Lebanon 

Videos from southern Lebanon show the destruction in the city of Tyre; multiple strikes targeted densely populated neighborhoods and residential buildings that had largely been emptied after Israel issued forced displacement orders

In Beirut, families search for safety in the stadium, hotels, schools and cinemas amid escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates and the city is overwhelmed by displaced Lebanese

Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel to avenge the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; in response, the Israeli military hit Hezbollah targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon, ending a shaky cease-fire, with 31 dead and over 3.000 people displaced

Another building has collapsed in Tripoli, leaving at least 2 dead as rescues fear up to 20 people could be trapped under the debris; Qobbeih, where a building collapsed on an entire family last weekend, is among the neighborhoods most at risk

The election process has begun with the publication of the decree calling for elections in the Official Gazette: expats would vote abroad on 1 and 3 May, election workers would vote in Lebanon on 7 May and resident voters would vote on 10 May

In Hadath, Beirut’s outskirts, a shelter for abandoned cats has been running for 12 years: it began with a single rescue and became a long-term commitment; since 2024, the war has intensified the pressure and cats are relocated amid scarce housing options

Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon underscored the unique position of Christians in the Middle East’s most religiously diverse country, the only Arab one with a Christian president, where Christians wield influence far greater than their numbers

Two concrete walls built by Israel inside Lebanese territory have been the object of an official complaint submitted to the UN Security Council; In a statement they are described as an additional serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty

30 new public buses will run across the country, not just in Beirut, upon extended Chinese donation of around 100 more buses, bringing the total to roughly 130 new vehicles hitting Lebanese roads soon