Left: a Lebanese soldier deployed at the site of an Israeli strike in Hazmieh, March 23, 2026. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour). Right: the facade of the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington. (Credit: AFP)
A warning to several addressees: The sanctions announced Thursday by the U.S. Treasury against nine officials in Lebanon caused a real internal earthquake. The list is long: three lawmakers and a Hezbollah official, two people close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the Iranian ambassador — who is not recognized as such — in Beirut, and, above all, two sitting officers, one from General Security and the other from the Lebanese Army.This is a grave first, as the United States is a key partner of the military institution and also the sponsor of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel aimed at restoring stability along the border. The army is supposed to play a leading role in this effort. And this is where the problem lies. The troops are expected to achieve Hezbollah’s disarmament, a sine qua non for any agreement with Israel. Some...
A warning to several addressees: The sanctions announced Thursday by the U.S. Treasury against nine officials in Lebanon caused a real internal earthquake. The list is long: three lawmakers and a Hezbollah official, two people close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the Iranian ambassador — who is not recognized as such — in Beirut, and, above all, two sitting officers, one from General Security and the other from the Lebanese Army.This is a grave first, as the United States is a key partner of the military institution and also the sponsor of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel aimed at restoring stability along the border. The army is supposed to play a leading role in this effort. And this is where the problem lies. The troops are expected to achieve Hezbollah’s disarmament, a sine qua non for any agreement with Israel. ...
