Israel resumes strikes on Gaza, amidst ceasefire talks’ stall, New wave of deadly Israeli airstrikes target Nabatieh and Beqaa, Rockets launched from south Lebanon into Israel for first time in months, Lebanon and Syria agree on ceasefire after cross-border deadly clashes, Washington sets sights on Iran in Yemen, Houthis claim responsibility for missile intercepted heading for Tel Aviv airport, Hamas announces first attack since resumed Israeli ground and air onslaught, Israel approves creation of administration for ‘voluntary’ departure of Gaza residents, Israel’s Finance Minister calls for the establishment of 13 new colonial settlements in the occupied West Bank, Boat of Syrian migrants traveling from Lebanon to Cyprus shipwrecked, Israeli airstrikes kill two civilians and injure 19 in southern Syria, Putin offers Syria’s Al-Sharaa support and cooperation, Syria could revoke the citizenships of up to 740,000 foreign pro-Assad fighters, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri schedules Cabinet meeting, Sit-in by ‘The Depositors’ Cry’ group against potential bank asset restitution plan, Terre-Liban denounces massacre of trees on Harissa road, First Nowruz since Assad’s fall lights up Syria, Sudan’s Army retakes presidential palace in Khartoum, strikes blow to RSF
A Saturday of resumed bombings, unnecessary deaths, and the threat that Beirut will also be targeted: here we go again, Israel’s war on Lebanon does not look the newly formed authority in the face; nor the families of civilians returned, after months of forced displacement, to the villages on the still occupied southern border; nor even Hezbollah’s firm denial of the party’s involvement in the launch of the three rockets that which has turned the Zionist fury on the country that is slowly, and with difficulty, trying to recover from the open war that has bloodied its past autumn.
That new Israeli occupation troops, including bulldozers, have been moved towards the Qatmoun valley, opposite the village of Rmeish – where earthen barricades have been erected – is, unfortunately, not surprising: it is a script that repeats itself, reminiscent of the smooth and unpunished advance of Zionist soldiers at the same time as the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces unfolded, in the aftermath of the beginning of the ceasefire initialled by Israel and Hezbollah now almost four months ago.
But that, beyond the as yet unclaimed responsibility for the firing of rockets – which photographs shared by the Lebanese Army have revealed to be too ‘primitive’ to belong to the arsenal of the ‘Party of God’ – the media persists in talking about an ‘Israeli response’, even more sadly, reveals that facts are not enough; that neither the international community, nor the commissions observing Israel’s ongoing violations of the terms of the agreement, nor the tireless work of residents and journalists who never stop shedding light on what it means, for many Lebanese, to have become accustomed to the roar of an explosion – to not be able to say, ‘when there was war,’ yet to speak, still, in the present tense – none of this is enough, evidently, to be able to point the finger; to say, firmly: Israel crossed – and long ago – a red line.
Even the United Nations, through the words of the spokesman for its Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Andrea Tenenti, condemned the absolute Israeli indifference to the terms of the ceasefire, claiming to be “alarmed by the possible escalation of violence” – which has already triggered the immediate, deadly retaliation by the IDF. “We have been urging the parties to use maximum restraint,” Tenenti said, adding there have been intense negotiations involving several stakeholders “to prevent any escalation of the conflict and of the tension – something that no one wants to see after 16 months of conflict in this region.”
As for the current toll, eight people were assassinated on Saturday, including two civilians in Tyre, a 61-year-old man named Safi, and a 37-year-old mother of two, Rania Abbas Houmani, the latter hit while hanging laundry; five others, including a Syrian man and his daughter, in Touline, in the Nabatieh district; and only one confirmed Hezbollah member, Redouane Salim Awada, in Qlayle, Tyre. Later on Sunday, the Israeli Air Force carried out a targeted strike on a car in Aita al-Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil district, killing one person, identified as Hassan Nehme al-Zein. His establishment had been targeted overnight by artillery fire and, according to residents, he was on his way to inspect the damage in the morning when a drone chased him down and fired a missile at his vehicle.
Before Saturday’s incident, Israel has continued to conduct airstrikes across south Lebanon and in the country’s east, close to the Syrian border, claiming to be targeting Hezbollah weapon shipments, militant infrastructure and personnel, and vowing to stop the Iran-backed militant group from rebuilding itself – while, instead, killing dozens of civilians, keeping on destroying public infrastructure, and staying beyond the deadline of the terms of US-brokered ceasefire, only conducting a partial withdrawal on 18 February, and still occupying five strategic locations where they will remain “indefinitely,” according to Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz. Hezbollah, on the other hand, has only targeted Israel once since the ceasefire, when in December it fired two mortars at Israeli troops in the disputed border area of Kfar Shuba.
And while the Lebanese Prime Minister on Friday stated that Lebanon had “turned the page” on Hezbollah’s weapons and that the Lebanese state was responsible for liberating occupied territories – to the point that, for the first time in over two decades, the government has scrapped the term ‘armed resistance’ from its ministerial statement, marking a significant shift in rhetoric and reiterating that only the Lebanese military had the right to defend national sovereignty – Defence Minister Israel Katz had responded that, then, it is the Lebanese government to be fully responsible for the launching of rockets from its territory.
The response of the government did not wait to arrive, as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Saturday’s incident, saying it represented an assault on Lebanon and aimed to jeopardise efforts to rescue the country, warning against any attempts to once again drag Lebanon into war. He called on Lebanon’s newly appointed army chief, General Rudolph Haykal, to investigate the missile launch and take necessary measures to protect civilians. He also urged the ceasefire monitoring committee led by the US to take action to bring the situation under control.
Unfortunately, however, the vacuum of due declarations, and vain pleas for help to Israel’s greatest supporter, can only make the unbalanced reality of unstoppable violations, of unpunished attacks under flimsy, false pretexts, more and more obvious.
In Lebanon
Israel’s war on Lebanon: An Israeli drone strike targeting a car in Yohmor al-Shaqif, in the district of Nabatieh, killed on Wednesday at least two people and injured two others while a spree of bombardments hit elsewhere in southern and eastern Lebanon. Since November’s halt to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli drone strikes have unceasingly killed people in Lebanon under the pretext of targeting the party’s rearmament. The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, after meetings with Lebanese and Israeli officials, called for talks mediating the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 addressing the risk of renewed escalation stemming from the current situation and conflicting interpretations on the text and the ceasefire agreement.
On Thursday, March 20, more Israeli airstrikes hit Nabatieh and the Beqaa, without causing casualties. French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro, in an interview with TéléLiban quoted by the state-run National News Agency, said work was underway to improve mediation between Lebanon and Israel and to find, in cooperation with fellow truce sponsor the US, a mechanism for Israel’s withdrawal from the southern Lebanese areas it still occupies.
Since the truce between Lebanon and Israel came into force in November, the Israeli military has claimed to target efforts to rearm Hezbollah in repeated attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon that have killed scores of people. Though, before its near-daily assassinations by drones last week, Israel pushed for talks on land border demarcation with Lebanon – while continuing to occupy five border positions since last year’s war and several other positions under invasion for several years.
Filling the holes of a porous border: On the other front, the north-eastern one, after two days of skirmish between pro-government Syrian militias and Shiite clans allegedly affiliated to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Army announced the closing of three informal crossings from Lebanon into Syria in Qaa, Masfrafeh and Doura-Hermel.
Following a discussion between Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Mourhaf Abou Qasra, the two Ministries issued a statement confirming that “the two sides agreed on a ceasefire while maintaining communication between the Lebanese Army’s intelligence directorate and the Syrian intelligence services, in order to prevent any deterioration in the situation at the border and avoid innocent civilian casualties.”
The Lebanese Army, under direct orders from President Joseph Aoun, had retaliated against Syrian security forces’ cross-border shelling on north-eastern Lebanon, which has since last Sunday on the Lebanese side killed seven people and wounded 52 others.
Governmental efforts: The Lebanese Army, earlier on Monday, said it returned to Syria the remains of three people killed in the clashes, identified by Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos as “smugglers,” the state-run National News Agency reported. The Lebanese government also formed an inter-ministerial committee to bolster the border’s monitoring and called for greater responsiveness from Syrian authorities to avoid security incidents at the frontier, Morcos continued after Wednesday’s Cabinet session.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, meanwhile, was tasked with addressing the border situation with his Syrian counterpart during their attendance at the ninth annual Brussels conference on Syria – attended for the first time by the country’s officials.
Syrian officials, for their part, have accused Hezbollah of involvement in the clashes – after attributing previous fighting in the region, which killed and injured several people in early February, to clashes with smugglers – including blame for a cross-border strike that wounded journalists in Syria. However, the party has repeatedly denied the allegations. After a clash in early February pitting gunmen on the Syrian side against Lebanese Army soldiers intervening at an illegal border crossing point, Syria imposed a ban on Lebanese nationals’ entry into the country.
Shipwreck on the Cypriot coasts: A boat that departed from Lebanon with at least 23 passengers, primarily Syrian migrants, sank earlier this week while attempting to reach the nearby island of Cyprus. On Monday, the Cypriot daily AlphaNewsLive reported that local authorities had been alerted to the “disappearance of a boat off the Cypriot coast, 45 kilometers from Cape Greco, at the southeastern tip of the island.” The vessel, carrying 23 Syrian migrants, had “departed from Lebanon” and “reportedly lost contact at some point,” the outlet added. It also reported that a “search and rescue plan was immediately implemented by the Cypriot rescue coordination center, while Lebanese authorities were informed.” Search efforts are also underway from the Syrian side.
Located less than 200 kilometers from the Syrian and Lebanese coasts, Cyprus is a key migratory route to Europe. The island claims to have the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in the European Union. In February, the Cypriot Interior Ministry reported a 69 percent drop in asylum requests between 2022 and 2024, along with a halt to irregular maritime arrivals since May 2024, supported by stricter migration policies.
In September, Human Rights Watch accused Cypriot authorities of “sending back to Lebanon Syrians whose boats had reached Cyprus, regardless of their refugee status.”
Sit-in by The Depositors’ Cry: The group ‘The Depositors’ Cry’ held a protest sit-in on Friday morning at Riad al-Solh Square, Downtown Beirut, against a restitution plan for deposits stretched over 15 years and the conversion of certain amounts into shares and bonds, which the government and Finance Ministry might, according to them, adopt. Tens of billions of dollars in deposits are blocked by Lebanese banks, virtually bankrupt since the crisis that erupted at the end of 2019.
After the failure of multiple asset restitution plans proposed by the government, banks and deputies, the president of the State Shura Council, Judge Fadi Elias, was tasked by President Joseph Aoun with drafting a bill for this purpose. Once this text is finalized, it should then be sent to Parliament – after discussion of the bill in the Parliament, or failing that, in the form of a bill presented by 10 deputies – to be debated. In mid-March, a delegation from the International Monetary Fund, visiting Beirut, expressed its willingness to help Lebanon prepare a new plan to exit its economic crisis.
However, most associations claiming to defend depositors’ rights that emerged after the crisis are not necessarily neutral. According to some information circulating within their circles, ‘The Depositors’ Cry’ is reputed to be close to the Association of Banks in Lebanon, while some former members of this association have formed another group, called ‘Our Money Is Ours’, which is close to the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
A green massacre in Harissa: NGO Terre-Liban published a shocking photo on Thursday of a massive tree felling in the heavily wooded area of Harissa, between Bkerke and the village of Daraoun, on the heights of Kesrouan. The environmental defense association said it received an “urgent report concerning the systematic and brutal felling of many oak and pine trees in this area along the former Harissa road.” The photos show cut wood on the roadside.
“We request that the Internal Security Forces and the Ministry of Agriculture take immediate action, inspect the site, and enforce strict measures to put an end to this environmental crime,” emphasized the message from Terre-Liban on social media.
Tree felling in Lebanon is regulated by laws set in place by the Ministry of Agriculture, with an emphasis on the protection of coniferous trees. Massive and often illegal tree felling is common in a country that has lost a large portion of its green spaces over the past decades.
New Cabinet meeting: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri scheduled joint Parliamentary commissions to meet today, Monday, March 24, to examine laws on the upcoming legislative elections, Lebanese Red Cross, universal health care, technological industries and the formation of a senate.
In The Region
Israel resumes strikes on Gaza: Israel vowed on Tuesday to continue fighting in Gaza until the return of all hostages as it unleashed its most intense strikes since a ceasefire, with the Health Ministry in the territory reporting more than 700 people killed, including up to 190 children, as well as teachers, doctors and nurses employed by the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA). Israel upheld its blockade on vital supplies’ entry into the desiccated enclave.
Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to “resume war” after a deadlock on extending the truce and warned that the return to fighting could be a “death sentence” for hostages still alive in Gaza. The White House confirmed that Israel consulted US President Donald Trump’s administration before launching the wave of strikes, which the Health Ministry said killed mostly women and children.
At the same time, the Palestinian resistance group announced having targeted Tel Aviv on Thursday, March 20, marking its first attack since the resumed Israeli ground and air assault on the Strip.
Head of Hamas security killed: Israel also claimed to have killed Hamas’ head of security for the enclave, while its ground troops expanded to Gaza’s north and its southernmost city of Rafah while entrenching their deployment to the center to bisect the enclave’s north and south. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, calling for a return to the truce, hostages’ release and continued aid flows to Gaza, expressed concern that “the worst is yet to come” for Gaza and the fate of tens of thousands of people once again forcibly displaced by last week’s evacuation orders.
Administrating occupation and ethnic cleansing: Meanwhile, ceasefire mediators Egypt and Qatar’s Foreign Ministers held talks on the situation in Gaza while Reuters cited Hamas as saying negotiations were continuing. Israel claims the resumed attacks were motivated by Hamas’ intransigence in negotiations and refusal to free all remaining hostages – originally set to be freed during a second truce phase that did not begin.
Israel, however, had attempted to pressure an extension to the first truce phase and sought to maintain troops in Gaza, contrary to initial ceasefire terms, by blocking fuel, food, medicine and other vital supplies from entering the enclave. Yemen’s Houthi resumed attacks on Israel in an attempt to undo the ban, escalating from maritime traffic to strikes on the mainland after US strikes killed scores of people across the country.
In addition, Israel’s security cabinet on Saturday evening approved the creation of an administration within the Defense Ministry to enable Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip “voluntarily,” the Israeli dailies Times of Israel and Haaretz reported on Sunday morning. The office of Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that this new directorate will work to “prepare and enable the safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents wishing to leave voluntarily to third countries, including securing their movement, establishing passage routes, allowing passage by land, sea and air to destination countries,” Israeli media reported. This is done “subject to Israeli and international law, and in accordance with the vision of US President Donald Trump,” the statement added.
US strikes on Yemen: After a series of American airstrikes killed more than 50 people across Yemen, US President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to hold Iran accountable for the resumed attacks by the Houthi attempting to pressure Israel into allowing the entry of aid into Gaza. Since Trump’s proclaimed intention to deport Palestinians from Gaza began upending provisions for the enclave’s post-truce future – which remained undecided at the time of the agreement – Israel, supporting the US proposition, contradicted initial ceasefire terms with its demand to maintain troops on the Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Vowing to respond, Houthi authorities condemned what they called a “treacherous aggression,” after the US launched a large-scale military operation against the group who controls much of Yemen, marking its most significant intervention in the country since President Donald Trump came to power. Describing the strikes as decisive and powerful, Trump justified them as a response to repeated Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, which he said have caused “billions of dollars” in damages.
Part of the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’, the group had announced on March 12 that it would resume attacks on Israeli ships in solidarity with Gaza, citing the blockade Israel has imposed on humanitarian aid since March 2. No attacks had been reported in the interim, until on Sunday, March 23, the Yemeni group has claimed responsibility for the firing of a ‘Palestine-2’ ballistic missile towards Tel Aviv David Ben Gurion International Airport, which “paused air traffic at the airport for more than 30 minutes,” said the Yemeni group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, in an address transmitted on his X account.
However, the US strikes come primarily two weeks after Houthi rebels shot down an American drone – an incident that accelerated Pentagon preparations for military action. According to the news site Axios, which cited US officials, the Pentagon had been tasked with developing military options against the group since it was reinstated on the American list of terrorist organizations.
A US official told the outlet that these strikes are only the beginning of a sustained military campaign, with Washington planning “relentless” attacks that could last several days or even weeks.
Colonial expansion in the West Bank: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, responsible for administering settlements in the occupied West Bank and a supporter of the annexation of Palestinian territories, welcomed the creation of 13 new settlements in the occupied West Bank on his X account. “This initiative is being carried out in the context of the approval of tens of thousands of housing units in Judea and Samaria and constitutes an additional and significant step in the process of normalization and regularization of settlement,” he said.
These new settlements were previously neighborhoods of pre-existing settlements. Recognition of their independence “is an important step that will greatly contribute to their promotion and development,” explained the ultranationalist Minister. “Instead of hiding and apologizing, we are proudly raising the flag, building and implanting. This is another important step on the road to effective Israeli sovereignty” in the occupied West Bank, he added.
Israeli airstrikes in Daraa: Israeli warplanes killed two civilians and wounded 19 others in airstrikes on the southern Syrian city of Daraa late Monday, according to Syria’s official SANA news agency. “Israeli occupation aircraft launched airstrikes targeting the vicinity of Daraa,” the agency said on X. A follow-up statement confirmed the casualties, adding that “two civilians were martyred and 19 others injured with varying degrees of wounds” from the raids. The Daraa Governorate, in a post on its Telegram channel, said the Israeli strikes targeted “housing in the city of Izra and Regiment 175 with several hits.”
Israel’s military claimed in a statement that it is “currently striking military targets in southern Syria, including command centers and military sites containing weapons and military vehicles belonging to the old Syrian Regime, which they are attempting to make reusable.” The Army alleged that the presence of military assets in southern Syria “poses a threat to the State of Israel. The IDF will not allow the presence of military threats in southern Syria and will operate against it.” Israeli daily Israel Hayom reported the assault targeted three bases near Daraa, likely tied to the Assad Army, though it offered no further details.
Syrian Kurds celebrate Nowruz: For the first time since Bashar al-Assad’s fall, Kurds in Syria celebrated Nowruz with traditional gatherings in Hasakeh, Raqqa, and Aleppo, a large event in Damascus’s Rukn al-Din district, and festivities in Suwayda. Syrian Kurds are integral to the country’s history, culture, and politics, with their cause central to the broader Syrian issue.
Newroz, the Farsi-language word for “new year,” is an ancient Persian festival that is celebrated in countries including Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. It is characterized by colorful street festivals and torch-bearing processions winding their way into the mountains. For many, Thursday and Friday’s Newroz festivities symbolized not only the arrival of spring but also the spirit and aspirations of the Kurdish people, who are now facing a moment of transformation in the region.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which holds sway in much of northeastern Syria, recently signed a landmark deal with the new government in Damascus that includes a ceasefire and eventual merging of the SDF into the Syrian Army. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey that has spilled over into conflict in Syria and northern Iraq, recently announced a ceasefire after the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called for its members to put down their weapons.
Putin offers support to Al-Sharaa: Russian news agencies reported on Thursday that President Putin sent a letter to Ahmed Al-Sharaa, affirming support for efforts to stabilize Syria while preserving its sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity. Putin also expressed readiness to expand practical cooperation in various sectors to deepen bilateral relations.
The Russian President told Al-Sharaa he supported “efforts to stabilise the situation in the country as soon as possible in the interests of ensuring its sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies. Putin, on his hand, confirmed “Russia’s continuing readiness to develop practical cooperation with the Syrian leadership on the whole range of issues on the bilateral agenda in order to strengthen traditionally friendly Russian-Syrian relations,” Peskov added.
The Kremlin, which was a key ally of the formerly ruling Assad family for over 50 years, said earlier this month that it wanted to see a united and ‘friendly’ Syria because instability there could affect the whole of the Middle East. Reuters reported in December that Russia was pulling back forces from front lines in northern Syria and from posts in mountains dominated by Assad’s Alawite community, but was not leaving its two main bases on the Mediterranean coast – the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the naval facility in Tartous.
The message underscores Moscow’s aim to preserve its influence in Syria amid recent political shifts. Notably, Israel had earlier proposed to the Trump administration that Russian bases remain to counterbalance Turkish influence.
Citizenship revoked: On the same day, Syria’s Civil Affairs Director announced that the government plans to revoke the citizenship of thousands of foreigners who fought alongside Assad’s regime, targeting those naturalized through exceptional decrees in recent years – with as many as 740,000 people affected by the law.
The move is part of broader efforts to restructure civil records and regulate naturalization. Though largely symbolic – since most of those fighters left before Assad’s fall, mainly to Iraq – the decision aims to reverse practices long seen as part of a demographic engineering plan under his rule.
Director General of Civil Affairs in Syria, Abdullah Abdullah, said that the revocation of citizenships will apply to all foreign nationals who were granted Syrian citizenship by Assad in exchange for fighting for his regime during the nearly 14-year-long civil war. This will include individuals from other Arab countries. It comes after clashes on the Syria-Lebanon border involving Hezbollah-linked clans who were given Syrian land by the previous regime. Abdullah told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the Assad officials destroyed the country’s civil affairs information network and that the process of revoking the citizenships will begin once this network is fully rebuilt.
The decision will only target those who obtained citizenship for political or military reasons, and not individuals who obtained nationality via marriage to Syrians and other civil means, he added.
Back to the presidential palace: Sudan’s Army and its supporters are celebrating across the country after troops recaptured the presidential palace in the capital, Khartoum. Friday’s victory is perhaps the Army’s most symbolic since launching a key counteroffensive against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in September last year. The RSF continues to control pockets in southern Khartoum, but has lost most of the capital since Sudan erupted into a civil war in April 2023.
The development comes just days after RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo released a video urging his fighters not to give up the palace. Civilians have generally welcomed the Army as liberators despite some reports of Army-aligned militias carrying out human rights abuses following RSF withdrawals.
A recent report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), found that RSF fighters had detained at least 10,000 people in Khartoum since the start of the war until June last year.
However, a different scenario is unfolding outside the Sudanese capital. The Army’s capture of the presidential palace, in fact, raises fears that Sudan is increasingly approaching a de facto partition. The RSF is already backing a parallel government and remains in control of four of the five regions in the sprawling region of Darfur. The RSF recently captured the strategic desert city al-Maliha in North Darfur, which is the last region where the Army and its aligned armed groups still have some control. Despite the gain, moreover, Hemedti’s forces are struggling to capture el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur where the Army still has a garrison.
What We’re Reading
IMF talks 2.0: The unfolding saga surrounding the appointment of a new governor for the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL) is increasingly dominated by the shadow of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), who has resumed its mission in Beirut and which appears to be the de facto decision-maker in this high-stakes process. While the Council of Ministers is nominally tasked with selecting the next central bank governor, the influence of the IMF has grown inescapable, shaping not only the shortlist of candidates but also the broader economic and political context in which this decision is being made, analyzed Maan Barazy.
Beirut Souks’ revival: Downtown Beirut’s commercial heart is showing signs of a significant revival as Beirut Souks welcomes back shoppers, tourists, and residents. Sixty-three retail stores are already open for business, from a variety of sectors including fashion and lifestyle brands to restaurants and cafes, Rodayna Raydan reported.
Lebanon’s sovereignty crisis: In the past few days, the Lebanese government has taken steps to reinforce military leadership and deploy troops to its borders, Ramzi Abou Ismail observed – but not as part of a proactive security strategy. Instead, it has once again fallen into the same cycle of reacting to crises rather than preventing them. Whether on the Syrian or Israeli front, the state’s actions have been too little, too late, exposing the emptiness of its claims to sovereignty.
Conflicting versions of facts: Border clashes have put Beirut-Damascus relations at a crossroads, Valeria Rando reported. As Hezbollah denies any involvement in the hostilities against Syrian soldiers, the Lebanese Army closes three illegal border crossings with Syria, raising the critical issue of securing an unmarked, indefinite border.
