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

Lebanon

Lebanon

September 19, 2026

Beirut 9:06 pm

24°C

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

Lebanese members of parliament attend a session in Beirut, May 31, 2013. Lebanese lawmakers agreed on Friday to postpone a June parliamentary election until late next year due to instability in neighbouring Syria and political deadlock at home. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTX1073U

Lebanese Parliamentary Extension A Setback for Democracy

Lebanese parliamentarians fail to consider the consequences of extending their terms of office.

The Mideast in Venice

Nine Middle Eastern countries are represented at the Venice Biennale, including a piece aptly called "Resistance" from a Turkish artist.

United Arab Emirates

A salafist protester (L) gestures to riot police during a protest demanding for the inclusion of Islamic Law in the constitution in Tunis March 23, 2012. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi (TUNISIA - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2ZRUE

Tunisia's Ruling Ennahda Confronts an Islamist Rival

Exploring the conflict within the Islamist constituency in Tunisia between Ennahda and the Salafists — and why it was inevitable.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the media about Syria at the State Department in Washington May 31, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX107CG

John Kerry Derails Focus On Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis

US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent statement aligning Syrian rebel interests with Israel’s strategic concerns is a serious flaw.

People watch Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as he appears on a screen during a live broadcast to speak to his supporters at an event marking Resistance and Liberation Day, in Bekaa valley May 25, 2013. The leader of Lebanese guerilla movement Hezbollah said his group would stay in the Syrian war "to the end of the road" and bring victory to its ally President Bashar al-Assad. Hassan Nasrallah, head of the militant Shi'ite Muslim group, said in a televised speech on Saturday Syria and Leb

US, Iran and Rumors of Conspiracy

The US and Iran may be facing a common enemy.

President of the Syrian National Council George Sabra speaks during a conference for the reconstruction of Syria, at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai November 21, 2012. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3AOOH

Syrian External Opposition Says No Deal With Assad

Syria's external opposition rules out talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while internal opposition forces consider negotiations.

Forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are seen in Arjoun village near Qusair town May 30, 2013. Syrian rebels under siege near the Lebanese border pleaded for help on Thursday against government troops and their Hezbollah allies as a confident Assad spoke of having new Russian missiles. REUTERS/ Rami Bleible (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY) - RTX106EZ

Foreign Fighters Key To Decisive Battle of Qusair

If there were ever a doubt, the war in Syria is now a war on Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C) is joined by Israeli President Shimon Peres (L) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa at the King Hussein Convention Centre, at the Dead Sea May 26, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Young (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTX101SF

Political Dimension Remains Central in Kerry Approach to Peace

Despite the importance of the economic dimension of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the political dimension of the approach to peace remains paramount.

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH

Relatives of Lulu Abdallah Awad carry her coffin during her funeral in Shi'ite town of Hermel, about 30 km (20 miles) north of Arsal May 28, 2013. Several rockets have been fired into Hermel in the past 24 hours. One of them killed Lulu and wounded two people, the Lebanese army said. REUTERS/Rami Bleibel (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) TEMPLATE OUT - RTX1048Y

Syrian Fault LinesIn Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

The Syrian war has already come to Arsal and Hermel.

A view shows the remains of a rocket, which residents say was recently fired into the mainly Shi'ite town of Hermel, about 30 km (20 miles) north of Arsal May 28, 2013. Several rockets have been fired into Hermel in the past 24 hours. One of them killed a woman and wounded two people, the Lebanese army said. REUTERS/Rami Bleibel (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY CONFLICT) - RTX1041R

Lebanon: Fault Line for Hezbollah's War on 'Takfiris' in Syria

Just hours after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah announced that his party was fighting “takfiris” in Syria, two rockets struck a Shiite neighborhood in Beirut, suggesting that those “takfiris” might have military capabilities in Lebanon.

The Syrian flag is seen as people watch Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as he appears on a screen during a live broadcast to speak to his supporters at an event marking Resistance and Liberation Day, in Bekaa valley May 25, 2013. The event is to commemorate the 13th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY) - RTX100E4

EU Puts Hezbollah on Notice

The European Union moves toward designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization as its arms embargo on Syria is allowed to lapse.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Paris, May 27, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Young (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX103D0

The Missing Syrian Peace

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are still working on the invitation list for Geneva II.