Lebanon: How Israel, Hezbollah, and regional powers are shaping its future

This article was originally published on CFR.organd updated by NBC News.

Lebanon is again at a critical junction. Following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February 2026 and the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, opening a new front of the war. Lebanon’s political and economic crisis has since deepened, worsened by its fragile political, economic, and security environment. And yet U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and the Lebanese government in April 2026—the first in decades—offer an opportunity for peace.

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