Source: Kataeb.org
Security & Justice
Judicial Panel Clears Way for Beirut Port Blast Investigator to Move Forward
Lebanon’s Investigative Judges’ Panel has upheld a ruling barring the prosecution of Tarek Bitar, the judicial investigator leading the probe into the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, effectively removing a major obstacle that had impeded his work for more than two years, Al-Modon reported.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
U.S. Treasury Targets Hezbollah Revenue Networks With New Sanctions
The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Tuesday imposed new sanctions aimed at choking off key financial mechanisms used by Hezbollah to sustain its operations, particularly through revenue generation linked to Iran and the exploitation of Lebanon’s informal financial sector, the Treasury said.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Opinion
A Second Devaluation Looms Over Lebanon’s Fragile Currency Regime
After one of the most severe currency collapses in recent economic history, the Lebanese pound (Lira) has been held at roughly 89,500 to the US dollar, a level that appears, at least superficially, to signal a return of stability after years of hyperinflation.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
A First-Year Assessment of Lebanon’s Governing Coalition
In January 2025, President Joseph Aoun took the oath of office and in his inaugural address declared the start of a “new era.” The government then began to reconstitute itself as a functioning center of authority after prolonged executive paralysis. This transition unfolded in a moment of political fluidity shaped by two facts: the severe debilitation of Hezbollah following the 2023-2024 war with Israel, and the general consensus that Lebanon must end its endemic patronage, corruption, and institutional dysfunction. The extensive damage and disruption caused by Israel’s military campaign has turned reconstruction into the defining test of whether the state can restore national trust by reasserting its authority and delivering recovery.
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Sports
PSV Lament Unnecessary Defeat in Champions League Clash at Juventus
PSV Eindhoven felt they should have taken more from Tuesday's Champions League away clash against Juventus where they conceded a late goal to go down 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase playoff tie on Tuesday.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Man City's 115 Charges Outcome 'in a Month' - Guardiola
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says the club expects to learn the outcome of the hearing into its 115 charges of alleged Premier League financial rule breaches "in one month".
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Monday 23 February 2026 11:06:49
Israel Seeks to Bypass UNIFIL, Coordinate Directly with Lebanese Military
Senior Israeli defense officials have quietly told their American counterparts that they would prefer to coordinate directly with the Lebanese army rather than continue operating alongside the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in southern Lebanon, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported Monday.
According to the report, Israel’s security establishment has concluded in recent weeks that UNIFIL has adopted what officials describe as a “confrontational stance” toward the Israel Defense Forces. In unusually blunt messages relayed to U.S. officials, senior Israeli figures said it would be preferable for the Israeli military to operate directly with the Lebanese army, without the supervision or presence of UNIFIL forces along the border. The officials were quoted as saying the peacekeeping mission “causes more harm than good.”
Israeli officials also cited what they see as problems in coordination mechanisms involving the Lebanese army, as well as statements issued by UNIFIL that they consider critical of Israel and its military operations.
The debate comes as UNIFIL’s mandate in southern Lebanon is set to expire at the end of this year. On August 28, 2025, the United Nations Security Council voted to extend the mission’s mandate “for a final time” until December 31, 2026, and to begin a coordinated and safe withdrawal starting on that date over the course of a year.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL has already announced plans to scale back its presence. Earlier this month, spokesperson Candice Ardell said the mission intends to reduce and withdraw all or most of its uniformed personnel by mid-2027, with the process to be completed by the end of that year. The force currently fields about 7,500 troops from 48 countries in southern Lebanon, after cutting roughly 2,000 positions in recent months. Another 200 personnel are expected to depart by May.
According to Agence France-Presse, the planned drawdown is tied to the United Nations’ broader financial crisis and cost-cutting measures across its missions, rather than to the scheduled expiration of UNIFIL’s mandate.
