International Crisis Group 76d ago

Five weeks into the renewed war between Israel and Hizbollah, Lebanon once again finds itself embroiled in a disastrous conflict that stretches well beyond its borders. Since the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, Israel bombarded densely populated civilian areas in Beirut and regions across Lebanon without any prior warning, killing over 240 people in a single day. Meanwhile, it continues its ground invasion and occupation of areas south of the Litani River. Israel and the U.S. appear intent on decoupling the Lebanon and Iran fronts, while further degrading Hizbollah’s arsenal and fighting capacity. Hizbollah, for its part, initially announced it would halt attacks following the ceasefire, but has since resumed firing missiles at Israel in response to its ongoing offensive. The issue of Hizbollah’s disarmament – one of Israel’s stated war objectives – has trapped Lebanon’s leaders in a bind. They seek to assert a state monopoly over arms, yet any move against Hizbollah risks internal fragmentation and heightened domestic tensions. The war has already displaced over one million people and is deepening Lebanon’s already acute economic crisis, while also eroding the key state institutions that remain. In this online event, Crisis Group experts and Aurélie Daher, Lebanon Analyst and Associate Professor at Paris-Dauphine PSL University, will assess where the war stands, what Israel and Hizbollah are seeking to achieve, whether Lebanon’s leaders have any viable options, and what off-ramps still exist. Panellists: Aurélie Daher | Lebanon Analyst and Associate Professor, Paris-Dauphine PSL University Max Rodenbeck | Project Director, Israel/Palestine, Crisis Group Heiko Wimmen | Project Director, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Crisis Group Moderator: Christina Boutros | Senior Communications and Advocacy Officer, MENA, Crisis Group ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj015l-Gu66iB80-X_sr9tw And find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrisisGroup Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crisisgroup/ LinkedIn: https://be.linkedin.com/company/international-crisis-group And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crisisgroup/