In southern Lebanon, Israel uprootes lives with olive trees
In South Lebanon, the destruction of olive groves reveals a lasting dimension of war. Approximately 54,000 hectares of agricultural land were allocated nationwide, while 47,000 olive trees had already been identified as destroyed in the early months of the conflict. In the South, which provides around 40% of Lebanese olives, damage also affects presses, cooperatives, nurseries and water systems. For displaced families, rebuilding a home will not be enough if the land that provided their income remains destroyed or inaccessible.
Real estate in Lebanon: the value that prices still refuse to admit
The Lebanese real estate market remains marked by high posted prices, almost no credit and weakened local demand. Behind this nominal resistance, the real value declines as a result of illiquidity, vacant housing, dollar inflation and a long-degraded purchasing power since the Lebanese banking crisis.
REASON FOR LIBAN
Lebanon will not be able to reform for long without defining what justifies its existence as a common State. Bernard Raymond Jabre proposes a new pact based on sovereignty, equality of citizens, freedom of identities and the rule of law, in order to transform Lebanese diversity into a truly shared national project.
Captagon: Army seizes 1.2 million pills
The Lebanese army seized approximately 1.2 million captive tablets in Sarba, Kesrouan, while two suspects were preparing their concealment in a vehicle intended to leave Lebanon. The operation took place two months after Saudi Arabia lifted trade restrictions imposed in part because of drug trafficking. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the dismantling of several Syrian sites, the seizure shows that regional captive networks remain active and continue to adapt.
General amnesty: Parliament adopts explosive text
The Lebanese Parliament adopted on Wednesday 12 August 2026 the law of general amnesty and exceptional reduction of certain sentences after months of negotiations and two days of crisis. The vote took place without the deputies of Resistance Loyalty and Lebanon strong, who left the Chamber to protest the absence of intervention by Defence Minister Michel Menassa. According to Imad al-Hout, 79 out of 146 Islamist detainees should be released from prison, while the law reduces the threshold for some lengthy detention without trial to 12 years.
Sanctions against the ICC: Trump attacked in court
On August 11, 2026, four human rights organizations filed a petition with a Federal Court in New York to challenge the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against the International Criminal Court and its partners. They accuse Donald Trump of using a "national pseudo-emergency" to trigger exceptional economic powers and claim that the scheme violates the First and Fifth Amendments. The complaint also details the consequences of sanctions on victim representation, research on international crimes and cooperation with ICC officials.
Amnesty: two blocks leave the session
Members of the Resistance Loyalty bloc and the Lebanon Strong Block left the parliamentary session on general amnesty on Wednesday, August 12. They protest against the absence of Defence Minister Michel Menassa and demand that the military's observations be heard before the debate continues. Salim Aoun states that his bloc refuses to endorse a procedure that would prevent the minister from presenting a position that is considered non-binding to the government and Parliament.
Trump, Ghosn and the new VIP show
Seen from Lebanon, the Trump episode recalls Carlos Ghosn's escape: one quietly transferred to a catering truck, the other hidden in a box of audio equipment. Two very different stories, but the same visual lesson: the more famous the passenger, the more common his transport must become to remain truly invisible.
Amnesty: the arm between Salam and the army
The draft general amnesty triggered an institutional crisis in the Lebanese Parliament. Nawaf Salam and Defence Minister Michel Menassa opposed the presentation of the army's reserves, while Gebran Bassil and Hussein Hajj Hassan invoked the right of ministers to be heard by the Chamber. Behind this constitutional battle is a much more sensitive issue: long detentions, life sentences, Islamist detainees, Ahmad al-Assir and convictions related to attacks against the army.
Geagea continues to support the general amnesty
Samir Geagea reaffirmed Wednesday, 12 August 2026 his support for the general amnesty law and assured that the Lebanese Forces would continue to defend it until its adoption. His statement came after a particularly tense parliamentary session, marked by the withdrawal of the Free Patriotic Movement and the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc. At the heart of the controversy are the conditions imposed on prisoners who have been imprisoned for many years, the demands of several Sunni deputies and the consideration of army reserves.
Tyr — The Arc de Triomphe & #038; the El Bass Roman Hippodrome
At the archaeological site of El Bass in Tyre, two exceptional Roman monuments await you. A triumphal arc of 20 meters high, so emblematic that it appeared on the old banknotes of 250 Lebanese pounds. And..
Deir el Qamar, the forgotten capital of Mount Lebanon
Before Beiteddine, here was the heart of the emirate. From Maan to Chehab, from the mosque of Fakhreddine (1493) to engravings of the period of 1836 and 1860, to the khan which became the French Institute..
Lebanon: Media law passed despite risks
On Tuesday, 11 August 2026, the Lebanese Parliament adopted the new media law without changing the text submitted to the vote. After more than 16 years of work, the reform modernizes the sector's framework, particularly for digital media, source protection and regulation. However, a provision allowing up to three years in prison for certain publications remains highly contested. Information Minister Paul Morcos officially registered his opposition and announced future amendments.
General amnesty divides Lebanese Parliament
The debate on the general amnesty law took place Tuesday, 11 August 2026 in the Lebanese Parliament. Gebran Bassil and Ibrahim Kanaan requested that Defence Minister Michel Menassa be able to present the Lebanese Army's observations prior to the vote, in particular because of the crimes committed against military personnel. Nawaf Salam claims to have simply wanted to present a single governmental position. Paula Yacoubian believes that the army had already been heard in commissions, triggering a new exchange with Elias Bou Saab.




















