Libanon

Two rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward Israel on Thursday, prompting cross-border strikes by the Israeli military, sources on both sides said.

French special envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday met with key figures in Lebanon on a "consultative" mission as he pushes for a solution to the country's protracted political deadlock.

Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday failed for a 12th time to elect a new president, extending a power vacuum in a country that has been struggling with an economic crisis for nearly three years.

Lebanon's disparate opposition, independent and main Christian parties said Sunday they had nominated IMF official Jihad Azour for the presidency in a challenge to Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Franjieh.

A military tribunal in Lebanon has formally accused five men of killing an Irish UN peacekeeper in December … A senior judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, alleged all five are linked with Lebanese group Hezbollah.

About 200 Hezbollah fighters take part in military exercises ahead of anniversary of Israel’s 2000 withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Judges investigating the deadly August 2020 explosion at the port in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, must be free to do their job in peace, a UN independent human rights expert said on Wednesday. 

[…] The violence came amid widespread anger over the harsh economic conditions in the country, where mismanagement by the ruling class has been rampant for years, preceding the economic meltdown that started in late 2019.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun left office last October, finishing a six-year term that saw a deepening political divide and a worsening economic crisis. Since Aoun's departure, the Lebanese parliament has convened — and failed — more than 10 times to elect a new president.

The central bank has confirmed the new official rate of 15,000 pounds per dollar, up from little more than 1,500.