The American envoy for Lebanon, Thomas Barrack, and the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, in Baabda, on June 19, 2025. (Credit: Photo taken from the presidency's X account)
An image circulating on social media shows the Iranian flag on the right, Hezbollah’s flag on the left, and in the center, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun cutting the lines of communication between the two. The message is clear: the current leadership, backed by a broad segment of the Lebanese population, does not want Hezbollah to once again drag the country into another war — more specifically, into the ongoing war between Israel and Iran — on Tehran’s orders.This is the central concern guiding the authorities’ current efforts, as they appear determined to fully pursue the diplomatic route in an attempt to keep Lebanon out of the confrontation. Yet while official Lebanon is carrying out these efforts with the utmost discretion, Hezbollah has escalated its rhetoric."We are not neutral [in the conflict] and we will act as we see fit in...
An image circulating on social media shows the Iranian flag on the right, Hezbollah’s flag on the left, and in the center, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun cutting the lines of communication between the two. The message is clear: the current leadership, backed by a broad segment of the Lebanese population, does not want Hezbollah to once again drag the country into another war — more specifically, into the ongoing war between Israel and Iran — on Tehran’s orders.This is the central concern guiding the authorities’ current efforts, as they appear determined to fully pursue the diplomatic route in an attempt to keep Lebanon out of the confrontation. Yet while official Lebanon is carrying out these efforts with the utmost discretion, Hezbollah has escalated its rhetoric."We are not neutral [in the conflict] and we will act as we see...