Lebanon

Netanyahu Orders Escalation Against Hezbollah as Strikes Intensify Across Lebanon
Netanyahu Orders Escalation Against Hezbollah as Strikes Intensify Across Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that he had ordered the Israeli military to intensify operations against Hezbollah, as Israeli airstrikes expanded across southern and eastern Lebanon amid a sharp rise in Hezbollah drone attacks targeting northern Israel. “We are at war with Hezbollah,” Netanyahu declared in ...

Finally, a Year of Choice for Lebanon
Op-edFinally, a Year of Choice for Lebanon

For the first time in decades, Lebanon has a year of choice. With the dramatic reversal of fortunes of Iran, the Assad regime, and their Lebanese proxy, Lebanon is finding long-lost freedoms. A key attribute of freedom is choice. With the restoration of sovereignty, the Lebanese face, a sovereign choice between war or peace. Since the 1980s, ...

Qassem Escalates Against Lebanese State as Hezbollah Faces Growing Pressure Over Weapons and Negotiations
Qassem Escalates Against Lebanese State as Hezbollah Faces Growing Pressure Over Weapons and Negotiations

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem sharply escalated his rhetoric against the Lebanese government on Sunday, openly rejecting direct negotiations with Israel, defending the group’s weapons, and warning that “the people have the right to overthrow the government if authorities fail to protect Lebanon’s sovereignty.”  The speech, ...

IDF Chief of Staff Approves Continued Military Plans in Lebanon
IDF Chief of Staff Approves Continued Military Plans in Lebanon

As negotiations between the United States and Iran reportedly advance toward a potential breakthrough, Israeli officials are simultaneously signaling that military pressure on Hezbollah will continue unabated.  Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir approved new operational plans for the continuation of the military campaign on the northern front ...

Hezbollah’s Qassem Attacks Lebanese Government and Opposes Direct Talks with Israel
Hezbollah’s Qassem Attacks Lebanese Government and Opposes Direct Talks with Israel

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Sunday launched a sharp attack against the Lebanese government, rejected direct negotiations with Israel, and reaffirmed that the Iran-backed group would continue its armed confrontation despite growing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Speaking during a televised ...

Escalation in Southern Lebanon Intensifies Amid Regional Diplomatic Efforts with Iran
Escalation in Southern Lebanon Intensifies Amid Regional Diplomatic Efforts with Iran

Military activity sharply escalated in southern Lebanon on Saturday despite ongoing diplomatic signals of potential breakthroughs in regional negotiations involving Iran and the United States. The Arabic spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, issued two separate evacuation warnings covering a total of 15 towns and villages in southern ...

Iran Reaffirms Support for Hezbollah and Calls for Lebanon-Inclusive Regional Ceasefire Proposal
Iran Reaffirms Support for Hezbollah and Calls for Lebanon-Inclusive Regional Ceasefire Proposal

Hezbollah claimed that it’s Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, received a message from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi outlining Tehran’s position on regional developments and ongoing diplomatic efforts related to the conflict. According to the statement, Iran reaffirmed its continued support for what it described as “movements ...

Two Airports, Two Realities: Beirut's Airport Under Hezbollah’s Shadow, Qlayaat Under State Control
Two Airports, Two Realities: Beirut's Airport Under Hezbollah’s Shadow, Qlayaat Under State Control

Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny on May 19 announced the opening of bids for the public tender to operate and invest in Lebanon’s northern Rene Mouawad Airport, in a move aimed at reviving a second civilian airport after years of stagnation. The contract was awarded to Sky Lounge Services following a tender process conducted ...

Iran Weighs Peace Proposal, Accuses U.S. of 'Excessive Demands'
Iran Weighs Peace Proposal, Accuses U.S. of 'Excessive Demands'

Tehran accused the United States of "excessive demands," Iranian media said on Saturday, as U.S. media reports raised the prospect that Washington was mulling new strikes and leaders of the Islamic republic considered the latest peace proposal. Pakistan's powerful army chief arrived in Tehran on Friday to bolster mediation, and U.S. President ...

U.S. Sanctions on Hezbollah and Amal's \
AnalysisU.S. Sanctions on Hezbollah and Amal's "Deep State": Implications for the Duo and the State

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on nine individuals in Lebanon accused of supporting Hezbollah and obstructing efforts to disarm the Iran-backed group, in one of Washington’s clearest moves yet to counter Hezbollah’s influence over Lebanon’s political and security institutions. The sanctions, announced by the ...

No Turning Back in Lebanon-Israel Talks
AnalysisNo Turning Back in Lebanon-Israel Talks

Amid a fraught ceasefire, preparations are underway for the next phase of the U.S.-mediated Lebanon-Israel diplomatic process, which analysts describe as a major turning point. Security talks between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are scheduled to begin at the Pentagon on May 29, while a parallel political track is set to reconvene in ...