UFOs in Lebanon

In recent years there have been several reported sightings of UFOs in the skies over Lebanon. But many sceptics have dismissed these incidents as military activity misconstrued as alien contact. However, could it be that extraterrestrials are being drowned out by human-created drones and missiles?

If a civilisation from another galaxy was trying to reach us, possibly with a message of peace, they might want to consider somewhere quieter than Lebanon. But according to some Lebanese, these otherworldly beings have been persistently trying to make themselves known.

In the United States, the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) collects data on sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), which are also referred to as UAPs or Unexplained Aerial Phenomena. It’s been recording eyewitness accounts since 1974, and Lebanon features prominently in its files.

For example, between July 2024 and September 2025, a resident near Beirut told the NUFORC that they observed “persistent orb activity in the northwest sky corridor above my village in Lebanon”. This occurred every night except during heavy rain or snow between 20:00 and 03:00. The mysterious objects were not following normal satellite paths, moved at varying speeds, and appeared in clusters of two to five or a lot more on occasion. They radiated white, golden, and blue colours.

This observer used a green laser beam to try and interact with the orbs which sometimes zig-zagged away. During the Iranian missile strikes against Israel in 2024, when civil aviation was suspended, dozens of these orbs were “swarming in the skies”, often in a kind of “beehive” formation.

In July last year, a resident of Byblos reported to the NUFORC an object that “landed so fast it didn’t touch the ground and there were lights on it and it rose so fast and without any sound it disappeared”.

The accounts usually describe spacecraft flying in a curious manner in the sky, but no contact with any life forms. However, in 2003, a resident of Broummana met an alleged alien face to face. It was a skinny creature with long arms, hairless, and light brown skin, with a large ear on its head. When he tried to touch the intergalactic traveller, it shot away:

In my bedroom, nearly before sunrise, some strange feeling woke me up. I saw a very strange creature sitting on the border of my bed, I was completely paralysed, astonished with an extremely joyful feeling.

One account on the NUFORC site was submitted in 2005 by an American naval officer who asked to remain anonymous and described a UFO sighting while serving on board the USS Mount Whitney during the 1973 Yom Kippur war. The officer was a “radarman” who was convinced he had picked up a UFO and even checked that his equipment was not faulty.

He asked his commanding officer how this incident should be logged and was told “the official position of the US Navy is that they do not exist”. This anonymous source told the NUFORC that several ships in the area saw a total of around eight UFOs.

In 2012, individuals in Lebanon, Israel, Armenia, and Turkey called the police with reports of UFOs. Some regarded the lights as a good omen for the uprising in Syria that was ongoing at that time.

However, a Russian news agency poured cold water on the story claiming that the unusual visual display was their testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile in southern Russia, which could theoretically be observed from a long distance. That sounded implausible until a non-Russian source detailed what most likely happened. The Russian missile test had gone badly wrong with the weapon spinning out of control and the remnants and fuel visible in nearby countries.

On 20th September 2009, about 50 glowing metallic objects were reported in the night sky above the Antelias-Jounieh motorway with many drivers stopping to observe the extraterrestrial display. This incident got considerable coverage on Lebanese TV, featuring on Il Maestro with Neshan on LBC, as well as other shows.

Reports of alien beings hovering over Lebanon go back decades. But there is one story that stretches back into ancient times. It’s often claimed that Alexander the Great witnessed two fire-spitting silver shields in the sky during the Siege of Tyre in 332BC. These objects then dived down at this infantry, elephants, and horses as they attempted to ford a river, causing his army to panic.

Then the aliens had second thoughts about Alexander and returned to help him by firing beams of light at the city walls helping him to victory. It’s a story that has been repeated in many UFO publications and websites but there is a problem. There is no contemporary record from the great historians of antiquity, such as Plutarch for example.

In fact, the first mention of Alexander the Great encountering UFOs in Lebanon dates to 1959 and seems to have been a science fiction yarn that spun out of control. People have wanted to believe this happened, and it’s become accepted truth in some circles.

Christian Stepien is the CTO of the NUFORC and he appeals to any Lebanese who have witnessed UFO phenomena to report it to them. “If you think you’ve seen something genuine, please tell us. Especially if the flight characteristics include sudden immediate right angle turns, incredible speed (horizon to horizon in a split second), vertical ascents that seem to head into space, and extremely close approaches. With objects, note size, orbs the move intelligently, and triangular craft.”

While Alexander may not have experienced an alien encounter, plenty of Lebanese in more recent times are sure they have met beings from beyond our solar system. Why not share your experience of extraterrestrial contact in the comments section? Let’s see if we can prove that there is life out there!