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The U.S. Trump administration has reportedly urged Israel to scale back "non-urgent" military operations in Lebanon to support the Lebanese government's move to begin disarming the political and militant group Hezbollah, Axios reported on Aug. 21.

Lebanon: U.S Asks Israel To Scale Down Attacks, Lebanon Starts Disarming Palestinian Camps

Palestinian Territories

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Beirut, marking his first trip to Lebanon since 2017, to discuss disarming Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon with President Joseph Aoun, France 24 reported on May 21. 

Lebanon: Palestinian President in Beirut To Discuss Disarming Palestinian Refugee Camps

Egypt

Jordan

Turkey

Economics

Jordanian diplomats quietly secured U.S. funding for projects focused on desalination, direct budget support and defense following the sudden U.S. aid freeze announced in January, Reuters reported on April 30.

U.S., Jordan: Washington Unfreezes Some Aid to Jordan

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

Lebanon: Parliament Passes Banking Secrecy Act

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

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An Israeli military truck carries a tank in southern Israel on the border with the Gaza Strip, on Oct. 14, 2025.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The ceasefire will allow Israel to redirect resources away from Gaza toward other regional threats, particularly Iran, while temporarily easing diplomatic tensions with Egypt and the UAE.

The Regional Implications of the Oct. 8 Gaza Ceasefire

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A mosque in March 2025 in Herat, Afghanistan. Whether Islamism revives as in the Levant, evolves pragmatically through parties with Islamic values as in Turkey, or changes beyond all recognition remains up in the air.

Whether Islamism revives as in the Levant, evolves pragmatically through parties with Islamic values as in Turkey, or changes beyond all recognition remains up in the air.

The Future of Islamism in the Middle East

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

A picture taken from a distance shows the damaged building (L) in the Qatari compound housing members of Hamas' political bureau on Sept. 10, 2025. Israel targeted the building the previous day in a strike in Qatar's capital, Doha. 

Israel's Sept. 9 airstrikes in Qatar will likely harden the stances of Iranian-backed groups, keep normalization with Saudi Arabia off the table and drive more assertive postures from other regional states.

The Regional Implications of Israel's Strikes in Qatar

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The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

Mercosur is increasingly opening its markets in pursuit of free trade agreements with partners around the world, particularly as U.S. protectionism shifts global trade dynamics.

The Geopolitics of Trade: What Changing Trade Dynamics Mean for Mercosur

Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem speaks from a stage surrounded by flags in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on July 6, 2025. 

Lebanon's new push to disarm Hezbollah will prove challenging amid U.S. pressure, Israel's military assertiveness and Hezbollah's hardening stance, potentially leading to government instability and increased violence.

Can Lebanon Navigate the Minefield of Disarming Hezbollah?

A collapsed water tank painted with the Lebanese flag is seen in the ruins of a village in southern Lebanon, located near the border with Israel, on Jan. 7, 2025.

Ahead of Lebanon's 2026 election, Hezbollah will try to portray itself as a nationalist resistance movement rather than an Iranian proxy, but the risk of renewed conflict with Israel will persist unless the group disarms. 

To Ease Pressure to Disarm, Hezbollah Pursues a Rebrand 

An Iranian flag is draped from a building damaged during a recent attack by Israel is seen in the Gisha neighborhood of Tehran, Iran, on June 25, 2025. 

The brief war with Israel has significantly weakened Iran's regional influence and military capabilities, forcing it and the members of its Axis of Resistance to recalibrate their strategies and focus on recovery.

The Impact of the 12-Day War on Iran and Its Allies, Part 1

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What is the outlook for Hezbollah's disarmament in the coming months?

Essential Geopolitics: The Potential for Militia Disarmament in Lebanon

An aerial depiction of Iran's Zagros Mountains and the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S.-Iran Relations

Israel is growing increasingly likely to strike Iran's nuclear program as U.S.-Iran talks struggle to progress, potentially setting off a cycle of regional escalation that alters Iran's political landscape.

As U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Flounder, Israel Inches Toward Escalation

Israel's parliament meets March 20, 2023, in Jerusalem. A caretaker government would likely make concessions in Gaza, while a new government would likely take a different approach than Netanyahu toward Hezbollah and Iran.

A caretaker government would likely make concessions in Gaza, while a new government would likely take a different approach than Netanyahu toward Hezbollah and Iran.

How a Government Collapse Could Alter Israeli Foreign Policy

Smoke and fire erupted from the site of an Israeli airstrike on a suburb south of Beirut, Lebanon, on June 5, 2025. 

The attacks appear designed to keep Hezbollah weak, while pressuring the Lebanese government to take quicker and more aggressive steps toward the group's disarmament. 

What To Make of Israel's Latest Strikes on Lebanon

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

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: U.S Asks Israel To Scale Down Attacks, Lebanon Starts Disarming Palestinian Camps

Lebanon: Palestinian President in Beirut To Discuss Disarming Palestinian Refugee Camps

U.S., Jordan: Washington Unfreezes Some Aid to Jordan

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

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