Category Archives: Lebanon

06Apr/26

Hezbollah and the Northern boarder – comments from today

Lebanon, Middle East,

Happy to share my latest analysis from the Northen boarder in the below ILTV segment from earlier this morning. You can find my comments beginning 48:40, focusing on the Lebanon/Hezbollah front.

On Day 38 of the war with Iran, ILTV On The Hour delivers a gripping, real-time breakdown of the escalating conflict as Israel reels from deadly missile strikes and braces for what may come next. After a devastating hit on a residential building in Haifa, search and rescue teams recover four victims, while central Israel faces continued barrages. As tensions surge, correspondent Maayan Hoffman reports from the ground, capturing the mood in Israel as the clock ticks down on a critical geopolitical deadline. At the center of global attention, Donald Trump extends his ultimatum to Iran by another 24 hours, raising urgent questions about whether diplomacy still has a chance—or if sweeping U.S.-backed strikes are imminent. With analysis from retired General Gadi Shamni, Middle East expert Dan Fefferman, Iranian activist Aram Bolandpaz, and Dr. Nir Boms,  the show dives deep into the strategic calculations, regional fallout, and the human reality inside Iran and Israel. As the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed and military preparations intensify, the world watches to see what the next 24 hours will bring. Join our community now and receive 24/7 of new & original content from the State of Israel.

21Dec/25

Israel update: Syria, Lebanon and Gaza

Lebanon, Middle East, Syria, , ,

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to present U.S. President Donald Trump with new plans for a potential strike on Iran during an upcoming Mar-a-Lago visit, as Israel warns Tehran is rapidly rebuilding its nuclear program and accelerating ballistic missile production.

The White House reiterated that any Iranian move toward a nuclear weapon would trigger decisive U.S. action. Also: the U.S. launches a massive retaliation strike against ISIS in Syria, killing senior operatives; growing skepticism over Lebanon’s claims that Hezbollah will be disarmed south of the Litani River; continued IDF operations and ceasefire diplomacy in Gaza.

🎙 Featuring expert analysis from: Dr. Nir Boms – Syria Researcher, Tel Aviv University Avi Melamed – Middle East Expert Join our community now and receive 24/7 of new & original content from the State of Israel.

03Mar/21

Israel and Lebanon: A Bridge Over Troubled Waters?

Lebanon, Middle East, , , , ,

In the latest edition of Tel Aviv Notes, Stéphane Cohen and Nir Boms explain the late 2020 negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over the maritime border.

map from honestreporting
Source: “Understanding the Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Dispute,” HonestReporting.

Amidst a deep political and economic crisis in Lebanon, accelerated by the Beirut port explosion in August last year, the end of 2020 witnessed a surprising round of talks regarding the demarcation of the Israeli-Lebanese maritime border. These bilateral negotiations – mediated by the U.S. and the U.N. – are the first non-security talks held between the two countries since the 1990s. Of course, Lebanon and Israel have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war. The incentives for progress in the talks are strong as they could pave the way for lucrative oil and gas deals on both sides, though there still appear to be significant obstacles on the Lebanese side. Speaking with John Desrocher, the most recent U.S. mediator for the negotiations, in December 2020, Lebanese President Aoun was quoted as saying that Lebanon wants the talks to succeed because “this will strengthen stability in the South and allow us to invest in natural resources of oil and gas.”[1] Could a maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon be feasible, despite the otherwise toxic atmosphere between the two countries and the recent escalating threats of Hizballah? In a region full of surprises, this, too, might be a part of a changing reality.

***

Continue reading →
11Oct/20

Israeli crowdfunding campaign to support victims of Beirut blast

Lebanon, Middle East

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF   

Humanitarian aid intended to be sent to Lebanon. (photo credit: ISRAELI FLYING AID)

Humanitarian aid intended to be sent to Lebanon.(photo credit: ISRAELI FLYING AID)Advertisement

Israeli Flying Aid (IFA), a non-profit NGO specializing in delivering humanitarian aid to communities affected by natural disasters and conflict in countries who hold no formal relations with Israel, announced that it launched a crowdfunding campaign to provide aid to the Lebanese people in the wake of a massive explosion in Beirut that killed over 170 people and wounded thousands more, leaving another 90,000 or so with ruined homes.The campaign has two goals, according to IFA CEO Gal Lusky: The first being solidarity with the people of Lebanon and the second is to gather the means to provide aid to the victims.

“When a disaster of historical magnitude befalls our neighbors, we, the citizens of Israel must set aside the ongoing Israeli-Lebanese conflict, and rise above and beyond politics and diplomacy, reaching out to the Lebanese innocent victims  on the other side of the border,” said Lusky.

The chairman of the Syria Forum at the Moshe Dayan Research Center, Dr. Nir Boms, believes that this “humanistic” approach could create positive avenues between the two countries, and possibly down the line garner positive relationships between the two states.“ This recent disaster finds Lebanon in a critical time. Since 2019 the Lebanese have marched to the streets demanding a change and an end to a system that prioritize interests other than those of the Lebanese people,” said Boms. “The internal Lebanese discourse creates a unique opportunity to engage in a move of humanitarian diplomacy that will show a different face of Israel and that could open future tracks of dialogue between the two countries.”

Link to Crowdfunding site: “Human Warmth” – Israelis for Lebanese Citizens