A woman, covered with a Lebanese flag, walks through the city of Nabatieh among the rubble left by an Israeli strike, on June 15, 2026. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
From the Islamabad agreement to that of Washington, just two weeks were enough to upend the equation. The memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June between the United States and Iran (which Donald Trump nevertheless called into question Wednesday after violent exchanges of strikes between the two sides) had raised fears among Lebanon’s political class opposed to Hezbollah that the "Lebanese dossier," including reconstruction, would be handled by Iran. Especially as leaks indicated that 10% of the Iranian funds unfrozen by the United States, or several billion dollars, would be transferred to Hezbollah. However, the framework agreement signed at the end of June between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Washington, aimed at reducing Iran's influence in Lebanon, explicitly states that funds “intended for reconstruction” will not...
From the Islamabad agreement to that of Washington, just two weeks were enough to upend the equation. The memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June between the United States and Iran (which Donald Trump nevertheless called into question Wednesday after violent exchanges of strikes between the two sides) had raised fears among Lebanon’s political class opposed to Hezbollah that the "Lebanese dossier," including reconstruction, would be handled by Iran. Especially as leaks indicated that 10% of the Iranian funds unfrozen by the United States, or several billion dollars, would be transferred to Hezbollah. However, the framework agreement signed at the end of June between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Washington, aimed at reducing Iran's influence in Lebanon, explicitly states that funds “intended for reconstruction” will...
Hacking Lebanese Politics #36: Is Lebanon about to abolish the death penalty?