To listen to much of the world’s media, Israel invaded Lebanon with the excuse of attacking Hezbollah, and the Lebanese are rallying around the group, which they supposedly see as defending the country’s sovereignty against the IDF’s seizure of territory south of the Litani River. This is an inversion of the truth. At least three-quarters […]
It’s Not the Time to Turn the Temperature Down in Lebanon
Israel can handle the military wing of Hezbollah, and continue to weaken it, but to remove Hezbollah as a civilian presence will require the cooperation of the Lebanese government. That government needs to wage not just a propaganda campaign, correctly describing the terror group as an Iranian proxy, willing to drag Lebanon into yet another […]
Lebanese President Denounces Hezbollah, Demands It Submit to Lebanese State
The President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, is furious, as are other members of his cabinet, including the influential minister of justice, Adel Nassar, because of Hezbollah’s decision to attack Israel, that has invited reprisal by the IDF, and that, in turn, has caused great damage to infrastructure in the Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut and […]
Hezbollah’s Infiltration of Lebanese Intelligence
The Lebanese government, headed by President Joseph Aoun, a Christian, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, a Sunni, has insisted that Hezbollah’s Shias must be disarmed, so that in Lebanon, only the Lebanese National Army will have weapons. Hezbollah has rejected this demand, and says it will fight to hold onto its weaponry in order to […]
Lebanese President Aoun Declares That Hezbollah Must Be Disarmed
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has again reiterated, in talks with Iranian Security Minister Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s main security body, that Hezbollah must be disarmed, and any attempt by Iran to interfere with Lebanon’s internal affairs will be dealt with harshly. More on their talks can be found here: “Openly defying Iran, Lebanon’s […]
Lebanon declares it’s no longer under Iranian patronage or dictates, vows to disarm Hizballah
Hizballah and Iran have been woes to the Lebanese people, and the Lebanese government has had enough, as is reflected in the “unprecedented shift” in firmly rejecting Iran and Hizballah. A Foreign Policy article entitled “Why Hezbollah Is Rich and Lebanon Is Poor” tells part of the story of how the people of Lebanon have […]
Lebanese President Aoun’s Supreme Defense Council Warns Hamas
The new Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, does not want his country to be drawn either by Hamas or Hezbollah into a conflict with Israel. If either group were to continue to launch rockets at Israel from Lebanese soil, the Israelis will respond, and that response will inevitably destroy Lebanese infrastructure and endanger the lives of […]
Lebanese president says ‘Lebanon supports returning to the 1949 armistice agreement with Israel’
Fifteen months ago, “amid diplomatic efforts to quell clashes in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel,” Beirut advocated for a return to the Armistice Agreement. How convenient. The agreement was signed between Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt to end the 1948 War of Independence, when Arab countries tried to destroy Israel right after its […]
A Widening Gyre of Violence: Syria vs. Lebanon
Now we have another twist to the Syrian plot. According to the Syrian government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, three Syrian soldiers were kidnapped inside northern Syria on the border with Lebanon by Hezbollah on Saturday, March 15. The three soldiers, once inside Lebanon, were then killed by Hezbollah. The Syrians then exchanged fire with Hezbollah. […]
Lebanon’s New President Reflects Hezbollah’s Weakness
Joseph Aoun is the new president of Lebanon, a country that has gone without a president for the past two years. As required by the Lebanese Constitution, he is a Christian. And unlike his namesake and predecessor as president, Michel Aoun, Joseph Aoun is determinedly opposed to Hezbollah, and hopes to constrain its power. More […]