🌳 This Week's Recap

By Simon Tchaghlassian, Founder & Editor

Sobhiye Daily · Sunday, May 31, 2026 · 2 min read

Sun⁠day, May⁠ 31

Bonjourein — and welcome to your Sun⁠day edition, a look back at the week that was in Lebanon.

It was a brutal one. Israeli forces pushed past the Litani River, struck a Beirut suburb for the first time since early May⁠, and killed at least 14 people overnight before Lebanon-Israel security talks opened in Washington. Over a million people remained displaced, Liberation Day passed with soldiers still on southern soil, and Hezbollah's secretary-general suggested the government should resign.

Between the war dispatches, Lebanon turned 100 constitutionally, Nadine Labaki gave a gut-punch speech at Cannes, and a cybersecurity team of Lebanese twenty-somethings got a presidential shoutout. Week in review — let's go.

NEWS QUIZ from this week's headlines

How many years has the Lebanese Constitution been in existence as of this week?

125 years

50 years

100 years

75 years

Scroll to the bottom for the answer — or play all 10 at sobhiye.news/games/news-quiz

THIS WEEK IN LEBANON

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apnews.com

Strikes Before Talks: On Thurs⁠day, Israel struck a Choueifat apartment building — the first hit near Beirut since May⁠ 6 — and killed at least 14 people overnight in Tyre, Sidon, and Nabatiyeh, hours before Lebanon-Israel security talks opened in Washington. Five women and children were among the dead.
Evacuation Orders, Mass Displacement: On Wednes⁠day — Eid al-Adha — Israel's military told residents across southern Lebanon to leave, ordering evacuations from Tyre and Nabatiyeh while Israeli troops pushed north past the Litani River. Over 1 million people remained displaced across Lebanon.
The "Gaza Model" Goes North: Analysts warned Israel was replicating its Gaza strategy in the south — advancing past its own declared "Yellow Line" near the Litani toward Nabatiyeh, systematically destroying towns like Bint Jbeil and Khiam while preparing to besiege the city. Hopes for an Israeli withdrawal dimmed further.
UNIFIL's Future in Limbo: With the UN peacekeeping mission's mandate expiring Dec⁠ember 31, Lebanon told AFP it still wanted "an international presence under the UN umbrella." Options reportedly include a downsized force or expanded UNTSO role — but the US and Israel could block any new proposal at the Security Council.
Liberation Day, No Liberation: May⁠ 25 marked an anniversary of Israel's 2000 withdrawal, but this⁠ year's celebrations were subdued with Israeli troops again occupying the south. President Aoun vowed full withdrawal; P⁠M Salam wrote that Lebanon would not celebrate until Israeli forces left completely.
Berri Breaks With the Talks: Speaker Nabih Berri said flatly he didn't care what Lebanon's delegation carried to Washington. "We go to the table with nothing," he told reporters, backing only indirect negotiations and demanding a ceasefire — while also distancing himself from Hezbollah chief Qassem's suggestion that the government should resign.
TPS Extended for Lebanese in the US: Washington quietly extended Temporary Protected Status for Lebanese nationals already in the United States until Nov⁠ember 27, 2026 — pushing back a deadline that had been set to expire on May⁠ 27. The humanitarian program was first granted to Lebanon in late 2024.
Lebanon's Constitution Turns 100: The 1926 constitution marked its centenary on May⁠ 23, prompting a sharp opinion piece arguing the post-Taif system had become a machine for permanent paralysis — each sect holding veto power, no one accountable, and the state hollowed out from within. The piece called for a shift toward a civil, presidential model.
Labaki's Cannes Moment: Director Nadine Labaki used her stage time at the Cannes closing ceremony to deliver an emotional tribute to Lebanon, asking whether it was "wise to celebrate life while death surrounds us" — before affirming that art had become the country's "last act of resistance."
Lebanese Cyber Team Gets Presidential Nod: President Joseph Aoun officially introduced "Semicolon Security," a Lebanese cybersecurity group founded in 2016 whose members — aged 20 to 30 — have discovered over 3,000 vulnerabilities in systems belonging to Meta, Google, and Apple, earning more than $1 million in bug bounty rewards.