Our job is to never backtrack from what cut his life short. Supporting Hezbollah’s role in this unnecessary war from Lebanon is an assault against the independence & post-Syria path Samir Kassir championed. And too many leftists, today, in their absolutism are dishonoring him.

Despite reasons that have little to do with local politics & more with security, two out of three senior Maronite posts remain vacant. And whether it’s continued boycott by one side or violent pressure by the other, the 1980s are yesterday. Communal cantonization is under way.

The role of the Lebanese government in times of war. Not a reluctant bystander or complicit messenger, but a sovereign actor reclaiming lost authority. And demanding our battlefield end through robust intl diplomacy. Tarek Mitri, 31 July 2006 addressing the UN Security Council

What a divide

From the vault…a look back at Lebanon’s rail transport, its achievements & short-lived history with Elias Maalouf - founder of Train/Train From Episode 2 on The Beirut Banyan - available on audio platforms

“Trains & tramways were on time.” Looking back to Episode 2: Rail Transport with Elias Maalouf - founder of Train/Train On Beirut’s bygone tramway & Lebanon’s haulted rail network. Available on The Beirut Banyan podcast

A contemporary art exhibition curated by Noor Haydar showcasing four Lebanese artists: Firas El Hallak, Elsie Haddad, Charbel Aoun & Paul Gorra Opening September 21 from 12pm to 8pm in Tripoli’s Hotel Palace The exhibition will continue until October 19 hikayattripoli.com

On the upcoming 42nd commemoration of Bachir Gemayel’s assassination. The Lebanon he sought to preserve as president-elect included all of its confessions and all of its geography. And that’s a cause worth fighting for.

No country can navigate this type of arrangement - for over half a century - without collapsing. 1969’s Cairo Agreement replaced agency & governability with forced national unity. Legitimizing external weapons & attaching us to regional war. Bringing us to where we are in 2024.

Lebanon’s artistic contribution to Palestine is more powerful than any armed proxy. A gifted pen that honored a people’s struggle with humility. And a master of capturing a region’s despair with sympathy. Elias Khoury’s lens was unique. As was the sensitivity of his generation.

42 years later & innocent Palestinians from Gaza to Sabra & Shatila continue to pay the price

The blood they shed in 2008 when our govt attempted to end illegal telecom networks & militia subjugation of our defense & security. The communication they need to kill statesmen & our best intelligence officials. A responsibility they bear for fighting Iran’s war from Lebanon.

My take on all that happened today for TRT World

Civilian death is condemnable across the board. Waxing poetic to compare the port blast aftermath to yesterday’s device attack blindly flattens the world. Innocent bystanders are not militia members relying on pagers. This is a war of their choosing. One they are clearly losing

My take in DW News Link to full article: dw.com/en/lebanon-exp…

Blown up in Sin El Fil 17 years ago, today. Using the same illegal network & devices the state tried to hault until Hassan Nasrallah declared all-out war. Not at Israel, which he’s avoiding at all costs. But at Lebanon. RIP Antoine Ghanem & all those assassinated by Hezbollah

Nasrallah’s sympathizers are not growing. They are the same ‘resistance’ supporters that for a moment expressed concern on social issues & the power-sharing system (albeit subjugated) they despise most. It’s easier for them to show their true colors when Hezbollah initiates war

There’s no negotiation or dialogue with an Iranian backed military power that demands us to wait months & years for an end to battle. Talking on their terms brought us a violent status quo that killed our spirit. We lost decades & generations to regional war within our borders.