In Syria, the State is Rebuilding; in Lebanon, it is Sinking Deeper

In Damascus, Tuesday evening's announcement by the leader of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of the group's dissolution and the integration of its fighters into the Syrian army remains a landmark event due to its highly symbolic significance.

It speaks to President Ahmad al-Sharaa's determination to rebuild a state capable of embracing all Syrian communities and ethnic groups — some of which, like the Kurds, had eventually developed their own institutions.

This is precisely what the Turkish presidency noted on Wednesday, stating that "at this stage, the dissolution of the SDF represents an important step toward stability in Syria."

Neighboring Lebanon, meanwhile, continues to wrestle with its own contradictions. On one hand, the official discourse reflects — proportions kept in mind — what Ahmad al-Sharaa is doing in his own country.

On the other, the reality on the ground continues to assert itself forcefully, standing as an obstacle to any progress toward Lebanon becoming a genuine state in the true sense of the word.

By continually trying to accommodate this reality — which can be summed up by the influence of the Amal-Hezbollah tandem, hostile to any change to a destructive status quo that has persisted for decades — and by banking on the passage of time, official Lebanon is missing one opportunity after another.

The question of Hezbollah's disarmament remains one of the main obstacles to rebuilding the state. President Joseph Aoun continues to advocate for direct negotiations with Israel as the only way, he said Wednesday, to avoid another war with Israel, allow the army to reassert control over the territory, secure the release of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, and rebuild southern Lebanon.

On Wednesday, he acknowledged that these talks are running into obstacles, though he did not elaborate on the matter.

It was U.S. Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa who was more forthcoming. Speaking after a meeting with the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Abdel Latif Deriane, the diplomat stated plainly that no agreement capable of ending the hostilities could be reached as long as Hezbollah did not surrender its weapons.

Michel Issa questioned "why Israel should be asked to do everything while Hezbollah does nothing," expressing surprise that the Lebanese state was piling demands on Israel while refraining from asking Hezbollah to hand over its arms.

This is the main obstacle to resuming bilateral negotiations, with the eighth round expected to take place in early September — a date that had yet to be confirmed and still has not been. The American ambassador remained vague on the subject, saying only that technical discussions take place whenever an issue arises. He noted delays in implementing what had been agreed upon during previous rounds of diplomatic and military negotiations.

Meanwhile, as the Lebanese army continues to seize weapons likely destined for Hezbollah at the Lebanese-Syrian border, the Israeli army is pressing ahead with its operations in southern Lebanon. It announced Wednesday on its X account that it had destroyed more than 400 "terrorist" infrastructures over the past several weeks and seized large quantities of weapons and military equipment.

Military threats and economic pressure

On the U.S.-Iran front, the confrontation continues through an exchange of threats and economic pressure. That pressure is beginning to show results, as evidenced by the continued collapse of the Iranian rial and the long lines forming at gas stations across Iranian cities.

Iranian authorities continue to insist, however, that they are fully prepared to weather the situation, despite the economic difficulties acknowledged by President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Tehran thus claims to have rebuilt its military capabilities following the conflict, "thanks to the arrival of new systems from the defense industry, the army, and some also imported from abroad," according to its army spokesman, Mohammad Akraminia. Four power plants are also said to have been rebuilt.

On the economic front, President Pezeshkian continues to advocate for "dialogue and negotiation," while insisting that Washington will gain "nothing" through its unprecedented new economic pressure.

The United States, for its part, appears intent on maintaining the unprecedented economic D-Day until after the U.S. midterm elections in early November, according to senior American officials cited by AFP, which is relaying Israel's Channel 12.

According to the same channel, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly outlined two objectives on which the United States plans to focus in the coming months: increasing economic pressure on Iran and normalizing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, in order to restore oil traffic through this strategic waterway.

On this subject, President Donald Trump, who reaffirmed on Wednesday that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is not dead but "gravely wounded," stated that "all mines had been removed and/or destroyed in the international waters of Hormuz."

On his social network, Truth Social, he also announced that the strait "was under American control" — a claim Tehran has denied — and threatened Oman with bombardment should the sultanate "get in the way" of the United States' path through Hormuz, currently Tehran's only remaining point of leverage.

On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced "certain agreements" with Oman regarding the management of the strait, "concerning each country's share of the strait's waters and Iran and Oman's respective shares of its revenues," according to their spokesman, Hossein Mohebi.

The CIA Director in Moscow

Also at the center of Wednesday's news was a rare visit by the CIA director to Moscow on Tuesday. Donald Trump, however, downplayed its significance, describing it as "semi-routine."

He stated, during an interview, that the trip was linked neither to Iran nor to Russian threats against NATO. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, it falls within the framework of "exchanges between intelligence services."

It remains the case that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with his Iranian counterpart next week, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.