Maysam Ali

Time for Washington to accelerate slamming sanctions on Lebanon Speaker Nabih Berri's big fat accounts stashed around the world. Hezbollah reporter quotes Berri as saying "if they want to take Lebanon to a new May 17 agreement, with Israel, I, Nabih Berri, will execute sixty February 6 to bring down the agreement." On May 17, 1983, a majority at Parliament of Lebanon ratified a peace treaty with Israel. On February 6, 1984, warlords Berri, chief of Amal Shia militia, and Walid Jumblatt, chief of PSP Druze militia, launched a street-to-street firefight against the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), instructed their coreligionist battalions to split from LAF. Result: LAF Christian personnel and the Lebanese state were ejected from West Beirut and spent the rest of the civil war in East Beirut and the Christian enclave attached to it. Berri, Jumblatt and their "February 6 Coalition" that controls the current Lebanese deep state have been ruling Lebanon since 1984, first under the tutelage of Syria's Assad dynasty, and since 2008 under the thumb of the Iranian proxy Hezbollah.

This story you’ll never read in @nytimes: Hezbollah’s heavy handed repression against the Shia of Lebanon prevents the growth of Shia opposition to Iran and the militia, obstructs the growth of support for Lebanon’s normalization with Israel. The man in Yohmor who was seen torching Nasrallah’s poster was forced to replace it and pledge allegiance to the militia. He was lucky. Other Shia opposition to the militia were assassinated.

Our late mentor, the great Kamal Salibi, had a beautiful tradition: he would place the publications of his friends and students on the piano at the entrance of his living room—a quiet yet generous way of announcing and honoring their work. While I am far from Salibi’s stature, I imagine he would have placed Hussein Abdul-Hussein’s newest publication, The Arab Case for Peace with Israel, in that same spot. It is a book I have placed next to Lokman behind me. Order it, read it, and embrace the culture of peace—perhaps the only way out of this nightmare @hahussain

March 2026 🇮🇷 Iran: pop. 90 million Death toll 1250 🇱🇧 Lebanon: pop. 5 million Death toll 486 Do the math. Lebanon is not a secondary war scene. It is the country that is paying the highest human price for this conflict.

My book, The Arab Case for Israel, just dropped: If Israel’s founding brought injustice to Palestinians and Arabs, accepting reality and using Israel as an advanced neighbor is far smarter than than trying to erase history and return to a mostly empty past. a.co/d/0hUlUcXJ

So proud of @hahussain for setting a courageous, ambitious, no-nonsense vision for Lebanon. So inspiring!

An overlooked dimension in Syria’s analysis is personal and emotional for the rebels: the longing for home and family reunification. In this multilayered event, the uprising of the displaced is clear. Since the offensive began, Syrian timelines are filled with videos of families reuniting, tears, collapses, and overwhelming emotions. Many of the fighters I have seen in videos are from displaced communities, separated from their homes and families for over a decade and fighting to go back to their towns. In this video, a rebel leader from Hama, prepping fighters from Homs to fight for their city: “Like I was happy to meet my family today (voice shaking), each of you will see your mother.” This motivation is a real one: “everyone of you will see his mother...” This is by no means the full picture or the only motivation. It's only a single aspect of it, but it’s a crucial one that deserves to be highlighted on its own to build the complex big picture of what's happening. I added another video from a list I'm compiling of videos of people reuniting with their families or places.

من إرث #حسن_نصرالله:

To Senators: @ChrisMurphyCT @ChrisVanHollen @SenTimKaine @DickDurbin @SenWarren @SenBrianSchatz @SenJeffMerkley @SenPeterWelch @SenSanders @maziehirono @SenMarkey @SenTinaSmith @senbutler @SenOssoff @ChrisMurphyCT I understand that you worry about "humanitarian" situations around the world, especially in the Middle East. If so, please check out a video produced by Hezbollah info op unit. It vilifies a Washington think tank by linking it to Israel PM Netanyahu (pretty much how many of you vilify US policies on Israel), then links the think tank it to #Lebanon friends (@NadimKoteich, @haningdr, @DrSaleh___ ) and other Lebanese who oppose the Hezbollah militia that is backed by Islamist #Iran regime. Some of these Lebanese also oppose the war that Hezbollah launched on #Israel on October 8, per speeches of Hezbollah chief Nasrallah. Last week, Hezbollah's Lebanon judiciary summoned @makramrabah for an investigation for expressing anti-Hezbollah opinions.

Issam was the sweetest colleague. He let me take a kitten I was nursing on assignment once, and made it a bed in his helmet. But he always reminded me, whenever I got careless: “Our goal is to cover the news, not become it”. I am so sorry this happened to you my dear Issam. RIP.

🇱🇧 Dear Fellow Lebanese, please repost/spread this message if you agree 🇱🇧 We, the citizens of #Lebanon, oppose #Hezbollah, its unconstitutionally armed militia, and any war it might launch against #Israel or anybody else. Our nation is one of peace and coexistence, not war and destruction. 🇱🇧اخواني واخواتي في #لبنان، الرجاء نشر هذه الرسالة ان كنتم توافقون عليها🇱🇧 نحن، مواطنو الجمهورية اللبنانية، نعلن معارضتنا لحزب الله والميليشيا غير الدستورية المسلحة التابعة له، كما معارضتنا لأي حرب قد يشنها ضد #اسرائيل أو ضد أي جهة أخرى. ان بلدنا هو بلد سلام وتعايش، لا بلد حرب ودمار.

It’s an unimaginable journey for so many refugees forced from all they’ve ever known. Muhammad Fardeen had an appetite for problem solving and a drive to succeed, and that led him to @awscloud. We are fortunate he’s part of our team. #AWS aboutamazon.com/news/aws/after…

March 1 is the birthday of my late mentor & friend Abdul Rahim Abu Husayn. Prof Abed would have turned 72, while he is not with us in body his recentbook pubished this week is a reminder to us all of this great kind soul who is dearly missed. Happy bday moua'almi.@AUB_Lebanon

Syria is a complicated topic. Here's all u need to do/know to help tho: 1)DONATE. Good venues: @SyriaCivilDef @molhamteam @SyriaRandD 2)Sanctions do NOT block aid. Don’t spread misinformation & don’t politicize the situation. Call on your gov to send aid 3)Share donation links

Today at the final of the World Cup, I only hope the players on the field and the whole world remembers that there’s a man and fellow footballer called Amir Nasr, on death row, only for speaking in favor of Women’s rights.

Millions of us stand with these women. The Iranian regime must be held accountable for its femicide.

"I grew up in a country where I was told that, if you show your hair, you're gonna go to jail, you will receive lashes, you will get killed like #MasahAmini. But here, they tell me that, 'Shh, if you talk about this you're going to cause Islamophobia...'" – @AlinejadMasih #RTWBM

“The true feminists and women’s rights activists are those in Afghanistan & Iran who are stepping forward, at great cost, to resist the Taliban & Islamic republic. They are the true feminist leaders of the 21st century.” - the great ⁦@AlinejadMasih⁩ washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/…

Great piece — Salman Rushdie and the Cult of Offense: This is what happens when you debase free expression in the name of free expression theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

@tapairportugal Hello I’ve sent the information and have not received any responses.

@tapairportugal Worst travel experience. 5 days of lost luggage, no update & no way to reach customer service through calling. @tapairportugal customer service is non existent. Can you please see details via DM & provide a response?