Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam receives Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at the Grand Serail (Government Palace), in Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 16, 2026. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/ Reuters)
In Lebanon, issues are piling up and overlapping. Alongside efforts to ease tensions on the domestic front, factors that could fuel a new confrontation or harden positions are multiplying.On Wednesday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh arrived in Lebanon. Notably, he had no scheduled meetings with the president or prime minister, although he did meet with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The Iranian diplomat’s meetings conveyed Tehran’s opposition to war while affirming its full readiness to face one. They also addressed concerns within Lebanon’s Shiite community and Tehran’s desire to reassure it.According to our information, Iran was seeking to revive dialogue among political leaders, or directly between Hezbollah and the president. However, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah’s press conference on Thursday, in which he...
In Lebanon, issues are piling up and overlapping. Alongside efforts to ease tensions on the domestic front, factors that could fuel a new confrontation or harden positions are multiplying.On Wednesday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh arrived in Lebanon. Notably, he had no scheduled meetings with the president or prime minister, although he did meet with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The Iranian diplomat’s meetings conveyed Tehran’s opposition to war while affirming its full readiness to face one. They also addressed concerns within Lebanon’s Shiite community and Tehran’s desire to reassure it.According to our information, Iran was seeking to revive dialogue among political leaders, or directly between Hezbollah and the president. However, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah’s press conference on Thursday, in...
