Levant Brief

A cedar forest on a rocky mountain slope, with a rope-fenced footpath in the foreground

Geopolitics and Security13 September 2026

Civil defence volunteers in the Bekaa complete a winter rescue drill

Demo article: More than 80 volunteers spent two days practising road clearance and stranded-driver rescues ahead of the snow season.

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Towering sandstone rock formations rise above orange desert sand under a clear blue sky

Geopolitics and Security

Mountain rescue volunteers in the Kurdistan Region prepare for winter

Demo article: Teams rehearsed rope rescues and avalanche searches in the mountains near the Iranian and Turkish borders.

13 September 20261 min read

Geopolitics and Security

Search and rescue teams train in Wadi Rum for desert emergencies

Demo article: Volunteers and tour guides practised locating lost hikers and treating heat exhaustion ahead of the busy season.

12 September 20261 min read

Close-up of ripe golden wheat in a field

Geopolitics and Security

Community sessions teach returning farmers to spot unexploded ordnance

Demo article: Trainers visited villages to show families what to look for, and whom to call, before working fields left untended for years.

12 September 20261 min read

Geopolitics and Security

Emergency medical volunteers run an earthquake preparedness drill

Demo article: Volunteer first responders practised triage and communications for a large earthquake, a risk along the Jordan Rift Valley.

11 September 20261 min read

Geopolitics and Security

Israel blows up Ali al-Taher tunnels

Israel blows up Ali al-Taher tunnels with 1,100 tons of explosives

11 September 20261 min read

A large container ship stacked with shipping containers moored beside a blue gantry crane

Business and Economy

Tripoli port logs a busy season for fresh fruit exports

Demo article: Refrigerated container traffic rose through the summer as growers in the north shipped more apples, citrus and grapes.

11 September 20261 min read

Business and Economy

Aleppo soap makers restart workshops and look for export orders

Demo article: Family workshops are reviving the slow olive-and-laurel method, and say online buyers abroad are their best hope for growth.

10 September 20261 min read

Business and Economy

Olive oil producers prepare for an early harvest after a hot summer

Demo article: Presses are servicing machinery weeks ahead of schedule as growers expect fruit to ripen early.

10 September 20261 min read

Business and Economy

Basra date growers bet on packaged exports

Demo article: Farmers are investing in sorting and packing lines to sell boxed premium dates instead of bulk fruit.

9 September 20261 min read

Business and Economy

Amman start-ups test a shared delivery network for neighbourhood shops

Demo article: Three small companies are pooling riders so corner shops can offer same-day delivery without paying large platform fees.

9 September 20261 min read

A smiling man in a blue blazer works on a laptop at an office desk

Governance

A Mount Lebanon municipality moves building permit applications online

Demo article: Residents can now track a permit request step by step instead of returning to the town hall to ask where it stands.

8 September 20261 min read

Lebanon

Civil defence volunteers in the Bekaa complete a winter rescue drill

Demo article: More than 80 volunteers spent two days practising road clearance and stranded-driver rescues ahead of the snow season.

13 September 20261 min read

Israel blows up Ali al-Taher tunnels

Israel blows up Ali al-Taher tunnels with 1,100 tons of explosives

11 September 20261 min read

Tripoli port logs a busy season for fresh fruit exports

Demo article: Refrigerated container traffic rose through the summer as growers in the north shipped more apples, citrus and grapes.

11 September 20261 min read

A Mount Lebanon municipality moves building permit applications online

Demo article: Residents can now track a permit request step by step instead of returning to the town hall to ask where it stands.

8 September 20261 min read

Volunteers replant cedar seedlings on a fire-scarred mountain slope

Demo article: Around 3,000 seedlings went into the ground over one weekend, with local schools adopting rows to water through the dry months.

5 September 20261 min read

Syria

Community sessions teach returning farmers to spot unexploded ordnance

Demo article: Trainers visited villages to show families what to look for, and whom to call, before working fields left untended for years.

12 September 20261 min read

Aleppo soap makers restart workshops and look for export orders

Demo article: Family workshops are reviving the slow olive-and-laurel method, and say online buyers abroad are their best hope for growth.

10 September 20261 min read

Local councils in Homs post spending plans on neighbourhood noticeboards

Demo article: Printed budgets now go up in bakeries and mosques, and residents are invited to comment before projects are approved.

6 September 20261 min read

Young seedlings growing beside black drip irrigation lines in mulched soil

Farmers along the Orontes turn to drip irrigation to stretch scarce water

Demo article: Growers say drip lines cut water use sharply, but the upfront cost is keeping smaller farms from switching.

3 September 20261 min read

A stone mosaic panel spelling the word Poetry inside a decorative border

Restorers return to the painted ceilings of an old Damascus house

Demo article: A small team is cleaning and stabilising decorated wooden ceilings, working a few square metres a week.

30 August 20261 min read

Jordan

Search and rescue teams train in Wadi Rum for desert emergencies

Demo article: Volunteers and tour guides practised locating lost hikers and treating heat exhaustion ahead of the busy season.

12 September 20261 min read

Amman start-ups test a shared delivery network for neighbourhood shops

Demo article: Three small companies are pooling riders so corner shops can offer same-day delivery without paying large platform fees.

9 September 20261 min read

Irbid pilots a single hotline for municipal complaints

Demo article: Residents now report potholes, broken lights and missed rubbish collections through one number, and get a reference to follow up.

4 September 20261 min read

Mounds of coral and a sea fan on a reef, with small yellow fish swimming past

Aqaba divers record signs of coral recovery at a restored reef site

Demo article: Volunteer divers counting fish and coral at a protected site say damaged sections are showing new growth.

1 September 20261 min read

A Madaba mosaic workshop trains a new generation of artisans

Demo article: Apprentices spend months cutting stone by hand before they are allowed to work on a commission.

28 August 20261 min read

Israel & Palestinian Territories

Emergency medical volunteers run an earthquake preparedness drill

Demo article: Volunteer first responders practised triage and communications for a large earthquake, a risk along the Jordan Rift Valley.

11 September 20261 min read

Olive oil producers prepare for an early harvest after a hot summer

Demo article: Presses are servicing machinery weeks ahead of schedule as growers expect fruit to ripen early.

10 September 20261 min read

A municipal council starts livestreaming its public meetings

Demo article: Residents can now watch council sessions online and submit written questions ahead of each meeting.

7 September 20261 min read

Solar panels cover the roofs of a row of apartment buildings at dusk

Rooftop solar panels spread across family businesses in an old market

Demo article: Shop owners say shared rooftop installations are cutting electricity bills and keeping refrigerators running during outages.

2 September 20261 min read

A small theatre company tours a play about coastal fishing families

Demo article: The production draws on interviews with fishermen and their families, and is being staged in community halls.

29 August 20261 min read

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