Lebanon

Policy Analysis on Lebanon

Yellow Tents Across the Blue Line: Hezbollah’s New Brinkmanship

The group has been erecting structures and sending armed personnel into Israeli territory, decreasing the margin of error for diplomatic solutions and further eroding the credibility of the post-2006 border security regime.

Jul 14, 2023

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Assaf Orion

Fikra Forum

New Poll Shows Lebanese Frustrations with Government, Iran, and Other Powers

New polling results from Lebanon emphasize ways in which the country’s public is frustrated domestically and at key Hezbollah ally Iran, while expressing mixed views of other powers.

Jun 22, 2023

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Catherine Cleveland

Banque du Liban, BDL commissioner Riyad Salameh, Hezbollah symbol, ATM machine

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Cash Cabal:

How Hezbollah Profits from Lebanon's Financial Crisis

The Lebanese economy requires an urgent overhaul, and the international community must press for deep reforms.

Jun 22, 2023

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Samara Azzi
Hanin Ghaddar

Video

Brief Analysis

Lebanon's Prospects for Leadership, Reform, and Change: A Conversation with Samir Geagea

The head of the country’s largest parliamentary bloc discusses the ongoing political crisis, the role of U.S. sanctions, how a new president could limit Hezbollah’s domestic hegemony, and more.

Jun 21, 2023

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Samir Geagea

Brief Analysis

Last Call for UNIFIL? Israel and Hezbollah in a 2006 Deja Vu

The exchange of threats between Israeli and Hezbollah officials is just one in a series of developments indicating higher risk of miscalculation and large-scale regional conflict.

Jun 2, 2023

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Assaf Orion

Photo illustration depicting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Russian president Vladimir Putin - Washington Institute illustration, original images from Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Hizbullah and Russia’s Nascent Alliance

Although much is still unknown about the full extent of their collaboration, U.S. sanctions designations have revealed a multifaceted and increasingly lucrative relationship that should not be ignored amid other crises.

May 23, 2023

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Aurora Ortega
Matthew Levitt

Ships and a drilling platform in the Aphrodite offshore gas field near Cyprus

Brief Analysis

Increased Drilling Raises Hopes for East Mediterranean Natural Gas Production

Activity in Cyprus and Lebanon could have significant implications for regional energy and diplomacy.

May 10, 2023

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Simon Henderson

Fikra Forum

Preserving the Unity of Lebanon by Federating Its Political System

Lebanon is going through unprecedented circumstances that require joint engagement among all communities to find permanent solutions that ensure peace, prosperity, and unity for the country.

Apr 20, 2023

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Joe W. Issa-El-Khoury

Photo of Israelis in Tel Aviv protesting proposed judiciary changes, February 2023.

Brief Analysis

Regional Reactions to Israel’s Protests

Many Middle Eastern outlets have used the crisis to reinforce their inflammatory rhetoric, but some have provided nuanced analysis through the lenses of democratic principles and Arab-Israel peace.

Apr 12, 2023

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Frances McDonough

Twitter posts from Lebanese users commenting on Hamas rocket strikes launched from Lebanon on Israel - source: Twitter

Brief Analysis

Lebanese Social Media Reactions to Rocket Strikes on Israel

A sampling of posts suggests fears of another catastrophic war, increased public questioning of Hezbollah as a “resistance” movement, and anger toward its cooperation with Iran in compromising Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Apr 7, 2023

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Erik Yavorsky
Faris Almaari

Fires burn after the August 2020 port explosion in Beirut - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

The Lebanon Human Rights Report: Punting on Accountability?

The country can’t escape its downward spiral without full accountability, so pulling punches in annual U.S. reports serves neither Washington nor the Lebanese people.

Mar 28, 2023

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Hezbollah Infiltrates Israel (Part 2): Potential Responses

Israel should act quickly on multiple fronts to show Hezbollah that it will not shy away from escalation, especially if the organization continues to test it.

Mar 22, 2023

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Nadav Pollak

A suspected Hezbollah tunnel under the Lebanon-Israel border discovered by the IDF - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Hezbollah Infiltrates Israel (Part 1): Another Step Toward Changing the Rules of the Game

Despite representing a significant escalation, the incident also continues a longstanding pattern of behavior aimed at rewriting the informal understandings established since the 2006 war.

Mar 21, 2023

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Matthew Levitt

Fikra Forum

Can Federalism Work in Lebanon?

For those promoting federalism in Lebanon, a historical analysis of the country's geographic and ethnosectarian divisions demonstrates the necessity of inclusive discussion and collective engagement.

Mar 20, 2023

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Robert Rabil

Lebanese protesters hold signs reading "Fearless" in Arabic in response to the assassination of Lokman Slim - source: Reuters

Video

Articles & Testimony

Middle East Matters, Episode One: The Murder of Lokman Slim: Justice Delayed in Lebanon

Watch a special conversation about the murder of Lebanese activist and writer Lokman Slim between veteran Lebanese journalist Hanin Ghaddar and Slim's widow and colleague, Monika Borgmann.

Mar 14, 2023

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Hanin Ghaddar

◆ Middle East Matters

Articles & Testimony

It Is Time for a New Hezbollah Policy

Growing domestic blowback presents a strategic opportunity to alter the balance of power in Lebanon, shrink Iran’s long-range influence, and promote true political diversity within the Shia community.

Mar 7, 2023

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Hanin Ghaddar

Buoys mark the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon in the Mediterranean Sea - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Securing or Insecuring Israel? Assessing the Israel-Lebanon Maritime Agreement

Taking stock of last year’s deal shows that while there were plenty of good reasons for Washington and Jerusalem to accept it, improving Israel’s long-term security was not one of them.

Mar 7, 2023

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Israel Planning to Export Gas via LNG Ship

The option, which would take several years to develop, would reduce or even remove the current need to export gas via Egypt.

Feb 22, 2023

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Washington Should Sanction Officials Obstructing the Beirut Port Investigation

Prosecuting those responsible for the disaster via an independent Lebanese judiciary would help safeguard public funds, contain corruption, enable reforms, and protect citizens.

Feb 17, 2023

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Hanin Ghaddar

Video

The Symptom and the Disease: Cholera and State Collapse in Syria and Lebanon

What has caused Lebanon's devastating cholera epidemic, and why haven't authorities and healthcare professionals been able to stop it?

Jan 31, 2023

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Hanin Ghaddar
Andrew J. Tabler

Supported by the

Rubin Family Arab Politics Program

The Washington Institute's Rubin Family Arab Politics Program focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Featured experts

Matthew Levitt

Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow and director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute.

Hanin Ghaddar

Hanin Ghaddar is the Friedmann Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute's Rubin Family Arab Politics Program, where she focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant.

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Lebanon

Policy Analysis on Lebanon

Rubin Family Arab Politics Program

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Policy Analysis on Lebanon

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