By Sondoss Al Asaad 

U.S. involvement in Lebanon’s economic policymaking

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s ongoing financial collapse has reopened fundamental questions about sovereignty, foreign intervention, and the country’s strategic choices.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Saad Hariri and the future of his Future Movement

BEIRUT — On the 21st anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafic Hariri, thousands gathered in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square in a scene that blended remembrance with political anticipation.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Enforced disappearances and escalation: Israel’s expanding security pressure in Lebanon

BEIRUT — Amid rising regional tensions, a troubling pattern has begun to take shape inside Lebanon: a series of abductions attributed to Israeli occupation forces, leaving Lebanese citizens in a state of uncertainty and fear.

Israel’s post-ceasefire strategy: Systematic obstruction of reconstruction in Southern Lebanon

TEHRAN – Since the November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israel has repeatedly violated the truce, turning what was meant to be a moment of relief for southern Lebanon into yet another chapter of fear, uncertainty, and displacement. What should have been the beginning of reconstruction has instead become a continuation of destruction.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon’s 2026 budget: A state between social anger, political confusion, and regional fire

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Parliament has approved the 2026 state budget by 59 votes in favor, 34 against, and 11 abstentions, closing three turbulent days of debate that exposed far more than fiscal disagreements. 

By Sheida Sabzehvari

Iran will not fight alone this time

From Baghdad to Beirut, Tehran’s partners signal a wider war if US strikes

TEHRAN – As U.S. naval deployments in the Persian Gulf intensify and Washington hints at the possibility of renewed aggression, a constellation of Iran’s allied forces across West Asia are issuing coordinated warnings that a second war against the country would ignite a region-wide confrontation — one that neither the United States nor Israel, they say, is prepared to contain.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon: Rising pressures amid Syria’s instability and Israeli threats

BEIRUT — With the Israeli enemy maintaining continuous attacks from the south and the resurgence of ISIS and other extremist groups in Syria, Lebanon faces unprecedented security challenges. 

Israel carries out another deadly attack in Lebanon in violation of 2024 ceasefire

TEHRAN – Israel’s airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday once again exposed what many in Lebanon describe as the regime’s entrenched disregard for international law and ceasefire agreements. The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed that one civilian was killed and several others wounded after an Israeli strike hit the area near Kfardounin in the Bint Jbeil District, a region that has endured repeated bombardment despite the 2024 ceasefire.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

The US and Lebanon’s trilateral trap

BEIRUT — The United States is intensifying pressure on Lebanon to abandon the existing military “mechanism” overseeing the southern front and move instead toward a Washington-sponsored trilateral committee that would pave the way for political-security arrangements with Israel. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

From ceasefire to coercion: How Lebanon is dragged into a surrender framework

BEIRUT — What is unfolding around Lebanon’s so–called “ceasefire oversight mechanism” is not a misunderstanding nor a technical dispute—it is a deliberate campaign of pressure. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Hezbollah’s rational sovereignty in the face of imperial subjugation

BEIRUT — Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem's speech on Saturday, addressed to Israel’s and America’s tools in Lebanon under the striking declaration, “We are the most rational,” was not a rhetorical flourish, but rather a political indictment. 

Naim Qassem on Hezbollah’s arms: Israel has no right to intervene

Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a speech on Saturday that Lebanon has entered a “new stage in the conflict” and a “new era,” as Israel continues its attacks on Lebanese territory despite the late 2024 ceasefire.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Leaked doubts and northern disarray: Israel’s fear of an uncontainable war 

BEIRUT — Over the past two days, Israeli media outlets have been saturated with unusually candid leaks and commentaries about a potential war with Lebanon—leaks that betray more anxiety than confidence. 

Araghchi meets top Lebanese officials, visits Nasrallah tomb in Beirut

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made a high-profile visit to Lebanon on Friday, meeting his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji upon his arrival in Beirut.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon at the edge of an imposed escalation?

BEIRUT—Amid escalating Israeli enemy rhetoric about widening the circle of confrontation and Washington’s clear shift toward imposing faits accomplis under the logic of “the law of the jungle,” Lebanon finds itself navigating an exceptionally sensitive political and security moment. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon’s governance in crisis

Lebanon’s political system is so hollowed out that even a fictitious foreign prince can dictate governance

BEIRUT—Imagine a country where a fictitious foreign prince, armed only with a phone and a fabricated authority, can dictate political appointments, unlock frozen bank accounts, and influence judicial decisions—all without leaving his home. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon between war and ‘neutralization’

BEIRUT—Lebanon is once again being asked to believe in calm—carefully worded, condition-laden calm—at a moment when pressure, not peace, defines the regional landscape. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon in 2025: A nation adrift in chaos and defiance

BEIRUT —2025 offered no respite for Lebanon. Fleeting moments of calm only exposed deeper rot gnawing at the state’s foundations. Institutions crumble under chronic mismanagement, while political forces wallow in disarray. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

How a technical committee has turned into a strategic threat to Lebanon

BEIRUT—What was introduced after the November 27, 2024 ceasefire as a purely technical arrangement has gradually evolved into a mechanism with political and security implications that extend far beyond its stated purpose.