Libanon

A cohort of independent UN experts has called on the Human Rights Council to launch an international investigation into the massive explosion in Beirut two year ago, with a view to securing justice for those who died and were injured.

Veteran UN aid coordinator Najat Rochdi on Friday signalled grave concerns about rising humanitarian needs across Lebanon linked to the global food and fuel crisis, which are affecting “everyone, everywhere”.

Defence Minister accuses the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah conducting a cyber operation designed to disrupt a UN peacekeeping mission on the border between the countries, and threatens harsh Israeli retaliation against enemy hackers.

Lebanon's Najib Mikati was named prime minister on Thursday, urging fractious politicians to set aside differences to secure an IMF deal which he said was the only chance to save the country from financial collapse.

Al Jazeera discusses with analysts what lies ahead as power has shifted in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system.

Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies have lost their majority in Lebanon’s parliament after the country’s general election results were announced.

The UN Secretary-General has called for Lebanon’s political leaders to swiftly form an inclusive government in the wake of parliamentary elections on Sunday, that can help the crisis-wracked nation implement reforms to put the country “on the path to recovery”.

The UN chief called for Lebanon’s parliamentary elections on May 15 to be “free, fair transparent and inclusive” in a report circulated Wednesday and urged the quick formation of a government afterward that gives priority to implementing reforms addressing the country’s multiple crises.

The Lebanese government's decision to impose new taxes in October 2019 sparked nation-wide protests by a population exhausted by poor public services, worried about increasing national debt and frustrated by widespread corruption. Since then, Lebanese politics have been marked by political deadlock that has prevented successive governments from implementing urgent reforms.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Major General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz of Spain as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).