A Hezbollah supporter holding a photo of Hassan Nasrallah and a flower, in front of the Raouché rock, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025.(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Like a cancer patient, Lebanon swings between fleeting signs of improvement and sudden relapses. At times, there appears to be progress, only for the symptoms to return with greater intensity, a stark reminder that recovery is still far from assured. That is precisely what unfolded last week.Let’s begin with Raouche Rock, where the unity of the state came crashing down. Some described it as nothing more than a “peaceful” commemoration of the assassination of a community’s historic leader, not worth making a fuss over. Yet behind this simplistic reading, the incident in fact laid bare a far serious and deep-rooted crisis. A gaping rift has come to light between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun — one that Hezbollah, under the guidance of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, has managed to exploit.Attempts are being made to...
Like a cancer patient, Lebanon swings between fleeting signs of improvement and sudden relapses. At times, there appears to be progress, only for the symptoms to return with greater intensity, a stark reminder that recovery is still far from assured. That is precisely what unfolded last week.Let’s begin with Raouche Rock, where the unity of the state came crashing down. Some described it as nothing more than a “peaceful” commemoration of the assassination of a community’s historic leader, not worth making a fuss over. Yet behind this simplistic reading, the incident in fact laid bare a far serious and deep-rooted crisis. A gaping rift has come to light between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun — one that Hezbollah, under the guidance of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, has managed to exploit.Attempts are being...
Israel kills 2 in southern Lebanon, shattering 3 days of relative calm