Nabih Berri

Hezbollah at War: What Comes Next for Lebanon and the Region

Israeli goals in Lebanon war shift from imminently disarming Hezbollah to reestablishing South Lebanon Security Zone

The renewed Lebanon war between Israel and Hezbollah that began on March 2 is now over a month old, with little change in the overall picture or disposition of the main actors. However, Israeli officials...

Lebanon declares Iranian ambassador-designate ‘persona non grata’ before Iranian missile explodes over Lebanese airspace

On March 24, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi announced that he had instructed his ministry’s secretary-general “to summon the Iranian Charge d’Affaires in Lebanon,”...

Lebanons’ second chance

This conflict could finally free Beirut from Hezbollah

Time for Lebanon to Partner with Israel Against Hezbollah

Now that Lebanon and Israel’s interests are so clearly aligned in disarming Hezbollah, the time has come for the two states to cooperate toward this shared goal and lay the groundwork for peace. On...

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...

What the LAF Chief’s Visit to the U.S. Revealed

Lindsey Graham portrayed his meeting with Rodolphe Haykal, which collapsed within minutes, as a complete debacle. The U.S. senator asked the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) chief if Hezbollah was a terrorist...

Lebanon Must Answer the Pope’s Call for Peace

Lebanon, and the world, must heed the Pope of Peace over the so-called “Party of God,” Hezbollah. From the heart of Lebanon—a biblical land living under Hezbollah’s shadow—Pope Leo XIV issued...

The Clock Ticks on Lebanon’s Empty Promises

The next war will not wait for Lebanon to find its courage. One year on from Lebanon’s signing of the November 27, 2024 Cessation of Hostilities with Israel, Beirut’s agreement to enforce UN Security...

Aoun’s Push for Talks with Israel Must Overcome Hezbollah’s Ploys

Hezbollah and Berri likely hope to use talks to get the US and Israel off their backs and keep Hezbollah armed.

Tom Barrack’s diplomacy of optics: Fast deals, fragile peace

Tom Barrack’s high-speed diplomacy in Syria and Lebanon backfired, fueling instability, alienating allies and deepening mistrust across the region.

Disarming Hezbollah: The Easy Way vs. The Hard Way

The Lebanese government has yet to fully grasp the seismic shift in Israel’s defense doctrine from containment to preemption. Hezbollah, even if armed with rudimentary weapons like slingshots, will not...

Will Lebanon Disarm Hezbollah, or Not?

The Lebanese cabinet heard, on Friday, a presentation from Army Chief Rodolphe Haykal on a confidential plan to monopolize arms, as tasked by the government on August 5. The cabinet then issued a statement,...

What if Israel Was Right and the Arabs Were Wrong?

For over five decades, many Arab leaders have blamed Israel’s alleged intransigence, belligerence, and unfulfilled promises for the persistent failure to achieve Arab-Israeli peace. Yet, Lebanon’s...

Lebanon’s Death by a Thousand Hezbollah Cuts

It took Lebanon’s cabinet six months to even begin discussing the fate of Hezbollah’s arsenal. Whatever decision emerges will go to the Higher Defense Council for further deliberation and planning,...

Naim Qassem commemorates Fuad Shukr’s death, rejects Hezbollah disarmament

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered his latest speech on July 30, commemorating the first anniversary of Israel assassinating the group’s then-chief of staff, Fuad Shukr. Amidst...

Hezbollah Reups Its Refusal To Disarm in Lebanon

Hezbollah Refuses to Disarm: The Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization will not disarm even if the IDF were to withdraw completely from southern Lebanon, the Saudi media...

Lebanon Is Conceding to Hezbollah’s Post-War Reconstruction Demands

Hezbollah has rejected calls to disarm, and now, Lebanon is conceding its best — if not only — leverage. On June 3, Lebanese television station Al Jadeedrevealed that President Joseph Aoun appointed...

As Iran Retreats, Islamist Turkey and Qatar Surge in Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, a Sunni, entered the stadium of Beirut’s Sports City to watch the classic football game between the two rival teams Nijmeh and Ansar. When the Shia supporters of...

Nuclear Deal or Not, Hezbollah Must Disarm

The Shia of Lebanon who pledge allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei should ask themselves these questions: Why do they boycott American products when Khamenei invites Americans to invest in...