Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Lebanon

NEW: ‘Our Compass is Broken’—Israel’s Ongoing War on South Lebanon
Residents return to the southern Lebanese village of Blida on February 18, 2025, after it was partially destroyed by Israeli bombardment and occupied by Israeli troops. Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images.
MERIP updates

NEW: ‘Our Compass is Broken’—Israel’s Ongoing War on South Lebanon

Dear Friends and Comrades,  Amid the escalating US and Israeli war on Iran, the Israeli invasion of South Lebanon is intensifying. In addition to drone and missile attacks in Beirut, Israel is carrying out a combined ground and aerial campaign aimed at creating a so-called buffer zone up to the
James Ryan, Susann Kassem • 2 min read
'Our Compass is Broken'—Israel's Ongoing War in South Lebanon
Residents return to a southern Lebanese village on February 18, 2025, after it was partially destroyed by Israeli bombardment and occupied by Israeli troops. Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images.
Lebanon

'Our Compass is Broken'—Israel's Ongoing War in South Lebanon

Every day since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in 2023, my father, like many other villagers from Lebanon’s south, has listened to the news in the hope of hearing that he can return to our village along the border of South Lebanon and rebuild our house.
Susann Kassem • 12 min read
Disarming the Camps—Palestinian Factions and the Limits of Lebanese Sovereignty
Flags of the Palestinian Fatah movement hang above an alley in the Burj al-Barajneh camp for Palestinian refugees, Beirut, Lebanon, February 2024. Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinians in Lebanon

Disarming the Camps—Palestinian Factions and the Limits of Lebanese Sovereignty

As Lebanon moves to disarm Palestinian camps under intense geopolitical pressure, long-standing factional rivalries, unresolved refugee rights and Israel’s continued military presence expose the limits of state sovereignty.
Erling Lorentzen Sogge • 13 min read
Repair Amid Ongoing Ruination—Rebuilding Dahiyeh Once More
Lebanese civilians clean streets of the debris from buildings destroyed by Israel in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, December 2024. Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images

Repair Amid Ongoing Ruination—Rebuilding Dahiyeh Once More

Standing beside a destroyed building in Dahiyeh in September 2025, a fruit seller said to me, “I want to bring Naim Qassem [Hizballah’s new secretary general] here. I want to show him the damage. Our people need to do better.” He knew that, like him, I was Shia, and
Iman Ali • 11 min read
Times of Struggle and Cultural Liberation—A Conversation with Elias Khoury
Elias Khoury. Originally posted on Facebook by the Lebanese publishing house Dar Al Adab in 2013. Photographer unknown.Palestine in a World on Fire, co-edited by Katherine Natanel and Ilan Pappé.Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury.Children of the Ghetto, My Name is Adam, by Elias Khoury.
Current Analysis

Times of Struggle and Cultural Liberation—A Conversation with Elias Khoury

An Excerpt from 'Palestine in a World on Fire' in light of Elias Khoury's passing.
Elias Khoury, Ilan Pappe • 20 min read
Beirut and the Birth of the Fortress Embassy
The new US embassy under construction in Awkar with a view of Beirut in the distance. Photo courtesy of the US Embassy in Beirut’s X feed, May 5, 2023.US embassy officials meeting with Lebanese President Camille Chamoun (in a dark suit with cigarette) at his residence in Jiyyeh, 1959. Photo courtesy of Hanna Farha.The new US embassy complex under construction in Awkar. Photo courtesy of the US Embassy in Beirut’s X feed, May 5, 2023.
Current Analysis

Beirut and the Birth of the Fortress Embassy

A deep dive into the local, regional and global politics behind the sprawling new US embassy complex in Beirut.
Habib Battah • 16 min read