The Latest Breaking News from Lebanon

Lebanon: General Security Prepares Mechanism on Return of Syrian Refugees

Lebanon’s Acting Director General of General Security, Brigadier General Elias Baissari, has exerted efforts to adopt a mechanism for the return of Syrian refugees, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. On Thursday, Baissari was assigned by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to follow up on the issue of returning the…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 30, 2023

Syrian Opposition Proposes Transfer of Refugees in Lebanon to ‘Liberated Regions’

Opposition civilian and political groups in Syria’s northwest announced their complete readiness to receive Syrian refugees from Lebanon in liberated Syrian regions in wake of the violations and forced deportation they are facing in the neighboring country. The “Political Affairs Administration” in the opposition-held Idlib region and the Hayat Tahrir…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 30, 2023

Jordan Drawn with US, Lebanon with France in Basketball World Cup

The United States will open Basketball World Cup play against New Zealand this summer, with Greece and Jordan also awaiting the Americans in the group stage. And the earliest the US can see France in an Olympic final rematch is the semifinals. FIBA held the World Cup draw in Manila…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 29, 2023

Lebanon’s rare species of birds fall victim to the economic crisis

Out of 407 species, only 13 are legally allowed to be hunted. However, there are increasing demands for stricter law enforcement and the prosecution of offenders who violate hunting regulations

The Independent UK · Apr 28, 2023

Iran Supports Any Agreement Between Lebanese Parties to Elect New President

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday that his country supports any agreement between Lebanese parties to elect a new president. He made his remarks during a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib in Beirut where he is on an official visit until Friday. Abdollahian…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 28, 2023

Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon Expels Hardan

Head of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) in Lebanon, Rabih Banat, issued a decision on Thursday expelling his predecessor, former MP Asaad Hardan, from the party. In 2021, disputes broke out between SSNP rival branches over the legitimacy of the party’s internal elections, which at the time led to…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 28, 2023

Syrians in Lebanon Fear Deportation

Samer and his family thought they had found safety in Lebanon after fleeing Syria's war nearly a decade ago, but amid growing anti-refugee sentiment, Beirut handed his brother to the Syrian army. Syrians poured into Lebanon after civil war broke out in 2011, with Damascus's brutal suppression of peaceful protests.

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 28, 2023

Lebanese Businessman Flees Sudan Conflict to a Nation in Economic Crisis

As Lebanese businessman Ahmad Shams sheltered in the hotel he ran in Khartoum from the gunfire and shelling that erupted there this month, it brought back flashbacks of the civil war that had shattered Lebanon's capital in his youth. "It's the same picture – there are militias, there are international…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 27, 2023

Iran urges Lebanese sides to reach agreement over president

Iran’s foreign minister says Tehran wants Lebanon's rivals to reach an agreement to elect a new president in the crisis-hit country that has been without a head of state October

The Independent UK · Apr 27, 2023

Lebanese businessman flees Sudan conflict to a nation in economic crisis

As Lebanese businessman Ahmad Shams sheltered in the hotel he ran in Khartoum from the gunfire and shelling that erupted there this month, it brought back flashbacks of the civil war that had shattered Lebanon's capital in his youth.

Reuters · Apr 27, 2023