltops of the mountainous area of the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge on Aug. 14, 2026.

Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in Ali al-Taher ridge: What to know

The ridge has become a flashpoint in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon due to its extensive tunnel network Israel says is utilized by the Iran-backed group.

Latest News

Israeli escalation in south Lebanon leaves 27 dead in 3 days as talks stall

Kawnat HAJU / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon says at least 12 killed in Israeli strikes as tensions rise in south

An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, Sept. 7, 2026.

Analysis

Playing for time: Despite US pressure, Israel stalls Lebanon talks until after election

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

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

Why Ali al-Taher ridge is emerging as Israel-Hezbollah flashpoint

A flare fired by the Israeli military lands over the highlands of the area of Ali al-Taher as seen from nearby Marjayoun (Marjeyoun) in southern Lebanon on June 14, 2026.

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 Sunni Muslim gunman fires his weapon expressing his support with Salafist leader Ahmad al-Assir in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, June 23, 2013. At least three Lebanese soldiers were killed in the coastal city of Sidon on Sunday in clashes with followers of a Sunni Islamist cleric who is a fierce critic of Hezbollah's military intervention in neighbouring Syria, a security official said. Sources in the city said the fighting broke out when a follower of Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir was arrested at an army roadblock

No Secret Deal Behind Assir’s Escape

Although many think that a secret escape deal was struck between Ahmad al-Assir and the Lebanese army, logic suggests that this is not the case.

A Lebanese army soldier stands atop of an armoured personnel carrier (APC) as he patrols the area near the mosque complex where hardline Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir was believed to be sheltering with his supporters, in Abra near Sidon, southern Lebanon June 25, 2013. The Lebanese government will try on Tuesday to secure the country after the deadliest violence since the start of a two-year conflict in neighbouring Syria that has pushed Lebanon's myriad militia to clashes. Gunfights between the army a

Lebanon Threatened by Civil War

In the tense few days following the clashes between followers of Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir and the Lebanese army, many are wondering what the implications for the stability of the country will be.

People walk past a defaced poster of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie with Arabic text which reads "Together to down brotherhood's power" near Tahrir Square in Cairo June 23, 2013. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10Y1J

Egyptians Resist 'Brotherhoodization'

The policy of Brotherhoodization of Egypt and the resistance to it.

Lebanese army soldiers arrest supporters of hardline Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir in Abra near Sidon, southern Lebanon, June 24, 2013. Lebanese soldiers stormed a complex holding gunmen loyal to a radical Islamist cleric in the city of Sidon on Monday and arrested dozens of his supporters, security sources said, in a second day of clashes fuelled by neighbouring Syria's civil war. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10ZBT

Palestinians Refuse Assir's Call To Join Battle in Sidon

Hamas is staying out of Lebanon’s sectarian conflict.

Lebanese army soldiers point their weapons during clashes with gunmen of hardline Sunni Muslim cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir, in Abra near Sidon, southern Lebanon, June 24, 2013. Lebanese soldiers fought Sunni Muslim gunmen in the southern city of Sidon on Monday in one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence fuelled by sectarian divisions over the civil war in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX10YUO

Sheikh Al-Assir's Militants Kill Lebanese Soldiers in Sidon

After supporters of Sunni Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir killed Lebanese soldiers in Sidon, Lebanon seemed on the edge of open conflict.

A girl holds a white flag to show that civilians are in the car, during clashes between Lebanese army soldiers and gunmen of hardline Sunni Muslim cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir, in Abra near Sidon, southern Lebanon, June 24, 2013. Lebanese soldiers fought Sunni Muslim gunmen in the southern city of Sidon on Monday in one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence fuelled by sectarian divisions over the civil war in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX10Y

Lebanese Expert: Constitutional Council Must Be Restructured

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Mahfouz Skina, a former adviser to Lebanon’s State Council, comments on the country’s political crisis and says the Constitutional Council must be restructured.

Colonel Abdul-Jabbar al-Aqidi, commander of the rebels’ Military Council in Aleppo, launches a mortar shell at the frontline in the Al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, June 21, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10WGT

Geneva II: A Chance to End Syria’s Tragedy

There is hope that the Geneva II conference can help stem Syria's bloodshed.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during their meeting at the G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland June 17, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (NORTHERN IRELAND - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10R95

Conditions for Takeoff for Geneva II

Russia and the United States must reach an understanding to set Geneva II up for success.

Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman (2nd R), accompanied by Lebanese army commander General Jean Kahwaji (2nd L), inspects the site of the army checkpoint where three Lebanese soldiers were killed on Tuesday near the town of Arsal, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, May 29, 2013. Gunmen killed three Lebanese soldiers at an army checkpoint in the eastern Bekaa Valley on Tuesday before fleeing towards the Syrian border, Lebanese officials said. Dalati Nohra/Handout via Reuters (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNRES

Lebanon Headed Toward Crisis, Full-Blown Sectarian Violence

Lebanon’s government crisis as well as repercussions of the war in neighboring Syria are threatening to drag the country into a crisis of major proportions.

Hezbollah Keen on Hamas Alliance Despite Criticism

Hezbollah seeks to repair ties with Hamas which have been strained over Syria.

Anti-Hezbollah activists wave Syrian opposition (L) and Lebanese national flags during a protest in Beirut June 9, 2013. A Lebanese protester was killed outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut on Sunday after gunmen from the Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia Hezbollah opened fire when anti-Hezbollah Shi'ite demonstrators approached, witnesses and officials said. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX10H9O

Hezbollah Faces Backlash In Lebanon

Opponents of Hezbollah in Lebanon are becoming increasingly vocal in their grievances against the party following its involvement in the Qusair battle.

Lebanese Army soldiers patrol town of Arsal after being deployed to tighten security after two men died in clashes near a Lebanese army checkpoint June 6, 2013. Two men died in clashes near a Lebanese army checkpoint on Thursday, a security source said, in a possible spillover from the recent fighting in the nearby Syrian border town of Qusair. REUTERS/Ahmad Shalha (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX10DYD

Rethinking Hezbollah's Role in Syria

Lebanese leaders consider the consequences of Hezbollah's intervention in Syria, including the potential for chaos in Arsal and the Bekaa.