Lebanese Army

The Lebanese Army Goes Rogue

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), under its commander Rodolphe Haykal, has defied the state it is sworn to serve, effectively siding with Hezbollah at a moment when Lebanon teeters on the edge of the abyss. After Hezbollah drew Lebanon back into war on March 2, the Lebanese cabinet rushed into an emergency meeting and banned the militia’s ...

When the State Decides but Cannot Enforce

After Hezbollah once again turned Lebanon into a battlefield at the behest of the Iranian regime, all eyes turned to see whether the Lebanese state could undertake tangible measures to counter this existential risk. Hours after Hezbollah lobbed rockets into Israel on March 2, the Lebanese government convened an emergency meeting at the ...

Israel Strikes Beirut's Southern Suburbs, Targeting Qard al-Hassan Branches

An additional Israeli raid pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday following several Israeli warnings followed by mock raids. In parallel, the Lebanese Army (LAF) blocked the roads leading to all Qard al-Hassan branches in the capital Beirut and Saida following latest warnings by the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee. ...

Lebanon’s Government Moves to Rein in Hezbollah, But Is It Enough?

After Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional conflict with its March 2 attack on Israel, the Lebanese government signaled increased urgency to assert state authority and seize the militia’s arsenal. The cabinet’s headline-making decisions include banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities, directing the Lebanese Armed Forces ...

Lebanon Bans Hezbollah’s Military Activities, But Stops Short of Terrorism Label

In an unprecedented move, Lebanon’s government on March 2 banned all Hezbollah’s military and security activities and instructed the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to immediately move forward with its plan to disarm the militia. The decision came hours after a Hezbollah rocket barrage into Israel, which triggered a widescale military ...

Buffer Zone in Southern Lebanon: Israel’s Advance Raises Questions About Lasting Presence

As Israel ramps up its military campaign against Hezbollah, Israeli troops advanced into southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning and established a buffer zone described by Tel Aviv as a limited defensive maneuver aimed at protecting northern Israeli communities. However, security sources interviewed by This is Beirut said that the maneuver could be ...

Israel Signals Unwavering Resolve to Eliminate Hezbollah

Lebanon was drawn into the widening Middle East war on Monday after Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel, saying the attack was in support of its backer Iran and in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Israel responded with intense airstrikes, targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the ...

Aoun: State Monopoly on Arms “Irreversible”

President Joseph Aoun asserted on Tuesday that the Cabinet’s decision to prohibit illegal military and security activities is a sovereign and final measure that “cannot be reversed,” in reference to Hezbollah’s rocket fire toward Israel. Speaking during a meeting with the Quintet Committee, Aoun reiterated that the government’s ...

Time for Lebanon’s De-Hezbollahfication

Lebanon has tasted the nightmare Israel faced on October 7, 2023. Iran’s Islamist regime and its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, are irrational actors who cannot be trusted with a single bullet, let alone entire arsenals, regardless of the paper promises they sign. Israel recognized this existential threat and has since been taking preemptive ...

Cabinet Demands Hezbollah Disarm “Immediately”

In an extraordinary session held at Baabda Palace, Lebanon’s Council of Ministers on Monday adopted sweeping decisions aimed at asserting state authority over armed activity within Lebanese territory, following renewed rocket launches from southern Lebanon and escalating regional tensions. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that the ...

Lebanon, France Postpone Paris Security and Disarmament Conference Amid Regional Tension

Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed in a phone call on March 1 to postpone the international conference in Paris, originally scheduled for March 5, which aimed to support Lebanon’s security forces and advance disarmament of non-state armed groups. The leaders cited the absence of appropriate ...

Israeli Escalation in Lebanon Sends Warning to Hezbollah on Iran

As regional tensions mount over the possibility of U.S. military action against Iran, Israel has escalated its operations in Lebanon, signaling that Jerusalem will not accept any attempt by Hezbollah to open a front in support of Tehran. Israel’s recent waves of bombardment in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley were “clearly pre-emptive,” ...