Aya Iskandarani

Aya Iskandarani

Correspondent


Arms dealer Abdullah displays his wares. Finbar Anderson / The National
Lebanese rush to buy weapons for personal security

Two years of economic meltdown and political instability leave the state unable to protect its citizens

December 30, 2021
A handout photo made available by Dalati and Nohra shows Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati (R) meeting with Antonio Guterres (L), Secretary-General of the United Nations at the Government palace in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 20 December 2021. EPA
Aoun approves May 15 for Lebanon's legislative elections

Lebanese set to vote in first elections since financial meltdown

December 29, 2021
Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said he had issued a decree for parliamentary elections to be held on May 15. AFP
Lebanon to hold parliamentary election on May 15

Decree issued by interior minister awaits approval by prime minister and president

December 27, 2021
Bullet holes in a window a day after clashes in the Tayouneh area of Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
Beirut residents sue Hezbollah leader over deadly clashes

Lawsuit filed in response to Hezbollah sympathiser case against a Christian leader

December 23, 2021
Riad Kobaissi receives his anti-corruption award from US ambassador Dorothy Shea. Courtesy: Riad Kobaissi / Facebook
Lebanese anti-corruption hero brushes off Hezbollah hate campaign

Smear campaign launched against journalist Riad Kobaissi because he won a US award

December 14, 2021
Palestinian and Lebanese protesters in Beirut when the US moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. EPA
Lebanese Christian leader rejects decree on jobs for Palestinians

Gebran Bassil calls for opposition to decree opening high-paying professions to Palestinians and other non-citizens

December 09, 2021
Fireworks explode during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Byblos, Lebanon December 7, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanon's Byblos brings back Christmas tree despite financial crunch

Lebanese city renowned for extravagant holiday celebrations could not afford a tree last year

December 07, 2021
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets French President Emmanuel Macron upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on December 4. AP
Cautious optimism after French-Saudi push for Lebanon

Paris and Riyadh work together to support impoverished Beirut after diplomatic dispute with Gulf

December 05, 2021
Lebanon's Tourism Minister Walid Nassar speaks to the assembled crowd. Photo: Finbar Anderson
Lebanese city opens Christmas market despite economic crunch

The coastal city of Batroun has witnessed a tourism boom amid the poverty and power cuts plaguing other parts of the struggling country

December 05, 2021
A health worker gathers PCR tests of migrant domestic workers at a hotel in the Beirut suburbs. Reuters
Lebanon imposes curfew on the unvaccinated over Christmas period

Ministry of Public Health announces new measures as Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreads worldwide

December 01, 2021
A money exchanger displays Lebanese pound notes at his shop in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
Lebanon a step closer to Word Bank cash aid

Scheme to help 150,000 of Lebanon's poorest families launched after two years of economic meltdown

December 01, 2021
A helicopter picks up water to douse fires at the Deir Al Kalaa monastery near the town of Beit Mery. Elizabeth Fitt / The National
Lebanese minister pleads for water as forest fires rage near Beirut

Nasser Yassine says climate change and general neglect are leading to more frequent fires

November 30, 2021
Workers pick the last remaining saffron flowers at the end of a successful first season on the farm. Finbar Anderson/The National
Lebanese architects make saffron bloom in the Bekaa valley

Experts say exporting the spice could bring millions of dollars to cash-strapped country

November 20, 2021
Health Minister Firass Abiad announced the ministry's plan to lift subsidies on medicines including those used to treat heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. AFP
Lebanon medicine prices skyrocket as subsidies lifted

Prices now unaffordable for most residents who have fallen into poverty two years into an economic meltdown

November 16, 2021
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al Rahi officiates at the Maronite church in Bkerki, north-east of Beirut. AP Photo
Maronite Patriarch urges Lebanon to resolve Gulf crisis

Livelihoods of 'hundreds of thousands' of Lebanese depend on good relations with the Gulf, he says

November 14, 2021