Cars pass in front of billboards depicting the new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei (on the left), and his late father, Ali Khamenei (on the right), accompanied by the slogan "Thank you, loyal Iran," installed along the highway leading to Beirut airport on June 22, 2026. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
A sense of defeat has been hanging over Lebanon for the past few days. It can be heard in conversations, felt in newsrooms, and seen taking hold in political circles. It is reflected in the reactions sparked by the giant portraits of Ali and Mojtaba Khamenei that line the road leading to the airport, by the triumphant statements accompanying the U.S.-Iran deal, and by the speculation about Washington supposedly abandoning Lebanon. As though history had already delivered its verdict.There is something deeply disturbing about the images from the past few days. At the very moment when thousands of families in the South continue to count their dead, their wounded, their destroyed homes, and their devastated villages, giant billboards express gratitude for “faithful Iran.” At the very moment when the state is trying to emerge from the most...
A sense of defeat has been hanging over Lebanon for the past few days. It can be heard in conversations, felt in newsrooms, and seen taking hold in political circles. It is reflected in the reactions sparked by the giant portraits of Ali and Mojtaba Khamenei that line the road leading to the airport, by the triumphant statements accompanying the U.S.-Iran deal, and by the speculation about Washington supposedly abandoning Lebanon. As though history had already delivered its verdict.There is something deeply disturbing about the images from the past few days. At the very moment when thousands of families in the South continue to count their dead, their wounded, their destroyed homes, and their devastated villages, giant billboards express gratitude for “faithful Iran.” At the very moment when the state is trying to emerge from the...
