Lebanon

Economics

Politics

Lebanon's National Assembly approved a law to remove banking secrecy, Reuters reported on April 24.

Lebanon: Parliament Passes Banking Secrecy Act

Israel

Military & Security

Hezbollah is reportedly prepared to discuss disarmament with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, contingent upon Israel's withdrawal from five contested hilltops in southern Lebanon and the cessation of its military strikes, according to a senior Hezbollah official cited in an April 8 Reuters report.

Lebanon: Hezbollah Reportedly Willing to Discuss Disarmament, Contingent on Israeli Withdrawal

Israel struck what it claimed was a Hezbollah drone unit in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the first such strikes in Lebanon's capital city since the November 2024 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, after unknown militants fired two rockets from Lebanon into Israel, The Times of Israel reported on March 28.

Israel, Lebanon: Israel Strikes Beirut, Endangering Its Ceasefire With Hezbollah

Syria

Lebanon and Syria signed a Saudi-mediated border demarcation agreement on March 27, which is set to expand bilateral cooperation through the formation of legal and specialized committees, AP reported March 28. 

Lebanon, Syria: Lebanon and Syria Reach Border Demarcation, Cooperation Agreement

Israel launched two waves of airstrikes against sites allegedly managed by Lebanon's political and militant group Hezbollah, Al Jazeera reported on March 22. 

Israel, Lebanon: Hezbollah Denies Rocket Fire, Israel Pounds Southern Lebanon

Turkey

Following the deaths of three Syrian soldiers, the Syrian army attacked Lebanese border towns late on March 16, which led the Lebanese Armed Forces to retaliate, Reuters reported on March 17. 

Lebanon, Syria: Border Clashes Follow Deaths of Three Syrian Soldiers

Israel and Lebanon agreed to begin negotiations over their land border dispute, Axios reported on March 11.

Israel, Lebanon: Israel and Lebanon Agree to Border Negotiations

Iran

Insurgents linked to former Syrian President Bashar al Assad launched attacks across Latakia on March 6-7, taking control of highways, parts of Latakia city and other strategic sites throughout the province in a coordinated assault, AP reported on March 7.

Syria: Provisional Government Faces Down Alawite Uprising in Latakia

Columns

On Geopolitics

United States

A Lebanese flag painted on a damaged building in the village of Meiss El-Jabal in southern Lebanon is seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on Jan. 23, 2025, in northern Israel. 

Hezbollah's military losses and the formation of Lebanon's new government have opened the door to a new chapter in Lebanese history, although external pressure will complicate the country's next steps.

Hezbollah's Future in Lebanon

Assessments

Brazil

Japan

Vietnam

United Kingdom

Ukraine

Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint press conference Feb. 16 at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem. Senior Israeli officials from the security and intelligence ministries will visit the United States to discuss Iran's nuclear program and Israeli border demarcation talks with Lebanon.

Global Trade

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The U.S. and Israel Coordinate on Iran, the U.K. Chancellor Seeks Fiscal Discipline

U.N. Satellite Center cultural heritage analyst Michelle de Gruchy gestures next to a map of Beirut, Lebanon, during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on monitoring damage to cultural heritage in Lebanon and Gaza on Nov. 25, 2024.

While Lebanon's renewed negotiations with the IMF may yield a draft agreement, a fragmented parliament will likely prevent Lebanon from implementing key economic reforms and unlocking significant aid.

Despite New IMF Negotiations, Lebanon's Economic Crisis Rages On

Iraq

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan welcomes his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani before attending an Arab officials' meeting in Riyadh on Jan. 12, 2025.

Saudi Arabia's re-engagement with Lebanon, Syria and Iraq aims to counterbalance Turkey, Qatar and Iran but faces limits due to sectarian politics and foreign interference, which may make Riyadh more assertive over time.

Saudi Arabia Moves To Counterbalance Turkey and Qatar, Replace Iran in the Levant

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ethiopia

Kenya

Rwanda

Palestinian Territories

Sri Lanka

Damage on Feb. 13 in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Social Issues

The Weekly Rundown: Mideast Ceasefires and Arab Gaza Proposals, the AU Summit

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tanzania

Americas

Colombia

Cuba

Haiti

Nicaragua

Venezuela

Jordan

Yemen

Cambodia

China

Indonesia

Europe

North Macedonia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia

Albania

Kosovo

South Asia

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

India

The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

Canada

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

El Salvador

Guatemala

Mexico

Panama

Hungary

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Rubio arrive at the State Department in Washington, D.C., to speak to employees on Jan. 21, 2025. 

The Weekly Rundown: Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Expires, Rubio Tours Latin America

A Lebanese flag painted on a damaged building in a village in southern Lebanon is seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on Jan. 23, 2025. 

Political and security imperatives will deter Israel from fully withdrawing from southern Lebanon by the Jan. 26 deadline outlined in its ceasefire with Hezbollah, which will risk provoking renewed Hezbollah attacks.

The Risks of a Delayed Israeli Withdrawal From Lebanon

Egypt

A smoke plume rises above destroyed buildings in northern Gaza on Jan. 13, 2025.

The truce will improve Israel's ties with Lebanon and Egypt, but eventual violations could reignite regional tensions, as could Israel's intensified counter-insurgency operations in the West Bank.

The Regional Implications of the Gaza Ceasefire

Ghana

South Korea

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro waits for the arrival of other heads of state of members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America regional trading bloc during the XXIV ALBA-TCP Summit in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 14, 2024. 

The Weekly Rundown: Inaugurations in Ghana and Venezuela, Yoon's Potential Arrest in South Korea

Walid Jumblatt, the Druze former leader of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party, and his son and current party head, Taymur Jumblatt, meet with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir and other Druze leaders during a Dec. 22 visit to Damascus, Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's leadership in Syria will likely embolden Islamists in both Lebanon and Jordan, while Syria's turbulent political transition will likely prompt another wave of refugees into both neighboring countries.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's leadership in Syria will likely embolden Islamists in both Lebanon and Jordan, while Syria's turbulent political transition will likely prompt another wave of refugees into both neighboring countries.

Gauging the Regional Fallout of Syrian Regime Change

Snapshots

A military vehicle burns after it was hit by Syrian regime forces Dec. 7 in Syria's Hama governorate. After the regime's fall, competing rebel factions will vie to create a provisional government, a slow process prone to violence as foreign actors try to shape the postwar balance of power.

After the regime's fall, competing rebel factions will vie to create a provisional government, a slow process prone to violence as foreign actors try to shape the postwar balance of power.

Syrian Rebels Pushing to Damascus, Regime Facing Imminent Collapse

Lebanon is a small country wedged against the Mediterranean Sea, with Syria to its east and Israel to its south. The country is divided by the western Lebanon Mountains and the eastern Anti-Lebanon Mountains, which also run through Syria. These mountains produce three geographic and climate ranges for the country: hot and dry in the east and mild and wetter in the west, with the fertile Bekaa Valley in the midlands providing much of the country's agriculture. The cluster of mountains itself is friendly to the growth of cedar trees, the country's national icon.    Because of its small size, Lebanon is forced to import much of the food it needs to feed its population. Thus it has long been a center of trade, with coastal cities like Beirut acting as gateways for east-wide trade routes. It's a necessity for Lebanon to keep access to these trade routes. However, because the country is so small, outside powers have found it very easy to exert influence, especially given Lebanon's internal demographic divisions. Foreign powers can often find allies in Lebanon, though they rarely can find enough friendly forces to control the entire country, leading to frequent split governments and regular civil strife.     Lebanon's greatest challenge, therefore, is to keep access to its trade routes while balancing its own divisions, which are manipulated by outside powers. It has not always succeeded, and the country's 1975-1990 civil war is only the latest major conflict that has arisen from these conditions. In the future, Lebanon will continue to struggle with precariously balancing its small size, its divided population and its ambitious neighbors. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Lebanon: Parliament Passes Banking Secrecy Act

Lebanon: Hezbollah Reportedly Willing to Discuss Disarmament, Contingent on Israeli Withdrawal

Israel, Lebanon: Israel Strikes Beirut, Endangering Its Ceasefire With Hezbollah

Lebanon, Syria: Lebanon and Syria Reach Border Demarcation, Cooperation Agreement

Israel, Lebanon: Hezbollah Denies Rocket Fire, Israel Pounds Southern Lebanon

Lebanon, Syria: Border Clashes Follow Deaths of Three Syrian Soldiers

Israel, Lebanon: Israel and Lebanon Agree to Border Negotiations

Syria: Provisional Government Faces Down Alawite Uprising in Latakia

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