Contributors


Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Lebanon and Israel Agree on Peace, Disagree on Sequence

The Lebanese and Israeli governments are fully aligned on the goal of their diplomatic talks. When all is said and done, Hezbollah will be fully disarmed, Israel will have ended its security actions in Lebanon and fully withdrawn, and the border will be demarcated. The two countries will then have reached a bilateral peace agreement. The challenge ...


Salam El Zaatari
The WhatsApp War: How Hezbollah Manufactures Reality

In Lebanon today, the battlefield is no longer confined to the south; it has also moved to WhatsApp, where closed, encrypted groups spread information without scrutiny, and most importantly, without accountability. This is where Hezbollah has quietly built one of its most effective influence machines—not on television, where narratives can be ...


Seth J. Frantzman
Rubio is Right, a Vetted and Trained Lebanese Army Could be the Answer

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made an important announcement when he said that Washington is developing a plan to pursue Hezbollah’s disarmament by building up trusted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). “We’re working towards establishing… a system that actually works where vetted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces ...


Ian Talley
Breaking the Crowdfunding Myth: The Digital Architecture Funding Iran’s Proxy Wars

For years, Iran’s use of cryptocurrency was written off as pocket-change militant fundraising. A slew of enforcement actions now shows something far more consequential: Tehran and its terror allies have woven digital assets into the core financial architecture that bankrolls their war machines. By integrating crypto into their control of ...


Bassam Abou Zeid
Israel Is Preparing a Buffer Zone in Southern Lebanon

The President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam informed the ambassadors of the Quintet that the government’s decision banning all military and security activities of Hezbollah will be fully implemented. According to diplomatic sources, including U.S. ambassador Michel Issa, there will be no cessation of Israeli ...


Amal Chmouny
Lebanon Ceasefire Opens a Diplomatic Window, Now Comes the Hard Part

When the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel met at the White House on April 23, it was the kind of image that would have seemed unthinkable just months earlier. Their joint appearance alongside President Donald Trump — to announce a three-week extension of the cessation of hostilities — was a shift from decades of indirect, back-channel ...


Marwan El Amine
The "Last Mile" of Hezbollah's Disarmament: Washington Holds the Key

There is no doubt that Israel has inflicted a severe blow on Hezbollah, weakening not only its battlefield capabilities but also significantly eroding its regional role. However, its complete dismantling as a military force ultimately depends on U.S. pressure on Iran. Hezbollah no longer resembles the organization it was prior to launching its ...