Levant

Recent moves by Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali expose a growing inconsistency in U.S. policy toward Iranian-backed armed groups in Iraq and Lebanon. By Hussain Abdul-Hussain Map of Iraq Iraq's Militias Begin Surrendering Their Weapons Two of Iraq's most powerful Iran-backed militias, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali, recently agreed to place their weapons under state authority, marking the most significant step yet toward dismantling Tehran's network of armed prox

By Dr. Walid Phares AI photo with the flags of Israel, Lebanon and Iran As Israel intensifies military pressure on Hezbollah in Lebanon, a strategic question is emerging across the region: could ongoing negotiations with Iran eventually limit Israel's campaign against Tehran's most powerful regional proxy? While Washington and Jerusalem remain aligned in their opposition to Hezbollah, recent developments suggest that their priorities may not be identical. For Israel, prevent

The new U.S.-brokered Lebanon-Israel agreement aims to weaken Hezbollah's hold over southern Lebanon, strengthen Lebanese sovereignty, and create a path toward lasting security and stability along the Israeli-Lebanese border. By Hayvi Bouzo AI generated photo of the flags of Israel and Lebanon For the first time in four decades, Lebanese and Israeli diplomats sat across from each other at the U.S. State Department and negotiated directly. No proxy messengers, no back channels

AI generated image of Lebanon's deep state By: Tony Boulos Many observers still reduce Lebanon’s crisis to a single factor: Hezbollah. The assumption is that the country’s paralysis would end if the group’s weapons were removed from the political equation. This interpretation is not only incomplete, it is dangerously misleading. Hezbollah does not operate in isolation. It is sustained by a powerful protection network embedded within the Lebanese state itself: a “deep state” t

Is Israel Annexing South Lebanon? Or has it devised a new strategy to defeat Hezbollah and Hamas? By: Dan Feferman Map of the current Israeli buffer zone in southern Lebanon On April 19, nearly 2 months after Hezbollah launched missile and drone strikes on Israel, in defense of its patrons in Tehran, the IDF issued a map showing its new “forward defense line”, a buffer zone some 8-10 kilometers into South Lebanon. Contrary to claims by Hezbollah propagandists and apologists,

Tony Boulos is a Lebanese journalist and political analyst specializing in Middle East security and geopolitics. A frequent commentator on Arab and international TV, he provides expert insights into the region’s complex landscape. Boulos is a regular ME24 contributor, delivering strategic analysis on the most pressing issues in the Middle East.

South Lebanon — Along Lebanon’s southern frontier, where cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel have reshaped daily life for months, residents of several Christian-majority villages are making a deliberate and coordinated choice: they are staying. In towns such as Rmeish, Debel, Qlayaa, Ain Ebel, and Marjayoun, local clergy, municipal officials, and families say they do not consider themselves parties to the conflict unfolding around them. Instead, they describ

AI generated photo of the aerial view of a devastated seaport with smoke, fires, and rubble, as Iranian and Hezbollah flags appear in the foreground. The ongoing US–Iran war has rapidly expanded beyond Iran’s borders, placing Lebanon at the center of a dangerous regional escalation. Although Lebanon is not formally a direct participant in the conflict, the involvement of Hezbollah—one of Iran’s closest allies—has effectively opened a second front between Hezbollah and Israel.

A dark, news-style illustration shows a blindfolded detainee in a war-damaged Beirut, surrounded by armed figures and political symbols, highlighting alleged abuses of power and concerns over judicial independence. Beirut — Legal and political observers are describing a recent case as a “full-fledged judicial scandal,” reigniting serious concerns over the integrity and independence of Lebanon’s judiciary—particularly in matters intersecting with Hezbollah’s influence. Accordi