Lebanon

Syria Accuses Hezbollah of Firing Shells into its Territory

Syria said Iran-backed Hezbollah had fired artillery shells into its territory from Lebanon overnight, state media reported on Tuesday, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Shia movement. Syrian army officials said artillery shells fired from Lebanon landed near the town of Serghaya, west of Damascus, the state news agency ...

Lebanon Says 486 Killed by Israeli Strikes Since Last Monday

The toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon rose to 486 people killed and 1,313 wounded since the start of fighting last week, the Lebanese health ministry said Monday. "The toll of the Israeli aggression from dawn on Monday, March 2, until Monday afternoon, March 9, has risen to 486 martyrs and 1,313 wounded," the ministry said in a ...

Israel’s Goals and Challenges in the New Hezbollah War

Hezbollah’s opening of a front from Lebanon in support of Iran was not a surprise for Israel, which is again discussing the forcible dismantling of the organization. It remains unclear whether Lebanon is ready to disarm Hezbollah, and whether Israel will be able to do so itself. The new war is escalating, one that Israel and Hezbollah have ...

Iran War Sends Oil Price Soaring

Global energy markets surged Monday as the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel entered its tenth day, pushing oil prices above $100 per barrel and triggering sharp declines in global equity markets amid fears of supply disruptions across the Middle East. The spike in prices came as Iran marked the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba ...

Parliament Delays Elections by Two Years

Lebanon’s parliament voted to postpone the May 2026 parliamentary elections by two years, with 76 lawmakers in the 128-seat chamber voting in favor of the extension.  Lebanon last held parliamentary elections in 2022 and had already been considering an extension of the current parliament’s mandate before the latest round of ...

Lebanon Calls for Renewed Negotiations as Israeli Strikes Escalate

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday urged major international powers to push for renewed negotiations aimed at halting Israel’s escalating military campaign in Lebanon, as cross-border fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continues to intensify. Speaking during a meeting with the ambassadors of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, ...

The Lebanese Army Goes Rogue

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), under its commander Rodolphe Haykal, has defied the state it is sworn to serve, effectively siding with Hezbollah at a moment when Lebanon teeters on the edge of the abyss. After Hezbollah drew Lebanon back into war on March 2, the Lebanese cabinet rushed into an emergency meeting and banned the militia’s ...

When the State Decides but Cannot Enforce

After Hezbollah once again turned Lebanon into a battlefield at the behest of the Iranian regime, all eyes turned to see whether the Lebanese state could undertake tangible measures to counter this existential risk. Hours after Hezbollah lobbed rockets into Israel on March 2, the Lebanese government convened an emergency meeting at the ...

Israel Strikes Beirut's Southern Suburbs, Targeting Qard al-Hassan Branches

An additional Israeli raid pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday following several Israeli warnings followed by mock raids. In parallel, the Lebanese Army (LAF) blocked the roads leading to all Qard al-Hassan branches in the capital Beirut and Saida following latest warnings by the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee. ...

Heavy Clashes Erupt in Eastern Lebanon as Hezbollah Confronts Israeli Airborne Operation

Hezbollah said on Monday it fought Israeli forces who landed in eastern Lebanon by helicopter across the Syrian border, the second such operation since the outbreak of the latest conflict with Israel. Heavy fighting broke out overnight in eastern Lebanon after Israeli forces carried out what appeared to be an airborne insertion near the ...