Hezbollah has heavy backing from Shia Iran, with analysts in the region fearing that the Syrian conflict is turning into a proxy war in the region

The first Iraqi witnesses will start giving evidence before the Al-Sweady inquiry today, on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the invasion.

Anyone who has been on the streets of Berlin on New Year's Eve will know that the experience is exciting, if not easy. For most of the year Germany enforces strict controls on the sale and use of fireworks. But these are waived for New Year celebrations and every corner shop suddenly has a host of firecrackers, rockets and other pyrotechnics on sale to the general public.

Off to Lebanon, eh? Sounds like a fun trip.

The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah has spent months trying to tread a narrow line, balancing its support for the Syrian government with its responsibilities as Lebanon's dominant political force. But increasing tensions inside Lebanon have underscored obstacles to having it both ways.

I wasn't surprised to hear that the Lebanese minister for tourism, Fadi Abboud, was threatening to sue the makers of my current favourite TV show, Homeland, for misrepresenting Beirut. As I watched the second episode last Sunday, the action was supposedly based in the Lebanese capital. My wife kept asking: "Do you recognise where they are?" I didn't, mainly because the programme was shot in Haifa, in Israel, which looks more "Arab" to the average American viewer than cosmopolitan Beirut. Women are in the hijab, there is a smattering of camels, and Westerners are stared at suspiciously. No wonder we are wary of the Middle East when we see stuff like this.

Lebanese security officials say angry protesters have closed roads around the country to protest the bombing that killed a top security official and seven other people.

The Lebanese have grown used to their capital city of Beirut being used as a synonym for destruction and violence. But a recent episode of the hit US drama Homeland was apparently one negative portrayal too far, and now the government is threatening to sue the makers of the show.

Kidnappings in Beirut highlight a sectarian divide made worse by neighbouring violence

Kanye West and girlfriend Kim Kardashian lit up Cannes as the American rapper premiered his debut film.

The fatal shooting of Sheikh Abdul-Wahid by a soldier raised fears about the influence of the Assad regime over the border, reports Robert Fisk

Two people were killed and 15 others injured in street battles between pro- and anti-Syrian groups in the Lebanese capital overnight as the spiralling conflict in neighbouring Syria spilled across the border.

Among the many heartening aspects of last year’s Arab uprisings was the visible role of women in the protests. These women might easily have looked to the writings of Wadad Makdisi Cortas for inspiration.