Lebanon

Syrian spillover: Beirut sees worst clashes in four years

The killing of a Sunni cleric at a Lebanese Army checkpoint yesterday ignited widespread protests among aggrieved Sunnis. (+video)
Sectarian violence in Lebanon echoing Syria's conflict

The past three days have witnessed fierce sectarian fighting in Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, where tensions have been exacerbated by Syria's yearlong crisis.
Syrian violence spills over border into Lebanon

Shootings and kidnappings increase along the Syrian-Lebanese border, as Lebanese supporters of Syrian government and Syrian opposition settle scores.
Syria: Why only 15 UN observers on the ground so far? (+video)

The UN says it will take a month to get the full 300-member observer mission on the ground, due to logistical difficulties. The delay could scuttle UN envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan.
Global News Blog
A Jewish synagogue makes a comeback in Lebanon

The last remaining synagogue in Beirut is undergoing restoration, and will soon host its first rabbi in nearly 40 years. Only 150 members of the Jewish community remain in Lebanon.
Syrian refugees huddle in Lebanon: 30 people, one candle, and no food

One of 30 Syrian refugees sharing a tiny house says many charity workers have visited but never returned. They are among thousands displaced by a Syrian crackdown on a belt of towns near Lebanon.
Fleeing Syrian refugees tell of dodging bullets in orange grove

Abu Abbas is just one of an estimated 2,000 Syrian refugees to escape since the weekend to Lebanon, which is coming under increasing pressure to aid those fleeing Assad's brutal regime.
Global News Blog
Anthony Shadid: Quite simply the best

Our veteran Lebanon reporter Nicholas Blanford recalls the courage, humility, and friendliness of his Lebanese-American colleague, who died yesterday while reporting in Syria.
Wounded Syrian refugees describe firefight, siege

Most of the Syrian refugees recovering in a Lebanese hospital are from small towns near the border. Their stories illustrate the perils facing many Syrians as Assad's regime cracks down.
CIA cover blown in latest spy-versus-spy with Iran

The naming of the CIA station chief in Beirut by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah is seen as part of an intensifying undercover war between the West and Iran.
Hezbollah's Nasrallah: Our weapons are increasing

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah is well-armed, despite increasing pressure on Syria, a key conduit for weapons to the Shiite militant movement next door in Lebanon.
UN tribunal indicts Hezbollah members in Hariri assassination

The highly anticipated indictments could help bring accountability for former prime minister Rafik Hariri's 2005 assassination. But they could also stir sectarian tensions.
Will Syria's fires singe Lebanon?

Deadly sectarian clashes near the Syrian border in northern Lebanon have sparked concern that Syria's turmoil is spilling over to its neighbor.
Global News Blog
Lebanese tango through political turmoil

The popularity of tango dancing has exploded in Lebanon, where it has become a vehicle for expression.
'Nakba' clashes: Iran, Syria trying to turn Arab Spring fury into attacks on Israel?

Israeli officials have warned in recent weeks that 'radical' Islamist groups and Iran are trying to leverage the unrest in the Middle East to expand their influence and pull Israel into the conflict.
Palestinian refugees call for third intifada during deadly clashes at Israel-Lebanon border

A turnout of some 50,000 Palestinian refugees at the Israel-Lebanon border exceeded organizers' expectations and spurred calls for a peaceful 'third intifada.' But it is too soon to tell whether a fresh mass uprising will gain traction.
Young protest leader sees civil war emerging in Syria

A Syrian schoolteacher who has become a protest leader in the town of Tel Kalakh, near the Lebanon border, tells the Monitor in a rare interview that he expects civil war in Syria.
Syrian revolution spreads, with largest protests yet

Syrian protests, which reached unprecedented numbers today, have spread to the key cities of Aleppo and Hama. The unrest has begun to draw in Lebanon.
What is at stake if Syria's regime falls

Syria is a gateway for Iran's influence in the Middle East, but it has also been a relatively predictable neighbor for Israel. If Assad's regime comes unhinged, that could all change.
Lebanon's cautionary tale for Arab uprisings

Toppling a regime – something Lebanese achieved with a spontaneous rally of more than 1 million people six years ago today – is just the first step. Today, the March 14 coalition is struggling.
Hariri rallies supporters against Hezbollah-backed government

On the sixth anniversary of Rafik Hariri's assassination, his son Saad formally announced his opposition to the new government now being formed, which could tilt Lebanon toward Iran and Syria.
In Lebanon, the Hariri tribunal finds itself on trial

A UN-backed international tribunal examining the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri threatens a fragile stability in Lebanon, where the government of Hariri's son recently fell over disputes about the tribunal's role.
Global News Blog
In Lebanon, Scouts learn loyalty – to a political movement

Lebanon's Scout groups do many of the same things that US Scouts do, but they also learn loyalty to political leaders and movements to someday join their ranks.
Why Lebanon's Sunnis resent Hezbollah's new influence

Many of Lebanon's Sunnis once supported Hezbollah for its resistance of the Israeli occupation. But now, they feel the Shiite group has turned on them.
Palestine papers: More nations floated for Palestinian resettlement

Al Jazeera's release this week of the so-called 'Palestine papers' revealed a US suggestion made in 2008 that Palestinian refugees be permanently resettled in South America. Here are some of the countries proposed as permanent resettlement locations.