A Long Road Ahead...

From all sides, the only consistent message is that the war in Lebanon is likely to be long. A nightmare for the population. Each player promises victory to their own side. The people are just a detail, of course. As Stalin once said, "One death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic." A ceasefire is nowhere in sight. The Arab League—an ...

Iran, the New Mediator!

  When the expression “a firefighter who starts fires” takes on its full meaning. Just when we thought we’d seen it all, witnessing the surreal phenomenon of Americans asking Iran to pressure Hezbollah into stopping rocket fire on Israel, is like science fiction. The maker of the “Axis of Resistance,” whose ultimate focus was ...

'You Can Go Back to Your Homes'

"You can go back to your homes..." This brief statement from Hezbollah's Secretary General, following his organization’s "response" to the assassination of Fouad Shokr, raises questions. How could he say such words? On Monday, Israeli bombings claimed nearly 558 lives—a horrifying toll, almost half of the total number of casualties from the ...

Tehran, We Have a Problem…

A call met with silence. Iranian leaders are no longer replying… It is likely not out of fear that their phones will explode, but rather in deliberate abandonment. While the Lebanese are getting bombarded, tens of thousands are fleeing the South and the Beqaa, and hundreds are dying, the Iranian president is speaking at the United Nations about ...

Now What?

  In 2006, the famous "if I had known" excuse might have hinted at a sense of remorse after the devastation of South Lebanon, of Beirut suburbs, and the loss of thousands of lives. Gulf countries invested billions to rebuild the country at the time. Nineteen years later, the same players are on stage, making the same strategic blunders. ...

Let Them Eat Pastries!

  A famous quote, falsely attributed to Marie Antoinette, when she was told that the Parisians were out of bread during the French Revolution. “Let them eat pastries.” This is what has been resounding in the ears of retired military personnel for years. On Tuesday, former officers and soldiers once again took to the streets to demand a ...

Meanwhile in Ukraine...

This war is going to end badly. It stands as the worst bloodbath in Europe since World War II—a senseless, pointless conflict. Here, two similar peoples, Slavic and mostly Orthodox, are engaged in mutual destruction with chilling indifference. Both Ukraine and Russia were already facing demographic crises before the conflict began. Since ...

France-Lebanon: Disturbing Similarities

For over forty days, France has been under the management of a caretaker government. Surprisingly, 40% of those polled are indifferent to this situation. Could this be a symptom of Lebanese contagion? Not quite, but with persistence, it might get there. Lebanon, having gone nearly two years without a president and with a government in caretaker ...

Iran Will Fight Until the Last Arab

Tehran’s brief statement reads: “Israel may be waiting a long time for Iran’s counteraction.” The regime’s staunch supporters see this as a shrewd strategic move to fray Israeli nerves, which they believe are consumed with worry. Yet, the more skeptical consider that Iran might delegate response to its proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and ...

The Last to Leave Switches the Lights Off...

This sentence was once scrawled along the road to Buenos Aires airport. At that time, amid a crisis, Argentina was experiencing a massive wave of emigration. In Lebanon, innovation is in full swing. While the last Lebanese hasn't quite left yet (but we’re getting there), the power has been shut off. Today, the state’s electricity, or ...

Emergency… A Plan Needed !

Not a day passes without the Lebanese government unveiling new contingency plans for various sectors—education, communications, health, refugee assistance. It almost feels like we’re living in a real country, where leaders pretend to care about the people. But in truth, it’s all talk and no action. This isn’t surprising, given that the ...

‘Proof of Their Simple-Mindedness’

  With this statement, Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah kicked off one of his usual Castro-style speeches on Tuesday. A speech that was free of any opposing views, which is far easier than an interview or a debate. Oh, yes! The “simple-minded” are the Israelis, according to Nasrallah's view — who is far from simple ...

Syria: How Many Divisions?

  The days when the Syrian army terrorized the Lebanese population and relentlessly bombarded the neighborhoods of Beirut and Zahlé instead of fighting Israel are long gone. The days when this army was part of an international coalition against Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War are long gone. Nothing in the Near East could happen ...

The Nahr al-Kalb Stelae Syndrome

This article should be read by anyone who believes they can take control of Lebanon. A few months ago, I was talking to my friend Frédéric Domont, who has sadly recently passed away. I shared my recent experience in Lebanon, having always lived in France, and the challenges of dealing with Lebanese people on a daily basis. This great expert on ...

Did They Hit Yet?

In the streets of Beirut, night and day, people are glued to their smartphones, constantly on the lookout for any bit of news. It's fair to say the Lebanese could compete in the Olympics for staying connected to information and sweep all the medals. Every resident of this unique country has a dozen apps on their device, flooding them with a ...

Resolution 1701 Back on the Table

  As the drums of war grow increasingly deafening, a few small statements offer a glimmer of hope. The comment from Lebanese Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib almost went unnoticed amid the maelstrom of threats: “Hezbollah is ready to withdraw behind the Litani River if Israel stops its violations.” And so, we are back to the ...

From 'Had I Only Known' to 'It's Not Us'

  Well, there you have it: the dreaded miscalculation has finally happened. Then again, with so many missiles being fired, it was only a matter of time before one caused civilian casualties instead of just hitting the three useless antenna towers on the other side of the border. Misfire, missile misdirected by Israel's own defense… The ...

Thy Will Be Done

It was a Saturday in June 2021. Just like every Saturday, we would have a man'ouche in Paris’ 15th arrondissement. On this particular day, and for the first time, he brought up what would, five months later, become Ici Beyrouth – his project. That day, his clear, expressive eyes revealed the passion that defined him. Whenever the topic of ...