Hezbollah

The ‘Mechanism’: Open Sesame

Five photos. One very short statement in Naqoura. That’s all it took for U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus’s visit to Lebanon to make its point. The symbolism was clear: the era of endless chatter is over. Time to actually get things done. In a country where talking for the sake of talking is practically a national sport, that’s… a plot ...

UNIFIL Restores Blue Line Markers Damaged by Last Year’s War

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced that it has begun repairing the Blue Line markers damaged during last year’s conflict between Hezbollah and Israel – “an important step toward restoring stability in southern Lebanon,” the mission said in a statement on X Tuesday evening. Since the start of the operation on ...

Beirut’s Southern Suburbs: Real Estate Sales Driven by Fear of a New War

The southern suburbs of Beirut are reportedly seeing an unprecedented wave of real estate sales amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. A political and military stronghold of the pro-Iranian militia, this densely populated area was heavily targeted during the fall 2024 war and continued to face strikes even after the ceasefire reached ...

Diplomatic Flurry in Beirut Amid Rising Israeli Strikes

Lebanon is witnessing a surge of high-level diplomatic visits as Israeli attacks intensify in the South and Bekaa, raising questions about whether this diplomatic activity seeks to calm tensions or apply greater pressure on Hezbollah’s disarmament. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and U.S. Special Envoy Morgan Ortagus arrived in ...

Two killed in Israeli strike on Biyyad, Tyre district

Two brothers were killed Monday afternoon in a strike carried out by an Israeli drone near a sawmill in the town of Biyyad, south of Tyre. According to local sources, the strike targeted the vicinity of the industrial site. The Israeli army announced in the evening that the strike had killed Hussein Ibrahim Sleiman, a presumed member of ...

Hezbollah’s Excuses Are No Longer Credible

Two months after the Lebanese government reaffirmed its exclusive authority over weapons, Hezbollah remains unwavering in its refusal to disarm. Since its inception, the pro-Iranian militia has justified its arsenal as a means of “resistance” and “defending Lebanon,” portraying its weapons as both a shield against Israel and a tool of ...

Over 330 Hezbollah Members Killed Since Ceasefire

A series of Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon since Thursday, has turned it into one of the deadliest escalations in weeks. The latest attacks on Sunday targeted two senior Hezbollah figures in Naqoura and the Beqaa Valley, as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz toured the northern border alongside U.S Envoy to the Middle ...

The Demise of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies 

What’s dumbfounding is the equivocation of Hamas and Hezbollah toward the projected normalization initiated by President Trump. Nothing is new, since their obstructionism stems from ideological and strategic considerations. Whatever mediations are attempted by the U.S. and its associates, the state of mind within both formations is not inclined ...

'Disarmament:' The Challenge of Peace

In this final week of October, the Disarmament Week set by the United Nations resonates with new urgency. On one front, Washington has issued an ultimatum to Hamas to disarm under Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. On another, the Lebanese government is under US pressure to disarm Hezbollah, a key Iranian proxy in the region. Tehran remains ...

Israeli Strikes in South Lebanon and Bekaa: four killed, one injured

A series of Israeli air raids hit several areas in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa on Sunday. An Israeli airstrike targeted a car in Naqoura on Sunday morning, killing one person, according to the Ministry of Health. The Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, said Sunday evening that the target was Abdel Mahmud ...

Lebanon’s Last Chance: Disarm Hezbollah or Risk Collapse

Lebanon’s long‑simmering debate over Hezbollah’s disarmament has sharpened into a defining confrontation between state sovereignty and a foreign‑backed militia. In Washington, the issue is becoming the centerpiece of US regional policy. For President Trump’s administration, Hezbollah’s disarmament is not merely a security objective but ...

Clearfield's Mechanism: Remaking Peace, Once Again

Same story, same players. After every lull along the southern border, the same words return, the same statements roll out, the same diplomats spring into action, each convinced that this time, “it’s different.” We hear about a “gradual de-escalation plan,” a “monitoring mechanism,” a “return to the core resolutions.” Earnest ...