Aug 7, 2025
With its new government at the half-year mark and the UNIFIL
international peacekeeping force’s mandate due for reauthorization
at month’s end, Lebanon stands at a pivotal moment. In this episode
of Middle East Focus, hosts Alistair Taylor and
Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Fadi Nicolas Nassar
to evaluate whether the Lebanese state can reclaim its
sovereignty, starting with the disarmament of Hizballah and the
enforcement of a cease-fire. Nassar examines UNIFIL’s evolving
mandate for action, the force’s operational limits and posture, and
the Lebanese prime minister's Aug. 5 demand for a plan to disarm
all non-state militias by the end of the year.
Recorded
August 5th, 2025